With these teams in Group F of the ICC World Twenty20, it looks a lot more weaker than Group E.

But then, all relatively weaker sides will give each other tough competition, will they not?

Here's a look at the 4 teams.

Pakistan, started as my favorites and entered through the back door.

Their batting has hardly look settled with 3 different opening pairs used in 4 matches. Younis Khan and Misbah have looked to guide their ship but have come too low down the order to do any damage.

But with the news of Abdul Razzaq's inclusion comes the ray of hope.

Its uncertain as to when Razzaq will join the team, but if he's available for all Super 8 games, then his recent exploits in the RBS 20-20 Cup and those of the past for Hyderabad Heroes in the ICL, provide Pakistan with a chance to bolster their top order.

Overall though, the batting remains a worry.

Sohail Tanvir looked good with the new ball; Aamer has been sharp picking up first over wickets in both games; Gul's yorkers have continued to do damage; Afridi and Ajmal found destructive from against the Dutch.

The bowling looks in good shape; the Kiwis and the Irish (fingers crossed) will find it difficult to cope with the pace and spin.

Sri Lanka will be harder to get past, however.

Sri Lanka, unexpectedly rocked the group stages and now look favorites.

With Dilshan, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, and Jayawardene their batting looks top heavy but 3 of them have fired explosively in 2 games; while Mubarak came good at the end against the Aussies.

However, their middle order and the longish tail is a concern and untested.

Their bowling has relied on the triple threat from the M factor with both the Aussies and the Windies unable to confidently play Murali, Mendis, and Malinga. Even though Malinga has gone for some runs his slower ones and yorkers have picked wickets regularly.

They look like the strongest team in this group and look set to win all their games.

New Zealand, the injured eternal semi finalists

They have been severely depleted by injuries to Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder, leaving the batting to rely solely on McCullum with support from the inexperienced duo of Martin Guptill and Neil Broom.

Oram and Styris have flattered to get going, while Franklyn has also been missing through injury.

Furthermore, their bowling, with the exception of Ian Butler who has been exceptional, has looked one dimensional with the absence of Daniel Vettori, who is also out due to injury.

4 key men injured - what have they been up to in London?

The eternal semi finalists don't look like winning much during the Super 8s.

Ireland, the ones with the ability to upset

Their batting seems to rely on the O'Brien brothers, both aggressive stroke players, while they're bowling depends on Boyd Rankin and Trent Johnston.

These names were instrumental in dumping Pakistan out of the ODI World Cup in 2007; many Pakistanis still have nightmares about that day.

While Intikhab Alam will be one nervous man leading up to Monday.

However, this time I don't think Pakistan will repeat the mistakes of 2007.

They may be tough competition for a depleted New Zealand side, but McCullum's luck as captain can't be that bad.

While Sri Lanka's Triple M Threat will devour them.

Before the tournament, my call for the semi finalists from this Group was Pakistan and New Zealand; with the way Sri Lanka has played so far, I am compelled to change that.

So Sri Lanka and Pakistan go through from here to take on West Indies and India respectively.

Just for the record, my calls usually turn out the other way round.

Many doubted that the rebel ICL will ever go through due to the bans on players from their boards, the launch of the IPL, and various other operational issues. However, against all odds, Kapil Dev (chairman of the ICL executive board) announced the composition of the 6 teams taking part in the 20-20 competition in ICL's 1st year.

Click here to see the complete composition of the Hyderabad Heroes, Kolkata Tigers, Mumbai Champs, Delhi Jets, Chennai Superstars, and Chandigarh Lions. The coaches of these teams are prominent former international cricketers. I would've thought Moin Khan and Micheal Bevan, two of the coaches, would have been good to play as well. Wonder why they're coaching.

The captains haven't been announced yet but Inzamam and Lara are expected to lead their teams - the Heroes and Champs respectively. The Pakistani fans should look forward to watching the Hyderabad Heroes in action as it not only includes Inzi, but also Abdul Razzak and Azhar Mahmood. Moreover, Moin Khan is coach of the team. Ambati Rayudu, the 22 year old touted to be India's latest batting prodigy, would love the prospect of batting along side Inzamam Ul Haq.

Let the ICL roll...

I like Abdul Razzaq. I think he's an impact player - one THUMPING all rounder who's given us some fond memories. So i think its great he's taken back his retirement decision even though it makes his initial decision seem like a petulant act of a jilted player.


But let's be honest - Razzaq is and has been taken for granted for a long time. He's one of those unassuming characters who quietly goes about his business turning in solid, consistent performances, and occasionally devastating match winning ones, without too many people seeming to notice. When Razzaq truly burst onto the scene in the '99 world cup, he bowled with brisk pace and plenty of enthusiasm. He bounded in with purpose and had Sachin as his bunny for a while. He was used to counter the early swing and seam on offer during that tournament and displayed terrific temperament on more than one occasion to pull Pakistan of many a potential dark hole. But it was only later on, when he found his niche lower down the order, that his batting truly exploded. With that distinctive clearance of the left leg and blinding bat speed, he thumped them back harder than they could throw them at him. Anything even slightly fuller went high and handsome over long on or long off. Anything shorter was savaged over midwicket. Remember the 90 off 40 balls he blasted to almost take Pakistan to an improbable victory over New Zealand? Or the 5 consecutive fours against an in-prime Mcgrath? His batting was a thrill to watch - hope was never lost as long as 'fauji' was still in. His batting wasn't to bad in tests either and he chose pakistan's arch rivals to play some of his most important knocks. His 45 and 90 against india in that famous Karachi test, a match in which he also took 7 wickets, were drowned out by Akmal's hundred and Asif's majestic bowling display. Once again, a classic case of Razzaq not being given his due.


This is not to say the player bears no blame himself. His biggest critics have pointed at his bowling time and again and i completely agree. What happened to Razzaq the bowler? The guy could swing the ball, both with new and old, and genuinely harried batsmen. He was a real first change threat, stemming the runs by taking wickets. No longer. A mysterious shoulder injury robbed him of his pace and now his first ball is always a wide-of-the-off-stump half tracker at about 110kph which gets smashed for four. The rest of his spell is pretty much a succession of dibbly dobblers which he may as well have not bothered with. No longer does he get that threatening reverse swing and seems to be merely going through the motions. Another criticism has been his lack of emotion and energy on the field. Once again, not entirely unfounded.


Should Razzaq be brought back into atleast the ODI team? Yes. I have a sneaking suspicion that his fellow fast bowler, Geoff Lawson, might be able to get some of his bowling magic back. Will he be a disruptive influence? Only time will tell. But he is 27 years old. His prime years are in front of him. Dodgy haircuts notwithstanding, he deserves to be given a run again and represent his country. If the idea was to give him a wake up call by dropping him, job done. Lets get him back in the set-up. Boom boom may take all the headlines and win the fans' hearts, but there is no better, and consistent, lower order biffer than Razzaq in the game today.