T20 WC 2024

[eugene]

Canada beating Ireland and Afghanistan destroying New Zealand - what a fascinating tournament. Expanding to 20 teams is looking like a great innovation.

[Kriterion_BD]

Only Bangladesh can win a game against a major side and still make you feel that they lost, lmao.

Anyways, this should mean we qualify for the Super 8 stage (where we'll get thrashed by every other side). Hopefully Netherlands doesn't spoil the party.

[Kriterion_BD]

Amazing win by the Afghans also. They're really on a roll in these big tournaments.

[TapsC2]

Turning out to be a tournament of upsets. That’s the beauty of T20 cricket and I’m happy they didn’t prepare roads. If there is something in the pitch then any team has a chance if a couple of their guys get it right on the day. I’m also somewhat relieved we didn’t go. Best believe we would have lost to PNG or something strange like that. We would have exposed ourselves badly. You just know these guys

[TapsC2]

Does Scotland beating Namibia affect the rankings?

[secretzimbo]

If the USA can beat Ireland they will most likely make the quarterfinals which would be a huge achievement. All of this shows just how far Zimbabwe have fallen off the pace. How many Zimbabweans would make the USA team?

Probably quite a few, to be honest.

What you are seeing is that the gap between these teams is now minimal, probably the smallest it has ever been. In T20 format especially. There just isn't much of a gap. Anyone can beat anyone.

If Zimbabwe were there, there would be a fair chance in that group that we could realistically beat Pakistan (we did at the last world cup), Canada, USA and Ireland too and get into the Super 8's. But then, as we very well know, there is also every chance we lose to Uganda and don't even qualify. There's just not much in it at all. It's only 12 months since we put 400+ past the USA. But on another day they would probably beat us. So many teams are evenly matched in this format now. We are going to see more and more 'upsets' over the next week or two.

It's like everyone saying the US beating Pakistan is the biggest shock in world cup history. In my opinion it is not even close. Probably not even in the top 5. The gap 10-15 years ago was enormous and so when there used to be shocks it was really was. Ireland beating Pakistan in 2007, Netherlands beating England Lord's in 2009, HK beating Bangladesh in 2014. At the time those three teams really were amateur minnows, pretty much park cricketers in some cases not even getting paid at all.

Nowadays the leading associates are highly professional, play a lot more fixtures and most, e.g. the USA, are fully contracted on good wages. They only have 1, possibly 2, players in their squad who are part-time. The rest train full-time at better facilities and with better coaches and with better pay than e.g. Zimbabwe. Not to mention the USA have very literally gone out and purchased/recruited half of their side over the past three years. Them beating Pakistan is an upset, but it's not the biggest shock at all - to anyone who follows associate cricket.

Who knows how we would have done at this tournament. We might have catastrophically lost to Uganda and PGA and finished last or we might have had a good run and got to the top 8 like last time. T20 is anyone's games. It's great. What a fantastic world cup, and probably in 10 years from now, 20 teams won't be enough!

[Kriterion_BD]

Most US players are full time, but Netravalkar has a day job (he works as a computer engineer at Oracle or some other S and P 500 company). The only player in the US squad who is a hired mercenary is Corey Anderson. Everyone else is legitimately American. The older guys may have been born overseas, but even a guy like Ali Khan has played all his cricket in the US. Its not like he has an extensive Quaid e Azam career and then decided to move to America at age 30 to play international cricket. I believe most of the Canadian team is the same way as well.

In short the US and Canada squads are as American/Canadian as the Uganda side is Ugandan.

[secretzimbo]

Well thats patently incorrect.

There is Corey Anderson, Andries Gous, van Schalkwyk, Milind Kumar and Harmeet Singh who were all purchased directly from their countries for Major/Minor League Cricket 3 years ago. Then there is Nitish Kumar who was actually captaining Canada three years ago until also being purchased by MLC....and now plays for the US.

Half the team is purchased. Ingenious to suggest anything else. Actually just plain bullshit, but then most of what you say usually is.

[sam_ahm]

Pretty good posts SZ!

USA v Ireland is huge, and the moment any associate qualifies for super 8 then Zimbabwe's chance of direct qualification is ruled out.

You never know Pakistan, they can yet turn up tomorrow and beat us, they are a funny team albeit no longer as dangerous as they used to be.

In case USA fails to qualify, then Scotland v Oman is important tomorrow, if Oman beat Scotland then that's great for Zimbabwe.

[eugene]

You are kidding yourself if you think Zimbabwe hasn't fallen terribly behind. The fact that Zimbabwe can't qualify for a 20-team tournament despite receiving full membership funding says it all. Yes, the associates are improved and more professional, but it isn't like a number of well-known cricketing countries are missed out on qualification - that fate is reserved for Zimbabwe.