RELIVING THE EXTRAVAGANZA: ICC MEN’S T20 WORLD CUP 2022
Written on November 22nd , 2022 by {"login"=>"jcbphc21", "email"=>"f20181005@hyderabad.bits-pilani.ac.in", "display_name"=>"Journal Club, BPHC", "first_name"=>"Journal Club", "last_name"=>"BPHC"}Australia played host to the 8th edition of the Men's T20I world cup. The stage was set for all the shorter format heavyweights to clash and produce electrifying T20 action, and they didn't disappoint. Here is how it panned out.
QUALIFYING ROUND
As usual, the tournament began with a qualifying round. This year's T20 World Cup saw some shocking defeats and eliminations. West Indies was the first T2O giant to fall. Chris Gayle predicted a final between the West Indies and Australia, but his countrymen fell short of his expectations, exiting in the qualifying round itself. Scotland defeated the Caribbean men by 42 runs. The Windies attempted to bounce back with a comfortable win over Zimbabwe, but Ireland shattered their Super 12 hopes with a convincing 9-wicket victory. Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe all earned Super 12 spots, with the latter two joining India's group.
SUPER 12
The Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup commenced with arch-rivals New Zealand and Australia facing off. Finn Allen lit up the start with a swashbuckling 16-ball 42. The Kiwis went on to smash the Aussies by 89 runs in front of a jam-packed SCG, thanks to a herculean 58-ball 92 by Devon Conway.
The most anticipated day of the year for cricket fans all over the world had arrived. It was India vs Pakistan at the 'G'. Mini-matchups, previous history, high stakes, this game had it all. The demons of 2021 were undoubtedly present in the minds of Indians. This time, it was Rohit Sharma who was tasked with leading his troops to victory. Indian bowlers did a commendable job as they managed to restrict Pakistan to a score of 159 thanks to terrific spells by Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh. India had yet another disastrous start as Pak's pace battery of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf ripped apart the top order. It almost felt like a replay of what happened in 2021. Virat and Hardik had their task cut out for themselves. It was a mammoth ask, but all it demanded was a valiant effort from someone, and Virat answered all Indian fans' prayers. He held his nerve and smacked a sensational 53 ball 82, arguably his best-ever knock in T20 internationals. 15 off 6 was the equation for the last over with the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz bowling it. He struck on the very first ball as Hardik departed for a well-made 40. It came down to 12 of 3, but this game still had a twist left in itself. Kohli smashed a waist height no ball for a 6 to make it 5 of 3, but Dinesh Karthik got stumped on the penultimate delivery to make it 2 of 1 with Ravi Ashwin on strike. As cool as you like, he smartly took his legs out of the way of the delivery causing it to be called a wide, and proceeded to lift the next ball over 30-yard circle to clinch the game for India. Virat Kohli had announced himself to the cricketing world again, and he couldn't have chosen a better day to do so.
The tournament was plagued with a lot of rain-affected games. South Africa had to suffer hard luck due to rains in a world cup game again, as their comfortable chase was halted by rain to hand a point each to them and Zimbabwe. Another rain-affected game saw Ireland upset England. Englishmen were on course to chase the 158-run target set up by Irish but rain stopped the play at 14.3 overs and England were 6 runs short of the DLS par score.
This tournament presents a strong case for being the most unpredictable world cup. Zimbabwe pulled off a stunning win over Pakistan to dent their chances of reaching the Semis. Brad Evans defended 10 runs in the final over to hand Pakistan their second loss of the tournament.
In the other group, New Zealand were having a cakewalk, with the other teams battling for the second spot in the Semis. At the Optus Stadium, India took on South Africa. It was always going to be a scary sight to face the fiery pace unit of Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, and Lungi Ngidi at Perth, and it proved to be so. Ngidi bowled brilliantly to restrict India to a mediocre total of 133. Indian bowlers ensured that it wasn’t a one-sided affair, but Miller and Markram delivered crucial knocks to propel South Africa over the finish line.
With Pakistan's comprehensive 33-run victory over South Africa, the top two spots were now completely up for grabs. Both groups were proving to be very interesting, and no team was certain of advancing at this point. The Kiwis easily defeated Ireland to become the first team to reach the Semifinals. Australia defeated Afghanistan by 4 runs in a close game, making England vs Sri Lanka a virtual quarter-final for the English. England responded well to the situation, defeating Sri Lanka by four wickets to secure the second spot in Group 1.
It was now the turn of Group 2 to present their semi-finalists. All South Africa had to do was defeat the Netherlands, but who knew it would be a surprise. Dutch pulled off a mind-blowing bowling performance to knock South Africa out of the tournament. Colin Ackermann and Brandon Glover were the stars for the Netherlands, and they had given Pakistan a glimmer of hope. Pakistan were on the verge of getting knocked out of the tournament at one stage and now they had a chance to seal a semifinal spot by securing a win against Bangladesh, which they did comfortably. India sealed a mammoth 71-run victory thanks to another clinical display by India's own MR.360, Suryakumar Yadav.
KNOCKOUTS
So the semifinal lineup was set: Pakistan vs. New Zealand in the first semi-final, followed by India vs. England in the second.
It had been a very topsy-turvy tournament for Pakistan so far. They heavily relied on the Dutch to pull off a win against South Africa and hence somehow made it through to the Semis, whereas New Zealand had arguably been one of the strongest outfits of the tournament so far. But none of all this mattered, it was down to a one-off game, and Pakistani players turned up to the occasion. Daryl Mitchell's first innings effort went in vain as Pakistan sealed a comfortable victory to set up a final clash with either England or India.
India and England locked horns for the second Semi-Final at the Adelaide Oval. Both these teams had been the most consistent T2O performers in terms of bilateral series over the past few years. The game started with another terrible powerplay for the Indian side. A Bad run of form continued for the openers and it was all down to Kohli and Hardik, again. Both of them responded to the need in style, scoring 50s to propel India to a respectable total of 168. Nobody would have predicted what was about to come India's way in the second innings. An utterly dominant display of T20 batting by skipper Jos Buttler and fellow opener Alex Hales made India look completely clueless. The pair went on to wrap up the chase within 16 overs to seal a final berth. Indian fans were devastated after this tragic exit, and the manner of it was even more painful.
It was an England Pakistan clash for the final of the 2022 T20I world cup. Both of these teams had already won the title back in 2010 and 2009 respectively which meant that the possibility of a new winner was officially ruled out. Pakistan posted a meager total of 137 runs. Sam Curran was the star for England again, as he had been during the course of the tournament. He finished with sensational figures of 3/12(4). Shaheen Shah Afridi did what he is known for as he bundled Alex Hales for just 1 run. Pakistan were in desperate need of a fiery start from their bowling unit and they got it. Jos Buttler started playing some exuberant strokes but eventually got out for 26. A low-scoring chase was turning out to be nail-biting as is the case generally. England's clutch player Ben Stokes was carrying their hopes on his shoulders, and boy oh boy, he again turned up in a crucial game. It wasn't easy for him at the beginning but he firmly stood his ground and accelerated at the end en route to his 50. England chased down the total with 1 over to spare. They were crowned the champions for the second time, and this was their second white ball world cup win in the past 3 years, which goes on to show their dominance off late. Sam Curran deservedly won the Player of the tournament award for his exceptional spells and death bowling throughout the tournament including the final.
THE ONES WHO STOOD OUT
During the tournament, some familiar faces and some rising stars stood out for their respective teams. The focus must undoubtedly be on Virat Kohli. Prior to the World Cup, he had been in the worst form of his international career. Some even questioned his inclusion in the starting lineup. But, as great players always do, he delivered an array of stellar batting performances when it counted the most. Virat finished the tournament as the leading run getter, with 296 runs scored at an astounding average of 98.67.
Suryakumar Yadav also deserves a mention. His never-change mindset and attacking approach stood out during this tournament. He played some quickfire knocks when the going got tough for the Indian side. Arshdeep Singh was the lead from the bowling unit, picking up 10 wickets from 6 games.
Sam Curran was named the Player of the Tournament for his scintillating performances. He finished with 13 wickets in just 6 games at an average of just above 11. His death bowling was too good for the batters to slog at.
Some other notable key performers for their sides were Anrich Nortje, Shadab Khan, Alex Hales, and Glenn Phillips.
WHAT NEXT?
India will approach the future with a fresh perspective. Throughout the tournament, it was clear that this team lacked the intent and approach that is essential for modern-day T20 cricket. India will play New Zealand in a three-match T20 series beginning on November 18th, followed by a three-match ODI series.