Group B in the Round 1 had an interesting composition. Zimbabwe - which is struggling to live up to the expectation of a Test nation, Ireland - knocking at the Test status, Netherlands - just now lost the ODI status, UAE - recently elevated to the ODI status. With this composition, it was evident that it is not going to be an easy ride for anyone in this group.
But when the tournament started, Ireland were the clear favorites to make it to the next round in spite of Zimbabwe being a full member. The main reason being, Ireland had been consistent and Zimbabwe not. In spite of being very little to chose among the associates, UAE was still on the weaker side of the scale. But T20 is a format that could spring up surprises.
The first match between Ireland and Zimbabwe indicated what was was in store for the cricket fans in this group. It went to the last ball with all three results possible. Finally, Ireland held on to their nerves to get over the line. It was a disappointment for Zimbabwe but the result was somehow on the expected lines. In the next game debutante UAE choosing to bat first posted a modest total of 151. Their inning did not start the way they wanted to losing their openers early and required some consolidation from their captain and the keeper. In spite of that they were at least 20 runs short of the par score. In response, Netherlands openers just took away the game from UAE and after that Wesley Barresi together with controversial replacement Tom Cooper ensured that the openers' efforts weren't spoiled and finished the match with 7 balls remaining. The result was on the expected line though.
In the second round, Zimbabwe was facing Netherlands, another formidable associate. Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat, but Zimbabwe coming from a painful loss, rattled their top order dismissing 4 batsmen within 5 overs. But Cooper brothers rescued their team posting a decent score of 140. Zimbabwe in their chase were cautious but had their anxious moments and were in the similar situation as their previous game. All three result was possible at the last ball when Sibanda hit 6 of the last ball to take Zimbabwe over the line and keeping them in the contention of the main draw. In the next match between Ireland and UAE, Ireland were clearly the favorites. Ireland put UAE to bat and restricted them to a modest score of 123. UAE could not recover from a collapse after a decent start. Ireland were never in trouble during their chase. With the flood lights going off couple of times followed by showers, the game was called off, with Ireland winning by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
At the end of second round, though Ireland were the favorites to get into the Super-10, the position was up for grab for both Zimbabwe and Netherland as well. Zimbabwe had to win its game and hope that Netherlands defeats Ireland with a decent margin. Netherlands had no other choice but to win against Ireland and on top of it with a handsome margin. A win would have definitely helped Ireland's qualification but a match abandoned would also do. With all these equations, the last day was bound to be exciting.
The first match on the final day was UAE v Zimbabwe. It was expected that UAE would have drawn some inspiration from Hong Kong's win against Bangladesh but on the contrary, they looked out of the league. UAE batting first lost their openers early and as it has been the case, it was left to Khurram and Patil to build the innings, but they could not score more than 116. It was good sign for Zimbabwe as they had good opportunity to up their NRR and go past Ireland. Chasing a meager total Zimbabwe found themselves in a state of bother losing 4 wickets with just 34 on the board in 8th over. NRR was important for Zimbabwe and they had no option but to win with a handsome margin. Elton Chigumbura gave the impetus to their innings with a quickfire 53 to complete the chase in 13.4 overs. The win ensured Zimbabwe moved ahead of Ireland on the points table on the basis of NRR.
Now the attention moved to the final match between Ireland v Netherlands. At the start of this match no one one would have had the slightest of the idea that it would be one of the most talked about games for the future. What was to follow was unprecedented in the history of T20I. Both the teams had to win and win with a margin to push themselves above Zimbabwe to make it to the Super-10. Ireland were still favorites. With Ireland batting first, they were at one stage 88/3 in 12.3 overs. Then Kevin O'Brian showed his outing against England in the world cup 2011 was not fluke. He together with Andrew Poynter put on 101 runs in the remaining 7.3 overs, leaving Netherlands to chase 190.
Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe had done what it could do to make it to the main draw. Ireland also would have thought it had done what it could do to make it to the next stage by setting up a formidable total. From Netherlands perspective, it had to chase the target in 14.2 overs to get into Super-10. 190 is a stiff chase in 20 overs, let alone 14. But they had no choice but to go after the bowling right from the word 'Go' and they had nothing to lose in the chase even if it goes not the way they wanted to. Captain Peter Borren knew that it had to be a brave display and he decided to lead from the front and opened the innings instead of Michael Swart. Myburgh, his opening partner hit the second fastest 50 and the chase was at a frenetic pace. When Borren was dismissed on the last ball of powerplay, Netherlands were 91. Myburgh and van Beek followed in quick succession only to raise some hopes for Zimbabwe. Ireland were still not out of the jail. But Tom Cooper who came after the third wicket ensured that the momentum was not lost and scored 45 of just 15 balls before he was dismissed in the 12th over. At that point of time Netherlands needed 29 runs in 3 overs to pip Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were still watching this amazing run chase with bated breath. Now it was only either Zimbabwe or Netherlands, Ireland in spite of being the favorites right from the start of the tournament were out of the contention. Next 7 balls were relatively quiet by the standards that Netherlands had displayed in the chase scoring just 5 runs which meant that now the equation was 24 out of 11 (original equation being 24 out of 45 balls). If Ireland felt that they have seen all of the carnage, they were wrong. Wesley Barresi would not let his team's mammoth effort go down the drain. He along with Ben Cooper ensured that they got to the target in 13.5 overs replacing Zimbabwe on the top of the points table and making an entry into the main draw. It was anticipated that an associate will qualify from this group, so did an associate, only that it was Netherlands now.
What a dramatic end to the round 1 of the World T20. Both the groups had to wait till the last match to know who would enter the main draw. Coincidentally it was around the same time in the 2nd innings (14th over) of these games that we came to know of who would be making it to the Super-10 from these groups. This first round though not being the main event, served as a great advertisement for the game of cricket and would have definitely given hope to the other associates not part of this tournament.
UAE like Hong Kong had made an exit from the tournament before their last match. Hong Kong chose to make their last match count but UAE seems to have lost the plot and they turned out to be the only team among the 8 teams in the first round not to win any game. Their openers did not click and their fielding and catching were abysmal to say the least, but just turning out at this level would have provided them the exposure they needed. They are now a ODI team and will be playing the 50 over world cup and they can take this experience with them to put up an improved show there.
Ireland's exit from this tournament is more shocking than Zimbabwe's exit despite the fact that Zimbabwe is a full member. They were in the tournament till Netherlands innings started. This is definitely a disappointing result for a team that is aiming for a test status and the manner in which they lost the last match would be an insult to the injury. They have to forget this and start focusing on the world cup next year where they will get to play more number of games against the full members.
We can feel sorry for Zimbabwe, being a full member not qualifying for the main draw. They have not played international cricket for the last 6 months which answers all questions about their current performance. Though they showed all courage to fight it out against Ireland, won on the last ball against Netherlands and thrashed UAE. This might serve as some consolation. But they have to ensure that they get to play enough international cricket before the world cup next year to put up an improved show.
Netherland's entry into the main draw would have come as a surprise to them itself, not because they lacked the potential but the way it came about. They had lost both their warm-up games. Captain was not happy with his side's batting and it was ironic that it is their batting that got them into the main draw. Tom Cooper's inclusion (though controversial) made the difference. He contributed with both bat and ball. Their real test awaits them against the full members. But one thing is for sure, these full members would be facing a totally different Netherlands than what they would have expected.
The first round has come to an end. The qualifiers for Super-10 has been finalized. The Super-10 has started with a mouth watering contest between the arch rivals India and Pakistan. So the real tournament has begun. Let us see what more do we get from this edition.
In the second round, Zimbabwe was facing Netherlands, another formidable associate. Netherlands won the toss and chose to bat, but Zimbabwe coming from a painful loss, rattled their top order dismissing 4 batsmen within 5 overs. But Cooper brothers rescued their team posting a decent score of 140. Zimbabwe in their chase were cautious but had their anxious moments and were in the similar situation as their previous game. All three result was possible at the last ball when Sibanda hit 6 of the last ball to take Zimbabwe over the line and keeping them in the contention of the main draw. In the next match between Ireland and UAE, Ireland were clearly the favorites. Ireland put UAE to bat and restricted them to a modest score of 123. UAE could not recover from a collapse after a decent start. Ireland were never in trouble during their chase. With the flood lights going off couple of times followed by showers, the game was called off, with Ireland winning by the Duckworth-Lewis method.
At the end of second round, though Ireland were the favorites to get into the Super-10, the position was up for grab for both Zimbabwe and Netherland as well. Zimbabwe had to win its game and hope that Netherlands defeats Ireland with a decent margin. Netherlands had no other choice but to win against Ireland and on top of it with a handsome margin. A win would have definitely helped Ireland's qualification but a match abandoned would also do. With all these equations, the last day was bound to be exciting.
The first match on the final day was UAE v Zimbabwe. It was expected that UAE would have drawn some inspiration from Hong Kong's win against Bangladesh but on the contrary, they looked out of the league. UAE batting first lost their openers early and as it has been the case, it was left to Khurram and Patil to build the innings, but they could not score more than 116. It was good sign for Zimbabwe as they had good opportunity to up their NRR and go past Ireland. Chasing a meager total Zimbabwe found themselves in a state of bother losing 4 wickets with just 34 on the board in 8th over. NRR was important for Zimbabwe and they had no option but to win with a handsome margin. Elton Chigumbura gave the impetus to their innings with a quickfire 53 to complete the chase in 13.4 overs. The win ensured Zimbabwe moved ahead of Ireland on the points table on the basis of NRR.
Now the attention moved to the final match between Ireland v Netherlands. At the start of this match no one one would have had the slightest of the idea that it would be one of the most talked about games for the future. What was to follow was unprecedented in the history of T20I. Both the teams had to win and win with a margin to push themselves above Zimbabwe to make it to the Super-10. Ireland were still favorites. With Ireland batting first, they were at one stage 88/3 in 12.3 overs. Then Kevin O'Brian showed his outing against England in the world cup 2011 was not fluke. He together with Andrew Poynter put on 101 runs in the remaining 7.3 overs, leaving Netherlands to chase 190.
Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe had done what it could do to make it to the main draw. Ireland also would have thought it had done what it could do to make it to the next stage by setting up a formidable total. From Netherlands perspective, it had to chase the target in 14.2 overs to get into Super-10. 190 is a stiff chase in 20 overs, let alone 14. But they had no choice but to go after the bowling right from the word 'Go' and they had nothing to lose in the chase even if it goes not the way they wanted to. Captain Peter Borren knew that it had to be a brave display and he decided to lead from the front and opened the innings instead of Michael Swart. Myburgh, his opening partner hit the second fastest 50 and the chase was at a frenetic pace. When Borren was dismissed on the last ball of powerplay, Netherlands were 91. Myburgh and van Beek followed in quick succession only to raise some hopes for Zimbabwe. Ireland were still not out of the jail. But Tom Cooper who came after the third wicket ensured that the momentum was not lost and scored 45 of just 15 balls before he was dismissed in the 12th over. At that point of time Netherlands needed 29 runs in 3 overs to pip Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe were still watching this amazing run chase with bated breath. Now it was only either Zimbabwe or Netherlands, Ireland in spite of being the favorites right from the start of the tournament were out of the contention. Next 7 balls were relatively quiet by the standards that Netherlands had displayed in the chase scoring just 5 runs which meant that now the equation was 24 out of 11 (original equation being 24 out of 45 balls). If Ireland felt that they have seen all of the carnage, they were wrong. Wesley Barresi would not let his team's mammoth effort go down the drain. He along with Ben Cooper ensured that they got to the target in 13.5 overs replacing Zimbabwe on the top of the points table and making an entry into the main draw. It was anticipated that an associate will qualify from this group, so did an associate, only that it was Netherlands now.
What a dramatic end to the round 1 of the World T20. Both the groups had to wait till the last match to know who would enter the main draw. Coincidentally it was around the same time in the 2nd innings (14th over) of these games that we came to know of who would be making it to the Super-10 from these groups. This first round though not being the main event, served as a great advertisement for the game of cricket and would have definitely given hope to the other associates not part of this tournament.
UAE like Hong Kong had made an exit from the tournament before their last match. Hong Kong chose to make their last match count but UAE seems to have lost the plot and they turned out to be the only team among the 8 teams in the first round not to win any game. Their openers did not click and their fielding and catching were abysmal to say the least, but just turning out at this level would have provided them the exposure they needed. They are now a ODI team and will be playing the 50 over world cup and they can take this experience with them to put up an improved show there.
Ireland's exit from this tournament is more shocking than Zimbabwe's exit despite the fact that Zimbabwe is a full member. They were in the tournament till Netherlands innings started. This is definitely a disappointing result for a team that is aiming for a test status and the manner in which they lost the last match would be an insult to the injury. They have to forget this and start focusing on the world cup next year where they will get to play more number of games against the full members.
We can feel sorry for Zimbabwe, being a full member not qualifying for the main draw. They have not played international cricket for the last 6 months which answers all questions about their current performance. Though they showed all courage to fight it out against Ireland, won on the last ball against Netherlands and thrashed UAE. This might serve as some consolation. But they have to ensure that they get to play enough international cricket before the world cup next year to put up an improved show.
Netherland's entry into the main draw would have come as a surprise to them itself, not because they lacked the potential but the way it came about. They had lost both their warm-up games. Captain was not happy with his side's batting and it was ironic that it is their batting that got them into the main draw. Tom Cooper's inclusion (though controversial) made the difference. He contributed with both bat and ball. Their real test awaits them against the full members. But one thing is for sure, these full members would be facing a totally different Netherlands than what they would have expected.
The first round has come to an end. The qualifiers for Super-10 has been finalized. The Super-10 has started with a mouth watering contest between the arch rivals India and Pakistan. So the real tournament has begun. Let us see what more do we get from this edition.
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