Posts tagged with ‘ICC World Twenty20’

To be honest, this was probably as far as they were expected to get. That they managed to bounce back from the humiliation against Holland was creditable, and the victory over India was a feather in their cap.

Two brilliant stumpings in two days, and James Foster has vindicated his selection for the ICC World Twenty20. England may finally have learnt the value of having a top-quality specialist wicketkeeper in their lineupafter years of fiddling about with batsmen who keep wicket.

An early(ish) candidate for player of the tournament must be South Africa’s Wayne Parnell. Despite being an almost unknown at the start of the tournament, the left-armer has been the leading bowler for his team.

India’s surprise defeat yesterday at the hand of West Indies has blown group E wide open. Most would have favoured India and South Africa to reach the semi-finals reasonably comfortably, but now India suddenly look vulnerable.

A new blog I have picked up on recently is Danny Pugsley. His latest entry highlights some interesting stats from the World T20 so far. Whilst we are all eulogising about the big-hitting powers of a Sehwag, de Villiers or McCullum, it is the bowlers who are having the greatest influence on the tournament so far.

So, South Africa gave England an education in the art of Twenty20 this evening, and nobody will be especially surprised that the gulf is this large.

So after all the panic, England are through to the Super 8, and it is Pakistan who must sweat. How competitive England will be against the best teams remains to be seen.

So, England have set Pakistan 186 to win. A better performance this time, although still the suspicion that it could have been more at the half-way point of the innings.

Not “England lose to Holland”. Holland beat England.

Because that is what they did. Outplayed and outfought.