“ICC WT-20 2012 – Beware of spoilers – Big noise does not always make great sense!”

Sep 16, 2012 Sports

---

Colin E. H. Croft

Before ICC WT-20 2012 starts, let me divert quickly to another pending T-20 competition – Champions League 2012 in South Africa – which follows immediately, to inform about two bets that I made recently.
Not very surprisingly, I won the first!
So, Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings), Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) and Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders), will play for Indian Premier League teams, not for home country, Trinidad & Tobago, come October. Only extremely uninformed idiots would have expected anything different!
On July 25-26, Trinidad & Tobago’s Sports Minister Anil Roberts confirmed, in an interview to T&T’s leading newspapers that “these three players will play for T&T in CLT-20 2012 instead of IPL teams, in contrast to previous seasons.” I was sure that he was wrong!
Roberts continued: “An agreement had been reached with the three players to turn out for the national team and not for IPL teams. While franchises may be upset, I told them that I am very sorry that they are upset, but T&T’s population and government want our best players representing us. The players want to play for Trinidad & Tobago and will play for Trinidad & Tobago.”
Yeah? What?
These three excellent players are caught up in a mix not of their doing, reminding much of Kerry Packers’ World Series Cricket, when most of us played for WSC while a Test series, India v West Indies, was on-going in 1978/9.
I also believe that the players really want to play for T&T, but big noises do not always make big sense! Surely Roberts, Trinidad & Tobago’s Cricket Board, and the players, should have realized that those franchises are run by extremely astute, worldly, quiet, highly effective, executives.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Team Director, Joy Bhattacharjya, and Chief Executive Venky Mysore, did actually get their positions for knowing exactly what they are doing, having air-tight contracts on each player!
Paying that paltry, by their standards, US$150,000 per player, to T&T, is, ironically, chicken feed! It was “Venkys”, poultry conglomerate, who sponsored T&T’s very first appearance at Champions League!
Oh, I expect relevant retaliatory, stupid big noises, like a balloon, or is that buffoon, expelling wasted breath. I am only the messenger. I only bring you what is the true, real message! Anyway, I am, so far, batting 100%!
That second bet, that Kevin Pietersen, England’s batsman supreme, will, despite everything, eventually be selected for his country’s next full tour, to India, is still pending, but that situation is becoming more possible, with names for that team being presently contemplated.
Back to ICC WT-20 2012!
Someone once suggested that in Test cricket, a team cannot win on Day 1, but that team can certainly be on its way to losing, even after the first day of any Test! Quite so!
Similarly, Afghanistan, Ireland, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Zimbabwe cannot win WT-20-2012, but can be spoilers for teams that could actually win the competition, as were highlighted last week.
In 1995/6 World Cup, won by Sri Lanka, West Indies, memorably, were embarrassed and humiliated, losing to Kenya, by 73 runs, after forfeiting another game to Sri Lanka for security reasons.
In World Cup 1999, which Australia won, minions Bangladesh surprisingly beat Pakistan, by a massive 62 runs. To this day, as mentioned again last week in England, there is still grave doubt about this game, with innuendoes, suggestions and downright accusations flying everywhere.
FYI, Bangladesh was then applying to become a full-fledged Test team. Almost unbelievably, Pakistan bowled 28 wides and seven no-balls in that game! Hence, varying thoughts! Anyway, Bangladesh won!
As recently as ICC World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean, Bangladesh again beat one of that tournament’s favorites, mighty India, by five wickets, thus aiding in sending India home early!
Similarly, on that very same day of Bangladesh v India, March 17, 2007, Ireland’s biggest holiday – St. Patrick’s Day – the Irish painted Sabina Park absolutely green!
They sent Pakistan packing, beating the highly favoured but unpredictable Pakistanis by three wickets. Many an Irish coffee was drunk that day!
Afghanistan can pull an upset, even if holders England and one favourite, again, India, are also in Group A.
Captain Nawroz Mangal lends solidity to team aspirations while veteran all-rounder Karin Sadiq and fast bowler Hamid Hassan are useful players.
Ireland could again put skids on Australia or West Indies in Group B!
Big fast bowler Boyd Rankin is firing again. Captain William Porterfield, very experienced Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, Kevin and Niall O’Brien, George Dockrell and Alex Cusack would be trying desperately to make Coach Phil Simmons proud!
Bangladesh and New Zealand are in Group D, as is Pakistan. This is the real ‘group of death’, as any of these three teams could qualify for the semis, each being so unpredictable on its day.
Zimbabwe could be the fly in the ointment in Group B, which includes Sri Lanka and South Africa. Captain Brendon Taylor has done a great job so far, so they too could surprise the big teams.
With T-20’s being so hit-or-miss, totally unpredictable, look out for spoilers along the way! Enjoy!

---

---