CROFTY’S CRICKET CALL – Interesting first week of ICC WT20 2024

Jun 06, 2024 Sports

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Kaieteur Sports – So, after much anticipation, fanfare and supposedly tremendous preparations, both logistically and financially, ICC WT20 2024 has stuttered to a start, with strange situations already occurring away from the cricket itself.  Similarly, some cricket games already played, two of which will be featured later here in this article, have been interesting, intriguing, maybe even somewhat baffling.

T-20-International cricket games have no real dominant “masters”, since no game has any resemblance whatsoever to either the beach-cricket-like Indian Premier League (IPL) or the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

One person correctly suggested “T-20 cricket is like Guerilla Warfare.  Even weaker Davids, with correct strategies and approaches, have power to deflate the supposedly mightier Goliaths.  Big names beware.   Any team can win!”

Anyway, one is unsure as to how to assess the preparations and readiness at the start of the Guyana leg of ICC WT20 2024.  From a Sports Journalistic perspective, my personal efforts had been extensively tedious, time and energy consuming, and even sometimes seriously hilarious.

I was fortunate to have good continuing contacts with one of Guyana’s Local Operations Committee, but processes and efforts to get anything done for the cricket in Guyana is worse than getting teeth pulled, or so it always seems.

Having many months ago applied for my Media Accreditation for ICC WT20 2024; a worldwide event; that Media Accreditation was still not ready two days before the first game was scheduled to be played in Guyana – Game No. 2, West Indies v Papua New Guinea, on Sunday 02 June.

The reasons given for the unreadiness of all of the Media Accreditations were that the printing machines were not working properly, as apparently, those had been damaged either in, or in transit from, another neighboring Caribbean cricket country.  Even God will occasionally struggle to help us around here!!

Sometimes one has to laugh out loud.  When exactly will we be really ready?

Compare that to the fact that I already have my Media Accreditation, in hand, for the Farnborough International Air Show (FIAS), in the United Kingdom, in July 2024.  Preparation, professionalsim and progress all wrapped into work!

That FIAS Media Accreditation had been transmitted to me electronically since late April last, and I had used the same criteria; my USA Passport; for identification.  A-I and all technologies around do actually work well!

The FIAS is a biennial event that brings together all of the world’s major aviation entities, military and commercial – airframes, engines, connectivity’s, accommodations etc – Boeing, Air-Bus, Rolls Royce, Ratheon, ATR, NASA, Lockheed Martin, General Electric etc., and hundreds of other aviation entities, for billions of dollars of business transactions.  All aviation personnel try to attend, as it is normally a massive aviation-generated orgasmic party!

I have been attending the FIAS since the 1980’s, more recent in time than my advent and inclusions into West Indies cricket, which started in 1970.

So, as I waited to uplift my Media Accreditation last Friday, I sat in the Media Center at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence for about three hours, during which time the power supply to that part of the Guyana National Stadium failed about seven times.  Absolutely, truly amazingly poor service!!

Guyana has been experiencing “Load Shedding” overall since the 1970s.  Why can this aberration not be finally fixed?  Is this not an ICC WT20 World Cup?

Even when the power did very sporadically come on, the only elevator in that massive Media Center never worked at all, causing much consternation and serious distress to the myriads of technologists who were trying desperately to set up their broadcast equipment.  Some had to lift heavy equipment up several sets of stairs, to the very uppermost platforms of that Media Center.    I was informed that “that elevator has not worked for years!”    God must help us!!

There was even more sporadic connectivity with the internet carrier.  The answer to my query was: “We ain’t test this situation yet, so we are testing it now to see if it would work”.  This competition was scheduled six years ago!!

Now to two of the better games so far, which have all, been quite below par.

GAME No. 1 – USA v CANADA – 01 JUNE 2024 – GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS, USA

This first game in ICC WT20 2024 included twenty two players who hailed from at least ten (10) different original countries, but now represent their adopted countries; USA and Canada.  Talk about acclimatizing very quickly!!

This was very different from the very first international cricket game ever played, back in 1844, which also featured teams representing USA and Canada, and was played at either St. George’s Club, New York, USA, or Hartford, Connecticut, USA, (reports vary).  Both teams back then consisted of only Englishmen.  Oh, how have things changed and evolved; even adapted.

Having won the toss with a big contingent of fans from both teams present, USA, the pedigree team, invited competition debutants Canada, to bat first.

That decision looked questionable when Canada raced to 50 – 2 in six overs; 85 – 2 in ten overs;  before subsiding somewhat to 159 – 4 in over No. 18.  At that stage, Canada were looking good for possibly 200 in their 20 overs, but  fell just short of 200; a very creditable 194 – 5 from their 20 overs.

Veteran Canadian opener, Aaron Johnson, originally from Jamaica, and fellow Canadian opener, Navneet Singh Dhaliwal, who was born in Chandigarh, Punjab, India, put on 43 quick runs for that first wicket.  Navneet Singh Dhaliwal did eventually get to a very useful, workmanlike 61, from 44 deliveries, including six 4’s and three 6’s, in Canada’s total of 194 – 5.

Also contributing well to Canada’s total were Nicholas Kirton, who was born in Barbados, finishing with 51 polished runs from 31 deliveries, including three 4’s and three 6’s, and wicket-keeper Shreyas Movva, also born in India, who make a quick-fire 32 from sixteen deliveries, including two 4’s and two 6’s.

With 194 – 5 scored, Canada seemed set for a massive upset over USA.  That thought strengthened as USA wobbled to 42 – 2 in over No. 7.     USA’s No. 4 batsman, Aaron Jones, also born in Barbados, then made a spectacular 94 n.o. from only 40 deliveries, including four 4’s and ten, yes, ten mighty 6’s, obliterating Canada’s bowling.  He was ably assisted by wicket-keeper Andries Gous, who was born in Welkom, Free State, South Africa, and who was also flambouyant for 65, from 46 deliveries, including seven 4’s and three 6’s.  They saw USA through.  USA made 197 – 3 in only 17.4 overs – first blood to USA!

GAME No. 2 – WEST INDIES v PAPUA NEW GUINEA – 02 JUNE 2024 – GNSP

This was a game, like banana skins, that West Indies nearly, probably should have, slid on.  They were lucky, even with all of their IPL / CPL pedigree, to just win in the 19th over.  Alan Gardner, writing for ESPNCRICINFO, called the West Indies victory “jittery”!  Other much more unprintable words are more apt here.

Winning the toss, West Indies asked debutants Papua New Guinea to bat first in front of a stadium crowd that was probably 25 % (one quarter full).  Suggestions for the poor turn-out were that tickets were too expensive, with the cheapest one for GNSP costing US$40 (Guy$8000); very serious money.

PNG might be diminutive in stature, but they have brave hearts.  They never flagged, were never overawed, and fought to the very end of the game v WI.

PNG made only 136 – 8 in their 20 overs, strangled somewhat by the less than true surface that had been produced, some deliveries “stopping”, “catching”, even “two-paced”; not very good preparation for a game of only 40 overs.

Only nearly 33 year old Sese Bau made any impression, his left-handedness counteracting the wiles of WI left-arm spinners Akeal Hosein and Gudakesh Motie, whose total six overs cost 33 runs, while getting three wickets.

WI fast bowler Alzarri Joseph looked out of sorts, and while Romario Shepherd and Andre Russell, faster bowlers too, looked more in tune to what was required on that pitch, WI bowling attack looked tame and tired.

When WI batted, looking for just 137 in 20 overs, they looked yet another “T” too – very timid indeed – strange really, considering that the present WI team is supposedly riddled with so many world beaters, if one considers IPL and CPL.

Johnson Charles must be the luckiest cricketer ever.  He should never be in any West Indies white ball team.  Charles was soon back in the hutch, out first ball, for no-score.  This guy simply cannot bat well enough for this level.

Even the normally effervescent Brandon King struggled somewhat, his 34 seeming patchy as he hit seven 4’s from his 27 deliveries faced.

Then, only Alfred Hitchkock, that man of mystery, could tell what could have happened if WI’s Nicholas Pooran, supposedly one of the world’s top T-20 batsmen, had been given out, when he was palpably LBW, to Alei Nao, but Umpire Rashid Riaz said “Not out!”    Pooran was then on zero.  Replays suggested “three reds” – Dead!!  He should have been given out LBW then.

Not only was that umpiring decision very poor, even from 70 meters away, but for PNG not to have “gone upstairs”; referred that incorrect decision to the Third Umpire; with the possibility of having WI two wickets down, especially Nicholas Pooran, in over No. 2, and having made only 136 – 8, is still unbelievably unfathomable.  PNG will rue that decision forever in their cricketing lives.

Pooran did make a scratchy 27 from 27 deliveries, with one four and two 6’s, but it was left to some really intelligent and patient batting from, in my mind, WI’s best all-rounder, Roston Chase, who was 42 not out, from 27 deliveries, including four 4’s and two 6’s, and some late power-hitting, from Andre Russell, who made 15 not out from nine deliveries, to put West Indies over the line, in 19 overs; West Indies winning by five wickets; 137 – 5.

On Saturday 08 June, WI will play Uganda for their last game in Guyana in the preliminaries.  If West Indies are to return to Guyana for semi-final No. 2 on 27 June 2024, they will have to improve 200%.  One expects a much better showing from WI in their 2nd game.

With Afghanistan and New Zealand also in their group, WI will not have it easy even to make it to the “Super Eights”, while getting to the semi-finals is still another story altogether, regardless of the vuvuzela sounds coming from their camp!   Enjoy!!

 

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• ATR, Even weaker Davids, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, NASA, professionalsim, Ratheon, Royce, the Caribbean Premier League

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