It was only a few weeks ago that Scotland scraped through by the skin of their teeth to retain their ODI status in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa. They had a remarkably poor tournament, failing to qualify for the 2011 event, and only thanks to Gavin Hamilton’s consistency did they manage to hold onto the lucrative ODI status. They enter this much higher-profile tournament in fairly shambolic fashion, after losing their main sponsor, Lloyds TSB, which preceded Ryan Watson’s resignation as captain.
It got worse, too. On the eve of the ICC World Twenty20 warm-ups, the newly installed skipper, Gavin Hamilton, had a verbal bust-up with John Blain, one of his most experienced bowlers, who then walked out on the side. This was hardly ideal preparation yet, as ever, Scotland somehow dug deep against England to produce the sort of gritty performance they were becoming renowned for.
Paul Collingwood for one was impressed with Scotland’s performance, in which Colin Smith top-scored with 45, while Majid Haq conceded just 19 with his very tidy offspin. These were promising signs of a side able to rise to the occasion in spite of their off-field travails, and in spite of their minnow status, Scotland will never appear timid or overawed by the occasion. Scottish fans shouldn’t get too excited, nor their opponents too concerned. They are gritty fighters, and the shortest of formats does increase the chances of an unlikely upset against a snoozing Full Member, but realistically they are shorn of explosive hitters and will struggle against better Twenty20 teams than England. This, as ever, is all about exposure to a higher level and intensity of international cricket.
Strengths
A mostly fit and athletic side. The oft maligned Majid Haq used to resemble Ramesh Powar in bulk but has cut down his weight, though Ryan Watson, the former captain, is still a little on the hefty side. Gavin Hamilton, Kyle Coetzer (who has benefited hugely by playing for Durham) and Neal McCallum all offer ballast and bolshy hitting, while Haq’s offspin and a solid seam-attack should keep things relatively tight.
Weaknesses
A lack of experience is their main, glaring problem. They have only played six Twenty20s, and only two of those were against Full Member nations (losing one; the other was washed out). The majority of the side are amateurs, doing fairly regular 9-5 jobs, playing club cricket against mediocre opposition when they can. The gap in class between that, and playing internationals, is vast.
X Factor
Hamilton has the ability to produce an extraordinary knock if bowlers stray onto his legs, and McCallum can hit the ball miles, but much depends on whether their opponents have a really, really bad day. This is not very likely.
Key players
Hamilton is their best batsmen by a furlong, and although Craig Wright is nearing the end of his career, his experience with bat and ball offers stability.
Form guide
Just six Twenty20 internationals for Scotland. They were poor in the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, and lost seven out of eight matches in this year’s Friends Provident Trophy.
Squad
Gavin Hamilton (capt), Richie Berrington, Kyle Coetzer, Gordon Drummond, Majid Haq, Neil McCallum, Calum Macleod, Dewald Nel, Navdeep Poonia, Glenn Rogers, Colin Smith (wk), Jan Stander, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Craig Wright, John Blain
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Scotland, twenty20 world cup 2009
First, the good news. The shorter the format the more competitive New Zealand become. Despite slumping to eighth on the Test rankings they have been World Cup semi-finalists in two of the past three tournaments and matched that achievement at the inaugural World Twenty20, where they were denied a place in the decider by Pakistan.
Now the bad news. Their leading performers two years ago included Craig McMillan, Shane Bond and Mark Gillespie, none of whom are there this time around. But there is an upside: since 2007 they have added a couple of more than handy names to their team with Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill proving dangerous at international level.
And the other plus is that New Zealand have found themselves in a group with Scotland, meaning along with South Africa they should have no trouble progressing past the opening stage. Then things become less clear-cut. Will a few powerful hitters and an economical A-grade slow-bowler be enough for them to move past more imposing line-ups? Only time will tell. But it’s a fool who writes off New Zealand when the 50- or 20-over tournaments arrive.
Strengths
Crafty, high-quality spin is a major weapon in Twenty20 and slow bowlers don’t come any cannier than Daniel Vettori. New Zealand can all but guarantee that he will deliver four thrifty overs each match; he has done that in every one of his 14 Twenty20 internationals and the most he has ever gone for is 6.75 an over. Of men who have played ten Twenty20s for their country, only Umar Gul has a better economy rate than Vettori’s 5.35.
Weaknesses
While Vettori contains at one end, the fast men will be required to keep things tight at the other. And that is New Zealand’s biggest challenge. Bond, Gillespie and Chris Martin did adequately in 2007 but none is in this squad. A pace attack based around the likes of Kyle Mills, Iain O’Brien, James Franklin, Ian Butler and Jacob Oram won’t strike fear into many Twenty20 batting line-ups. To compensate for a lack of firepower they’ll need to bowl smart – changes of pace, yorkers, cutters – or else risk an early exit.
X-factor
According to the online Wiktionary, an x-factor is that which has “unknown or unforeseeable consequences”. That’s pretty much how New Zealand Cricket would define Jesse Ryder. Despite having had behavioural issues in the past and being one of the big flops of the recent IPL, Ryder hasn’t often let his country down with the bat. A Twenty20 strike-rate of 137.61 shows his power and if he and the equally dangerous Brendon McCullum can get their side off to a couple of quick starts, it could be the difference between an early departure and a place in the finals.
Key players
Vettori is the most important with the ball, Ryder and McCullum could destroy attacks and Oram has the ability to finish an innings in style. But it’s hard to argue that any of those men are more important to New Zealand’s chances than Ross Taylor. No. 4 is a key position in Twenty20. If the openers have failed he must be steady without stalling; if they have thrived he needs to maintain or increase the momentum immediately. Taylor has the game to fill that role. He had a good IPL and his barely believable 81 off 33 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders was a highlight.
Twenty20 form guide
Warm-up wins against Bangladesh and Ireland don’t reveal much, although the form of Taylor and Guptill in those games was a pleasing sign. More of a positive was New Zealand winning their two most recent Twenty20s, against the reigning champions India in February. Since then it has been an up-and-down time for their squad members. Taylor thrived at Royal Challengers Bangalore, McCullum played a couple of strong innings as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders but was in the firing line as his team failed, while Ryder, Oram and Scott Styris had largely forgettable tournaments. In the meantime, Franklin has enjoyed a productive stint with Gloucestershire and O’Brien has been acclimatising with Leicestershire.
Squad: Daniel Vettori (capt), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan (wk), Kyle Mills, Iain O’Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: New Zealand, twenty20 world cup 2009
Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has made no secret of his enjoyment of Twenty20. In his own words, it “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket gave way to the 20-over version and he was considering giving up the longer formats to focus on Twenty20. The way his men played in the Tests and ODIs in England it looked as though he wasn’t the only one whose attention span was suited to three-hour games. Expectations will therefore be raised that West Indies can lift for the World Twenty20.
 They are in a difficult group along with Australia and Sri Lanka – it’s the only group that doesn’t feature an Associate side – and therefore they must hit top form from day one. They beat Australia the only time the teams have met in a Twenty20 and they have never faced Sri Lanka.
West Indies have the quite remarkable record of having tied two of their 11 Twenty20 internationals – both against New Zealand – and they have won four and lost five. At the 2007 World Twenty20 they went down to both South Africa and Bangladesh in the group stage and were bundled out in the space of three days.
Strengths
A batting line-up boasting Gayle, Xavier Marshall, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Andre Fletcher, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard should score its runs quickly. They are all capable of demolishing an attack with clean strikes and opposition bowlers must keep the wickets falling to stop West Indies posting a big score. Throw in Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the man who can anchor one end should wickets tumble and it’s a batting order with the potential to scare any bowling group.
Weaknesses
Those who live by the sword die by the sword. West Indies’ batsmen can be destructive but they can be just as liable to capitulate dramatically. And it’s impossible to predict which version of the side will arrive on any given day. At their best Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are fine fast bowlers but opposition batsmen’s eyes will light up when they see the backup brigade of Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy.
X-factor
The X-man is the X-factor. Nobody highlights the disparity between potential and consistent performance in West Indies’ squad quite like Xavier Marshall. Never one to back down, he has the ability to dominate even the best attacks, as he proved when Australia visited the Caribbean last year. His 36 off 15 balls in the Twenty20 in Barbados set up West Indies’ victory over Ricky Ponting’s men. Far too many failures fill the gaps between his triumphs but even one matchwinning effort in this tournament will justify his place.
Key players
Gayle is the only man to have scored a century in a Twenty20 international and it came at the previous World Twenty20. Having shown little interest in the Test series in England, he has no excuse now that his preferred format is taking centre stage. At his best, he can win a game in a handful of overs. The question is, after such a lean patch in England, can he reach his best?
Twenty20 form guide
Over the past 12 months, West Indies have won two Twenty20s, lost one and tied one. Importantly, they beat Australia – who they meet in the group stage – in Barbados last year. But their matches have been infrequent and it’s impossible to ignore their failure to win a Test or ODI in England this year – much of the personnel remains the same from those longer formats.
Squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor.
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: twenty20 world cup 2009, West Indies
The ICC World Twenty20 represents an opportunity for Sri Lanka to put behind them the miseries of the last few months. The attack on their team bus in Lahore in March and the armed conflicts in the country have meant the team and the nation have had little to cheer recently. Kumar Sangakkara and Co have the chance to give the country some happy moments over the next couple of weeks.
It’s Sangakkara’s first series as captain, but he has with him a team which has enough matchwinners to make the debut a memorable one. There’s plenty of flair in a batting line-up that has, apart from the captain himself, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The bowling attack, led by Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga, has the firepower to be formidable in any conditions, and the team has several swift movers, ensuring that fielding is hardly a liability.
With a 13-8 win-loss record in Twenty20 internationals, Sri Lanka also have one of the better stats in this format. Defeats against Pakistan and Australia deprived them of a semi-final spot in 2007, but with such a balanced line-up they have every chance of making the last four this time.
Being in a tough group – Australia and West Indies are the others in Group C – means they must find form immediately and beat at least one of those two teams to move into the Super Eights. If they make that cut, though, they’ll find themselves in the relatively easier group, with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh as possible group mates.
Strengths
A bowling attack which includes Muralitharan, Malinga, and Ajantha Mendis must fancy their chances against any batting line-up in any conditions. Nuwan Kulasekara and Farveez Maharoof should find the England conditions in June to their liking too, which suggests batting teams will be hard-pressed to post big totals against them. Sri Lanka’s top four batsmen are a formidable lot too, and Jayasuriya will be keen to prove that his poor form in the IPL was an aberration.
Weaknesses
The top order is superb, but Sri Lanka have been hit in the past by the lack of batting firepower down the order – it’s quite revealing that their run rate of 8.85 in the last six overs of twenty20 internationals is worse than the six other top teams. Chamara Silva, Maharoof and the rest of the lower-order batsmen will need to pull their weight and ensure that their late-overs batting isn’t a liability.
X-factor
The starts that Sanath Jayasuriya provides with the bat could go a long way in determining how far Sri Lanka progress in the tournament. Jayasuriya’s recent form hasn’t been flash – he scored 221 in 12 innings in the IPL – but his ability to turn on the switch can never be underestimated.
Key players
Muralitharan is an obvious matchwinner in the Sri Lankan team, but in conditions likely to assist swing and seam, Lasith Malinga could be more than a handful. He had an outstanding IPL, taking 18 wickets at an economy rate of 6.30, but he’ll also need to keep an eye on his radar – his 26 wides were the most by any bowler in the tournament.
Twenty20 form guide
Sri Lanka’s record in this format over the last 12 months has been patchy – though they’ve won three out of five, two of those victories were against Zimbabwe and Canada. What will give them more encouragement is the form of their players in the IPL: Muralitharan and Malinga were terrific, while Dilshan was one of the most consistent batsmen and finished with the fifth-highest aggregate.
Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Jehan Mubarak, Chamara Silva, Indika de Saram, Angelo Mathews, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana.
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Sri Lanka, twenty20 world cup 2009
 Australia weren’t interested in treating Twenty20 seriously until it morphed into a World Cup event and since being knocked out in the semi-finals in South Africa two years ago they have discovered they aren’t so good at it. Talk has intensified about their desire to hold the trophy alongside the one-day World Cup, but there is no real expectation they will be at Lord’s for the final on June 21. Ricky Ponting could promise only a “bold showing” in the lead-up, which is a significant downgrade of their traditional outlook.
They are in a tough group by Twenty20 standards and must finish ahead of either West Indies and Sri Lanka to progress to the last eight. Getting into the second phase could represent a successful trip, which is a strange thought when judging the side that has dominated the other forms of the game this decade.
In 21 of these matches Australia have won 11 and their form leading into the tournament was poor. They lost to Pakistan in Dubai last month when dismissed for 108 and were also defeated in the two-game series in South Africa.
While there has been a push to treat the format more seriously, especially since the explosion of prize money in the domestic leagues, the team’s major players have often had a rest while the international Twenty20 engagements were staged. This has resulted in Brad Haddin captaining the side twice this year, including their last fully-fledged match before the World Twenty20. For Australia, Tests and the traditional World Cups are what matter most and they would swap an Ashes win for all of the World Twenty20’s glory.
Strengths
Some of the game’s biggest names are sprinkled throughout the line-up, but Ponting, Clarke, Hussey and Lee carry some doubts despite their high standing. The safety and security of the elite will help the younger players fit in, but in such a short tournament the stars must shine or their tilt could be over in three days.
Weaknesses
Overall international experience is impressive, but Ponting (15 matches), Clarke (16), Hussey (16), Symonds (9) and Lee (14) are light in Twenty20 knowledge, mainly because they rarely play at the domestic level. At stages over the past couple of years they have had to ask their more qualified state team-mates for tips. This could be telling under pressure.
X-Factor
With the batsmen attracting all the focus in this genre, the bowlers have a challenge to get noticed. Nathan Bracken is Australia’s most accomplished Twenty20 wicket-taker with 19 at an almost miserly 6.75 an over. Bowlers might not win many of these games on their own, but Bracken is capable of providing a significant early shove.
Key player(s)
Unlike many of his colleagues, David Hussey knows the game intimately. There were times of tentativeness over the summer in the one-day side, but in this format Hussey can shelve his fears and release his brutal, fence clearing swings. Andrew Symonds will want to explode to show he remains an asset to the national squad.
T20 form guide
Middle of the road. In six Twenty20s this year they have won the first three and lost the next three.
Squad: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Brad Haddin (wk), Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Andrew Symonds, David Warner, Shane Watson.
Source: Cricinfo.com
written by Swapnil
\\ tags: Ausralia, twenty20 world cup 2009
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