World T20 discussion thread

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

First topic message reminder :

This is fast approaching in the UAE, and squads are beginning to be announced. England have announced theirs this morning

England's preliminary squad for the World T20;

Jason Roy
Jos Buttler
Dawid Malan
Jonny Bairstow
Liam Livingstone
Eoin Morgan
Sam Billings
Moeen Ali
Sam Curran
Chris Woakes
David Willey
Adil Rashid
Mark Wood
Chris Jordan
Tymal Mills

Reserves: James Vince, Liam Dawson, Tom Curran

Looks a solid squad, albeit the team has taken a hit in recent months with Archer's injury and then Stokes's withdrawal from international duty.
Billings in as the main batting backup, makes sense to me. He's played well in limited opportunity the past few summers.
I am a touch surprised both Woakes and Willey are in the squad...seems like they both do the same role to me?
Seems harsh, but happy no Tom Curran. He's not played well enough to be included.
I see some "why no Parkinson?" and it does seem a tad weird he isn't in reserve...but ultimately in T20 can you afford to carry someone like him, who while is a good bowler, is a liability in the field and offers absolutely nothing with the bat. I can see why Dawson is the chosen reserve over him, with those considerations.

I think the likely XI is;

Roy
Buttler
Malan
Bairstow
Livingstone
Morgan
Ali
Woakes
Rashid
Wood
Mills

The real selection choices in there are between Woakes/Jordan, and Moeen/Sam Curran. Rest looks fairly set in stone to me

[guildfordbat]

Nurul given out caught behind on review. Not sure about that ?  Seemed to be some sort of spike but it didn't look quite right...

No matter. And Mills finishes with three as he bowls Mustafizur at the end. All done for 124  which England really ought to chase down.

Good all round bowling effort - again. Livingstone's performance a nice bonus with an eye to future games.

Agreed. Insufficient evidence imo to overturn the onfield decision.

[guildfordbat]

Rob Key on Woakes - '' Always on the undercard ... we never [usually] talk about him ... outstanding.''

[alfie]

England cruising. 63/1 off 7. Buttler got out to a slightly peculiar stroke but Roy seems to be having some fun out there...

Malan getting a chance this time. He will be keen to show his worth here as a lot of media and Internet selection discussion seems to revolve around the option of leaving him out

[Duty281]

Cruise control again for England. Hope they're not peaking too soon!

[alfie]

Cruise control again for England. Hope they're not peaking too soon!

Not really needing peaks just yet : I'd say West Indies and Bangladesh are probably the two weakest sides in this group. Australia next and they are likely to be a tougher opponent even if their own recent t20 form hasn't been too flash. Think their bowlers will present more challenges. And there is always Smith...

Ten overs , 90/1. Another up tick for the run rate coming up

[Duty281]

I wouldn't quite go that far, I think Australia and Sri Lanka are both weaker than the West Indies and Bangladesh (yes, even though Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh).

[alfie]

I wouldn't quite go that far, I think Australia and Sri Lanka are both weaker than the West Indies and Bangladesh (yes, even though Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh).

Hmm. I see we differ here. By your reckoning then , England are as good as qualified and Bangladesh or SA will probably be runner up ? We will see.

I reckon Australia are a bit better than you think. But in t20 things can surprise any time I guess.

No surprise here. Roy gone for an excellent 61 but this still looks like finishing in about 14 overs... Useful bit of time at the crease for Malan and won't do that run rate any harm.

That's it . 14.1 overs. Definition of comfortable.

Pity in a way as not much excitement to be had. Reckon there will be closer ones ahead...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Yeah there's no way WIndies are weaker than SL/Bang and maybe Aus for me too - a total stinker in the first game, and then the Simmons disaster second game, but I'd still reckon they're likely to win more of their remaining games than not.

Comfortable stroll for England today - and a potential tricky opponent negotiated. Do share some concerns on here re: Jordan's bowling on these wickets, he's definitely better when he can get it full and that's just not the way to go so far. Not something that's affected them so far, but one to keep a slight eye on...Mo isn't going to be able to bowl 3 in the powerplay every game and give Morgan the option of leaving overs on the table from Jordan.

Lovely knock by Roy - he's looked in good touch in the IPL, warm ups and two games so far. Quite enjoys these big occasions it seems, as shown in the last edition of this and the 2019 ODI WC

[Duty281]

I wouldn't quite go that far, I think Australia and Sri Lanka are both weaker than the West Indies and Bangladesh (yes, even though Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh).

Hmm. I see we differ here. By your reckoning then , England are as good as qualified and Bangladesh or SA will probably be runner up ?  We will see.

I reckon Australia are a bit better than you think. But in t20 things can surprise any time I guess.

No surprise here. Roy gone for an excellent 61 but this still looks like finishing in about 14 overs... Useful bit of time at the crease for Malan and won't do that run rate any harm.

That's it . 14.1 overs. Definition of comfortable.

Pity in a way as not much excitement to be had. Reckon there will be closer ones ahead...

Yes, I think England are as good as through and are comfortably sailing through as group winners. However the prize for that may be facing India in the semi-finals!

I thought pre-tournament that South Africa would finish 2nd in this group and the West Indies 3rd, but Bangladesh fluffing their lines v Scotland introduced some unexpected uncertainty into proceedings. We'll see if Australia can back up their opening win v South Africa tomorrow against Sri Lanka, I'm yet to be convinced by the Australians.

[guildfordbat]

Yeah there's no way WIndies are weaker than SL/Bang and maybe Aus for me too - a total stinker in the first game, and then the Simmons disaster second game, but I'd still reckon they're likely to win more of their remaining games than not.

Comfortable stroll for England today - and a potential tricky opponent negotiated. Do share some concerns on here re: Jordan's bowling on these wickets, he's definitely better when he can get it full and that's just not the way to go so far. Not something that's affected them so far, but one to keep a slight eye on...Mo isn't going to be able to bowl 3 in the powerplay every game and give Morgan the option of leaving overs on the table from Jordan.

Lovely knock by Roy - he's looked in good touch in the IPL, warm ups and two games so far. Quite enjoys these big occasions it seems, as shown in the last edition of this and the 2019 ODI WC

Yep, it was a lovely knock by Roy. Still not convinced his MotM was the right call though. England bowlers set up the win and so I would have gone for Woakes as the shining light there.

Btw, I'm with Alfie in feeling Australia's chances are being downplayed too much.

[alfie]

Suppose Roy was always going to win the MotM : he is a batsman after all Tend to agree with guildford that Woakes was rather deserving (as perhaps were Moeen and Livingstone) but no one bowler took a real bag so I guess the top score gets it...

Good to see Roy with a fine innings though. Not sure I'd classify him as being in great touch in the warm ups though : 17 and a duck , and 11 against West Indies doesn't scream top form to me. His shots always excite ; but I'm much happier now we've seen him get something substantial under his belt today.

Jordan : hmm. Will they tinker with the team for Australia ? If so the likeliest move is surely Wood (assuming fit) for him. They have enough batting.

Feel a bit sorry for Willey. Good form in the warm ups ; but looks like he will be sitting on the bench for this , barring injuries.

[Duty281]

Namibia aiming to keep their excellent tournament going - they're bowling first v Scotland which gives them a very decent chance. Captain Coetzer out for Scotland, a problematic situation for them.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Things not off to a good start for the Scots - Munsey drags on first ball!

[Duty281]

This one could be over already! 2/3!

Well...Scotland reviewing this one, but it looks plumb. Umpire's call, good enough, 2/3.

[guildfordbat]

This one could be over already! 2/3!

Well...Scotland reviewing this one, but it looks plumb. Umpire's call, good enough, 2/3.

Mrs Bat - she never misses much - thought they were lucky not to be 4 down with the run out. The third umpire suddenly seemed to make his mind up without any reasoning.

[Duty281]

This one could be over already! 2/3!

Well...Scotland reviewing this one, but it looks plumb. Umpire's call, good enough, 2/3.

Mrs Bat - she never misses much - thought they were lucky not to be 4 down with the run out. The third umpire suddenly seemed to make his mind up without any reasoning.

I think I agree with her, I thought the bat was in the air.

Never mind now as Namibia have their fourth wicket.

[guildfordbat]

Duty - that should be 2 likes. From me and Mrs Bat.

[king_carlos]

Pikky Ya France. Best name at the World T20?

[Duty281]

Certainly an unusual one!

Leask's innings was top-quality, both striking and running. Getting out when he did ended Scotland's hopes of 120-130. 109 not going to be enough.

Full credit to Namibia's bowlers, especially Trumpelmann and Smit.

[guildfordbat]

Scotland's innings ends on 109/8.

When they were 78/5 at the end of the 14th with Leask going well and Greaves up to double figures, I thought 125 might be feasible. Not to be although, truth be told, they were always treading water after Trumpelmann's triple wicket opening over.

[king_carlos]

Scotland's innings ends on 109/8.

When they were 78/5 at the end of the 14th with Leask going well and Greaves up to double figures, I thought 125 might be feasible. Not to be although, truth be told, they were always treading water after Trumpelmann's triple wicket opening over.

Very true, Guildford.

Between Coetzer's finger injury and 3 wickets in 4 balls Scotland had effectively lost their best 4 batsman before the first over was done. Coetzer, Munsey, MacLeod and Berrington. Tough to come back from that.

That's a good bit of bowling by Sharif for the breakthrough though. He's bowled really well in the tournament thus far.

[CaledonianCraig]

Very disappointing defeat for Scotland. Batsmen flop again and although the bowlers battled gamely they never had enough runs on the board. Well done Namibia.

[king_carlos]

Three very tough games to come for Scotland as well. Pakistan have firepower that can destroy any side and India will be targeting a big win for NRR.

Scotland could upset a poorly balanced NZ side as they upset Bangladesh though.

[VTR]

That did feel a bit like the final for both sides, Namibia are one of the stories of the tournament whatever happens now. In this format can't rule out either side winning another game, but I don't expect it to happen

England are looking good, though worryingly that is not the usual route to success! 2010 and 2019 England were very close to an early exit before turning it around in some must win games. Was it the Champions Trophy in 2017 where England looked really good and then didn't turn up in the semi final?

[alfie]

Disappointed for Scotland. Bowlers fought hard and made it quite close in the end but really it is almost impossible to recover from a batting start like that !
Namibia will be delighted - as they should be.

I know t20 turns up shocks but I will still be astonished if either team can beat any of the established sides. But even so , competing here can only be valuable experience for both of them.

As for England : well they could hardly have done more in their first two games. Of course they - like everyone in this format - are at risk of having a shocker out of the blue : only takes a bit of freakish hitting from someone (called ... Brathwaite ?, or something else) ; or the loss of a bunch of wickets unexpectedly and you can find yourself on the wrong side of the scoresheet. They do look pretty solid this time around though : I just hope if they choose to have an off day they do it in the group stage and not in a semi or final. Their run rate already has pretty much ensured they will progress with four wins whatever other results occur.

No idea who else from their group will get through but perhaps Aus v Sri Lanka tonight will give a bit more of a guide.

By the way : in this age of Zoom conferencing etc , would it not be possible to arrange for Mrs Bat to adjudicate all future TV referrals ?

[VTR]

Did Brathwaite once hit 4 sixes to win a match. Because he sure as anything never mentions it

[Old Man]

Quinton de Kock's Apology and explanation

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Did Brathwaite once hit 4 sixes to win a match. Because he sure as anything never mentions it

Haha if I was him, I'd do the same - VTR, did I mention I scored a hundred for my local club this summer...

[VTR]

Ha! To be fair to Carlos, I feel its others that bring it up and of course he will then talk about it. Then I think of memorable performances in T20 games, there aren't many really and that one does stand out above all others. A bit of a one hit wonder I guess, but what a hit to have!

[Duty281]

Australia win the match the toss and will field first. Uphill battle for Sri Lanka from here.

[Duty281]

Sri Lanka 53/1 after the PowerPlay. Highly aggressive effort, Asalanka timing the ball brilliantly. Solid platform here to push for 170+.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

The Aussies can't be allowed to progress in this group wearing that kit - a 2/10 effort at best

[alfie]

Australia fought back very well after that early run-fest. Nothing like a few wickets to slow the rate...
But Rajapakse is threatening to take it away again with some strong hitting. 128/5 and three overs left : might still be a challenging total ?

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Australia fought back very well after that early run-fest. Nothing like a few wickets to slow the rate...
But Rajapakse is threatening to take it away again with some strong hitting. 128/5 and three overs left : might still be a challenging total ?

Think they're going to end up 20 or so short here - taking into account the dew and shorter boundary for the Aussies. But anything around 150 means they have a shot

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Rajapakse has missed out on a couple of full tosses from Starc, and now a couple in the slot from Hazlewood on his pads - good knock nonetheless has got Sri Lanka to something where if they bowl and field well, they have a shot

154-6 off 20 overs

[king_carlos]

Zampa's figures suggest that Hasaranga should have some joy. How much the dew effects that will be a big factor though.

[Duty281]

Middle-overs disaster for Sri Lanka, but the death overs recovered their position a little. Agree that 155 is probably a little light, but they're in with a chance if Hasaranga and Kumara are on top form.

[alfie]

154.

In the "interesting" zone. Probably favours the chasing team - especially if dew is a factor ; but enough to suggest a contest.

Which is better for the spectators than a couple of the almost walk overs we have seen with teams struggling to get much over 120.

[alfie]

Aussies away quickly...Finch striking nicely ; Warner a bit more streaky but they've really taken Kumara to the cleaners...

These two hang around long and the target is going to look very inadequate!

[alfie]

Warner's lucky day ! Keeper drops one my gran could have taken with her eyes shut...

May be just what he needs to get back into run making shape - big bonus to Australia.

[alfie]

Bowling not Sri Lanka's strong suit. But they really have bowled some rubbish and Australia are racing away with this.

Hasaranka gets Finch but at 70/1 at ten per over you'd think this is just about regulation for Australia from here. Expect Maxwell to keep the runs flowing...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Rajapakse has missed out on a couple of full tosses from Starc, and now a couple in the slot from Hazlewood on his pads - good knock nonetheless has got Sri Lanka to something where if they bowl and field well, they have a shot

154-6 off 20 overs

Narrator: They did not bowl and field well

[alfie]

Sorry Glenn... Hexed you nicely didn't I Guess that's what you getting with Maxwell : some fireworks - some fizzle.

We know Australia are capable of quick collapses , but you'd think they have this in hand as they don't need to take big risks after that explosive start. 82/2 off nine.

[alfie]

Middle-overs disaster for Sri Lanka, but the death overs recovered their position a little. Agree that 155 is probably a little light, but they're in with a chance if Hasaranga and Kumara are on top form.

Hasaranga doing OK but Kumara having a total 'mare...

Sri Lankan fielding has been awful.

[Duty281]

Easy job for Australia. They've got England next, both sides with 100% records so far.

I quite like Hasaranga as a bowler, but I don't understand how he's ranked world number one in this format. Fielding has always been a problem for Sri Lanka, they've never cracked it as a discipline, while sides such as Bangladesh and Afghanistan have made good strides in this area.

[alfie]

Whatever they do against England , Australia will be eyeing the semis after this , with the out of form Bangladesh and West Indies to come . Will probably want to wrap this up quickly if they can , to get that run rate up just in case...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Shane Watson is pretty good on comms

[VTR]

Shane Watson is pretty good on comms

Bet he isn't too hot on correctly calling lbws live though!

[alfie]

Comprehensive. Seven wickets and three overs to spare. Nice lift to the run rate and a confidence boost ahead of the "Ashes preview".

That one might be a good contest .

[Duty281]

Might get some better contests tomorrow

West Indies v Bangladesh - loser is eliminated, winner still has a chance. Will Simmons treat us to another masterclass?

Afghanistan v Pakistan - Afghanistan will take a giant step to the semi-finals if they can manage victory. Pakistan will have top spot 99% secured if they win. Very intriguing match-up, think Afghanistan go in as narrow favourites if they win the toss.

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