No clear favourites in T20
There are no clear favourites in the T20 World Cup Cricket underway in India. This is the sixth edition of the competition being participated by 10 nations and countries across the globe. Group ‘A’ features Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand and Pakistan, while Group B has Afghanistan, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
So far, Sri Lanka won the cup once and became runners-up twice, India and Pakistan became champions once and finished runners-up once each, England and the West Indies lifted the title once each, while the best prize for Australia is second position in 2010.
As continent, Asia annexed the trophy thrice and finished second four times; Europe and North America clinched the title once each, while Oceania became runners-up once only
Therefore, considering the past results, defending champions Sri Lanka are the top seeds followed by India and Pakistan.
But, as anything can happen in sports, we cannot bet for any particular team, especially after Indian players’ failure to arrest the New Zealand’s small target of 126 runs on the opening day.
However, the sorry event is the crowd’s aversion to the matches sans the hosts India. Experts say that crowds are the players’ inspiration for displaying excellence on the pitch and the entire tournament’s beauty.
Abdullah Rahi
Dhaka
