Are You Not Entertained?
Upsets, upsets, everywhere...
During the course of this T20 World Cup, I will be doing pieces on the little things that capture my attention as the tournament goes on. I won’t do match reports or previews.
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The first two days of the T20 World Cup have yielded upsets. Namibia defeated the reigning Asia Cup champions by 55 runs and Scotland beat the West Indies by 45 runs. Are you not entertained?
Are you not entertained that a team that played against only one test-playing nation between the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups defeated a team that played 16 T20Is against five Test-playing nations in 2022?
In 2022, Sri Lanka played 16 T20Is against Australia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Namibia, on the other hand, has a different story. Between the 2021 and 2022 T20 World Cups, they played against one Test playing: Zimbabwe. They won the 5-match series 3 - 2. Then they played a triangular tournament against Lahore Qalandars and the DP Lions. You would be forgiven for thinking that Namibia is a South African franchise because most of their matches are against SA domestic teams.
Ottniel Baartman has not yet made his international debut, he has not even played for an invitational XI, but he has played against Namibia.
West Indies and Sri Lanka have three T20 World Cup titles between them. In contrast, Scotland and Namibia have both reached the Super 12 stage only once, and that was in 2021. Teams like West Indies come into ICC events with lofty ambitions; they want to go all the way. They have done it before, Sri Lanka in 2014 and West Indies in 2012 and 2016. So they know they can do it.
Teams like Scotland and Namibia, on the other hand, come in with modest ambitions; to reach the Super 12 stage and then see how things go from there. The deep contrasts between the teams’ histories and talent pools are what make these upsets fun.
For decades, cricket represented the closest thing to order that global sports had to offer. Teams had rankings and most of the time, each team performed according to their rankings at ICC events. Test-playing nations were expected to dominate and associate nations were expected to roll over and die. The gulf was clear.
For the most part, dark horses remained dark and the favourites dominated.
Associate nations were the plus ones to a dinner party. They didn't know the inside jokes and politely smiled when they were shared at the table. They weren't expected to do much besides making up numbers at the private club that is ICC events. That attitude has not really changed, they are still the guests one sends invitations to on short notice because the first-choice guests can not make it.
What has changed is the attitude of the associate nations. They are not there to make the numbers. They are here to play. As they did in the UAE in 2021, Namibia brings a disciplined intensity, refusing to make mistakes and patiently waiting for the opposition to make mistakes.
Namibia’s discipline was visible in the field. They field with high intensity. According to CricViz, at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, Namibia held on to 100% of their catches. Catches win matches. By comparison, the Test-playing teams that suffered upsets so far, Sri Lanka and West Indies, held on to 71 and 75 percent of catching chances.
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Are you not entertained that a team without a proper T20 star defeated a team with a few IPL (and CPL) stars? As we have come to expect from the West Indies, they came into this world cup with a bit of drama in their wake. Desmond Haynes, the West Indies chief selector, said Sunil Narine, one of the best T20 players they have, was not picked because it seemed that he was not interested in playing for them.
They also decided to move on from Andre Russell, despite his willingness to play. Then there is the Shimron Hetmyer situation. Hetmyer missed two flights to Australia.
But, even against this backdrop, Scotland was still considered the weakest team in their group which also has Ireland and Zimbabwe. The West Indies were tipped as favourites to top the group. They have Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Rovman Powell, Odean Smith and Jason Holder.
In 2018, three Scotland players entered the CPL draft, none was picked. They were deemed not good enough. They are still deemed not good enough.
Scotland has a group with a lot of heart and fight. Their first-choice spinner, Mark Watt, does not spin the ball a lot, but he has a few variations. On social media, his most popular variation is the one he bowls his deliveries bowled from about 22 meters. That’s 1.8 meters further than most bowlers. He also carries notes onto the field in his pocket.
Many bowlers would love to gain an extra inch or two, bowl a little closer to the batter and thus reduce reaction time. Mark Watt does the opposite, are you not entertained by that?