Ian Chappell looks at the prospects of some key teams in the ICC World Tweny20
http://www.cricinfo.com/talk/content/multimedia/457803.html?view=transcript&mul_genre=10Bangladesh
Bangladesh come into the tournament without a lot to recommend them. They haven't had a lot of form coming in. As always their big strength is their spin bowling. They have good spin bowling and the conditions in the Caribbean may just suit them although they would have preferred to play some matches early on in Guyana where it really does help the spinners.
They have got a good leader in Shakib Al Hasan. He has done well at the international level; he has proved himself with both bat and ball and he is a great strength for the Bangladesh team.
But they have got to get more out of their batting. Their batting has not gone anywhere in the years that they have been in international cricket and it is time some of their batsmen started to stand up and be counted. Mentally, also, they seem to have failed at the final hurdle a lot in international cricket. It seems to me that they get into a position where they have a chance for a good result and then it all falls to pieces. The opposition knows this, so they just keep hammering away at Bangladesh till their either implode or the opposition get on top of them.
I see the Australians have said they are going to hit Bangladesh with some pace and that has been a problem with them in the past. Kensington Oval is one ground in the Caribbean where the pace bowlers can find some help. So that will be a big encounter for Bangladesh if the Australians decide to go with four quickies. Whether they go with four or three, you know one thing - the Bangladeshi's will be hit with some pace.
They have good leadership in Shakib and he certainly sets a good example as a cricketer there. Whether he can pull them together as a team is another thing. And it is about time Mohammad Ashraful really stood up to be counted in international level. He's promised a lot but he hasn't done a hell of a lot. Unfortunately for Bangladesh I see them going out in the first round. They are in tough group with Australia and Pakistan and I don't see them getting past that stage.
India
The Indian side comes into the tournament with perhaps a bit of an advantage over a lot of the other teams in that they have had so much IPL experience. I am thinking particularly about the younger and up-and-coming players like Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Yusuf Pathan as well. They have all got plenty of experience in the IPl and they are used to playing against international players and that will help India a lot.
One of their great strengths is MS Dhoni with his leadership; not just his playing ability but the way he leads his side with great strength. He is a very important cog in the Indian wheel.
Another strength for India is the explosiveness in their middle order, or at least the potential there and I am thinking of Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf. If they can really explode then India could be setting some massive targets for the opposition.
Some of the areas where India may have some problems are that they could be a bit light on in the fielding. Losing Virender Sehwag is a big blow. With that explosiveness in the middle order, if Sehwag fires at the top of the order it makes a huge difference. He is not there. I think the Indian selectors made a mistake in not picking [Amit] Mishra. He would have perhaps been a better selection than Piyush Chawla.
Pace firepower may also be a bit of a problem. The fact that Ishant Sharma hasn't come on has really hurt India. If Yuvraj can find some good form then it will make a huge difference to India. If Murali Vijay who is coming into the side to replace Sehwag, can do well at the top of the order and adjust to international cricket, that will make a big difference. And if Zaheer Khan is in good form, that adds enormously to the Indian attack. I see India having a really major encounter with Sri Lanka in the final eight stage to decide which one of those two teams goes through to the semi-finals.
Pakistan
As always there is enormous turmoil with Pakistan, nothing new with that. But the fact that they are unsettled, is quite often, when Pakistan play at their best. You are expecting them to be a bit of a mess in the tournament and then suddenly it comes all together because it is almost like an 'us against the rest of the world' feeling. So beware of Pakistan when they are unsettled.
One of their great strengths will be Shahid Afridi. I am talking about Afridi the player here because with his explosive batting and his bowling which has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years, particularly in the form of the game, he is a very dangerous player. Afridi along with Saeed Ajmal gives them a very strong spin attack. One of the weaknesses is they are so unsettled, that may play against them. They have had so much of turmoil in their cricket of late that it might be difficult to overcome that.
Also, Afridi the captain could be one thing or the other: he could be brilliant or he could be an absolute flop. He has done some crazy things like spinning around the pitch on a good length, biting the cricket ball; you never know what you are going to get. If Afridi is going to have those brain snaps then he will be a problem for Pakistan.
Their batting, particularly their top-order batting is very fragile. That could be a weakness. The loss of Umar Gul is a big blow. He had been a very important player for them and they will really miss him. Afridi is a crucial player; if he plays well and captains well, that will make a huge difference. If Salman Butt fires at the top of the order it gives Pakistan a lot chance in the tournament. I think Pakistan, with all the unsettling things that have happened to them could miss out on the semi-finals.
New Zealand
The New Zealand side is a very solid side. You look at that team and they have got a lot of potential there. They are very well led by Daniel Vettori; he is an inspiring character with his play but his calm approach to the game and his thoughtful leadership seems to pull the New Zealand side together and get the best out if them.
There is enormous potential in the middle order; you have got guys like Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram but that is the problem with New Zealand - a lot of it is [only] potential. The form of some of their players has not been good. Oram is one of those players; his form particularly his batting form has been down enormously. The other worry for New Zealand has been the enormous injury list they have had coming into this tournament. They had to pick something like seven or eight back-up players so they have some real concerns there. It also means that important guys like Jesse Ryder who is coming back into the team haven't had much cricket. That is a concern for them.
Brendon McCullum at the top of the order is a key player for New Zealand. If he fires then it means that New Zealand usually set a big target. So he is crucial to them and that also gives license to the middle order. Oram's batting ahs been really disappointing of late and if he finds anything like his best form in the tournament it will be a huge boost for them. Another key player is Shane Bond. If Bond can get those early breakthroughs - and he seems to be a moody bowler, some days he is on and some days he is off - but if he is on that will make a big difference to the New Zealand side. I see them having a crucial encounter with England in the final stage and I think whoever wins that match will go through to the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka
One of the things I like about Sri Lanka is that they are a good, solid team. They perform as a team and they have good, strong leadership. It [the leadership] is not just about Kumar Sangakkara; Mahela Jayawardene also helps a lot on this regard. There is great strength in their leadership; they lead by example and they have calming influence on the team.
As always, one of the great strengths of the Sri Lankan team - and it has been for a long time now - is their spin bowling. Obviously Muttiah Muralitharan plays a big part on that and also, the fact that they have Ajantha Mendis there. Mendis is probably a key player for them because the teams that have seen a lot of him handle him alright, but the teams that haven't seen much of him struggle against him.
Sri Lanka's support bowling could be one of their weaknesses. Their major bowlers - Murali and Lasith Malinga are very good, but their support bowling could be lacking a little bit. They could also be lacking one explosive matchwinner; they are a bit short on that regard. But they do cover that with the way they play as such a solid team.
The way that Mendis performs will be very important to Sri Lanka, as well as Tillakaratne Dilshan. Dilshan has had some illness of late and his form has perhaps been down a bit because of that. Sri Lanka need him in top form because he is explosive and if he explodes at the top of the order then it makes the job of Sangakkara and Jayawardene so much easier and Sri Lanka can set bigger totals.
The encounter in the final eight stage between India and Sri Lanka will be crucial and that will decide which of those goes through to the semi-finals.
West Indies:
It could be a bit constraining playing for West Indies at home. In the Caribbean you have so many of these island jealousies and many of these players are not going to be playing in their home territory. So it will be interesting to see if the crowd gets behind West Indies as a team or whether the island jealousies come forward. Hopefully they don't.
One of the great strengths of West Indies is that they have some explosive players. I am thinking of Chris Gayle, their captain and Kieron Pollard in the middle order. They are very dangerous players. Gayle basically put Australia out of the tournament in England in the last Twenty20 World Cup on his own with his explosiveness. They have some very good allrounders: Dwayne Bravo is a terrific cricketer, he's really good and competitive and Pollard is starting to move into that category.
I will be interested in the way West Indies use Pollard, and I am thinking in the batting department. His bowling has crept up on everyone. He always seems to gets a wicket or two and is steady. I will be interested to see what Gayle decides to do to get the best out of Pollard's batting. They have got to give him a bit of time and not just rely on him to come in, in the last few overs and whack sixes. If you give him a bit of time I think he could get some huge scores for them and make a big difference to West Indies.
Their pace bowling could be an advantage and it is amazing to think that you are talking about a weakness in West Indies which could be their pace bowling. I have a lot of time for Kemar Roach; I think he is a terrific bowler but he has taken a bit of a pounding in Twenty20. If he can adjust quickly, that will make a big difference. You have also got Jerome Taylor coming back from injury and is he is at his best that will also make a big difference because he is a very good cricketer. But he has been out for a while and he hasn't had much cricket.
There are some interesting things there for West Indies, but at this stage I don't see them getting past the final eight stage, unfortunately.
****
Overall I think we are looking at a good tournament. I see that Viv Richards has said that he hopes the Caribbean will do it better this time. I hope the ICC don't get in their way and the musical instruments and the colour of the Caribbean [all come out] that makes up such a big part of watching and playing cricket over there. I hope that comes to the fore. It is always good to see the better sides get to the final and i think, really, I am looking at an Australia v South Africa final. And out of those two, it is not hometown bias in my case, I just think in a big match I would have to back Australia.
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell is now a cricket commentator and columnist
AuthorTopic: Ian Chappell's predictions on WC T20 (Read 312 times)
June 06, 2006, 03:20:53 PM