A A crash out of Thursday’s semi-final between England and India in Guyana would be disastrous for this T20 World Cup. One semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan has a reserve day and the other does not, which is really not ideal. The ruling that the top team in the Super Eight Group advanced to the finals despite being given up was also unconvincing. It must also be strange for people that India knew before the tournament where their semi-final would be played if they made it this far. I’m glad the game is going ahead.
The conditions on offer are probably the most difficult this England team is likely to face. The pitch does not suit their natural style of cricket and is more like an Indian than an English pitch. Given that India’s score was 15, maybe even 20, over par, England’s effort in the powerplay was right. But it was a high-risk policy and unfortunately their shot didn’t pan out. Axar Patel was the star player for the Indian team but Kuldeep Yadav bowled beautifully. He has improved a lot, especially in the last two years, his pace has changed a lot and Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliant chip away from Phil Salt Sets the tone.
Of course, when England bow out of a global tournament, the question arises of who to blame. This team shouldn’t take too much criticism, they performed quite well and reached the semi-finals without being at their best. Yes, expectations are high for a team with so much talent, and after a disappointing 50 games at last year’s World Cup, England men’s general manager Rob Key will have to reinvent himself. Take a look at where this white-ball side currently stands. Jos Buttler maturely said after the loss that he needed to take some time to reflect on his team’s performance. But sweeping reforms and wholesale changes are not necessary. Ultimately, they faced the best team in the tournament, who were better at playing on this type of surface.
I must admit that I have a slight fondness for South Africa. As a cricket fan you have to do this, having witnessed firsthand their historic fight to reach the Men’s World Cup final and then finally conquer that hoodoo in this tournament, they were well worth the win over Afghanistan. The pitch in Trinidad is not suitable for a World Cup semi-final – it’s not right when you introduce so much uneven bounce into the game, turning it into a lottery. That being said, South Africa performed well and their fast bowlers came in quickly and did their part to bowl out Afghanistan for 56 runs. The team performed well in the tournament, but South Africa were consistent.
South Africa has a strong batsman who, like India, can also keep their opponents in check and they realize that 25 for 23 is all it takes to get the team over the line. David Miller was particularly important for them in the final, along with Quinton de Kock, as the two left-handers in the batting line-up. De Kock will aim to make them fly, but Miller’s key task in the middle order will be against India’s left-arm spinners.
But I’m leaning towards India lifting the trophy at Kensington Oval because I saw how they performed under pressure in the semi-final against England. The man to watch from their side is Bumrah, who has 13 wickets in the tournament with an average of 8.15 and an economy rate of 4.12. I remember going to India in 2017 to watch a few Indian Premier League matches, and at the hotel reception, a guy with glasses walked past me, no earrings, no tattoos, like a student. That’s Bumra.
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He’s not as physically imposing as you’d expect from a fast bowler, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a box-office hit. His trajectory is unorthodox and fast, accompanied by his wonderful change of gears. I played with former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq at Surrey and he had a magic touch where he could do something even on a flat pitch. Bumrah has this too. When he comes back in the last few rounds at death, I mean, where do you start how to play him? You can’t go around and hit slant shots because he’s got a slower ball and he’s got a lot of speed real Fast. He is surrounded by good bowlers but he is India’s X-factor.
Hopefully we have a course in Bridgetown worthy of a finals appearance, with speed and bounce that will make for an exciting batting competition. But what is certain is that with both sides possessing savvy slow bowlers, spin will surely have a say in where the trophy ends up.
