Method in the madness of Twenty20
Posted on Sep 13, 2007 at 12:53 | Updated Sep 13, 2007 at 13:16
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New Delhi: There is some method in the madness of Twenty20 cricket now.
After Chris Gayle, Herschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp unleashed a batting monster, threatening to obliterate the bowling species from the face of the Twenty20 world, sanity has been brought back into the proceeding.
Few things still hold good, as was always the case in conventional and ODI cricket.
One, quick wickets will easily translate into low scoring rates. Second, bowlers can still be economical if they seize the wicket. And third, eight runs per over can be a good enough target for a disciplined side, and one does not need to cross 200 to feel secure.
Quick Wickets stall momentum
Even in such a short variety, one or two wickets can turn a potential win into a morale-sapping loss. If we see the first match, after Gayle’s whirlwind knock, the West Indies’ whole effort was such a damper. After the 16th over, the Caribbean side was comfortably placed at 177 for two at a run-rate of 11.06.
The team looked good for adding another 50 runs in the last four overs, which could have taken them to around 220.
But the dismissal of Gayle on the second ball of the 17th over put sudden brakes. They lost three more wickets, which played havoc with the run-rate. Just 28 runs in from 17th onward were not good enough in the end.
Similar thing happened with Australia. They did well to reach a competitive 138 against Zimbabwe. However, a winning total eluded them thanks to three wickets in first four overs. Despite such a strong batting line-up, which has rescued them on umpteenth occasions, the World Champions simply failed to recover.
Similarly, Pakistan might have been looking at setting a 200+ target but two -wickets in first five overs and then mid-innings dismissals of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi put paid to any such hopes. Though Afridi’s brilliance with the ball took the win out of Scott’s sails
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Posted By suraj
I m really shocked to see zimbabwe beating ausies.
Indians really have to be on their toes to beat even scotland.
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