Saturday, May 1, 2010

T20 World Cup 2010


April 30 2010 will be eagerly awaited by all Cricket Lovers. ICC World Twenty20, popularly known as T20 World Cup will kick start on this day. The third edition to be held in West Indies, is organized by International Cricket Council (ICC). Twelve teams will clash with each other to win the coveted trophy. The tournament has three stages viz., Group Stage, Super Eight Stage and Knock Out Stage.
In the group stage twelve teams, divided into four groups as given below, will clash with each other. Group A - Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh. Group B - Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. Group C - South Africa, India and Afghanistan. Group D - West Indies, England and Ireland
The top two teams in each group will qualify for Super Eight Stage. In this stage the eight teams are further divided into two groups. Each team will play three matches in this stage. The top four teams will qualify for the knock out stage viz., Semi Finals and Final.
On the whole 27 matches will be held in this event across three stadiums viz a) Kensington Oval, Barbados b) Providence Stadium, Guyana c) Beausejour Cricket Ground, St. Lucia. The final is scheduled on May 16 2010.
It will be tough to predict the results, as the course of game can easily change either way at any point of time. The general overview of each team is given below.
India, the 2007 Champion, lead by Captain Cool M S Dhoni, is among the list of favorites to lift the trophy. Indian Team has some big hitters like Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag, M S Dhoni, Yousuf Pathan. The bowling department has the experienced Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh. India will try to repeat its 2007 performance.
The defending Champion, Pakistan after its disastrous Australia Tour, is now lead by Shahid Afridi. They will look to repeat their last years performance. Sri Lanka last years runners up will look to lift the trophy which they missed last year.
Australia which was knocked out in the group stage last year will look to perform better this year. The team is led by Michael Clarke and has a mix of young and experienced players. Brett Lee who recently retired from Test Cricket is included in the side.
West Indies will have the advantage of playing in their home ground. South Africa, a tough side to beat, will look to win the trophy. New Zealand and England are expected to reach the Super Eight Stage and has the ability to win the trophy if they perform well on their day.
Zimbabwe and Bangladesh though not expected to reach Group Eight stage can surprise the opponents on their day and hence should not be taken lightly. Afghanistan and Ireland are the qualifiers for this event and it will be great experience for them to play against the top teams. It will be a miracle if they reach the Super Eight Stage.
As said earlier Cricket can be any body's game if they perform well on their day. So expect a great tournament with close finishes.
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