Glitz and glamour will showcase ICC T20 World Cup with the spotlight on India and Sri Lanka amidst controversy.BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE.(eLanka Sports Editor).
As the spotlight beams bright on India and Sri Lanka over the next four weeks, the glow of the host nations will be shaded by the excitement of watching the world’s best cricketers compete for the bragging rights, and it will be riveting.
It will undoubtedly be glittering opening spectacle laced with the glitz and glamour of the ICC’s show piece event which kicks off today as Pakistan take on the Netherlands at the SSC in Colombo while in India, West Indies play Scotland in Kolkata and hosts India play USA in Mumbai.
It is one of the most anticipated dates in the ICC cricketing calendar, and with a growing interest, development and following, is not far from the best sporting events worldwide. An audience of millions of fans will take in the action as the best and the rest battle for pride and glory.
The two year hiatus in between tournaments, give the best exponents an opportunity to hone their skills and ready themselves for a tilt at winning the tournament which is the most unpredictable of all formats and offers a level playing field to the qualifying teams.
Expect the unexpected as the tournament unfolds, and this edition promises more upsets than ever before in the slow, low and unpredictable subcontinental conditions.
This year’s edition features the top 20 teams in the world drawn from almost every corner of the globe and the likes of Nepal, United States, Canada, Namibia, UAE, Oman and Italy rubbing shoulders with the best gives the game an opportunity to widen interest and gives it a broader scope for expansion. The ICC’s long term vision in this respect is to be lauded.
It is unfortunate that Bangladesh opted out of the tournament due to their request of refusing to play in India being overridden, and the ramifications of their action could be to their detriment. Scotland have replaced them in the tournament.
Pakistan has thrown a spanner in the works in support of the Bangladesh stance and refused to play their game against India in Colombo and the ensuing confusion could be a major financial disaster to the host country, Sri Lanka, who have invested heavily in anticipation of a sell-out crowd.
Sri Lanka’s Cricket Board have made a plea to the PCB to reconsider its decision, reminding them of their support to Pakistan when most countries boycotted playing in Pakistan after the attacks on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore in 2009 which left lasting trauma.
Sri Lanka were the first nation to return to Pakistan leading the way for others to follow suit.
Early indicators suggest that holders India, will be pushed to retain the trophy with the hosts closely pursued by England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and perhaps Pakistan as the bolter.
England are looking ominous after a clean sweep over Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka recently, wilt the highly rated Australians were shellshocked in Pakistan when they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in Lahore.
Australia will be hamstrung without their best bowlers, Skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood sidelined with injury. But Mitchell Marsh’s team can never be written off. They need to reshuffle the deck and get the combinations right to fill the voids.
Co- host Sri Lanka certainly is down the pecking order going by recent form, which is disappointing from a home ground advantage.
The glory of Mahela Jayawardena’s triumphant 2014 team seems like a faded memory as the team has slid into a steady decline since, due mainly to power struggles and political meddling within the controlling body, informed sources say.
While dwelling on Sri Lanka’s chances is a guessing game, they are what can be categorised as the ‘Unpredictables’, who on any given day can upset the best.
The benchmark of their chances however, will be based on their tough encounter with the Aussies in their group. A win will, certainly create unrest among bookies and reassess their worth.
World pundits have not written Sri Lanka off despite their recent poor form and expect them to go beyond the qualifying stage where, with Australia, they are heavily backed to move beyond the group stage.
Sri Lanka’s troubling internal issues surrounding team selections and a string of other distractions has caused enough concern that prompted an unprecedented response from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to intervene by addressing the squad about the pride of representing the country. This must be a first by any country in sport.
Afganistan will definitely be one of the anticipated giant killers while Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland will be no pushovers and are capable of springing upsets.
