Table of Contents
In Part 1, you read about multiple big events of the recently concluded 2021 ICC T20 World Cup, here we discuss more of the same covering the latter half of the English alphabets.
👉 A-Z of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup: Part 1
N for New Zealand
New Zealand lost the 2015 ICC World Cup final, the 2019 ICC World Cup final (in a super over), and went down fighting in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup final as well.
The Black Caps have formed an almost new team around the core of Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Tim Southee, and Trent Boult since the loss to Australia in the 2015 WC final. The new-look team gave all they had in the recently concluded tournament after winning the 2019-2021 ICC World Test Championship but failed to bag a limited-overs trophy.
O for Oman
Oman made their ICC tournament bow in the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup, and the Oman Cricket Board offered to host the matches of their qualifying group in the 2021 edition of the tournament.
Playing at home and powered by the eccentric batting of Jatinder Singh at the top, Oman beat Papua New Guinea in the tournament opener but failed to get the better of group winners Scotland and mighty Bangladesh before crashing out before the Super 12s stage.
P for Pain
Favorites India and controversy muddled South Africa crashed out of the Super 12s stage despite producing good performances whilst losing to eventual semi-finalists Pakistan, New Zealand, and Australia.
Kohli and co. recorded three victories against Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia but their awful start courtesy of a 10-wicket loss against Pakistan and an 8-wicket loss against NZ.
Also read 👉 3 Reasons for India crashing out of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup
The Proteas won four out of their five matches, the same as semi-finalists England, New Zealand, and eventual champions Australia as well but they were eliminated due to the Kangaroos’ superior net run rate.
Q for Quick-witted management
Australia lost 5 consecutive T20I series to England, India, New Zealand, West Indies, and Bangladesh before the start of the tournament but the Cricket Australia management and head coach Justin Langer were saving their best players for the big tournament.
The fast-bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins was unleashed in the UAE and the Kangaroos reaped the rewards by lifting their sixth ICC World Cup trophy after winning five editions of the 50-over mega World Cup.
The Pakistan management was also quick-witted as they called up Fakhar Zaman and Shoaib Malik days before the start of the tournament when the tournament venue was shifted to the UAE. Whilst Zaman produced a power-packed half-century in the semi-final against Australia, Malik scored the fastest ever half-century in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup.
R for Right to Refusal
Quinton de Kock was in news but not for the reasons he would particularly love as he decided to sit out South Africa’s second fixture in the Super 12s stage against West Indies.
In a statement released by Cricket South Africa, it was revealed that the wicket-keeper batsman refused to take a knee after it was made mandatory by the board in a sudden shock move before the match.
Before the Proteas’ third fixture, de Kock apologized and revealed the reasons for his actions ahead of the match against the defending champions. He said:
“I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home. I understand the importance of standing against racism, and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example.
If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so. I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told.”
the Mumbai Indians star stated.
S for Sacrifice
Steve Smith is regarded as one of the best batsmen in international cricket, often representing one quarter of the ‘Big 4’ of Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Smith. With Marsh handed the No.3 spot in the Australian batting line-up, Smith was told beforehand that he would be used as a floater, with Glenn Maxwell nailing down the No.4 spot as well.
Most top sportsmen are often associated with their big egos and attitudes but Smith is a modest cricketer always ready to give it all for his nation whether in the white jersey or the colored jersey.
T for Toss
Toss was an influential factor at the recently concluded tournament and it felt disappointing to some fans that the games in the UAE are lopsided and not always fair for every team involved.
In 45 matches, the team winning the toss won the match 30 times (a high 66.66%) including both semi-finals, the final, India’s crunch clashes against Pakistan and New Zealand, England’s match against Australia, and other crucial matches as well.
In the 10 night matches held in Dubai, the chasing team always won the match in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup signifying how better the pitch becomes under the lights and the importance of the dew factor as well.
U for UAE
The United Arab Emirates has been a kind host to the cricketing fraternity for many years now and they added another feather to their cap with the excellent hosting of the ICC T20 World Cup.
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah were the three main venues from the Super 12s stage onwards with Dubai hosting the most number of matches including the second semi-final and the final.
V for Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli’s reign as the Indian T20 skipper ended on a dim note as India did not win a single trophy under the mercurial batsman as the Men in Blue lost the 2015 ICC World Cup final, 2016 ICC T20 World Cup semi-final, 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final, 2019 ICC World Cup semi-final, and the 2021 ICC Test Championship final before this tournament.
W for Warner & Wade
Australia had two left-handed batsmen in their squad including Player of the Tournament David Warner playing as the enforcer for the Kangaroos at the top, scoring 289 runs in 7 innings at an average of 48.16. Matthew Wade had a splendid performance against Pakistan as the wicket-keeper batsman and Marcus Stoinis powered the eventual champions into the final.
X for X-Factor
Every team has an X-Factor and there were some surprising ones in this tournament as David Wiese starred for adopted nation Namibia whilst Jatinder Singh top-scored for Oman. Babar Azam and Jos Buttler were the usual suspects but David Warner’s return to form was a happy occasion for the Australians.
In bowling, Jasprit Bumrah, Anrich Nortje, Trent Boult, and Shaheen Afridi troubled batsmen with their raw pace with Wanindu Hasranga, Adam Zampa, Ish Sodhi, Adil Rashid, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Rashid Khan ruling the roster with their wrist-spin bowling abilities.
Y for Youth
Every ICC T20 World Cup so far has been a brand endorsement for the promotion of young players into their country’s international squads.
The 21-year old Shaheen Afridi stamped himself as one of the best fast bowlers in the world at the moment whilst Mujeeb ur Rehman destroyed Scotland in the first match with a 5-wicket haul before picking up an injury which ruined the youngster’s tournament.
Z for Zampa
Adam Zampa is a great shout for the Player of the Tournament award, although it was handed to his teammate Warner. The wrist-spinner picked 11 wickets in 7 matches, bowling at a brilliant economy rate of 5.81.
The Australian spinner starred against Sri Lanka picking a 5-wicket haul and his only bad performance came against England as the Kangaroos tasted their only defeat of the tournament against their arch-rivals.
