ICC World Twenty20: Preview of Super 8′s

So, the phoney war of the first group stage of the Twenty20 World Cup is over and the real business of the tournament is about to start. Despite the efforts of the organisers to remove the element of surprise from the Super 8s there have been a couple of shocks. Firstly, the fall of Australia at the first hurdle and secondly Ireland usurping Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, South Africa managed to negotiate their opening fixtures successfully, trouncing Scotland before squeezing past the Kiwis. I doubt if Graeme Smith will want too many of his side’s matches to go down to the last ball, but having survived the scare and defended a small total there will be plenty of positives for the Proteas.

The danger of an easy win over Scotland followed by a match against New Zealand that didn’t mean anything to either side was that South Africa would be severely undercooked going into the Super 8s.

The batsmen were able to fill their boots against Scotland they were made to work a lot harder for their runs against the Kiwis. The bowling and fielding has really shone though dismissing Scotland for 81 and restricting New Zealand to 127.

Moreover all the reasons that caused the bookmakers to have South Africa amongst the favourites at the outset of this World Cup still apply.

Many of the team have excelled in the recent IPL, which is where the finest Twenty20 exponents have been sharpening their skills for the last two seasons. AB deVilliers, Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Jacques Kallis were all in the IPL’s Top 12 run scorers while left-armer Yusuf Abdulla was in the Top 10 bowlers with 14 wickets.

Smith will continue to lead from the front and can has a full range of bowling options including the pace of Dale Steyn or the spin of Johan Botha. And it has been spin that has been crucial in bringing down run rates so far in this tournament.

South Africa line up in the tougher of the Super 8 groups alongside England, India and the West Indies. For my money it looks like three teams fighting over two places and net run rates could turn out to be the key if everyone else beats the West Indies and then each other.

First up for SA in the Super 8s will be the host nation. The two teams should know each other well after last summer and although it was the Proteas who came out on top in the Tests it was England who fared better in the shorter forms of the game.

After the disaster of the opening game against the Netherlands came a fine performance in the must-win game against Pakistan. The comprehensive victory hinted that England might finally be finding their feet at Twenty20.

But which England will show up?

Australia’s place in the Super 8s was taken by the West Indies after Chris Gayle put them to the sword. And it is Gayle on who the West indies hopes rest upon. As he showed at his best he can flay any attack in the world, but if he fails to fire there is serious doubt over where the other match winners in the side are.

Even if Gayle and the batting line-up fire there is the danger that their good work will be undone by profligate bowling and woeful fielding.

Both South Africa and India will be hoping to have secured their semi-final places before meeting next Tuesday in a possible dress rehearsal for the final. If that is the case it could be a case of how to approach the game?

Do you rest key players and try and deny the opposition a glimpse of your main men. The risks are obvious, loss of momentum if the match is lost and a missed opportunity to scout the opposition.

The alternative is to pick your strongest side and send a message to India, as well as the other remaining teams. It will be an interesting conundrum for Mickey Arthur to wrestle with, but only if his team take it one game at a time to that point.

By: Tim Evershed
Twenty20Blog