Quick-fire cricket

The first Twenty20 World Cup, beginning on September 11 in South Africa, promises a feast of no-holds-barred cricket. Australia might be the favourites, but there are a few other teams which can give them a run for their money. India and Pakistan are determined to make amends for the Caribbean debacle. If the mega event clicks, it might transform the face of cricket and give the game a new lease of life, writes Vikramdeep Johal

The Twenty20 carnival has arrived, rather quietly, without any hype or hysteria — in stark contrast to the frantic pace of cricket’s newest avatar. The low-key build-up, thanks largely to the widespread flutter caused by the Indian Cricket League, might prove to be a blessing in disguise for the 12-nation event starting in South Africa on September 11. After all, didn’t the ODI World Cup in the Caribbean collapse under the weight of great expectations?

For those who find even one-day matches too long and monotonous to sit through nowadays — how times have changed — a Twenty20 game promises an action-packed three-hour show. Dull moments are a rarity, with neither players nor spectators getting any time to relax. With 27 such matches packed in 14 days, the extravaganza would be over a month shorter than the long-drawn-out World Cup. If it’s a smash hit, cricket might never be the same again.

Schedule Group A South Africa, West Indies, B’desh Group B Australia, England, Zimbabwe Group C Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Kenya Group D India, Pakistan, Scotland *Timings IST (pm) Matches live on ESPN & Star Cricket

No form of the game tests the fitness of cricketers more than the shortest one. No wonder it’s regarded as suitable for 20-somethings. Nevertheless, a few veterans in their thirties might make a major impact, such as Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya and Paul Collingwood (Incidentally, India don’t have any 30-plus player in the team).

Contrary to popular perception, bowlers could play a major role, especially if they maintain a tidy line and length and force batsmen to make mistakes. With cheap wickets up for grabs, the simple "Who bats better, wins" formula might not work every time. Moreover, pure slogging could prove to be suicidal.

It would be a challenge for several teams to cope with the absence of some key players. New Zealand are without Stephen Fleming, South Africa don’t have Jacques Kallis, Sri Lanka are sans Muttiah Muralitharan, and there are no Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq in the Pakistan squad. Missing from Team India are the "Big Three" — Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. The seniors would not only have to come good but also inspire the youngsters, for whom it’s a great opportunity to shine on the big stage.

The Caribbean World Cup was predicted to be the most "open" of them all, but the Australians made a mockery of the crystal-gazing. Would this global tournament be any different? Arguably, the gap that separates them from other teams in Tests and ODIs won’t be all that considerable in Twenty20. Still, their awesome reputation makes them the favourites.

In Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting (if he plays), they have two batsmen more than capable of scoring the first-ever hundred in this version. Then there is the battering ram of a player, Andrew Symonds, who typifies the brute force the Aussies are feared, or hated, for.

Since winning the World Cup, the Australians have preferred to take a well-deserved break to recharge their batteries. India and England, on the other hand, have played cricket to the point of exhaustion. However, when it comes to international Twenty20 experience, there’s little to choose between various teams (England have played the most number of games — six).

Redemption time

T20 track record

India face a Herculean task trying to make amends for the World Cup fiasco. To say that they are underprepared would be a huge understatement. They have the dubious distinction of being the Test nation which has played the least number of Twenty20 internationals — just one, against South Africa, which they won.

It’s baffling why the seven-match ODI series against England wasn’t cut down to five so as to accommodate two Twenty20 games. Thanks to the crazily jampacked schedule, there are barely four days between India’s last one-dayer against England today and their first World Cup match against Scotland on September 13.

More than half of the Twenty20 team, including rookie captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Gautam Gambhir and RP Singh — would get no time to recover from the fatigue of a long UK tour or to acclimatise themselves to South African conditions. Also, it won’t be easy for them to suddenly become part of a different team, which includes Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and the Pathan brothers (Irfan and Yusuf).

The Twenty20 format gives the underdog a greater chance to cause an upset than in a 50-overs-a-side match. Keeping this in mind, and not forgetting the nightmarish loss to Bangladesh in the World Cup, India simply cannot afford to take Scotland lightly. A shock defeat would all but end their chances of entering the next round. Their other group match, against Pakistan, can go either way, going by the notorious inconsistency of both teams.

The opening combination holds the key to building or chasing a big total in Twenty20. India have three contenders for two slots in Sehwag, Uthappa and Gambhir. Going in for a left-right pair would include Gambhir, while it would be a toss-up between the other two. The all-rounders’ department would be led by the Pathan brothers (The team won’t mind healthy sibling rivalry). Yuvraj and Sehwag would be expected to chip in with the ball, particularly if the specialist bowlers get a thrashing.

Even if they do well with bat and ball, it’s fielding — India’s Achilles’ heel — which might let them down in this super-fast version.

Under the circumstances, it would be an achievement if Dhoni’s men make it to the semifinals. Anything beyond that would be too much to expect, even for a die-hard fan.

The challengers

Two teams that have the firepower, but perhaps not the mental toughness, to stop the Aussies are England and South Africa. Players of both sides have ample experience of Twenty20 at the domestic level. The hosts, led by the pugnacious Graeme Smith, are desperate to atone for their "so near yet so far" show at many a World Cup.

England are in quest of their first world crown. Skipper Paul Collingwood often leads by example, contributing in more ways than one. Kevin Pietersen might have had a lacklustre ODI series against India, but he remains the trump card.

Sri Lanka are always a big threat to any top team, but Pakistan, New Zealand and the West Indies are not likely to go a long way.

The four "minors" — Bangladesh, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Scotland — know very well that they need to win just one match to brighten their chances of advancing to the second round. Bangladesh, in particular, have the potential to scalp a top team (they got the better of two in the World Cup — India and South Africa).

Big hits, quick wickets, super catches, upset wins — it would all be part of the breathless action. So, fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be one hell of a ride — hopefully, a trend-setting one.

Dhoni’s ball game

Less than three years after his debut, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will lead Team India, and that too in a major event — the Twenty20 World Cup.

His heroics with the bat and gloves have made him the most exciting wicketkeeper-batsman in the world after Adam Gilchrist.

Dhoni came into the team in December, 2004, as a virtually unknown entity, another tryout for the worrisome wicketkeeper’s slot. Little did people know that this youngster from the struggling Ranji side of Jharkhand would provide India with a player more spectacular and more daring than even Virender Sehwag.

A powerful hitter of the ball (with a strike rate of 96.77 in one-dayers), Dhoni has shown maturity in reining in his aggression and playing responsible knocks in pressure situations.

He has some unorthodox, but effective, strokes in his armoury that can be extremely effective in crunch situations.

After his dismal showing in the World Cup, Dhoni got his act together and went on to be adjudged the man of the series against Bangladesh. He was at his aggressive best in Afro-Asia Cup, scoring 174 runs in three matches at an average of 87, with a blitzkrieg 139 not out off 97 balls.

He might be more effective batting at No. 3 in Twenty20, since two of his three ODI hundreds have been scored at this position.

It’s a big opportunity for him to carry forward his recent form and help India redeem themselves after a disastrous World Cup in the Caribbean. — Ivninderpal Singh

These brilliant players have done it many a time in the past, and they can do it yet again. Not surprisingly, their teams are banking on them to go all the way.

Swashbuckling with the bat and reliable with the gloves, Gilchrist is arguably the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the game’s history. His amazing knock in the 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka was a testament to his brilliance. With his aggressive 149, he sealed the fate of the Lankans.

He has the ability to single-handedly destroy any bowling attack. Part of Australia’s successful 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cup campaigns, Gilchrist’s aggressive batting style has been the key to his team’s roaring one-day success. He can surely call the shots in Twenty20 format as well.

The manner in which he dominates the opposition defies his age. At 38, he is as dangerous as he was 11 years ago when he revolutionised one-day batting with his attacking tactics during the 1996 World Cup. His strike rate is 90.5 in ODIs and 173.58 in Twenty20.

Jayasuriya, who holds the record for the fastest fifty in ODIs (in just 17 balls), scored two tons and an equal number of fifties in the 2007 World Cup. Late last year, he cracked a 23-ball 51 versus New Zealand in a Twenty20 game.

He is also effective with the ball and has a reasonable bowling average and economy rate. He is a warhorse among a bunch of colts.

Shahid Afridi

Guess who has the highest career strike rate in the history of one-day cricket? It’s "Boom Boom Afridi" with a superb figure of 109.38. A cavalier batsman, Afridi also holds the record for the fastest ODI century (37 balls). With the ball, he teases batsmen with an assortment of leg-breaks, conventional off-breaks and occasional flippers, a very effective tool in the shortest version of the game.

After a poor outing in the World Cup, he will surely look to hit it big and restore Pakistan’s status as a force to reckon with.

A veteran at 26, Smith is a terrific opener and a gritty skipper. He has an exceptional average (86.33) and scoring rate (137.76) in Twenty20 cricket. Given the reins of the South African team at the age of 22, he has since matured into a capable captain and has excelled in adverse situations (remember the historic South African chase against Australia at Johannesburg).

His performance in the 2007 World Cup, where he scored four fifties in the first four matches, substantiated his credentials. The Kangaroos better watch out, for Smith may be looking to take the rivalry a step further.

An accomplished batsman and a useful medium-pacer, Collingwood strikes a balance between caution and aggression, a key to victory in this format of the game. He was exceptional in the Commonwealth Bank series earlier this year, where he hit back-to-back centuries against Australia and gave England their first overseas one-day trophy in nine years.

Picked to lead England in the Twenty20 series against the West Indies, he scored 79 runs off 41 deliveries in the first match. His recent performances in the ODI series against India put him in a league of players who can win matches single-handedly.

In Twenty20, his scoring rate is a whopping 202.17. He is credited with hitting the biggest six in this version when he smashed Ryan Sidebottom at the Oval and the ball landed on the Harleyford Road. Primarily a batsman, he has a fair share of victims with the ball, trapping them with his off-spinners. His exploits with both bat and ball make him a perfect player for the shortest form.

Several youngsters would be keen to make their mark in the Twenty20 World Cup. Just last week, Bangladesh’s Nazimuddin played a scintillating innings against Pakistan, scoring 81 runs in 50 balls. England’s Stuart Broad delivered with bat and ball against India. The Indian team, too, has a few dependable youngsters, such as Dinesh Karthik and Robin Uthappa, who have already shown their class in ODIs. — I. S.