Jun 09 2009
ICC World Twenty20: Aussies crash out, Irish cruise through
It’s only been going for four days, and already the ICC World Twenty has thrown up some unexpected results. First we had the lowly Netherlands humbling England on their own patch, and yesterday Australia went crashing out of the competition with but a whimper and a distinct lack of bang.
If the Aussies weren’t exactly quaking in their boots at the thought of taking on a team fresh from a beating by an associate nation, then England may now be justified in thinking the same way of their counterparts from Down Under.
This is not to compare the mighty Australian team to a bunch of part-timers from Amsterdam (that would be offensive to the highly credible Dutch side), as nobody is under any illusion that the team still ranked number one in the world will stop at nothing to retain the coveted Ashes this summer.
And let’s face it, Twenty20 and Test cricket are worlds apart in terms of endurance and skill. A young, relatively inexperienced England side will have their work cut out to win even one Test against the old enemy, and with Kevin Pietersen playing through the pain barrier, will he break down mid-series?
.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ireland continued their form on the big stage by easily beating Bangladesh and qualifying for the second round without the need of even playing their second game.
Wednesday’s group match-up against India may be a dead rubber, but the Irish will be out to prove they are not simply a flash in the pan. In facing the world Twenty20 champions, they will have a further opportunity to push their case for Test status by giving a good account of themselves and who knows, maybe even causing the biggest upset of them all.
Give it ten years or so, and Ireland will be up there with the Test playing nations, constantly fielding XIs with very good county averages and giving the likes of England and Pakistan a run for their money in the five-day form of the game.
I’d like to think the upsets won’t stop here, and the associates will cause one or two more ripples before the competition is over. Come on, Netherlands!
