00:00Hello everyone. Welcome to the Straight Bad with Gulf News. The T20 World Cup is here
00:13and in fact it actually started last Saturday. In fact some of the matches are on and we
00:18have had some upsets as well which means the SuperTournament starts on this Saturday. We
00:24could see some more interesting results, in fact some more upsets as well. Before we head
00:28over to my colleagues here, Satish and Ashfaq. Ashfaq is the Assistant Editor and Satish
00:34is the Sports Editor. We will have their take on what this tournament is going to be and
00:38how different is it going to be. Satish, what do you expect from this tournament?
00:42Chand, the difference between the previous one, the UAE and here is, first the ball is
00:50going to come nicely onto the bat. There will be more bounce than the UAE wickets. That's
00:54one aspect of it. But the second one is, by and large it's going to be the same. The
00:58bowlers are going to dominate here as well. As far as what I have seen in this last few
01:02games, the bowlers are going to get the purchase, whether it is fast bowlers, the spinners,
01:07they are going to have a good purchase and the bigger grounds are going to make it even
01:10more difficult for the batters to play those big shots because they could be out on the
01:14deep where some places it could be 80 yards or 80 meters rather. Other places it's beyond
01:19the boundary line probably to reach the fans. So it's going to be a different World Cup
01:25in the sense they have to play smarter cricket and they have to use their running between
01:31the wickets, they have to use the spaces, gaps between the wickets. So we are going
01:36to see a more classical form of T20 World Cup this time.
01:41Ashok, what's your expectation?
01:43Shyam, I think it's going to be very interesting. If you see the groups, I would say the three
01:50big teams are in one group like New Zealand, Australia and England and they all are expert
01:57in playing in fast wickets. So that group is definitely going to be very interesting.
02:03And from Pakistan, Group B, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and two qualifiers are there. I
02:10would say pretty much Pakistan and India are qualifying for the semi-finals. So that's
02:15going to be a very interesting contest because Pakistan and India will not face any of the
02:22teams who are expert in like Australia and New Zealand who are expert in fast wickets.
02:27So they know each other well. So it's not going to be different for them. They are going
02:32to face the same bowlers and the same batters so it's like a replica of the Asia Cup.
02:39One team they have to be wary of is South Africa who's got some fast bowlers but again
02:45they are not...
02:46South Africa has not been doing well.
02:48Very well, yeah. They are in the rebuilding process and there are also injuries.
02:52That would be a surprise if they do something.
02:54Yes, in fact they could spring a few surprises because they have got some good fast bowlers
02:59there.
02:59I completely agree with the fact that they are not the force they used to be.
03:04Satish, you said something about the changes we can expect but see all this while we have
03:09seen that all T20 games tend to be dominated by batsmen. For the first time we are seeing
03:14a level playing ground where the bowlers are equal. So we could see some real good matches,
03:20right?
03:20Absolutely, Shaun. I think my opinion is the batting might is going to determine especially...
03:26It's going to be different segments that you have to plan. Like the opening, it's not going
03:31to be the same way that the first 6 overs you go hammer and tongs. No, it might not
03:35happen because the bowlers are going to come at you. The ball is going to swing so you
03:38might have to take your time. Maybe the powerplay pass scores might not be as high as what it
03:42used to be in the last World Cups. After 10 overs, if you have a good batting might and
03:48you have some good power hitters at the end of it, back end of it, that's when you can
03:53push your score that extra 10-15 runs that could give you the winning margin. You can
03:57work on that at that point of time. So it has to be like what the current one-day years
04:02are. Like you play the first 5, 10 or the first 15 overs. Then you take a little rebuilding
04:09process during the middle stages. Then you go all out on the last overs. Similar approach
04:15is what is required on these wickets and in this World Cup.
04:18Ok, Ashfaq, whom do you think will win the World Cup this time?
04:21See, it's a tricky question but my vote is for Pakistan.
04:25Why? Why do you think they will win?
04:27See, if you see in the Asia Cup, Pakistan did very well and they had a very good start
04:32in the tri-series and they won the tri-series in New Zealand, beat New Zealand in final.
04:38So they got good practice there.
04:40And one of the important things was the middle order was always a problem till then but the
04:44middle order got some runs in New Zealand.
04:46Middle order worked, yes. And the other thing is, I would say, they had the right combination.
04:51You got Shaheen Shah and Faridi back in the track. You have Naseem Shah, another famous
04:55bowler. You have Haras Rao, who is in superb form. And then you have two spinners all around
05:02us, Nawaz and Shadab. So Nawaz Shadab can bet as well.
05:06True.
05:07So basically you have betting line-up up to number 10.
05:10Correct, yes.
05:11You've got Naseem Shah, up to number 10. Very solid betting line-up.
05:15Naseem Shah hit those sixes to win.
05:17Other thing which they did, a good change, they brought back Fakhar Zaman.
05:23Because as Satish said, it's going to be different. They need somebody who can stay at the wicket.
05:29And Fakhar has the capability of building the innings.
05:33Because all other people like Ibtukhar, Asif, Khush Dilkha, they're all like wicketers.
05:38They come and hit. Their job is just to hit the ball. They cannot consolidate the innings.
05:43So we need at least two top three players, Babar Azam, Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
05:51I would love to see Haider Ali playing. He's a fantastic westerner. He's in good form.
05:56They should give him a chance. So that way I think they have a pretty good chance to win.
06:02And also I would say, if Babar Azam doesn't have a good tournament, then the chances are very low.
06:12So you are saying it's completely dependent on Babar Azam?
06:16I would say 80% depends on Babar Azam.
06:18Satish, what do you think or who do you think will win this time?
06:22T20, even I think AI can't predict who will win.
06:26But I would first start with the semifinals. I would go with Australia on form, on the team.
06:31I would go with Australia, England, India and Pakistan to make the semifinals
06:36based on the groupings and the form they are in.
06:38And from there, I still feel India has got a good chance to go and win the second trophy
06:45for the simple reason...
06:46No, why I ask you is, let me stop you there.
06:49Because every tournament comes, you say that India is going to win.
06:52But it never happens, isn't it?
06:54Exactly. The two reasons which I am thinking will work in India's favour is
06:59yeah, Bumrah is not there, but it's a big blow.
07:02But what Shami showed against Australia, he has literally showed that
07:07you don't really miss Bumrah.
07:09So, of course, when both of them are there, that's a different issue.
07:12But if Shami could come and bowl those yorkers in the final overs,
07:16that's where we have been leaking runs, especially Bhubaneswar Kumar or Ashdeep.
07:20They were leaking runs during the final last two overs.
07:24That's where India lost in the Asia Cup.
07:26And second is, the biggest advantage is Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya.
07:32These two guys coming into the later order as a batchman,
07:36Surya Kumar Yadav is number three in the world today.
07:38In the last one year, he has become a match winner on any surface.
07:44So, Surya Kumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya with Panth or Dinesh Karthik
07:48is going to give you the confidence for the first top three,
07:54Rohit Sharma, Rahul and Kohli,
07:56to play their game much more freely than when they came to the UAE World Cup.
08:03They were totally dependent on Rohit Sharma and Kohli.
08:06So, I think the depth in batting will give the top three
08:10the advantage of playing their game much more freely
08:13and capitalizing on these match winners.
08:15They have time and again proved that they are match winners.
08:17And it could be Rohit Sharma and Kohli's last T20 World Cup.
08:21So, I'm sure they wanted to go on a high, so they will put that extra effort.
08:25And what's yours like?
08:27You have taken Pakistan, you have taken India.
08:29And Sathish, you have taken India.
08:31I would think that it will be more of Australia
08:33simply because it is in their backyard.
08:35They know the conditions better than anybody.
08:37Not just that, they have a very good team actually.
08:40In fact, I would say the strongest on paper would be England
08:44but given Australia's familiarity with the conditions there.
08:48And they have played the Big Bash games in the same place, same pitches.
08:52So, I think tactic wise, they are in a better position than most other teams.
08:59If you look at the par scores so far, it's around 160.
09:02We are not going to see too many 200 scores.
09:05So, like you said earlier, there's going to be a complete different strategy required.
09:10Okay, T20, you normally think the strategy is the same everywhere.
09:13But no, I think Australia, the pitches and the size of the ground
09:18is going to alter the strategy.
09:20So, I think the best people to exploit that are the Australians.
09:24So, my vote is for Australia.
09:26I know that the three big teams are on one side.
09:30So, by the semi-finals, like two of them will be eliminated.
09:34But, Shankar, England, we can't rule them out.
09:37They have been playing fabulous cricket and they have an absolute brilliant all-rounder.
09:41Like, if you look at it, they have got about six or seven all-rounders
09:44who can come and do both.
09:46Change the game.
09:47Change the game completely.
09:48They've got good practice matches there as well.
09:50Actually, the second strongest team or the strongest team there is England, actually.
09:55But my only worry is, Shankar, if they go and play this basketball cricket in the knockout,
10:00I think that's where they might struggle.
10:03Because big Australian grounds, you start playing the same attacking shots
10:07and two, three quick wickets on a knockout stage,
10:10it could be the disadvantage there.
10:12That's where I'm more like...
10:13But they will...
10:14I'm sure with the round robin, they will come to the semis.
10:16For sure, I think they will be there in the semis.
10:18But that's where they need to...
10:20Probably, I don't know, they'll have to adopt a different strategy
10:23or whether they will play the same basketball cricket.
10:25We need to wait and watch.
10:26That's what happened to Pakistan last time.
10:28They won all the matches and they lost to Australia.
10:33Because of this strategy.
10:34See, that's a change.
10:36Ashfaq, in fact, these big tournaments,
10:38if you encounter problems and just sneak home,
10:42these are the best wins you can have in the round robin.
10:45Because that would have given you various scenarios
10:47how to come out of trouble.
10:49But if you have a smooth run and suddenly you get into trouble
10:53and you are in a knockout stage
10:55and you don't know how to handle it.
10:57You are in a no man's land at that point of time.
10:59So, all three of us have picked different teams
11:01but all of us are in agreement
11:03that the Australian pitches and the size of the ground
11:06will alter the strategies required.
11:08So, we are in for some interesting matches.
11:12And for all the latest updates and breaking news,
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11:19Thank you very much.
