Before you begin to read The World Cup is at the halfway stage 2, please read The World Cup is at the halfway stage.
In this blog, I will analyse about how the rest of the teams have fared so far and where are they headed.
I will begin with New Zealand
At the moment, New Zealand is fancied to be the 4th team to reach the semis. I should say that it has really been a steep fall for them because at the end of the first couple of weeks, they could do no wrong. They disposed off the defending champion with considerable ease and reeled off 4 consecutive wins. From a dark horse, they catapulted themselves in the eyes of the experts to one of the favourites. They met a strong Indian side and from then on, it has been downhill for New Zealand. Not to mention the multiple injuries through the side, it will not be a shock if they are bumped off before the final 4. For a team that began so brightly, this must rankle them for the foreseeable future if they are unable to reach the semi.
New Zealand still has a couple of games. Against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan have always been a thorn in the flesh of New Zealand. Even during their famous run in 1992, they lost 2 games and both of them were to Pakistan. The same happened in 2019 when they lost to Pakistan but prevailed against most of the top teams. Now, Pakistan is against standing in the middle of their way to the semis, though they are expected to defeat Sri Lanka and thereby reach atleast 10 points.
Nevertheless, New Zealand will be thrilled at the emergence of Rachin Ravindra. For a 22 year old, he has shown remarkable composure and good presence of mind in all the games he has played. The small matter of twin hundreds is a testimony to the fact that he is a serious cricketer and that every opponent will have to take note of him.
The mid-table
Not much was expected of Pakistan but they are always known to spring surprises. They have shot themselves in the foot by not just losing 4 consecutive games but the margin of the defeat was too heavy. The defeat against Afghanistan did not help. They only comfort for Pakistan is that they are up against a couple of opponents against whom they will fancy their chances. New Zealand has never been that competitive against them and England, who is not just short of confidence but short of personnel and short of quality, Pakistan will be thrilled if they can win both games.
Afghanistan has become the darling of the masses. 3 wins including a couple against much fancied rivals means that they are in the reckoning to go to the next round. Their next opponent, The Netherlands may not pose much of a threat to Afghanistan and at the end of their 7th game, they will probably be having 4 wins, one more than Pakistan. At the beginning of the tournament, they will be thrilled to have known that at the halfway stage, they will be among the top 5. The batting has really come of age as showcased by the beautifully placed chase against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan has the talent and the ability to become a force in Asia provided they get consistent opportunities. At the current stage, they are easily better than Sri Lanka and Afghanistan albeit in white-ball cricket.
Sri Lanka, nothing much can be said about them. Ever since the retirement of Sangakkara, Murali and to a certain extent, Jayawardene, they have ceased to be a force in world cricket. A win against Sri Lanka in their own country does not count for much.
The bottom three
One team in the bottom three is a major disappointment. England. What happened to them, no one has an answer for that. They were destroyed by New Zealand in the very first game and from then on, they were sort of confused about what went wrong and what needs to be done. Moreover, England placed a lot of faith in Ben Stokes whose eventual return will even things and that he will wield his usual magic. By the time, Stokes came into the picture, England had one foot on the exit door. Even Stokes couldn’t do much to help the team out of trouble.
Then Moeen Ali made an outrageous comment on going out with a bang. It was appalling because he is the vice-captain.
“There’s no point playing the way we’re playing and then [we will] go out and go home and have regrets. I’ve always believed – and I believe still – that if we play how we play and we know we can play, most teams, we’ll beat… let’s at least go out with a bang, if we’re going to go out. And be entertaining. That’s really important, because that’s something we haven’t been at all.”
It clearly showed that England did not think that they could defend the title.
The Netherlands and Bangladesh
The Netherlands atleast was able to spring a surprise by defeating South Africa but Bangladesh has not progressed at all. It has been close to 30 years since they were granted Test status despite not showing enough consistency. These last 25 years have only shown what a ridiculous decision that was. It is not that they didn’t get opportunities to improve. 75 years ago, these many games were unthinkable but now, Bangladesh play a minimum of 20 games every year. Yet, the return has been few and far.
Wrapping up the World Cup is at the halfway stage 2
Well, that is then. I think I have been fair in analysing all the teams.
Other World Cup blogs