After a long and exhaustive holdback, the most authentic T20I event, ICC T20 World Cup is all set to take place this October. For the first time, the tournament will take place in the Nation of the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
The tournament has already managed to create buzz as the latest fixtures announcement by the ICC revealed that the high octane encounter between India and Pakistan is slated to take place on the 24th of October at the Dubai International Cricket stadium.
The defending champions and two-time T20 World Cup winners West Indies are set to begin their campaign against 2010 champions England. While the opening Gambit of the tournament will feature the hosts Oman and debutants Papua New Guinea.
Today, at the Cricwizz, we bring you five reasons why the 2021 T20 World Cup is going to be different from the remaining editions.
1) Rise of associate Nations
The upcoming edition of the global T20I event will see the first time Papua New Guinea clash against the big guns of the sport. Apart from PNG, we also have Nambia and Oman, who will be making only their second appearance in the mega league. Along with them, Netherlands, Ireland, and Scotland are all set to be part of the contingent of the associate nations.
However, PNG will have to lock horns with Bangladesh, Oman, and Scotland to qualify to the Super 12 stages. Despite the outcome, this could be a great learning curve for the Island nation.
Assad Vala says qualifying for a #T20WorldCup is a "dream come true" for him and his Papua New Guinea teammates 🇵🇬 pic.twitter.com/nOuiAIaPLQ
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) August 20, 2021
| Group A | Group B |
| Ireland | Bangladesh |
| Namibia | Oman |
| Netherlands | Papua New Guinea |
| Sri Lanka | Scotland |
2) Bangladesh and Afghanistan factor
Bangladesh made a bold statement by defeating the mighty Aussies by a thumping margin of 4-1 in the recently concluded T20I series that took place in Bangladesh. Bangladesh showed great commitment in the previous edition and their current form of the players and risk-taking youngsters could prove to be a vital combination in the mega event.
Bangladesh win the #BANvAUS T20I series 4-1!
— ICC (@ICC) August 9, 2021
Shakib Al Hasan-led attack bowled Australia out for 62, guiding their side to a 60-run win 🙌
Scorecard: https://t.co/ap9nHpzYec pic.twitter.com/7WyjAmgiOv
On the other Afghanistan will be raring to go as they did showcase their potential at the 2019 ICC World Cup and given that this format suits their gameplay the best added to the fact that the conditions are very much similar to their home could mean that the upcoming cricketing nation could produce some huge upsets in the tournament.
Both teams are likely to put up a valiant effort and their recent success at the International level does make us believe that by no means are the two sides going to offer easy points to their opponents.
3) UAE hosts
For the first time in the history of the sport, United Arab Emirates will be hosting a major ICC event. However, the stadiums have been a host to numerous International matches over the years and have served as the home ground to Pakistan and Afghanistan for an extended period, the Nation will make its debut in hosting a global ICC event.
The last time the tournament was conducted outside of Asia was back in 2009, where West Indies played the hosts. Thereafter the tournament has been nomading around the sub-continent. Said that the exposure of the franchise events like IPL means that the conditions would not possess any threats to the players and will definitely come down to the quality of the gameplay.
Well, the Sharjah stadium is likely to feature a number of high-scoring thrillers. Any bets on how many balls will have to be picked up from the neighborhood of Sharjah stadium?
4) Many out of forms teams
The Aussies had a nightmare series against the Bangladesh side but most of the dismal show had to do with the exhaustive list of missing players from the squad. However, the Aussies are yet to stamp any authority in the shortest format, and given their recent form, the wait is likely to prolong.
In addition to the baggy greens, teams of the caliber of South Africa too have been undergoing a rough patch. Their close shave against Ireland is something that would be running behind their minds. The 2014 ICC T20 WC champions Sri Lanka too have a lot of questions to answer as right now things do not look in their favor.
Excluding the top four teams, the remaining sides seem to be struggling for any glory, and the fact that Afghanistan are ranked above West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh does give an insight into how nerve-wracking this edition could pan out to be.
5) The rise of the youngsters and franchise cricket
The last time the tournament was conducted, the currently gravitating T20 franchise tournaments like that of the CPL, BBL, and BPL were all in their baby steps and few tournaments were not even in the existence.
Since the inception of IPL, we have seen a number of domestic T20 events accompanied by the shortest format of 10 overs as well as take over the stage. The tournaments definitely serve as an excellent platform to unearth new talent.
List of T20 tournaments that are currently taking place around the Globe:
Another distinguishing feature noticed this time around is the team selection of the teams as we saw in the case of New Zealand, who were the first ones to announce the 15-member squad, the Blackcaps have loaded their side with young talent and have even sacrificed certain senior players in order have fresher legs in their arsenal.
Are we looking at a tournament that could be solely focusing on young and spirited talent? Or will the experience factor play a huge role when it comes to pressure situations considering the intensity of the tournament?
Do let us know which team do you think has a good chance of claiming the prestigious title. Also, stay tuned with Cricwizz as we thrive to bring you exciting and exclusive content round the clock.
