COLOMBO: The World Twenty20 shifts to a higher gear in Sri Lanka on
Thursday when the hot favourites begin an intriguing race for the
semi-finals in the Super Eights round.
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand T20 World Cup Super 8 Match Live Score
The preliminary league, which ended on Tuesday, separated the men from
the boys as lesser teams like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and
Ireland exited the competition.
All eight seeded teams will contest the second round, divided into two
groups with the top two from each half advancing to the semi-finals. The
road to the Super Eights was bumpy for some and a smooth ride for
others and with monsoon rains set to add to the uncertainty, the next
round promises another roller coaster ride.
Australia, South Africa, India and Pakistan, clubbed together for the
Super Eights in the 'group of death', all came through unscathed by
winning both their preliminary matches. But in the other half, defending
champions England, New Zealand and hosts Sri Lanka moved up with just
one win each, with the West Indies going through without even winning a
game.
Darren Sammy's Caribbean stars lost to Australia and then had their
match against Ireland abandoned due to rain, allowing them to scrape
through with a superior run-rate over the Irish. England won the last
edition in 2010 after a similar winless start in the preliminary round.
The West Indies take on England in the second match of Thursday's
double-header in Pallekele, following the opener between Sri Lanka and
New Zealand. Stuart Broad's England will look to put their campaign back
on track after suffering an embarrassing 90-run loss to India in
Colombo on Sunday when they were bowled out for their lowest T20 total
of 80.
The action will hot up with the group two double-header in Colombo on
Friday when power-packed South Africa meet Pakistan, before India take
on Australia later at night. "The pressure and tension are only going to
rise as we get closer to that India match because it's a huge game,"
veteran Australian batsman Mike Hussey said on Wednesday.
The marquee fixture in the Super Eights will be Sunday's clash between
India and Pakistan in Colombo, the first T20 international between the
arch-rivals since the inaugural World Twenty20 final in 2007.
A well-balanced Pakistan, boosted by the presence of prolific spinner
Saeed Ajmal in a versatile bowling unit, will look to break the jinx of
never having beaten India in the 50-over World Cup or the World
Twenty20. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose young side defeated
Pakistan in the 2007 final in Johannesburg, played down the hype over
Sunday's game.
The competition will be intense as even two wins out of three in a Super
Eights group may not guarantee a semi-final berth if one team loses
every match and the other three beat each other. If teams are equal on
points, run-rates will determine which one loses out.
With bad weather forecast for the rest of the tournament, several twists
and turns could be on the cards before the winner is crowned on October
7.
