The entire system of rating, seeding and evaluating in Cricket has fallen apart with four sixes in four consecutive balls by a non-celebrity called Braithwaite. When the World Cup had not yet started, the West Indian team was among the unlikeliest teams to become the next T-20 World Champions. Among the most highly rated were Australia, South Africa, India and New Zealand. England too was almost in this group. West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were all regarded as dark horses. Capable of causing some upsets but unlikely to make it to the final four. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh proved to be true to their predicted fate. And India managed to be a semi-finalist on the basis of a near-miracle in the last three balls in the India-Bangladesh match. Despite highly inflated ratings, India (apart from Kohli) never looked like a champion team. They were seldom in command despite excellent reviews they got in the media because of commercial reasons. It was quite a paradox because on paper India looks such a formidable bunch of star players.
The early defeat of England by Gayle-inspired West Indies in a high-scoring match was a shocker. A greater shocker was the defeat of South Africa at the hands of Roote-inspired England in a match which produced 460 runs in 40 overs!
Cricket analysts had not expected the dismal exit of all-conquering New Zealand in such a one-sided affair against England. Reason? Guptill didn’t fire in the match that mattered.
Eventually two teams that were led by the coolest of cool and confident captains reached the finals. Ironically both Morgan and Sammy were dismally out of form. As players none of them made any impact in any match. Yet they led victorious sides built on superbly inspiring performances by inspired individuals.
But for those four successive sixes by Braithwaite Morgan-led England would have been the World Champions. Who would have thought in the wildest of dreams that of all, Braithwaite would hit Stokes out of ground four times in a row? Stokes till that final over had been the best ‘death-overs’ bowler in the tournament.
This short-form of game is so mind-bogling! Remember the only team that was able to beat the West Indies in the tournament was Afghanistan!
That match proved that Pakistan with Yasir Shah minis Shahid Khan Afridi’s captaincy would have made a lot of difference!!
