By Anil Kumble
4June,2009 : Its been barely a fortnight since the IPL ended and here we are set for another big bash. Fresh from a good time in South Africa, where a lot of us who were presumed to be past our prime, managed to prove otherwise, the mind has wandered a bit and I have been forced to keep myself from thinking about another crack with the Indian team. Well not really, as I am happily retired, but other options, greener pastures actually, have opened up and they will continue to keep me close to the game.
As a natural progression for us cricketers, I will be part of the ESPN team, giving my views about the tournament, the players and the cricket on view on your television sets behind the mike for a change rather than in front of it. The new stint has me all excited as I realise it is probably the next best to playing, perhaps even better!
As for the tournament itself, Dhonis boys all set to got out there and defend a World Cup title, with the best part being that they start favourites too, unlike the first edition of the ICC World T20 when they hadnt been given much of a chance.
The T20 though is a format where nothing can be taken for granted and you cant really predict what will happen. It is, I dare say, somewhat like the English weather, which can change dramatically every now and then. So far at least, in the days leading to the second edition of the World T20, the weather has held up nicely, with the sun out, shining nice and bright.
This has meant that the ball hasnt swung at all and as we have noticed in the practice games, totals of 160-170 seem just about par if not below par. Should the weather hold, we seem set for a lot of high-scoring matches. With three pitches, at the Lords, Oval and Nottingham, being traditionally flat and batting friendly, the batsmen can look forward to having a ball, while it will turn out to be a huge test of skill for the bowlers.
In any case, in the T20 format, at least 70% of the time, it is the batsmen who have to go out there and win you the matches. It should not be any different in this tournament. If at all the bowlers make an impression, it will be probably be the spinners. Most teams have one or two good spinners and the impact they have in the middle overs is huge. A couple of wickets or two tight overs can change the game and it is invariably the spinners who have been providing that. Even in the English T20 spin has played a big part and in the recently concluded Indian Premier League, spinners had an impact in the beginning of the innings too.
Still the focus will be on the batsmen. Already we have seen some big scores, with the Australians having already breached the 200-run mark. South Africa too have prepared well and both teams seem more determined than ever to have a crack at the trophy.
The draw of the tournament is such that most of the top teams should make the second round. Of course, the group involving Australia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies is the most interesting one as one of them has to get knocked out.
That said, personal experience tells me that shorter the format, the better it is for the lesser-fancied teams. Bangladesh and Ireland qualified for the Super 8s in the 2007 World Cup, the former at our expense, and such a scenario can repeat itself in this shortest of games. Skills get evened out more here and the more skilled side does not always come out on top.
Overall, we can expect a cracker of a tournament and the English fans will have enough to cheer in their summer.
HAWKEYE COMMUNICATIONS