The T20 Cricket World Cup

 by Archie B

Nosthush Kenjige

After years of waiting, the much-loved T20 Cricket World Cup has returned. New stories are written each tournament, as underdogs rise up to stardom, or the holders fall. The excitement is understandable. And, we are already well and truly underway, as the tournament’s first matches took place on Sunday, 2nd June. 

On Matchday One, the hosts, USA, hammered their close rivals Canada, in a one-sided affair. The Americans showed their class in the resounding first win, sending a message to opposing teams. Aaron Jones of the US had a remarkable game, scoring 94 runs. Meanwhile, in the game between West Indies and Papua New Guinea, West Indies comfortably sealed the win, with Roston Chase batting for West Indies superbly, whilst the Papua New Guinea captain Assad Vala bowling equally well, getting two fantastic wickets.

The opening day signified just the beginning of what looked to be a compelling tournament.

Moving onto day two, one of the favourites, South Africa, smashed Sri Lanka, showing their horsepower. Anrich Nortje was the standout player for South Africa, getting four wickets. 

The next day, and England, among the favourites, faced a Scotland side who entered the game as the definite underdog. Scotland shocked the world with their strong batting, getting 90 runs off just their opening batsmen! Fortunately for the-in complete awe-England side, the match was then abandoned due to heavy rain, saving England from what looked like a shock loss after an abysmal bowling display from the holders. 

Soon after, India faced a spirited Ireland side, but Ireland could not stop a sensational India, although their star batsman (considered as one of the all-time greats in cricket), Virat Kohli, got out for one run. India won by eight wickets, after outstanding batting by Rohit Sharma.

Just days later, the impossible happened. USA VS Pakistan. USA as David. Pakistan as the mighty Goliath. If you were to predict who to win that, any sane person would have gone with Pakistan. The pundits, the fans, the commentators- they were all expecting a demolition. They were expecting a rinse-out. They were expecting Pakistan to enjoy themselves, as they played a mediocre USA team. However, the USA were eager to rewrite the story… And so they did. 

Monank Patel guided the USA on a path to victory by scoring a brilliant half-century, whilst Nosthush Kenjige, too of the US, bowled phenomenally well, getting three wickets. Pakistan did not play to their usual standards, but somehow managed to scrape a super-over. Pakistan’s bowling in this over was shocking, with seven runs being handed to the US by wides. Aaron Jones batted incredibly in this over, scoring eleven runs off six balls. USA narrowly won this game, only by five runs. This game will be remembered for a long, long time. 

Then, Australia faced England, in a thrilling contest, in which Jofra Archer, who has not played international cricket for a number of years, due to many injuries, got a fantastic wicket, blasting Travis Head’s middle stump out of the ground. That was the only positive England could take from that game, as they lost by 36 runs. 

Fast forward a couple of days, and England played again, this time against an Oman side, searching for their first win of the tournament, and with England desperate for a much-needed victory. In the end, England came out the far better side, toppling Oman, winning by eight wickets. A bright bowling display from England put us in a strong position, only needing 48 to win, which proved to be simple and did not take long. 

Will England pull a miracle off, and somehow progress further through this tournament, or will we (the holders) narrowly miss out on the Top 8? Could the USA win this whole thing? Will there continue to be huge upsets? Who knows. One thing is for certain, is that this prestigious tournament will never disappoint…