Author: Mishaal Mubarak

It’s come to that stage where teams are forging their alliance with whoever seems to help their chances of making it to the next level. For New Zealand, the equation is tough but for that equation to even be considered they want Afghanistan to lose both of their next matches. Hoping Afghanistan loses the one against PNG, with no offense intended to the Oceanian team, appears downright utopian. Although you never get to have the final say when it comes to the shortest format of this crazy game, it’s more about Afghanistan’s sheer dominance this edition than PNG’s inexperience. The…

Whatever fans and pundits expected Group D to look like in the middle stages of the tournament, it was not this. Bangladesh at second, closely followed by the Dutch depicts that this tournament has shown no regard for convention. Staying true to its name, this group of death has not let the drama leave its premise. While South Africa rest serenely at the top, it’s Bangladesh and the Netherlands who are juggling the Super 8s tickets between them. And this match could give us a more vivid picture of who the elite two will be by the end of this…

It is the best of times for the West Indies. It is the worst of times for New Zealand. With due apologies to Charles Dickens, both teams face ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ sort of predicament. This game could see New Zealand ending their World Cup campaign and West Indies galloping to the next stage or it could grant the Kiwis a few more moments to breathe. After suffering an ignominious 84-run defeat against Afghanistan, the Kane Williamson-led team was destined to sink into a pit of worries. There is something cursed with high-ranked teams this edition and that curse…

Australia’s World Cup campaign this time is the complete opposite of how they played the last World Cup. Having won two out of two games, the Mitchell Marsh-led team is the nearest of all to book a Super 8s berth for themselves. Unless something extremely unexpected occurs (zombie apocalypse, alien attack, an upset by Namibia, etc), Australia can get the task done for themselves in this very match quite easily. This win could fetch them another 2 points, pushing them to the top of the table with 6 points in front of their name. They have been able to get…

Despite being in the group of death, Sri Lanka had fairly good chances of making it to the Super 8s but the odds took a turn for worse when they received back-to-back defeats against South Africa and Bangladesh. While they are on the brink of disqualification now, a few chances, as it always annoyingly is the case, still linger for them. And what else can they do except to hope to cash on whatever minuscule chances remain? There is not a lot they can do to realize their World Cup chances. The best they can do is to ensure they…

These have been of the hardest 48 hours for the Pakistan team. Currently, everything seems to be at stake for them. Their World Cup chances, the team structure, maybe the management, and most importantly the reputation as a team – everything remains engulfed in the shadows of the thickest grey clouds. Funnily enough, it was nearly the same predicament for Babar Azam’s team in the previous T20 World Cup edition as well. They lost their first two fixtures against India and a low-ranked team in 2022, after which the team rose from their ashes to make it to the finals.…

There would probably be something in the air of New York right now. The locals would be mumbling about feeling the presence of something. How unusual is it that the same eerie feeling is sending chills down the spines of everyone? Are aliens paying us a visit? Or some sinister plans involving superpowers are being made under the sky of New York? Whatever it is, it’s nerve-wracking. But wait till they find out how much more heart-pounding it will get. Perhaps these are the last hours of the unaware American population. Tomorrow’s sun would rise seeing Americans talking about a…

Both teams are coming to the Providence Stadium after beating PNG. For West Indies, it was a sure thing. Their win against PNG was a given. But Uganda did not have the same expectations from fans. In essence, their win against PNG came as a shock to many fans. While we can’t go on to call it an upset, the game still defied all the predictions. Hat tip to Uganda for pushing their best to script this win which has brought along tons of hope and opportunities for Uganda cricket. The most important of which is that their chances of…

Quite surprisingly and even more amusingly, one thing that South Africa is scared of even more than the finals of tournaments is facing the Dutch. The Netherlands is the kryptonite for the Proteas. During the last edition of the T20 World Cup, South Africa was absolutely explosive. With everything set, every box checked. They had good openers, with a fierce middle order and a deadly bowling lineup. But once they came against teh Netherlands, everything went awry. The top-order scored almost at run-a-ball, the middle-order collapsed badly and the bowlers failed to continue the brilliant performance they have been carrying…

Two of the favorites to lift the trophy by the end of this month will meet in a high-voltage clash on a weekend when Pakistan and India will get against each other as well. It might not be a rivalry as huge and as historic as the Pakistan-India one, but these two teams have their own long-standing strife against each other. A feud based purely on cricket. With England being the defending champions increases the value of this game even more. Although Jos Butler’s men did not carry their invincible aura against Scotland at the same venue, they can not…