The uneven playing field
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By Aiden McLaughlin
If you think that the schedule for this Men’s T20 World Cup is strange, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for a tournament which has more than its fair share of quirks.
1.In a 20-team tournament, New Zealand’s campaign didn’t get underway until match 14, six days after the USA and Canada got proceedings underway in Dallas. By the time they play their second game against the West Indies later today, in match 26, 11 of the other 19 nations will have played three matches and Australia and India have already qualified for the Super Eight stages.
2.In the early stages of the tournament, there has been concern regarding the drop-in pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. Having games there was an achievement in itself, with construction work only having started in January this year. Eight of the first 25 matches will have been held there across just ten days, finishing with the India v USA clash earlier today. Variable bounce has been an issue and in the first two matches there, none of the teams passed 100. The ICC even felt it necessary to issue a statement after those first two matches in New York.
“T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted,” the statement read.
“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
3.Wherever you are watching from in the world, the start times of the matches will surely have your head spinning by now. To keep it simple, let’s look at them through a New Zealand lens. Matches start for us at 2.30am, 5am, 7am, 11.30am and 12.30am. Rotate that international timeline any way you choose, but that’s hard to follow. 2.30am and 12.30pm are the most popular start times, that’s true, but it’s a hard grind for anyone to watch everything.
4.The logistics for different teams, are frankly unfair. Sri Lanka and Netherlands are both playing their four first round matches at four different venues. In contrast, India and South Africa played three matches each in New York and stayed at accommodation about 15 minutes from the ground. When Sri Lanka played South Africa in New York, their hotel was approx. 90 minutes from the ground, and as soon as the match was over, they had to get back there, pack, check out and rush to get a flight to Dallas; and that’s on the back of a seven hour wait in Miami after a delayed flight en route to New York.
5.By the time Australia and Scotland meet in match 35 on Sunday afternoon (NZ time), both sides will know exactly what they need to do to knock rivals England out of this World Cup. With England’s match against Oman finishing about four hours before that match gets underway, England and Scotland could well be on the same amount of points, with the team with the best net run rate qualifying for the Super Eight stage. The thing is, there’s no incentive for Australia to beat Scotland heavily as their net run rate will not carry through from the group stages.
“If you got through undefeated and have a good net run rate, it doesn’t count for much,” Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood told reporters during Wednesday’s post-match press conference in Antigua after his side had trounced Namibia to qualify for the Super Eights.
6.Should India qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament, it has already been pre-determined that they will play in the second semi-final, in Guyana, (at 2.30am NZ time, 10.30am local time). That match will start at 8pm Indian time, a particularly good time for television viewers. That contrasts significantly with the first semi-final, which is being played the day before in Trinidad, at 8.30pm local time.
7.But that’s not all. Whereas the first semi-final and the final both have reserve days, there will be no reserve day for the second semi-final. Instead, there will be 250 extra minutes allocated to try and finish the second semi-final in case of weather interruptions, versus 190 extra minutes for the first semi-final and the final. Why is there no reserve day for the second semi-final? Because there is only one day between that match and the final, which is being held in Barbados, again at 8pm Indian time.
By the way, that final will be match 55, on June 30 (NZ time). It’s just over two weeks until we get there. A good tournament is a fast tournament? T20 World Cups come at you fast, that’s for sure.
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