Sport

How net run rate could decide fate of teams in Group 1 of World Cup

Published

2 years ago

October 29, 2022

Everybody now knows that net run rate is almost certain to be a huge factor in Group 1 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, but with two must-win rounds of the tournament left it’s too early to focus on only that.

England and Australia’s washout in Melbourne has left both teams on three points and with all six teams in Group 1 still able to qualify.

Results are still the most important thing, with all teams knowing they will need to win each of their remaining two games to qualify for the next round. But one eye will have to be kept on the issue of the net run rate.

The net run rate situation

Of the teams who have played three games in Group 1, it is England who have the superior NRR. But margins are small.

England: +0.239

The loss to Ireland and a tentative chase against Afghanistan has left England with a lower run rate than they would have hoped for at this stage.

Afghanistan: -0.620

Two no-result games have left Afghanistan behind on points but still in with an outside chance of qualifying if results go their way. A big win is needed though.

Ireland: -1.169

With fixtures against Australia and New Zealand to come, Ireland face a tricky task to reach the semi-finals. And they’ll probably need a decent margin of victory in one of those games to overturn the damage of the nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka

Australia: -1.555

The hammering by New Zealand dented Australia’s NRR right from the off, but Marcus Stoinis’ flurry against Sri Lanka improved it a little.

England’s qualification equation

This is a position neither side wanted to be in, with England arriving at this point thanks partly to two games being impacted by rain.

“Unfortunately we've had two games affected by weather,” England captain Jos Buttler said after the points were shared against Australia following the shock loss to Ireland on DLS Method.

“You don't want to be involved in those games, but it's going to happen wherever you play, you're generally going to be affected by some weather at some point.”

It was put to Buttler in his post-match media conference that the team’s next match against New Zealand is now effectively a World Cup Final for the English.

“We'd do well to live up to that one, wouldn't it?” Buttler said, referring back to England’s 2019 triumph over New Zealand at Lord’s.

“For us, we knew, having lost the game against Ireland, the way the format is anyway, every game is pretty much a must-win.”

If England beat New Zealand in that “must-win” game, they will have the advantage of playing last in the final round of matches, meaning they will know exactly what they need in terms of net run rate to qualify.

“It could be a small advantage, but to make use of that, of course, we need to win the game against New Zealand,” Buttler said, keen not to look too far ahead.

“We'll travel up to Brisbane, everyone's rested and ready to go. There's a lot of frustration as well from the last game. People want to right that performance. So we'll train well and look forward to a tough challenge against New Zealand.”

Australia look for big wins

Australia’s task is simple: win twice and win big.

Two large margins of victory against the two lowest-ranked teams in the group, Ireland and Afghanistan, could be enough in themselves to send Australia through.

But that fact won’t impact player selection, according to coach Andrew McDonald.

“Net run rate is going to come into it,” he said. “We knew that at the start of the tournament.

“When you only play five games, net run rate can decide and influence who goes through into the final four," McDonald continued. "We feel as though we've been here before.

“I don't think it will shift team selection too much. We've picked a pretty powerful batting line-up, and we've got bowlers that we think in certain conditions against certain opposition can do the job. So we feel as though we're pretty well covered for the options we have.”

Even if Australia win their two remaining games heavily, that may not be enough given England and Sri Lanka play last in this group, handing them a potential advantage. But that scenario is some way off still.

“It depends on England and New Zealand really, doesn't it?” McDonald said.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s next match is on Tuesday, against Sri Lanka in Brisbane where they will be hoping for a resounding win after Friday’s disappointment - where the match against Ireland was abandoned due to rain.

For all the fun and excitement of this year’s T20 World Cup, fans in Afghanistan can tune in to Ariana TV to watch the matches live.

Click Here for the full broadcasting schedule

Related Topics:#َAfghanistan #T20WorldCup Australia Cricket featured T20

Up Next

Thousands of workers evicted in Qatar’s capital ahead of World Cup

Don't Miss

Afghan football chief meets AFC leadership in Malaysia

Sport

Bangladesh announce squad for ODI series against Afghanistan, Shanto to continue as captain

Published

14 hours ago

November 2, 2024

Ariana News

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday announced its squad for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. Najmul Hossain Shanto, who had expressed his desire to quit captaincy following the South Africa Tests, has been named the captain for the series.

The announcement follows the discussion between Shanto and BCB president Faruque Ahmed on Thursday evening, as Shanto had informed the board of his reluctance to continue as Bangladesh's all-format captain.

Bangladesh are without Shakib Al Hasan, who Faruque said voluntarily pulled out of reckoning for this ODI series. Litton Das is also missing due to fever which kept him out of the Chattogram Test against South Africa.

Pacer Nahid Rana is the only uncapped player in the squad, which sees the return of opener Zakir Hasan and left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed.

Zakir has featured in only one ODI, while Nasum's last 50-over game came in the ODI World Cup in India last year.

Anamul Haque, Taijul Islam and Hasan Mahmud have not found places in the squad with Mahmud missing due to a shoulder injury. Wicketkeeper batter Litton Das also misses out due to fever.

The ODI series will kick start on November 6, followed by the second and third games on November 9 and 11. All the matches will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh's ODI squad for Afghanistan:

Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Zakir Hasan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nahid Rana

Sport

Rashid Khan retained by Gujrat Titans ahead of IPL 2025 auction

“No T20 team would be complete without a world-class spinner, and we are fortunate to have one of the very best in Rashid Khan,” Gujrat Titans said in a news release.

Published

2 days ago

November 1, 2024

Ariana News

Afghan cricket star Rashid Khan has been retained by the Indian Premier League side Gujrat Titans ahead of the auction.

Khan has been retained for 180 million Indian rupees (approx. $2.14 million).

“No T20 team would be complete without a world-class spinner, and we are fortunate to have one of the very best in Rashid Khan,” Gujrat Titans said in a news release.

“Rashid started weaving his magic right from the outset in our first season, where he returned with 19 wickets. He upped the ante in 2023 with 27 wickets, which includes a spectacular hat-trick against Kolkata Knight Riders. Rashid also became the first player to cross 50 wickets for our franchise during the 2024 season,” according to the news release.

“Also not to forget, he underlines his value as an all-rounder with remarkable contributions as a batter - let it be those last ball finishes against SRH in 2022 or PBKS in 2024, or the unforgettable night in 2023 at Wankhede where he smashed his highest T20 score,” it added.

Rashid Khan was picked by Gujrat Titans before the auction in 2022, when the franchise had just entered the IPL. He got 150 million Indian rupees ($1.78 million) then.

Other players retained by Gujrat Titans are Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan and Rahul Tewatia.

IPL auction will take place in November or December.

Sport

Deputy PM congratulates Afghanistan A for their thrilling win in T20 cup championships

Messages of congratulations poured in overnight from fans around the world and from the cricketing fraternity.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Abdul Kabir sent a message of congratulations to the Afghanistan A cricket team on Monday after Afghan Abdalyan lifted the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024 trophy in Oman on Sunday night.

In his congratulatory message, Kabir called the final a “thrilling” match and said it was a “triumph”.

“Congratulations to all citizens and cricket players on this remarkable achievement.

“Afghan youth and athletes deserve great recognition for their dedication and for showcasing our nation's pride in every competition,” he said.

Messages of congratulations poured in overnight from fans around the world and from the cricketing fraternity.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) not only paid tribute to the players but also to the often-forgotten support staff who helped propel the team to victory.

In a post on X, the board said: “A huge shoutout to our team management and support staff for their unwavering support and dedication to Afghan Abdalyan's success in this event.”

Afghanistan star all-rounder Mohammad Nabi also posted a message of congratulations on X.

He said: “Zabardast! What an incredible achievement by our young lions, lifting the ACC Emerging Teams Asian Cup 2024! Proud of these talented boys for bringing glory to the nation. Congratulations to all Afghans! Inshallah, even greater heights await!”

Sunday’s win shows the progress Afghanistan has made as a cricketing nation and after beating Sri Lanka A in the final, the excitement in their camp was tangible.

Afghan Abdalyan won the game by seven wickets, chasing a modest target of 134.

As soon as the last ball crossed the ropes, Afghanistan players ran towards the ground in delight.

There were congratulatory hugs and handshakes all around and Afghanistan fans in the crowd were also overjoyed. It was indeed a moment of great pride for all Afghan people.

The Player of the Tournament award went to a deserving Sediqullah Atal, the man who put on an unmatched consistency in the entire competition and scored 368 runs throughout the tournament.