Hyderabad: So, it has boiled down to this. The ICC World T20 has entered its middle stage, with the semi-final line-up looking like this: Sri Lanka will take on West Indies onApril 3rd and India will lock horns with South Africa on April 4th. These are the four teams that have endured the test of the game and stormed through to the semis.
Let’s take a look at where the teams stand.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is, by far, looking like one of the most formidable teams in the fray. Of the four matches that the side has played, it has won 3. The wins came against fellow semi-finalists South Africa, Netherlands and New Zealand, while the only loss was against England, who did not manage to make it to the last 4. The side’s trump card is its bowling, spearheaded by Angelo Mathews, who claimed 3 scalps against Netherlands. However, the team isn’t dependant on one single bowler, as there have been contributions from Senanayake, who took 2 wickets against South Africa; Malinga, who took 2 against Netherlands, with an economy rate of just above 2 runs per over. They’ve also relied on exceptionally sharp bowling by Herath, who tumbled 5 Kiwi wickets for an astonishing economy rate of 0.85. The batsmen have been getting acclimatised, with good knocks from Pareira, Dilshan and Jayawardene to boost their confidence levels. The only worry for them would be the fact that their batting lacks depth and the tail has never really been in the thick of actions. Â
South Africa
For the South Africans, there couldn’t have been any better news than Hashim Amla. He has single-handedly steered the team to victory in the ICC World T20, with the Proteas claiming three out of four matches in the their group stage. The only loss came against Sri Lanka. There have been a couple of batsmen performing consistently well for them. Duminy has been one of them. With scores of 39 against Sri Lanka and 86 against New Zealand, he will be one of their biggest strengths. Hashim Amla’s consistency needs no proof. He’s contributed in all the matches where South Africa has won. 41 against the Kiwis, 43 against Netherlands and 56 against England, Amla has been getting better with each encounter. Even in the bowling department, there has been one name that has been delivering consistently. Imran Tahir, with his 3 wickets against Sri Lanka and 4 against Netherlands has been maintaining a healthy economy rate too. Steyn and Parnell have joined hands with him too. However, this over dependency on a few names will affect them in two ways. One, the other players’ confidence will nosedive. Two, the players who have been performing consistently will start showing signs of burning out. For them to succeed, the team will have to click as one unit. In addition to that, this will be the time when they will look to shed their ‘chokers’ tag and come clean.
India
This is not exactly a great phase for Indian cricket. With so much going on back home, the captain’s focus is bound to stagger. However, the Indians can take heart in the fact that MS Dhoni has put everything behind him to lead his side aggressively to the semi-finals. The good news for India is, unlike the other tournaments that they have played so far this year, the bowling seems to be going their way. Starring the show are Amit Mishra’s deadly deliveries, which claimed 2 scalps against Pakistan, 2 against West Indies, 2 against Australia and 3 against Bangladesh. Assisting him is Jadeja, who accounted for 3 wickets against West Indies and Ashwin, who also has been bowling his heart out. In the batting department too, Rohit Sharma has been keeping the opening slot consistent with knocks of 62 against West Indies  and 56 against Bangladesh. He’s be steadily supported by Virat Kohli, who slammed 54 against West Indies, 36 against Pakistan and 57 against Bangladesh. Yuvraj Singh’s sudden burst into form has been more pleasing than anything else. The biggest advantage the Indians have here is the fact that they are the only unbeaten team in this line-up. Also, home-like conditions would come in handy. However, their fielding has been a cause for concern. The pacers haven’t been able to extract anything from the tourney so far and have just been leaking runs.
West Indies
The Caribbean team is the most colourful one. Their on-field antics combined with their muscle power makes them the team to watch out for. The biggest bad news for the rest of the three teams would be the fact that demolisher Chris Gayle has found his sweet spot. With knocks of 34 against India, 48 against West Indies and 53 against Australia, their trump card is set and how! Joining him in the list of batsmen who could rip their opponents apart are Dwayne Bravo, skipper Darren Sammy and Dwayne Smith. Their bowling has been lethal too, with Badree scalping 4 against Bangladesh, 2 against Australia, and 3 against Pakistan. Santokie has been a great find too, with 3 against Bangladesh and 2 against Pakistan. They’ve also won three of their four matches. They have been playing some excellent cricket of late, but their temperament could cause them trouble. They have the potential to steal the show.
Overall, the semi-finals look like a lip smacking treat for cricket buffs. Only time will tell who knocks off whom in this closely-matched contest. Â
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