5 Big Surprises from World T20 Group Stage

Just one group game remains in the World T20. South Africa and Sri Lanka will square off in a dead rubber on Monday, but the result will not matter in the context of the tournament to either side. Both have already been eliminated, so it’s unlikely that either team will dish up a surprise to add to this list.

The tournament will then head into crunch time as four sides battle it out for a spot in the final. Doubtless, there’ll be more surprises, but we’ve picked some of the big ones from the group stages. Do add yours in the comments section.

South Africa’s Ineptitude

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Some might say this is no surprise at all. When South Africa are under pressure in ICC events, they almost always crumble. But that kind of mental meltdown is usually reserved for the knockout stages, and throughout this competition, the Proteas have been lacklustre and unimaginative.

It’s particularly puzzling as they had notched up a few impressive wins prior to the tournament, including a series win in India. T20 might be a lottery, but South Africa simply not showing up has been quite a surprise.

There’s Only Been Two Centuries

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We are constantly told how it’s a “batsman’s game” and while this tournament has certainly produced some stellar batting displays, there have been just two centuries. Despite a number of high-scoring matches, only Tamim Iqbal against Oman and Chris Gayle against England have managed to notch up a ton.

The West Indies Progressing so Convincingly

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Prior to jetting off to the World T20 in India, West Indies cricket was in all sorts of trouble. There were contract disputes that were only resolved about a month prior to the tournament beginning, and some of their big-name players—Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine—pulled out of the tournament.

Narine’s absence was thought to be a significant stumbling block considering how well he had performed in the Indian Premier League and the kind of pitches they were likely to encounter. Such distractions aren’t exactly the hallmark of a winning team, but the Windies put all of their worries behind them and did all their talking on the field.

Afghanistan Beating Only One Full-Member Team

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Afghanistan ended their run in the tournament with an impressive victory over the West Indies on Sunday. The West Indies had already qualified for the semi-finals, so perhaps they weren’t on top of their game, but Afghanistan deserve loads of credit for defending a modest total of 123.

It is also surprising that Afghanistan beat just one of the full-member teams in their group. They pushed every other side close but just couldn’t get over the line. Their rise to the top has been somewhat of a fairytale, and only good things will come from this.

India’s Wobble

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Heading into the tournament, India were very much favourites to win it, but their qualification for the next round came down to a crunch game against Australia in their final match. India very nearly lost against Bangladesh and have not looked even close to the world-beating team they are. Fans will be hoping that they’re saving their best for last.