It has been a noticeable trait of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup that bowlers appear to have a greater say in the outcome.
It has been a noticeable trait of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that bowlers appear to have a greater say in the outcome.
While there have been match-winning innings and a few high-scoring matches most of the critical moments have been generated by bowlers.
Starting in the first round we already saw the value of top-quality bowling with performances from Shakib-al-Hasan, Chris Greaves and Maheesha Theekshana, as well as glimpses of brilliance from Oman’s Bilal Khan, who made the new ball talk.
Most expected spin to be the big factor in this World Cup but fast bowlers have been the men to step up in the powerplay.
Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi has been spot on in the three matches he has played to date ensuring their opponents have found themselves treading water early on.
There have also been quicks who have quietly gotten on with the business of putting the squeeze on while others bagged the rewards in the form of wickets. Chris Woakes of England comes to mind here as does South Africa’s Anrich Nortje.
Out and out pace as well as variations of pace have been tools well used by the fast bowlers who seem to have been one step ahead of the batters throughout the tournament.
While the surfaces have played their part in keeping the scores down we have also seen some brilliant bowling performances from a number of top performers.
Of course, there have been spinners who have taken the tournament by storm, from the left-armers like Shakib to the mystery spin of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and the legspin wizadry of Rashid Khan and Adam Zampa.
Such is the strength of their bowling that tournament favourites England have barely seen their batsmen out in the middle in pressure situations.
The step-up made by the bowlers has acted as a great equaliser ensuring close matches and plenty of entertainment despite an apparent dearth of runs.
