T20 world cup 2014 predictions

1.       A great upset

Few extra associate nations are taking part in the competition. And most of these countries have had a fair bit of exposure against test playing nations in the recent past. Therefore, there is a possibility of an upset somewhere down the line. Ireland and Afghanistan can be named as the sides that have the ability to cause an upset. Especially, Afghans seem to have a chance of beating Bangladesh in the qualifiers. If this happens, they should qualify to the next stage and possible threaten non Asian teams given quality of their bowling and the exposure and experience they have gained from the ongoing Asia cup.

2.       A penalty for an Indian player.

Controversial, yet possible given the behavior of some of the players in the team. Virat Kholi could be the spot light in this arena despite him being an excellent batsman.

3.       Impact of the toss

Given the fact that the competition is taking place in South Asia, unfortunately dew is expected to play a role. Teams would be tempted to field first most of the time.

4.       A match finishes with the super over.

T20Is have had many ties that has gone through to super over. Given the number of matches being played, prospect of a super over comes alive. The previous world cups also have had super over deciders and it would make the tournament much interesting with such close games.

5.       Spinners’ Impact

Again since the competition takes place in the south Asian sub-continent, spinners are expected to do more damage compared to their fast bowling counter-parts. Ajantha Mendis or Sunil Narayan are prime contenders as far as the bowling of the tournament is concerned. Most of the young players from the non-Asian team have not faced them much.

6.       A record to be broken

Possible the fastest century record could be broken considering the flat tracks. Highest team score could also be broken in the cause given the fact that a lot of associate nation take place in the competition.

7.       The surprise award

Player of the tournament award could be given to a younger player or a surprise player. T20s are full of surprises.

8.       D/L method in action

With the summer coming in Bangladesh, Sudden rains are expected.

9.       Big three impact

There is a possibility of big three being knocked out of the tournament prior to the knock out stages. India is all out of sorts in the Asia cup. However, Dhoni’s inclusion will add some sort of stability to the team. Yet there bowling is below par, especially in the slog overs. On the other hand, Australia will find it difficult to score in relatively slow pitches and given the teams in their group this becomes a bigger possibility. England has not had the best results in the recent past and they would struggle again in slow pitches that assist slower bowlers. However, out of these three teams, Australia has the best chance of coming into the semi finals.

10.   The Asian effect

At least one Asian team is expected to be qualified for the finals. This is possible considering the fact that the tournament’s location and the way the shortest format suit the Asian teams. Currently three out of top four teams in the ICC T20 rankings are Asian teams. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the most likely teams in this competition. Possibly South Africa, Sri lanka, Pakistan and west indies would qualify for the semi finals.

Leave a comment and express your ideas. Most of these predictions are very controversial, yet possible. critisisms are welcome.

Malaysian mornings

Nasi Lemak

Unlike in my home country, Sri lanka, it take a while to sunrise here in Malaysia. But mornings become annoying if you get out of the house after 8.30 and search for transportation source. Don’t ruine your day arguing with taxi drivers. It is useless; you can never win the argument. It is scorching hot here! Yes Hotter than Colombo. So the best option is to wake up early (if possible; :p), and start your day at around 7 am. Mammak stalls are easily approachable and you can have Hoppers or string hoppers for breakfast. (Yes, not for dinner but for breakfast). Or the local favourite, Nasi lemak is another option if you are familiar with spicy food. As it passes 8.30 the roads become jam packed with vehicles and constant blocks have to be expected. On top of that, you the sun will give you a head ache. It gets hotter as the day goes on. In this country, Rain is never predictable. So, be prepared. Air conditioning is a must if you stay in Malaysia, otherwise you will literally, burn to death.

From minnows to Winners

In 1988, when Arjuna Ranatunga took over the captaincy of a soft hopeless Sri Lankan cricket team, he had a task ahead. The team was never fearful, but were rated as under dogs. Eight years later in 1996 His team went on to complete a victorious world cup campaign against all the odds beating Australia in the final. The win was not completely due to his leadership skills but there were incidents that are still discussed in the modern game.

Sri Lanka was a side known to get bullied easily on the ground. Ranatunga prepared his team mates to go word to word with those sledgers. Australians were surprised by this body language of the Sri Lankans and the Indians were intimidated. Tactics were invented during his era. The rest of the world was stunned when the tactic of pinch hitting was implemented. Pinch hitting tactic was considered stupid by many pundits during the time. But Ranatunga believed in his players and stunned the teams around the world scoring tons of runs. He inspired the team to be as tuff as it gets. He dropped his own brother from the playing 11 and picked players who went on to become legends thereafter. When youngster Muttiah Muralitharan was accused for throwing the ball (an illegal bowling action) by the Australian umpire Daryl hair, he had an argument with the umpire and almost forfeited the match. After a long delay, match referee came on to the field and settled the matter. After the incident ICC cleared Murali’s action. The youngster went on to become the world’s greatest bowler of all time beating all the records. If it wasn’t for Ranatunga on that day, Cricket would have lost this player. Ranatunga is a role model that is praised by the cricketing world even after 12 years of his retirement.

                                                                         

A word on Leadership

Leadership is the steering wheel of a vehicle; a helm of a ship, which directs the rest of the body. For example, in an organization’s hierarchy there are various break downs and each has to handle these wheels. The only difference is that when you drive you can use a GPS gadget in order to direct you, but as a leader in real life correct directions and roots can only be identified with aspects like experience, knowledge and intelligence. The recognition could be an asset but what you have to bear in mind is that expectations are also endless. Responsibility can give you sleepless nights and suggestions can make things complicated. When you put a thread in to a needle, what matters is whether you have the eye on the correct goal. You can be a hero by achieving something blindly and you can be criticized for failing after doing the right thing.  After all, what matters is what your own knowledge’s and intelligence’s feedback regarding your decision, and if you have gathered some sort of an experience or knowledge, that should be the ultimate plus despite the end result. Good leaders do make mistakes, but they don’t repeat them.

This is where we stand among the SAARC reigon..

http://www.google.com.my/publicdata/explore?ds=d5bncppjof8f9_&met_y=ny_gdp_mktp_cd&idim=country%3ALKA&dl=en&hl=en&q=sri+lanka%27s+gdp#ctype=l&strail=false&bcs=d&nselm=h&met_y=ny_gdp_pcap_cd&scale_y=lin&ind_y=false&rdim=country&idim=country:BGD:BTN:IND:MDV:PAK:NPL:AFG:LKA&ifdim=country&tstart=660585600000&tend=1291737600000&hl=en&dl=en

An evidence based explanation will be posted soon...