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.
