Story ICC World Twenty20 2018 (What if?)

[Na Maloom Afraad]

India, Pakistan clash returns in Group 2

The draw was rigged!

 

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ICC Releases World Twenty20 Fixtures; Two Big Rivalries to kick off Super 12 opening day​

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Australia take on rivals Kiwi in the first game of opening day followed by the awaited India Pakistan clash.​

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Only a few days after officially revealing the group draws, ICC releases the official schedule for the World T20 that is set to take place across six venues all over South Africa. Notably, two major rivalries namely the Trans-Tasman and the Indo-Pak match-ups will kick off the Super 12 opening day on 19th August as the first and second games respectively. Centurion will host the opener while Johannesburg will be the venue for the heated India-Pakistan clash.​

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The Preliminary Stage however will happen first across 6 days, with 13th August the official tournament opening day with Sri Lanka taking on Hong Kong in the first game of the tournament, followed by Zimbabwe pit against the Netherlands in the preliminary Group A. The games will take place in Paarl and Gqeberha for Group A & B of the first round respectively before moving onto the Super 12 stage.​

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The games will happen at 3:30 PM Local Time on weekdays, while double-headers will have a morning game at 11:30 AM preceding the usual afternoon game. All Preliminary Stage games will happen as double-headers.​

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The final league game between Windies & Pakistan in Centurion will conclude the Super 12 stage on the 10th of September, before the Knockout Stage kicks off after a 2-day break with the Final happening on the 16th.​

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The full list of fixtures is available here-​

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Spoiler: Fixtures

Preliminary Stage​

Match #1, Group A - Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong - 13th August 11:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #2, Group A - Zimbabwe vs Netherlands - 13th August 15:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #3, Group B - Bangladesh vs United Arab Emirates - 14th August 11:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #4, Group B - Scotland vs Ireland - 14th August 15:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #5, Group A - Netherlands vs Sri Lanka - 15th August 11:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #6, Group A - Hong Kong vs Zimbabwe - 15th August 15:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #7, Group B - Ireland vs Bangladesh - 16th August 11:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #8, Group B - United Arab Emirates vs Scotland - 16th August 15:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #9, Group A - Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe - 17th August 11:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #10, Group A - Netherlands vs Hong Kong - 17th August 15:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #11, Group B - Bangladesh vs Scotland - 18th August 11:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #12, Group B - Ireland vs United Arab Emirates - 18th August 15:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

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Super 12s​

Match #13, Group 1 - Australia vs New Zealand - 19th August 11:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #14, Group 2 - India vs Pakistan - 19th August 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #15, Group 1 - South Africa vs B2 - 20th August 15:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #16, Group 2 - England vs A2 - 21st August 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #17, Group 1 - Afghanistan vs A1 - 22nd August 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #18, Group 2 - West Indies vs B1 - 23rd August 15:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #19, Group 1 - Australia vs B2 - 24th August 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #20, Group 2 - Pakistan vs A2 - 25th August 11:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #21, Group 1 - New Zealand vs Afghanistan - 25th August 15:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #22, Group 1 - South Africa vs A1 - 26th August 11:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #23, Group 2 - India vs West Indies - 26th August 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #24, Group 2 - England vs B1 - 27th August 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #25, Group 1 - Australia vs A1 - 28th August 15:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #26, Group 2 - Pakistan vs B1 - 29th August 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #27, Group 1 - New Zealand vs B2 - 30th August 15:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #28, Group 2 - India vs A2 - 31st August 15:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #29, Group 1 - South Africa vs Afghanistan - 1st September 11:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #30, Group 2 - England vs West Indies - 1st September 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #31, Group 1 - New Zealand vs A1 - 2nd September 11:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #32, Group 2 - India vs B1 - 2nd September 15:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #33, Group 1 - Australia vs South Africa - 3rd September 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #34, Group 2 - England vs Pakistan - 4th September 15:30 Local (St. George's Park, Gqeberha)​

Match #35, Group 1 - Afghanistan vs B2 - 5th September 15:30 Local (Boland Park, Paarl)​

Match #36, Group 2 - West Indies vs A2 - 6th September 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #37, Group 1 - New Zealand vs South Africa - 7th September 15:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #38, Group 2 - B1 vs A2 - 8th September 11:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Match #39, Group 1 - Australia vs Afghanistan - 8th September 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

Match #40, Group 1 - A1 vs B2 - 9th September 11:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Match #41, Group 2 - India vs England - 9th September 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

Match #42, Group 2 - West Indies vs Pakistan - 10th September 15:30 Local (SuperSport Park, Centurion)​

Knockouts​

1st Semi Final - TBD vs TBD - 13th September 15:30 Local (Kingsmead, Durban)​

2nd Semi Final - TBD vs TBD - 14th September 15:30 Local (Newlands, Cape Town)​

Final - TBD vs TBD - 16th September 15:30 Local (Wanderers, Johannesburg)​

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ICC Announce 5th August Official Squad Announcement Deadline​

All teams are expected to announce their squads by 1st August, with 5 days being given to make any last-minute changes​

Having released the official fixtures list for the World T20 a little more than a month ago, and the tournament a month and a half away, ICC announces the official deadline for teams to name their 15-man squads, with 1st August being the deadline to submit a team and 5th August being the last day to make any changes.

Teams are expected to announce squads of 15 men each with optional travelling reserves, a maximum of 3 for exceptional cases. Teams can officially submit their provisional teams anytime before the 1st of August but have an additional five-day period to finalise it and make any required changes, with the team being completely finalised on the 5th.

With no official warm-ups and a lot of cricket being played in the lead up to the tournament, and the short finalising deadline, teams are expected to directly announce their officially finalised squad, but shock injuries and withdrawals remain the reason for the extended window. Teams are expected to travel to the country a week prior to the first round games and likely earlier for the first round teams, so any changes coming after the 5th of August are strictly allowed on the basis of injuries and will be treated as mid-tournament injury replacements.

Teams are expected to release their squads soon as the deadline is but a month away, as they finalise their combinations based on the active T20I calendar of the current year.​

 

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Afghanistan Name World T20 Squad; 17 year old Mujeeb included​

Fresh from the U19 World Cup Squad and a record IPL contract, Mujeeb ur Rahman is set to play his first senior men's tournament​

Growing Force in the T20I Circuit, Afghanistan are the first team to name their squad for the ICC World T20, and U19 World Cup sensation Mujeeb ur Rahman- all of 17 years of age has been selected among experienced campaigners in the 15-man team to travel to South Africa in August.

Asghar Afghan will continue to lead the men in blue who have majorly retained their squad from the previous tournament in 2016, with T20 sensation Rashid Khan again a prominent pick, alongside veteran Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari who will also be part of the spin unit that is being completed by the 17 year old Mujeeb ur Rahman.

Aftab Alam, Karim Janat & Hazratullah Zazai are among the other new names included not part of the previous edition, while Noor Ali, Dawlat Zadran, Karim Sadiq & Amir Hamza from the 2016 squad will not be travelling this time around.

Veteran Pacer Dawlat Zadran misses the cut for the pace battery that consists of Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran, Aftab Alam and Karim Janat. The selectors have expressed that recent performances and consistent appearances over recent tours were given weightage for the squad selection.

Batting sensation Hazratullah Zazai also makes the cut, a new find for the team for their T20 opening pair. Veteran Mohammad Shahzad will feature, as the main keeper, with Shafiqullah retained as backup glovesman. Regulars Najibullah Zadran, Usman Ghani & Gulbadin Naib add more firepower to the batting.

Moreover Fareed Ahmad Malik has also been included as a travelling reserve backup for any of the seam bowlers.

Word from the ACB Selection Board - "It was tough to narrow it down to 15 men with the growth of U19 talent and the veteran skill in the country but we are confident that this 15 man team is the strongest unit for us to go one step further in South Africa this year. Mujeeb and Zazai are exciting prospects who will be important for us to elevate our performance this time while Rashid is as vital as ever. It is harsh for the likes of Dawlat and Noor to miss out but we are looking at the squad that won the series against Bangladesh this year and the players who have featured in our uphill run over these few years and have curated the selections based on the deserved performers of recent times"​

Spoiler: World T20 Squad

Afghanistan Squad: Asghar Afghan (c), Aftab Alam, Usman Ghani, Hamid Hassan, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Shafiqullah, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shinwari, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Fareed Malik (Reserve)

Afghanistan will play their first Super 12 match against the winner of Group A on the 22nd of August.​

 

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England announce 15 man squad for World T20, Malan included​

Impressive performances has earned Malan a call-up to the World T20 team among the regulars
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England are officially the second team to name their 15-man squad for the World T20 in August. Recent sensation Dawid Malan has been included as a surprise addition along with the regulars of the strong white-ball core that England have been building since 2015.

Malan's regular performances over the last two years has earned him the spot of backup batsman over Sam Billings, who despite his keeping ability has been relegated to reserve alongside Liam Dawson & Jake Ball, who also failed to make the final cut. He will contest with Joe Root for a possible spot in a strong batting unit led by Eoin Morgan that consists of stalwarts like Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Alex Hales & Jonny Bairstow with Ben Stokes fulfilling the all-round criteria, in the possible starting lineup.

Mark Wood & Liam Plunkett have also been included in the seam attack along with the regulars Chris Jordan, Tom Curran & David Willey as England look to maximise their options in pace-friendly conditions with injuries in mind. Jake Ball as reserve further expands their choices. The pace of Wood will be valued along with Jordan's death bowling and Willey's powerplay speciality, which constituted England's fast bowling make-up in the format over the last few tours.

The team moreover will rely on Adil Rashid as the lone specialist spinner with Moeen Ali included as an all-round option, with Dawson missing the cut based on conditions and requirements.

The team largely retains it's core from the recent successes in the shorter format over the last couple of years in their transition to becoming one of the more formidable white-ball cricketing countries.

ECB Selector said "The squad has been selected carefully based on the team's requirements and the combinations that has worked so well for us in the past few tours. We know we have a very strong batting unit, with talented guys like Root & Malan possibly on bench, and quality cricketers like Billings and Livingstone who have been impressing but failing to make the cut. That's just how much talent the country has at the moment. Also tough for Dawson, but the decision to go with five seamers is crucial for the surfaces in South Africa and our requirements, we have injury-prone guys and we would like the possible comfort of rotations. We have the variety, Woody is quick, Plunkett bowls well in the middle, Willey up front and we have Tom and Jordan for the late-end overs. It's a tough selection but we are confident this is our best unit- after the heartbreak two years back, we are striving to go that one extra step and lift the gold. We know we have the squad to do it, the boys are all capable."​

Spoiler: World T20 Squad

England Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Mark Wood.

Travelling Reserves: Jake Ball, Liam Dawson, Sam Billings

England play their opening game on 21st August, against runners-up of Group A, in Durban. The squad will play a few unofficial warmups in England before they depart for South Africa in early August.​

 

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Cummins & Hazlewood officially unavailable for World T20, Starc under uncertainty cloud​

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Hazlewood was part of the 2016 World T20 Campaign in India, while Cummins has risen to becoming an important figure in the Australian pace lineup of late​

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Australian quicks Pat Cummins & Josh Hazlewood have officially been ruled out of selection for the 2018 World T20, citing fitness concerns. Mitchell Starc, while not injured, is under the cloud of doubt based on workload management according to CA.​

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Cummins was ruled out of the IPL 2018 season due to a back injury, which has also subsequently put him out of action for Australia in their winter regroup after the sandpaper scandal. With the injury still not healed, Cummins is confirmed out of the World T20 selection pool according to CA selectors.​

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Hazlewood, who has been in and out of the T20 setup but was part of the 15-man squad in 2016 that failed to make it to the semis, is also facing minor fitness troubles and is being managed for the Border Gavaskar Trophy in the upcoming summer. With his shaky T20 record over the years, CA states highly unlikely that he will be available for selection for the tournament, ahead of T20 regulars.​

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Mitchell Starc, the most senior white-ball bowler in the side and one who has been ever so crucial to their successes across formats with the ball, including a magical World Cup three years ago, is also being workload managed for the BGT and the World Cup next year, after fracturing his bone in the South Africa Test Series. However he seems to be making major recovery and CA says the door is still open for selection- "We will make the desired decision based on options, availability and the scenario", effectively not ruling him out of selection.​

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Captain Aaron Finch comments - "Obviously, all three of them, they've been an integral part of our bowling attack over the years across formats. But obviously, playing all 3 formats, as a fast bowler, it gets tough for your body. The board is doing the right move in managing their fitness. As much as we would love to have the services of Patty and Josh, sometimes you need to look at the long run and not take hasty calls. Starcy, we're still eagerly hoping he will join the prospective team in South Africa, he adds so much value and takes the leadership role in our pace attack and his ICC tournament record really shows his skill at the big level. It's been a tough, tough rebuild post the scandal, without two of our best batsmen, so we are trying combinations. It would be however, always very valuable to have a man of his caliber (Starc) in our lineup"​

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Australia have not announced their 15-man squad for the World T20 yet, but reports suggest it might be out soon.​

 

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Hong Kong first group stage team to name World T20 Squad​

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Hong Kong lost their ODI status after 4 years in the World Cup qualifier earlier in the year, but have successfully advanced to the World T20​

Cricket Hong Kong officially announced their 15-man squad to travel to South Africa for the ICC Men's World T20 this year. After a crash-out 10th place finish in the World Cup Qualifiers that had them stripped off ODI status, they came back strong in the last-minute World T20 qualifier to secure a spot in the year's World T20. The successful team from the qualifiers has largely been retained for the main tournament.​

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Babar Hayat will continue to lead the side in this format as well, among senior regulars like Anshuman Rath, Aizaz Khan & Nizakat Khan being prominent members of the squad. The likes of Ehsan Nawaz who played in the 2014 edition and Ehsan Khan will also be among the important new names in the team who weren't part of the 2016 edition. 2016 skipper Tanwir Afzal has also been included in the squad, but as a player and not the captain.​

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Senior Batsman Mark Chapman was not available for selection after his relocation to New Zealand and subsequent Black Caps debut. Meanwhile, English Born Wicketkeeper Batsman Scott McKechnie has made it to the squad.​

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Uncapped fast bowler Raag Kapur hast been included in the team after missing out on the qualifiers, joining the otherwise regular pace attack.​

Spoiler: World T20 Squad

Hong Kong Squad: Babar Hayat (c), Tanwir Afzal, Nadeem Ahmed, Tanveer Ahmed, Waqas Barkat, Christopher Carter, Raag Kapur, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Nizakat Khan, Scott McKechnie, Ehsan Nawaz, Anshuman Rath, Kinchit Shah, Shahid Wasif

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Hong Kong will play the opening match of the World T20 group stage on the 13th August against Sri Lanka.​

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