We are one short sleep away from one day international cricket returning to our screens. The Champions Trophy returns after a brief hiatus of 8 years, more importantly an ICC tournament returns to Pakistan. 2 and a half weeks of white ball cricket between just the 8 of the best. The cricketing version of a shot off adrenaline or any adult juices, if you swing that way. Also, the perfect setting for the Bishop & Bear podcast to sit down and review the teams participating and dispel some advice along with predictions.
The Guerillas began with Tawhid’s analysis of Bangladesh’s squad and chances. Tawhid talked about Bangladesh’s feel-good factor after appointing Phil Simmons as their new head coach. Bangladesh have had ample amount of preparation for this tournament and find themselves with a searing pace attack to help their cause. Nahid Rana could be a trick up the sleeve for Bangladesh simply because not many have faced him before. A consistent pace of 140/145 kph plus for a Bangla seamer is an anomaly and with Taskin Ahmed leading the attack it will be interesting to see how Rana fares.
Shakib Al Hasan will be a miss for the Tigers this time as he is under review for chucking. This tournament will allow Bangladesh to see how his replacements do and how reliable they are. For all the optimism Tawhid had to shed on Bangladesh, he did end his piece by seeing he does not see Bangladesh making the semis. Their first game will be against India on the 20th of February.
New Zealand were up next as Jim extended his opinions on the squad under Mitchell Santner’s captaincy. The Kiwis had the perfect warm up before the tournament as they won the Tri Series held in Pakistan recently. There have been some late changes in the squad as Lockie Ferguson is replaced by Kyle Jamieson as a result of an ankle injury. New Zealand boast a couple of newcomers in Will O’Rourke and Nathan Smith, both who have been developing rapidly since their debuts.
There is a lack of true spinners in the squad and recently Glen Phillips has been pushed forward to bowl some, highlighting the all-round nature of this New Zealand squad. The Kiwis have picked the highest number of all-rounders for this tournament. Jim’s banked on them to make the semis. New Zealand face Pakistan in the opener tomorrow at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Anindo had India pegged down as one of the semifinalists but questioned their chances of winning the tournament. It could be a more difficult tournament for India than others as the talisman Jasprit Bumrah misses out. The problem for India would be the second seamer. Arshdeep Singh in his own element as of now but with Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami not in the best of forms, it will be interesting who India choose to fulfill that role. A trump card India hold is Axar Patel, a handy cricketer who often misses out when people talk about India’s most important players. Batting at number 5, Axar will be a vital cog in this tournament.
Of course, with India, the conditions will differ as they will play their matches in Dubai instead of Pakistan. Enough opinions have been spewed regarding this topic and the political side of the situation. However, it will play a bigger role if India do reach the final of the tournament. India begin their campaign against Bangladesh on the 20th.
Australia’s approach will be experimental, said Messy. With the stalwarts of the team absent due to injury, Australia will hope the young guns chosen will take the tournament by storm. Steve Smith leads the side and apart from him, Alex Carey and Travis Head are the only ones who boast a good ODI record. Jake Fraser McGurk and Darcy Short have been picked and it will be their first taste of ODI cricket. Australia will bank on Glenn Maxwell for some middle order stability but given his naturally aggressive playstyle, that would be futile.
Australia play their first game versus England and it would actually be the perfect time to face the Englishmen. A tester to see how the debutants in ICC tournaments fare and figure out where the squad is lacking.
Bear had to make a case for the Three Lions, and he did falter a bit. England have just been rolled over by India in the recent white ball series. Their problem lies in the lack of spin. Other than Adil Rashid there is no specialist spinner in the team. The batting department is quite settled but the middle order will need solidity if they wish to chop and cut their way to results in the tournament. Bear voiced his dissatisfaction over Buttler’s captaincy, calling it dim and not proactive at all. But the fact of the matter is that there is no captain material nominee in the England squad and Buttler will have to do for now.
The hosts were brought up next and Pakistan’s case had no difference this time as well. Their future in the tournament will always be hard to call but will be entertaining, nevertheless. As the holders of the tournament, they come into it in good form. There is some bonus good news with Mohammed Rizwan returning to the side. Pakistan’s seam attack is set with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah leading it. Abrar Ahmed is the only spinner in the squad, which has become the theme for most squads in this tournament. Noman Ali and Sajid Khan not getting a look in was shocking for many. Pakistan begin their campaign against New Zealand tomorrow.
Now for the arguably the weakest side in the tournament, Afghanistan. They have probably shed the tag of ‘giant killers’ attached to them as they do beat the big teams more often now. They will surely be competitive, but the Guerillas failed to see them make any waves in this tournament. The top order for them is the most crucial segment of the team and Afghanistan’s success depends a lot on them. Rashid Khan’s men will look to cause an upset or two, but their semifinal bid will be a tough task to complete. Afghanistan play South Africa in their opening match on the 21st of February.
That only left South Africa to be discussed. The Proteas have been in poor form ahead of this edition of the Champions Trophy. They do have plenty of hard hitters in the team with Klaasen, Miller, Rickleton and Markam making up the spine of the team. The seam attack is led by Kagiso Rabada, of the finest bowlers right now. South Africa also have the spin department covered with the likes of Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi. They will be considered strong contenders and should do well in this tournament. It will also be a chance for them to break their ICC trophy drought.
