World T20, Super Eights: Don’t blink please!

The world T20 has come to life. The Super Eights stage has begun with a bang. Those yawning fans, who watched the first, and boring, phase of the tournament marked by one-sided matches, are now abuzz with the prospect of jaw-dropping action.

For the first time in the history of World T20 no minnow has managed to upset a major team. This means that every match promises to be a spectacle. What else one wants!

The ICC has been criticized for scheduling the tournament during monsoon as well as planning of fixtures, as the early part of the tournament witnessed minnows being hammered one after another. The pre-tournament standings meant we have unbalanced groupings in the Super Eights. Group 2 is packed with stronger teams like Australia, South Africa, India and Pakistan, while the other group has favorites Sri Lanka slotted with mercurial West Indies, unsure England and dark horses New Zealand.

T20 cricket has drawn marginal fans into the limelight. While purists wait for the moments to fill their desires, a T20 fanatic dance on every four hit, each six smoked and every wicket taken.

Who would blink an eye when Chris Gayle is at the crease? Who would dare to switch channels when David Warner is on song? Who would gulp his lunch or supper when Kohli and Raina are having a run feast? You might have to keep your bladders on hold when Imran Nazir and Umar Akmal come out to play a Super Over.

How can you ignore Lasith Malinga as he runs in to bowl and go to see whether the pizza boy has arrived at the door or not? Let the mobile phone keep ringing but do not miss the sight of Dale Steyn steaming in. How can you not cherish the moment when Shahid Afridi lifts his arms in the air after dismissing a batsman and you realize that your hands are in the air too!

The prospect of a McCullum onslaught makes the attendance sheets empty and you cancel your excursion trip to watch Eoin Morgan play a blinder. There is no better sight in cricket than watching batsmen dance to the tunes of ‘jadugar’ Saeed Ajmal.

The Yorkers of Gul and Malinga, the bouncers of Morne Morkel and Fidel Edwards, the swing of Irfan Pathan and Dale Steyn, the slow bouncers of Shane Watson and Tim Southee, the aggression of Mitchel Starc, Pat Cummins and Steven Finn, the peculiar action of Sohail Tanvir, the spin craft of Sunil Narine, R Ashwin and Ajantha Mendis, the crispy cover drives of Hashim Amla and Nasir Jamshed, the dancing-down-the-track lofts of Virat Kohli and Shane Watson, the scoops of Dilshan and McCullum, the pulls and cuts of Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor and Michael Hussey, the blind-folded hoists of Imran Nazir, Richard Levi and David Warner, the helicopter shot of MS Dhoni, the sweeps and reverse sweeps of Umar Akmal, Mahela Jayawardene, and de Villiers, the celebration styles of Boom Boom, Bhajji and Gayle, the youthful exuberance of Glenn Maxwell, Alex Hales and Pat Cummings , the precocious talents of Raza Hasan, Adam Milne and Akila Dananjaya, the cricket-first-love-second passion of Danny Briggs, and the absence of Kevin Pietersen from this extravaganza is nothing more but enthralling.

So fasten your seat belts and be ready for heart-pumping action-thriller called World T20!

Image Credit: citytv.com