Day seven of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and we already have three surprises. USA trounced the Netherlands by 93 runs in Chennai
Mitchell Marsh’s Australia were stunned by Zimbabwe, who defeated them by 23 runs in Colombo.
Blessing Muzarabani was the star as the Chevrons stormed to victory over the Aussies.
And finally, Italy recorded their first victory at a major tournament, beating Nepal by 10 wickets.
The significance of the wins
Whenever an Associate Nation team defeats an established ICC member, it’s as big or if not, bigger than a Premier League side being knocked out of the FA Cup by a lower league side.
It gives nations like Zimbabwe and the USA an opportunity to prove that they belong or deserve to be on one of cricket’s biggest stages.
That, of course, is the T20 World Cup.
Each team receives $250,000 for participating in the tournament, and for every match an associate member wins, they receive:
- per‑win bonus money for every match they win in the group stage or Super 8s.
- additional prize money if they move further in the tournament.
Imagine what this does to nations like the USA and Italy, where cricket isn’t even their national sport?
Even in Zimbabwe, where cricket is not their number one sport.
Football is Zimbabwe’s number one sport, but because cricket has a clear structure of Tests, ODIs, and T20S, it gives smaller countries more opportunities to perform at the highest level.
So although most Zimbabweans are into football, they are still fascinated by how the cricket team is doing, especially in the World Cup.
That’s why the significance of beating Australia is so high,
WHY DO WE GET SURPRISE RESULTS IN WORLD CUPS?
Since England introduced T20 cricket in 2003, the game has been played at a much faster pace.
This means the batsmen are now taking more risks to score runs, increasing the chance of getting them out.
What the T20 format does is allow both teams to stay in the game, because a shortened game means you take more risks.
Another reason is that franchise leagues around the world are giving players from Afghanistan, the Netherlands, and other countries opportunities to showcase their talent to the world.
It allows the lesser-known players to play alongside the experienced internationals and learn new skills and advice from them.
It gives them the experience of playing in full stadiums, where the pressure is high, as they are being watched by millions of fans around the world.
One more important thing is the fact that when a minnow plays a favourite, the minnow has nothing to lose.
This means that they can go all out for the win, knowing that if they lose, they’ve given 100% in all facets of the match.
When that happens, you usually see an exciting game, as the favourites are being challenged to perform at their absolute best to beat them.
This is what makes the T20 World Cup the most exciting cricket competition in the world.
For more information on the ICC T20 World Cup, visit World In Sport.
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