T20 World Cup | Muhammad Waseem’s press conference after the loss against New Zealand
Cut to the present, the noise is louder again, Associates are pushing Full Members to the edge, and it’s all started again in the Netherlands.Pakistan slipped from 98/2 to 114/7 while chasing 148 against the Netherlands. Max O’Dowd dropped a catch in the penultimate over and Faheem Ashraf was the hero with three sixes and two fours.India got off to a disastrous start against the USA and were reeling at 63/4 in the 10th over. Shubham Ranjane went low but couldn’t hold Suryakumar Yadav’s catch. Surya scored a match defining 84 off 49 balls.Nepal, who had earlier reduced England to 57/3, eventually restricted them to 184/7. They were 175/5 during the chase, needing 10 runs off seven balls. Lokesh Bam was well set for 35 off 15 balls. Bam scored just three runs over the next four deliveries and England prevailed after a tight final over from Sam Curran.Scotland, who replaced Bangladesh, had England on the ropes as Tom Banton and Will Jacks took the wickets in their chase of 153. Things had slowed to almost run-a-ball from the previous three overs and England now needed eight from the last six balls. Jacks then hit a six and a four to get them over the finish line.
United States’ Shubham Ranjane (L) reacts after dropping a catch by Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav (R) during the T20 World Cup in Mumbai. (AP)
A few days later, England were 105/5 in the 13th over against Italy and eventually posted a strong 202. During the chase, Italy rose to 173/7 after 34 runs in two overs. Grant Stewart was set for 44 off 20 balls. The first customers needed 30 of the last 12 deliveries. Sam Curran then removed Stewart, crushing their hopes.It may not be that dramatic, but Afghanistan got past the UAE in the final as the Netherlands pressured India despite looking down and out at one stage.Before India Vs. The Netherlands broadcaster arrogantly parroted claims before the tournament that a total of 300 starts would be breached. Instead, the Men in Blue posted 193/6, limited by a three-wicket haul from Logan van Beek.Eight affiliate teams counted in this T20 World Cup, and they weren’t the shifts many expected. The gap, as repeated every two years, is narrowing between associate and full member states.The cause of the poor results for Associates can simply be attributed to a lack of opportunities at the highest level and an inability to absorb pressure at key moments.
You won’t be in those situations until you play matches. No matter how much pure training you do, how do you get out of tight situations
UAE coach Lalchand Rajput
“Until you play matches, you won’t be in these situations. No matter how much you practice at the net, how do you get out of tight situations like 80/5? Or how do you win a match when you need 30 runs in the last two overs? You won’t feel it until you experience it on the ground,” said UAE coach Lalchand Rajput.“The more matches you play against good teams, the more situations you face. You can only win one out of five matches, but it builds confidence that the next time you are in the same situation, you will be able to win,” he added.Namibia coach Craig Williams also didn’t mince words, asking for more matches for associates if the ICC wants to make the sport global.“I think it’s not rocket science. If you play more cricket, you will improve. And especially if you play more competitive cricket. So I think all the associated countries are calling for the same thing. It’s been a few years since I played as well,” he said ahead of their last match against Pakistan in Colombo.Players, coaches and even administrators have urged the ICC to introduce more matches in the next Future Tours programme.
Italy’s Grant Stewart hits a six during the T20 World Cup cricket match against England in Kolkata. (AP)
“There should be more matches and the ICC is definitely working on it. That’s why this T20 World Cup has 20 teams. Hopefully it will continue to grow and other colleagues will follow. If we qualify for the World Cup, we should get a better chance to showcase ourselves,” Rajput said.Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar agreed. “If I wanted to change anything, it would be the associated countries getting more opportunities to compete with the best nations, because that’s the basis for learning. That’s where you learn,” he said after the loss to Afghanistan.Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede used the World Cup stage to remind everyone that his side have no cricket scheduled until June, with World Cup qualification their next task.“We showed the level Associate Cricket is at right now. We can only ask for more opportunities against the big teams because ultimately that’s how we improve as a collective,” De Leede said.The challenge of finding a spot on the calendar and the financial hurdles that come with it are not lost on those advocating for more matches.“The calendar doesn’t allow for more matches with full members because the associate countries mostly play each other. It’s also about TV rights, media and sponsorship because everyone focuses on the top 10 teams. They also have challenges. But this World Cup has shown that the associate countries are good enough to get more funds and play more matches,” said Rajput.De Leede also offered a solution.“I understand the financial rationale, but perhaps a three-nation series involving two full members could be an alternative. I saw a post recently about a European T20 series involving England, Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Italy,” he said.“We saw how close Italy pushed England. There are plenty of options. Normally it gets attention during the World Cup and then it goes away,” he added.However, history does not look promising.After reaching the Super Eight stage and becoming one of the stories of the 2024 T20 World Cup, USA did not field a single full member until this edition.The Netherlands, who reached the Super 12 of the 2022 T20 World Cup and shocked South Africa, did not play a single T20I between that day in Adelaide and the match against Nepal 479 days later in February 2024. Their only match against a Full Member in that period came against Ireland in the build-up to the 2024 edition.T20 leagues bridging the gap
American Andries Gous of Desert Vipers celebrates after scoring a hundred during the ILT20 Qualifier 1 match against MI Emirates. (Creimas)
The main reason for the better performances, despite the lack of opportunities at the top level, could be the growth of T20 leagues. More leagues means more demand for players and more platforms for associate cricketers to showcase their skills. USA wicketkeeper-batsman Andries Gous underlined it with an unbeaten 120 for Desert Vipers against MI Emirates in the recently concluded ILT20.Curran, who helped keep the two associates at bay, acknowledged that multiple matches played a role. “Associate nations play more often and are much better. They are exposed to better cricket and better pitches,” he said.UAE captain Muhammad Waseem, who plays for MI Emirates in the ILT20, shared the dressing room with Rashid Khan, Chris Woakes, Kieron Pollard, Shakib Al Hasan, Jonny Bairstow and Nicholas Pooran ahead of the T20 World Cup.“We have learned to improve by playing alongside the best players in the leagues. Likewise, if we play Test-playing nations, we will continue to improve. Then you will have even more competitive matches in the big tournaments,” he told TimesofIndia.com.The presence of experienced heads in the dugout also helped.Stuart Law is the head coach of Nepal. Ian Harvey is a bowling consultant. Gary Kirsten is a consultant to Namibia. Rajput brings his wealth of experience from the Indian dressing room to the UAE. Duleep Mendis leads Oman while Pubudu Dassanayake coaches USA.Having done all they could on the field, Associates can only hope they get more opportunities before the next release. Otherwise, the same conversations and pleas will be repeated in Australia and New Zealand.