T20 World Cup 2022: Rating Bowling attack of teams in Super 12

Stunning performances, eye-catching results, thrills, upsets, and drama, the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has witnessed this all, producing high-class entertainment thus far. With the conclusion of the Super 12 stage, the stakes will be far higher in the high-octane clashes in the semi-final fixtures of the marquee event down under. Every department on the field, from the batting, and bowling to the fielding and wicketkeeping, players have changed the dynamics and upscaled the gravitas in a game that shifts the momentum back to their side. As the Australian soil has an inclination towards the bowlers, the bowling units of the teams have taken this to their advantage and delivered effectively. Here we take a look at the best bowling attacks and rate them in accordance with the economy and wicket taking ability displayed in their performance during the matches. Let us see how the sides have fared thus far in Super 12 stage of the event. Rating Bowling attack of teams in Super 12 12. Ireland- 3/10 The Irish side started off their campaign rather slowly in their face-off against Sri Lanka. The side could only manage to get one wicket under their belt in the fixture against the Lankan Lions and were beaten in just 15 overs, suffering a major loss even in terms of net run rate. Furthermore, the Irish side were able to add little to no threat and could not make the best use of the tracks. However, in the subsequent matches against England, Australia, and New Zealand, the bowling unit gained boost as they felt more accustomed to the pitches. Their historic win against England that came due to the DLS method was the game when their bowling threatened the most. However, at one stage in the tournament, the bowlers, especially Joshua Little and George Dockrell were economical for the side. Spinner Gareth Delany too was able to produce the slower balls and get a few wickets under his belt during the Super 12 stage while being economical. Adding to this, Little’s hat-trick against New Zealand was one for the highlight reel as the player knocked off three important batters in the Kiwis middle order. The left arm pacer was the only one from the side who consistently produced threat to the rival sides. 11. Netherlands- 6/10 What can we make of this Dutch side? The side kept fighting till the end and produced a massive drama/upset towards their final fixture of the Super 12 stage against South Africa. The Proteas were hapless against a flamboyant Dutch bowling display and the latter swiftly decked up batters no in time. Bas de Leede emerged as their main wicket-taker scalping 13 wickets including the ones, he victimized in the first Round. Paul van Meekeren and Fred Klaassen too were successful for the side in delivering crucial breakthroughs. Meanwhile, the rest of the bowling unit ensured not too many runs leaked in their stipulated overs, further proving to be lethal against rival teams. From Colin Ackermann to Roelof van der Merwe, the bowlers took an attacking approach that helped the side not give away runs in the powerplay and middle overs. All in all, the side managed to relish fine outings in the Super 12 stage with the win against South Africa being arguably the best. 10. Zimbabwe – 5/10 Wellington Masakadza, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, and Tendai Chatara were all so vital for the side as the quartet managed to keep their economy in check and under 7.00 during their Super 12 campaign. During the last few years, the Zimbabweans have improved significantly both with the bat and ball and looked hungry to compete against the big sides in this edition of the World Cup. That perfectly resonated in the match against Pakistan as the side handed a massive defeat thereby denting the Men in Green’s chances of progressing. Muzarabani and Raza were the two star players of the side that stood out in terms of wicket taking. The duo relished 22 wickets between them in their outings in the group stage. However, the rest of the attack was not particularly able to take wickets in the crunch moments of the game that handed an edge to the other sides to score the big runs. This was perhaps their biggest flaw as the side was dependent on Raza, Muzarabani, and Richard Ngarava to help them get breakthroughs but were successful only at times without consistency. 9. Afghanistan- 4/10 The Mohammad Nabi-led side had star bowlers to rely upon in Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan who took England by storm in their very first outing in the Super 12. The two registered two wickets between them with an economy under 6.00 but that was all about the bowling unit. The side was heavily dependent on the duo to strike blows in the Australian tracks that usually are an advantage to pacers. The pacers of their own neither could manage to provide breakthroughs or even maintain a decent economy rate. Naveen-ul-Haq was the only player in the list of top 50 players with the ‘Best Bowling Strike Rate’, as he stood 40th at a rate of 8.00 as mentioned in the official website of the event. Moreover, this only goes onto show that despite having a bowling heavy unit, the side failed to materialize it to anything concrete. 8. South Africa- 7/10 South Africa have produced some of the finest bowlers of all time with the likes of Dale Steyn, Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini donning the Proteas outfit in the past. The side in recent times have produced players like Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada who have proved to be integral members of the squad. Despite their underwhelming batting, the bowling gave their fans fair share of thrills and reasons to be proud of. Ngidi, Nortje, and Rabada, the trio was lethal both in terms of keeping their economy in check and scalping wickets. However, the rival batters have also targeted the trio on occasions with the most recent one coming from the Dutch side as both Ngidi and Rabada leaked 72 runs in just six overs between them. Other bowlers such as Keshav Maharaj, veteran star Wayne Parnell and spinner Tabraiz Shamsi were not effective for the side in the Super 12, as the management would have hoped for. 7. Bangladesh – 6/10 The Bangla Tigers have bowlers such as Hasan Mahmud, star bowlers Taskin Ahmed, and skipper Shakib Al Hasan who can rattle the batters at the opposite end. In fact, on few occasions, the side has been capable of producing wonders by scalping wickets. Taskin’s fiery pace saw him scalp an incredible four-fer against the Netherlands and has been the main man leading the way in the pace bowling department. However, in matches against South Africa, India and Pakistan, the Bangla side was themselves baffled on how to attack with the ball. The three rival nations effortlessly attacked Bangladesh bowlers easily. Especially in the South Africa fixture, Bangladesh endured a rather dismal outing that was reflected in their damaging economy. Inconsistency in the bowling came to haunt them in matches against India and Pakistan, let alone their poor batting performances. 6. Sri Lanka – 7/10 One name that comes to everyone’s mind first would be that of Wanindu Hasaranga when you speak about the Lankan Lions in recent times. The star spinner has stood tall in the leading wicket takers of the tournament as he scalped 15 wickets during his stint in the First Round and Super 12. Despite enduring a few injury upsets right from the beginning of the tournament, Binura Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne relished terrific outings initially in the competition. Moving forward into the latter half of the Super 12 stage, the bowlers especially Hasaranga proved to be expensive in matches despite picking up wickets. Keeping aside the Australian conditions, the bowlers have been fine as compared with the other teams in the tournament. Maheesh Theekshana, Dhananjaya de Silva along with the aforementioned bowlers have been vital for the side despite leaking runs in regular intervals. 5. Australia- 6/10 One side that everyone probably felt would be one of the best, if not the best, in terms of bowling was- Australia. However, the Aussies underperformed with rival batters easily using the conditions to their advantage and making the bowlers a soft target. Mitchell Starc was touted to be the standout performer not just of the side but in the tournament. However, in no sense was he able to live up to the potential he is capable of attaining and was eventually left out against Afghanistan. The bowling unit was thoroughly battered by semi-finalists New Zealand for a mammoth 200 runs in their 20 overs. In the same fixture, all their bowlers recorded an economy rate of 9.00 and over in their stipulated four overs each. In the subsequent matches, the bowling did pick up to some level only to be targeted by the Afghanistan batters in the final match in their campaign. The pacers were just unable to bowl consistently well and it reflected in their poor numbers. 4. Pakistan- 8/10 The Babar Azam-led Pakistan has a very solid bowling line-up on paper that has performed well in recent matches. The young exuberance of pacers like Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Naseem Shah, exceptional bowlers such as Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi can easily rattle batters at the other end. While in the initial games, Pakistan did not make the most of their bowling and were consistently smashed in the vital moments of the contest. However, the side eventually picked up their form with the ball, included the likes of Mohammad Wasim Jr. that has worked out perfectly well for the Men in Green. Moreover, there was much speculation surrounding the form and fitness of Shaheen Afridi and whether he should continue in the squad. Fans would be pleased with his performances in recent games as he has been economical and scalped wickets as well. 3. England – 8/10 Jos Buttler’s England cruised into the semi-finals of the event, thanks to their consistent bowling display in their Super 12 campaign. Sam Curran’s fifer at the very start against Afghanistan went on to show that the player holds the potential to provide threat to the batters. He was further backed by his fellow bowlers, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone who have a proven record to bamboozle batters. Furthermore, the level they attained in the Super 12 stage will surely come to use as the side faces India in the semi-final. Moeen Ali too has been economical for the side with his variations. The Three Lions undoubtedly have proven that they do not necessarily need to bank on a single player or two players to provide breakthroughs. The wide range of players available to help them with the ball is what hands the side an edge over most of the other teams. 2. India – 8.5/10 Despite not having Jasprit Bumrah in the side owing to an injury he picked up prior to the tournament, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, the two designated death overs bowlers have been terrific for the side. Same goes for Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has maintained fantastic line and length and gets the swing early on in the match that keeps the rival batters on the backfoot. Bhuvneshwar may not have relished too many wickets in this edition, but he has been the only bowler in the Super 12 stage to boast three maidens under his belt. India have banked on several players such as Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya to provide them the major breakthroughs in the contests. The Men in Blue have been one of the best sides in terms of attack with the ball and would be keen on contoinuing in the same vein in the semi-finals. 1. New Zealand – 9/10 Easily the one side that has outperformed other sides is Kane Williamson’s New Zealand. The skipper has used the ‘T’ factor in the squad and unleashed them perfectly against rival sides to keep the threat going at regular intervals. Tim Southee and Trent Boult may not be in the list of top 10 wicket takers of the tournament thus far, but that has not stopped them from adding threat with their pace and swing. The duo has done exactly that and been by far the two most economical bowlers for the side. Adding to their fiery pace and swing, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner too have delivered for the side and been economical. This sort of threat in their bowling line up can easily bamboozle a strong top order down under. It will be interesting to see if they can maintain this form with the ball in the semi-finals against Pakistan on Wednesday, November 09.

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T20 World Cup 2022: Rating Bowling attack of teams in Super 12

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