ashish: “Shivam Dube looks to have come of age…. he is a stand out performer” — And here is how he has leveled up.
Umer: “my standout performance has been ESPNcricinfo ” — Glad you are loving the coverage just as much as we are loving bringing it to you.
Matthew: “Standout performance has to be Yuvraj Samra’s ton! Zimbabwe’s Brian Bennett if we include the whole tournament. “
Faizan Butt: “Nissanka’s century stands out as one of the finest innings of the tournament. It not only secured Sri Lanka’s place in the Super 8s but also ensured that Australia would not go on to win another ICC trophy.”
Avinash: “Blessing Muzarbani’s 4/17 is really a great bowling performance against Australia is one which stand out from other bowlers”
8pm The rain continues to fall, folks, and all we can do is wait. In the meantime, do send across what you feel has been the standout individual performance so far at this T20 World Cup.
7:50pm Whenever we do get out onto the field, there is a chance Mark Chapman will play a crucial role for the Kiwis. And here is how he is looking to flick favourite opponents Pakistan away with his leg-side play.
Sham: “Is it still raining??” — Yes, unfortunately.
Jay: “Whatever advantage pakistan had by winning the toss and bat will keep diminishing with every over lost. ” — Well, at least now, they can possibly plan for how many overs they need to bat. Always tougher to recalibrate when you have begun your innings and rain then shortens the game.
7:35pm Madushka says the rain has now been heavy and steady for about 40 minutes, and that he is seeing some puddles form on the covers. Good thing then that we have the entire ground covered then, eh?
maddy: “pak make some strange decisions. when you see rain before your eyes, how can you opt to bat first?” — Well, it does seem perplexing by the moment. And they may have played the past rather than tackling what is in front of them, That said, they could still make it work, provided the rain relents enough to accord them that chance.
7:30pm As we wait for the rain to clear, here is a nice, little piece by Deivarayan Muthu on Rachin Ravindra living through the fickleness of T20s to find his freedom.
7:16pm Nagraj with the answer to the question almost all of you have been asking. Overs will start getting reduced from 8:10pm local time. For a five-overs game, the cut-off is 10:16pm local time.
Rushdi Rafeek: “Been a Colombo resident for years now. The wind we have here means it won’t rain for an extended period, can predict clearer weather within 30-60 mins. “
Balakrishnan Th: “Im on a holiday in colombo staying at a nice resort few mins away from the ground. The sky here is clearing up after a heavy drizzle which is a good sign and considering a good cleanup system in srilanka, hope we get a full match!”
7:04pm Sheraaz S: “Hi Shashwat, at what time do we start losing overs? ” — Based on what happened in the group games, we might start losing overs after an hour and a bit. Perhaps around 8:10pm local time, but trying to confirm what the exact time is. Nagraj now pings, saying that the drizzle only seems to have gotten heavier. He further adds that only the semi-final and the final have reserve days, meaning that if this game does not get off the ground today, the points will be shared.
Saurabhk: “What will happen if the match gets abandoned?” — A point each.
6:50pm A steady drizzle, Madushka Balasuriya chimes in from the venue. Entire ground under covers too, meaning we could be in for a bit of a delay. And just as I finish typing that, Madushka buzzes again, saying the rain is heavier now.
Khalid Bukhari : “Rain can cut overs short, bringing DLS into play. Bowling first often looks like the smarter move then, as it might mean a shorter target for the other team later. And yeah, rain can make things wild, and that swing with the new ball can be trouble.” — Still a bit of time before we lose overs. But if we do get into that territory, the dynamics could change significantly.
6:45pm Babar Azam currently exists as a middle-order safety net should Pakistan need him, but do they need him at all? And what exactly is his role in this Pakistan T20I side? Danyal tries to decode.
6:40pm The covers, by the way, have come on. Nagraj tells me the whole ground is set to be covered, which was not the case a while back. It may be a greater precautionary measure post the toss, or the ground staff might know something we do not. Let’s hope it is the former.
Pitch Report: The pitch looks a little tacky, says Ramiz Raja, which Aaron Finch agrees to. The grass is not live. Taking pace off could be the way to go, and even though it will take a brave heart to toss the ball up as spinners, that might be the suitable option. The pitch report seems to have been recorded before the toss, with Finch saying the captain winning the toss might want to field first, which, of course, Salman has gone against.
Ibrahim : “What do you think about not playing Abrar despite the spin friendly conditions? Kind of feels like a miss, especially with Faheem still in despair Fakhar coming in as batting cover.” — To be honest, it is surprising. Because Abrar only had one real bad game (against India), and was brilliant at the Asia Cup last year, which were similar conditions.
Dr Tamoor: “Brave decision by Agha. Not many skippers would have opted to bat first with gloomy overhead conditions !” — Might have something to do with how spectacularly the decision to field first backfired against India.
New Zealand XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (capt), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq
6:31pm It is time for the toss. Santner and Salman out in the middle. And there is a slight mizzle about as the toss is taking place. Santner gives the coin a spin. Salman calls heads and heads it is. Pakistan will bat first. Fakhar comes in for Nafay. Two pace options and lot of spin options, he says. Adds that they have to play their A-game.
Three changes for Santner, he says. One is him coming back. Sodhi and Ferguson are in too, with Jamieson and Duffy missing out. Mentions they know the challenge Pakistan pose. Says Pakistan have some good spinners and he has to rush through his answers because the rain starts coming down harder, with the ground staff ready to storm the pitch with covers.
6:25pm Good news, folks. The covers are coming off, and here is what Nagraj has to say: “maghrib prayers are on, and the covers are being peeled off.” We also have word that the toss will take place on time, with the first ball scheduled to go ahead as planned too. Unless, of course, we run into some more rain.
Venkat: “If all matches in srilanka are washed out, SL and NZ go through on their better run rate from group stages ” — Let’s hope we do not have to go that far…
6:23pm Faizan: “is the toss going to be delayed?” — No word on that yet. But for what it is worth, the square still remains under covers.
Nilashish: “Daryl Mitchell is going to be the game changer today.You heard it first here..” — If the rain continues to fall, the Sri Lankan ground staff, like always, might need to take up that mantle…
6:20pm Here is a snippet from our captain at the ground, Nagraj Gollapudi: The crowd is trickling in. About a few hundred only so far. Some brollies are up including one of the fourth umpire who is standing by the covered square. The same pitch that was used for the SL-ZIM game will be used today.
Faiz: “Is it raining currently or are the covers just a precaution?” — The odd spot of rain is visible, but no frantic activity from the ground staff, which suggests they think this will pass over soon.
6:10pm For all of you asking about the weather, well, there is some damp news. The square is under covers, as things stand. Does not look like there is a whole lot of rain about, however.
Ibrahim : “amazing intro message. really liked the comparison to racing as I am F1 fan “
6pm The elite eight are here. Time trials done. Engines revving. Positions taken. Three laps each for those that remain. Fasten your seatbelts, folks, because it will be lights-out soon!
In lane one, the super-reliable contender. Assembled methodically, despite competing against others with larger resources. Acclimatized to most conditions. Built for different terrains. But an asterisk remains. Around previous promise not materializing into something substantial. And around a general failure to hit top gear when it matters most.
In lane two, the slightly more erratic contender. Capable of going from zero to a hundred miles per hour in seconds. But also prone to crashing and burning, and to veering into chaos, at the expense of something more controlled and clinical.
Now, though, there is much lesser room for error. One wrong turn, one overzealous manoeuvre, and everything could fall apart. But one perfectly-plotted run, with each chicane and hairpin bend marked out adeptly, and the home stretch could be within sight.
Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo’s coverage. This is the first sprint of what now feels like a new world, with an increased sense of jeopardy, and with greater potential reward. New Zealand, in newer surroundings but up against a familiar foe, knowing a fast start will set them up nicely for future twists and turns; Pakistan, often combustible but aware of the lay of the land and of their historical proclivity of gaining speed after a stinging earlier detour.
A humdinger – along with perhaps a grandstand finish – awaits, so hop on!
