The ‘Super Eight’ stage of the T20 World Cup begins today. A total of 40 matches were played until June 18. In all these group stage matches, 16 players hit more than 5 sixes. Among the title contenders reaching the ‘Super Eight’, India managed to secure a spot in the final eight with a 100% win rate, despite their comparatively low-scoring games.
None of the Indian players have ranked in the top 10 for batting or bowling. Rohit Sharma hit the most sixes for India, with 4 sixes. Notably, in the 40 group stage matches, scores of less than 100 were recorded 12 times.
Low-Scoring Matches in the USA, Three Games Without Results
Sixteen group stage matches were held across three different cities in the USA. Nine matches were won by teams chasing the target, while three were won by teams batting first. One match ended in a tie, and three matches were abandoned due to rain. No match in the USA saw a score of 200 runs. Scores of less than 120 were recorded 12 times, with scores falling below 100 twice. Despite the low scores, most matches were competitive. The highest-scoring game in the USA was between the USA and Canada in Dallas, where the USA scored 197 runs. The lowest-scoring match was between Sri Lanka and South Africa, where Sri Lanka was bowled out for 77 runs.
10 Scores Under 100 in the West Indies
Twenty-four group stage matches were held across six venues in the West Indies. Twelve matches were won by teams batting first, while ten were won by teams bowling first. One match ended in a tie, and another was abandoned due to rain. Three teams in the West Indies managed to score over 200 runs. However, 10 teams were bowled out for less than 100 runs. Uganda never reached 100 runs in any game, with their highest score being 78. Despite this, Uganda secured their first World Cup win by defeating Papua New Guinea. The highest-scoring match in the West Indies was between the West Indies and Afghanistan, with 218 runs. The lowest-scoring match was between Uganda and the West Indies, with 39 runs.
Top Five Run-Scorers in the Group Stage
Sixteen players scored more than 100 runs during the group stage. However, no Indian player reached the 100-run mark. Rishabh Pant scored the most runs for India, with 96 runs. In the first stage, Pakistan’s Babar Azam scored 122 runs, and Mohammad Rizwan scored 110 runs. The top run-scorer was Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with 167 runs. The top five run-scorers were Gurbaz, Nicholas Pooran (164 runs), Marcus Stoinis (156 runs), Ibrahim Zadran (152 runs), and Travis Head (148 runs).
No Centuries Scored
Twenty-six half-centuries were scored during the group stage, but no player managed to score a century. The highest individual score was by West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran, who scored 98 runs against Afghanistan in the final group stage match. The top five individual scores were by Nicholas Pooran (98), Aaron Jones of the USA (94* against Canada), Rahmanullah Gurbaz of Afghanistan (80 against New Zealand), and Ibrahim Zadran of Afghanistan (76 against Uganda).
Most Sixes Hit by USA’s Jones
Sixteen players hit five or more sixes in the group stage. Aaron Jones hit 13 sixes in 3 matches, Nicholas Pooran hit 13 sixes in 4 matches, Marcus Stoinis hit 10 sixes in 4 matches, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit 10 sixes in 4 matches. Travis Head hit 9 sixes in 4 matches, ranking fifth among the players with the most sixes.
Top Wicket-Taker Farooqi
Eight players took 8 or more wickets in the group stage, none of whom were Indian. Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh took 7 wickets each. The top wicket-taker was Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi, with 12 wickets in 4 matches. New Zealand’s Trent Boult took 9 wickets in 4 matches, West Indies’ Akeal Hosein took 9 wickets in 4 matches, South Africa’s Anrich Nortje took 9 wickets in 4 matches, and Bangladesh’s Tanzim Hasan Sakib took 9 wickets in 4 matches.
Two Players Took Five Wickets in an Inning
Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi and West Indies’ Akeal Hosein each took 5 wickets in an inning against Uganda. India’s Arshdeep Singh took 4 wickets for 7 runs against the USA, marking the best bowling performance by an Indian player in the World Cup.
South Africa’s Narrowest Win
The narrowest win in the group stage was South Africa’s 1-run victory against Nepal. South Africa also recorded the second narrowest win, with a 4-run victory against Bangladesh. India’s 6-run win against Pakistan was the third narrowest. Three teams, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa, had a 100% win rate in the group stage. Oman and Papua New Guinea lost all their matches. Ireland and Nepal did not win any matches but managed to secure 1 point each due to rain. Uganda, Namibia, and the Netherlands lost 3 matches each but secured 1 win each.