WCC Knockout Trophy all set to commence on the 11th; final on the 28th
One of cricket's major flagship events, the WCC Knockout Trophy kicks-off in Morocco this Thursday
WCC Knockout Trophy trophy pictured during the Nokia Knockout Trophy World Tour © WCC Press, March 15, 2002
One of cricket's major flagship events, the WCC Knockout Trophy kicks-off in Morocco this Thursday. The tournament will feature 16 teams battling it out in, as the name suggests, a knockout tournament played over a little more than two weeks. Morocco and Spain will co-host the event with the Grand Stade de Casablanca in Casablanca hosting the final.
Team Previews
Denmark: Defending Champions
Denmark, the victors of the
previous Knockout Trophy will defend their title as the No. 2 ODI side in the world. They became World No. 1s after winning the Knockout Trophy, but were subsequently dethroned by the Netherlands last year, when the Dutch defeated the Danes in the
final of the European Championship. In 2000, Denmark went on a dream run which culminated in the fairytale ending of Niels Håkansson's career being realized. Despite not having the first true great of Denmark cricket in the squad for the tournament, the current Danish side is a lot stronger, and a lot more talented than the one which won last time around. Consisting of ODI stalwarts Aksel Johansson and William Gunnarsson, Denmark's batting is lit with cricket's brightest ornaments. Spearheads Martin Lundgren and Felix Nørregaard make up the two front ends, while Oliver Johansson, August Eklund and Chris Fredriksson complete the five-pronged quindent that is the Danish bowling attack. With a squad like theirs, Denmark are certain favourites to win and defend their title.
Spain: Previous Finalists, Current Favorites
Spain have had their hearts broken on two occasions by the Danes. First, it was the Knockout Trophy final in 2000, where Spain
fell short by 25 runs. A year later, their wounds were spliced open yet again when Denmark defeated them in the
semi-final of the European Championship by 6 wickets. There's a saying about a third attempt being a lot more fruitful than the preceding two, but it will still take a great deal for the Spanish to finally exorcise their demons and get one up on Denmark. They've got a settled squad, they've got two of ODI's best batters in Heinrich Silva and Riley Delgado, they've got Vasil Perez's wizardry, and now, they've got something they didn't have before - home-field advantage.
Morocco: Bullies at Home
Alongside Spain, Morocco are also the hosts for the Knockout Trophy. The Moroccans have proven to be wildly inconsistent with their performances on international level. Coming off the incredible high of winning their first major international honours at the
Casablanca Cup, this is somehow the same Moroccan squad that conceded
the highest total in ODI history less than two weeks prior to their win. No doubt the home-field advantage will aid the Moroccans greatly, and while they possess uber-talented players like Hervé Hocquard and El Mahi Khatibi, it should be noted that they are somewhat unproven at the grandest stage. One thing is for certain however, they all play like there's no tomorrow at home.
India: Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride
In all major events outside of ASCON, India have greatly underdelivered considering the talent and resources they posses. India are easily one of the biggest cricketing nations in the world, but so far, they have very little to show for it except
back-to-back Asia Cup victories in a region where
they are the sharks in a very small pond. In the previous Knockout Trophy, they were unbelievable unlucky to have been bounced out after the first game of the tournament, losing to hosts Greece due to a
demon-possessed Achilleas Paterakos cameo. While they've had shortcomings in the Nations League as well, they have also improved substantially with each passing global event. They are a well-rounded team in almost every aspect of the game, but whether the Knockout Trophy proves to be the place where they finally break their jinx remains to be seen.
Guernsey: Turning Fortunes, One Format at a Time
The reigning, defending, two-time World Champions of Test cricket have always overdelivered at global events. They've won two out of the three they've competed in, and finished third in the third. Their image, particularly in the limited-overs format, is marred somewhat by their inconsistent performances in bilateral cricket and early exists in the European Championship. They were also plagued by internal issues amongst their cricketer's following Harry Wroetoshaw's stripping of the captaincy, which many believe, created a divide in their dressing room. They also fell down the ladder in Test cricket, first by being
dethroned by Canada as the World No. 1s, then by Japan
stunning them in the last Test they played. They certainly posses the individual star-power to go the distance, but with their current form and recent performances, it will be somewhat of a shock if they do.
South Africa: Kings of the Jungle
Two-time
Africa Cup of Nations winners and one-time
Sahara Shield winners, South Africa will be facing Guernsey in the Round of 16 contest. And rather unsurprisingly, the South Africans are being pitched as the favorites. South Africa have had a rapid rise despite playing most of their cricket exclusively with other African nations. Their captain Rudi Struwig has risen from a star-performer to a potential All-Time Great. He currently sits as the second-best ODI bowler in the world with a career-best rating of 138. He has also overtaken Felix Nørregaard as the highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket history, currently sitting at 73 wickets at an average of 17.60 with three 4-fers and four 5-fers to his name. And while his brother Pierre Struwig has had mixed fortunes, the duo form a formidable attack for South Africa. Their batting is greatly reliant on Jacques Coetzee and Siya Ndlala, neither of whom have had innings that would inspire any fear or jitters amongst the South African camp. If anything, it has inspired confidence, particularly with
their recent total of 418/3 in the Africa Cup of Nations Final against Morocco. It would be downright foolish to expect them to finish anywhere below the final-four, at the very least.
Netherlands: Will the Dutch Show Up?
It is a sad state of affairs where the best-ranked ODI side in the world has not been able to field a playing XI for over 7 months due to a lack of funds. The Netherlands have not hosted any nations for bilateral cricket, nor have they travelled to any nations for bilateral cricket due to a financial crisis ravaging their board entirely. And to make matters even worse, it seems like the World Cricket Conference has taken a backseat and left them by themselves. Their status for the upcoming tournament is unknown, but if they do fail to show up, it will be a tragedy to see the likes of Faas Vermeulen and Rens de Wit miss out on an appearance at a global event like the Knockout Trophy.
Canada: America's Finest
Canada have had a steady rise in the World of Cricket, with the pinnacle of their affairs being the dethroning of Guernsey as the No. 1 Ranked side in the World Test Rankings, in the same year where the latter successfully defended their Nations League title. Canada's limited-overs fortunes have admittedly been a mixed bag, and they have been overly reliant on their captain Martin Terry in both facets of the game. They qualified for the tournament after registering
a win against Malta a mere three days before the cut-off deadline. They are however, still the best side in either of the Americas by a country mile. While they have not really turned up at a global event, it would be harsh to judge this current Canadian crop by standards from years ago.
England: Explosive Debut
In the Knockout Trophy in Greece, England forfeited their Round of 16 match against Norway due to an undisclosed reasons.
The alleged reason for their forfeit was reported by an insider who leaked the news, but it was never officially confirmed by England Cricket. While the merits of that report have been profusely refuted, it should be noted that England will be traveling for this year's tournament with an accompanying team chef. England have been a force to reckon with despite being relative newbies. They had a memorable debut in the European Championship last year, only missing out on a semi-final berth by bare margins, and have gradually improved ever since. But considering the level of competition, especially amongst the top-rung teams, the likes of WG Charles and Richard Head will have to turn superhuman to take England all the way.
Niue: Island in the Sun
Of all the top teams in cricket today, Niue are the lowest-ranked in the ODI Rankings despite being
two-time Nations Cup winners. Niue also hold the unfortunate record of having suffered the most losses in ODI cricket history. But since the establishment of newly-minted domestic competitions last year, they have improved drastically. Jayson Okesene and Talaititama Holo have taken up the mantle of responsibility to become pillars of the team, holding them up to world-beating standards. They have had two Test series victories, and two Test series losses since the start of the year, but their most noteworthy outing in recent memory was their Nations Cup win in December. Niue's ODI outfit has formed slowly, but it has taken shape to become a serious threat. They still hold a repugnant record against the top-top teams, but underestimating them would be immensely foolish.
Norway: The Actual Underdogs
Norway will be playing in their second Knockout Trophy, and while their performance in the first hardly made any headlines, it should be noted that it took a full-strength Guernsey to knock them out of the tournament with a
1-run defeat. And even that was mostly due to their own batter Adam Solheim failing to hold his nerves and choking more than anything else. Norway, despite having not many notable individual performers in their team, have always overshot and given serious competition to the best sides in the world. Whether it be Guernsey in the Knockout Trophy, or India in the
Nations League. Winning the Knockout Trophy would be a genuine underdog fairytale for them, the kind that can inspire generations.
First Timer's Club: Malta, Sri Lanka, Finland, Vanuatu and Italy
Malta, in their debut year, gave the world
WCC Club World Cup runners-up. The squad of their 50-over champions Hamrun Spartans consisted of many national players, but the clear standouts were their uncapped locals who led them to silver in a debut Club World Cup. Since then, Hamrun Spartans' Joseph Porsella has gone on to become a permanent member of the Maltese national side, and has inarguably been their best batter, while Zakkarija Bellizzi has made a strong case for selection with consistent performances. It is only a matter of time before he earns a national call-up as well.
Sri Lanka, the newest addition from Asia, will be taking the spot that is usually reserved for Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh had an abysmal
Asia Cup last year, as a result of which Sri Lanka finished above them in their debut season, allowing them to hold on to a higher ranking in the ODI Rankings and qualify for the Knockout Trophy. With the likes of Prabath Vimukthi and Himal Wickrema being mainstays in their batting and bowling departments respectively, they still have much to prove at the global stage. Their most notable international success came earlier in the year, when
they defeated newcomers China 2-1 in a 5-match Test series at home.
Kauko Hossi, one of the greatest batters in the world (without a doubt), will be pivotal in determining how far the Finnish go. Thus far, Kauko Hossi has been held back from true greatness by his teammates who have fallen apart at the most inopportune moments. Their captain Manne Rautiainen has performed well in small doses too, but Kauko Hossi has been in a league all to himself. Finland will rely on him to conjure up magic if they wish to go far. All he needs in return, is support from the rest of the team.
Vanuatu, Oceania's quickest-rising cricketing nation will be making their Knockout Trophy debut, playing against hosts Spain in a Round of 16 match. It is going to be an uphill task, no doubt, but they are more than capable of pulling off a heist. Mark Mansale has been one of the best all-rounders in the world recently, and a lot will rely on how he performs from the get-go. Spain have the arsenal to disarm pretty much anybody, so beating them will be far from a cakewalk for the debuting Vanuatuans. If they can topple the likes of
New Zealand and
Niue, then they can surely upset the Spaniards.
Italy, the lowest-ranked side coming into the tournament, have an egregious road-to-final ahead of them. In their Round of 16 match, they will have to defeat hosts and homeground bullies Morocco. Should they succeed, their road to the final will truly begin with them facing either the Netherlands or Niue in the quarter-finals, most-likely India in the semi-finals, and any nation from Spain, Denmark, Finland, Guernsey, South Africa and Canada in the final. Not only are they the lowest-ranked side, the seeds have aligned so they
have to face the top-ranked sides. Even in case of upsets, they are not ending up with Sri Lanka or England or Norway opposite them. To win this, they well-and-truly have to do the impossible.
