The Quality-Assessment-Pending 8s: Bairstow’s bat, a Salt assault, South Africa finally top a run-a-ball + more in our latest T20 World Cup round-up

3 minute read

What if the Super 8s aren’t actually that super? Can they get downgraded? The So-So 8s? The Subpar 8s? The Shit 8s? They’re the Solid 8s so far, but it can probably still go either way. Does anyone know why they’re plural, by the way? As far as we can tell, there’s only one set of eight teams still involved in the tournament, unless there’s a parallel quarter-finals phase going on in The Upside Down.

Not-so-leaky Lockie

Before we got into the Quality-Assessment-Pending 8s, we got to see one of the great meaningless consolation feats when Lockie Ferguson bowled four maiden overs against Papua New Guinea to secure third place for New Zealand. (He also took three wickets.)

As far as we can make out, the Kiwis would most likely still have finished above PNG and Uganda and below West Indies and Afghanistan had they lost that game. Quite glorious pointlessness to round-out the group stages.

South Africa re-enter the modern world

Hello, South Africa – it’s 1990s White Ball Cricket on the phone. It says it wants its run-rates back.

Poor South Africa were obliged to suffer three matches at The Nassau County Dot Bowl in New York in the group stages. In these games they mustered the following scores…

• 80-4 (16.2 overs)
• 106-6 (18.5 overs)
• 113-6 (20 overs)

It must have been a huge relief to finally get a game somewhere else. Alas, their 115-7 off all 20 overs against Nepal in St Vincent meant they still hadn’t exceeded a run-a-ball across an entire innings.

They don’t call them Super 8s for nothing though*. Facing the USA in Antigua, the Saffers clogged a whopping 194-4. Given they’d also won all those other games, this was easily enough runs for victory – even if the US did have a game old stab at the target.

*Or do they?

A Salt and Bairstowery

Look if horrible titles for things are fine with the ICC, we figure we’ve got carte blanche with our subheadings for the next few weeks.

England beat the West Indies in their first game against one of the other Super 7. Phil Salt made the most runs – hitting one Romario Shepherd over for 4, 6, 4, 6, 6, 4 – but it was striking that Jonny Bairstow also recommenced, um, striking.

Bairstow has apparently been feeling a bit irritated that people had been saying his utterly rubbish, borderline match-losing 7 off 13 balls against Australia in pursuit of 202 was utterly rubbish and borderline match-losing.

Here he remembered that he is the proud owner of a cricket bat with an unusually percussive and springy middle and repeatedly sent the ball far further than you expected it would travel given the minimalistic punch or flick which had propelled it.

A word too for all-time England great, Adil Rashid, who conceded a six, a two and a wide, but other than that dealt in nothing but 0s and 1s, like some kind of wrist-spinning Acorn Electron. (He also took a wicket.)

What’s next?

Afghanistan v India may well be underway (or already over) by the time you read this. Signing up for our email can happen any time you like. Australia play Bangladesh and England play South Africa tomorrow (Friday).