No upsets, but plenty of heart

Going solely by outcomes, International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) dream of globalising the game through T20Is has taken a hit so far in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup, with Associate nations seemingly regressing, reaching a low they have not experienced in over a decade.

A total of eight Associate sides are competing in the ongoing 20-team tournament in India and Sri Lanka, and till yesterday’s India-Netherlands match in Ahmedabad, none of them have managed to beat any of the 12 Full Members they are competing alongside.

Yesterday, the line-up of the Super Eights got finalised, and unsurprisingly, none of the Associates made the cut, breaking a streak that had been running for the past five editions.

Since 2014, when Bangladesh hosted the T20 World Cup, at least one Associate side had managed to progress to the second round.

Netherlands did it in 2014, Afghanistan -- who became a Full Member in 2017 -- progressed in the 2016 edition in India, Scotland and Namibia snuck in in 2021 in the UAE, the Dutch returned to the second round in 2022 in Australia, and co-hosts USA did it in the 2024 edition.

However, results don’t always present the whole picture. It’s true that the Associates have failed to topple any of the bigwigs this year, but some of them have come damningly close to doing so.

In the tournament opener, the Dutch had Pakistan cornered in Colombo, reducing them to 119-7 chasing 148 before a brisk 29 off 11 balls from Faheem Ashraf rescued Pakistan.

Later on that very day in Mumbai, the USA had hosts India six down for just 77 runs before a brilliant 49-ball 84 from skipper Suryakumar Yadav took the score to 161-9, out of the reach of the Americans.

The fate of both of these games could’ve been different had Netherlands’ Max O’Dowd not dropped Faheem for seven and USA’s Shubham Ranjane not grassed a return catch from Suryakumar on 15.

Other than them, Nepal came the closest, falling just four runs short of an incredible win over England, failing to score 10 runs in the final over against Sam Curran.

Beyond these close finishes, the Associates, like always, have brought fresh enthusiasm into the tournament.

The Nepalese fans have earned everyone’s appreciation with their undying support for their cricket team, who gave them something to rejoice in with a seven-wicket win over Scotland to conclude their campaign.

Italy, making its World Cup debut in cricket, made a very positive first impression, which included a commanding 10-wicket win over Nepal.

Some individuals also shone brightly in the tournament. Canada’s 19-year-old youngster Yuvraj Samra smashed a 65-ball 110 against New Zealand in a losing cause.

USA pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk, before yesterday’s India-Netherlands match, was topping the wicket-takers’ list with 13 scalps in four games.

Had lady luck favoured the Associates in a few of the games, the ongoing edition could’ve ended up as one of the most successful World Cups for Associate cricket.

But even with the regression in outcomes, the Associates have shown plenty of progress on the field, seemingly closing the gulf with Full Members and their fans adding to the flamboyance of a World Cup.