5 reasons why Nidahas Trophy will be boring
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is commemorating the country’s 70th year of independence by organizing the Nidahas Trophy. The tri-nation T20I series involving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is set to begin from the 6th of March in the island nation when India lock horns against the hosts. One match is scheduled every alternate day till the final between the top two teams on the 18th of March. While there is bound to be a lot of interest in it for the players involved, the tournament might end up being a dull one due to the following reasons.
Absence of Pakistan
A multi-nation tournament involving Asian giants is never exciting to watch without the involvement of Pakistan. With Pakistan Super League in full swing, it was impossible for the Pakistan Cricket Board to be part of the event. Also, it was not entirely in the hands of the SLC to have Pakistan in the series. But after the debacle in the Champions Trophy final, Indian fans have been looking for an encore of some sorts but they will have to wait even longer. Also with all the three teams considerably weakened due to the absence of some key players, the involvement of the mercurial Pakistan team would have resulted in the Trophy becoming a heady cocktail.
Key players missing
As mentioned above, all the three contenders are missing a number of big names. India have chosen to rest the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya et al; while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will miss the services of their biggest assets in Angelo Mathews and Shakib al Hasan respectively who are nursing injuries. On one hand this will mean that new and untested players can use the series to prove their worth but on the other hand it doesn’t augur well for the entertainment quotient of the tournament as big players usually make the game more exhilarating with their flamboyance.
More India vs Sri Lanka
Fans all over the world breathed a sigh of relief when the last of over 18 internationals - played within a space of six months - between India and Sri Lanka got over in December last year. The overdose of matches between the two sides was so frustrating that even Virat Kohli admitted that they have been playing a bit too much against Sri Lanka. The Nidahas Trophy is going to revive the same trend and cricket lovers can be excused for going out for a stroll while the two Asian giants clash against each other.
Bad scheduling
While the three nations battle it out in Colombo over the course of two weeks, Australia will be fighting the Proteas in a series of four Tests. Simultaneously in Zimbabwe, the Cricket World Cup qualifiers will be on with the likes of Chris Gayle and Rashid Khan on full throttle trying to get their teams on the flight to England next summer. It’s anyone’s guess whether the Nidahas trophy would be able to match the ferocity and thrill of these other fixtures around the world.
Poor form of Bangladesh
Bangladesh as a team recently has been woefully out of form. They have only managed to win three internationals out of the last sixteen they have played, with the majority of them being played in their own backyard. Also the loss of their talismanic all-rounder at the last minute will deplete their arsenal further. Therefore they might not be able to mount a serious challenge to their neighbors making the matches highly uninteresting.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is commemorating the country’s 70th year of independence by organizing the Nidahas Trophy. The tri-nation T20I series involving India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is set to begin from the 6th of March in the island nation when India lock horns against the hosts. One match is scheduled every alternate day till the final between the top two teams on the 18th of March. While there is bound to be a lot of interest in it for the players involved, the tournament might end up being a dull one due to the following reasons.
Absence of Pakistan
A multi-nation tournament involving Asian giants is never exciting to watch without the involvement of Pakistan. With Pakistan Super League in full swing, it was impossible for the Pakistan Cricket Board to be part of the event. Also, it was not entirely in the hands of the SLC to have Pakistan in the series. But after the debacle in the Champions Trophy final, Indian fans have been looking for an encore of some sorts but they will have to wait even longer. Also with all the three teams considerably weakened due to the absence of some key players, the involvement of the mercurial Pakistan team would have resulted in the Trophy becoming a heady cocktail.
Key players missing
As mentioned above, all the three contenders are missing a number of big names. India have chosen to rest the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya et al; while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will miss the services of their biggest assets in Angelo Mathews and Shakib al Hasan respectively who are nursing injuries. On one hand this will mean that new and untested players can use the series to prove their worth but on the other hand it doesn’t augur well for the entertainment quotient of the tournament as big players usually make the game more exhilarating with their flamboyance.
More India vs Sri Lanka
Fans all over the world breathed a sigh of relief when the last of over 18 internationals - played within a space of six months - between India and Sri Lanka got over in December last year. The overdose of matches between the two sides was so frustrating that even Virat Kohli admitted that they have been playing a bit too much against Sri Lanka. The Nidahas Trophy is going to revive the same trend and cricket lovers can be excused for going out for a stroll while the two Asian giants clash against each other.
Bad scheduling
While the three nations battle it out in Colombo over the course of two weeks, Australia will be fighting the Proteas in a series of four Tests. Simultaneously in Zimbabwe, the Cricket World Cup qualifiers will be on with the likes of Chris Gayle and Rashid Khan on full throttle trying to get their teams on the flight to England next summer. It’s anyone’s guess whether the Nidahas trophy would be able to match the ferocity and thrill of these other fixtures around the world.
Poor form of Bangladesh
Bangladesh as a team recently has been woefully out of form. They have only managed to win three internationals out of the last sixteen they have played, with the majority of them being played in their own backyard. Also the loss of their talismanic all-rounder at the last minute will deplete their arsenal further. Therefore they might not be able to mount a serious challenge to their neighbors making the matches highly uninteresting.
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