ICC World T20 2016: 4 talking points from the Super 10 matches so far

With the start of Super 10s, we are well and truly into the meat of the tournament, and while only four matches of the Super 10 stage have been played, there have been plenty of talking points already.The biggest tournament of the year on the cricketing calendar has already seen its fair share of highs and some controversies already. The results in the first few matches have been quite notable.Be it Gayle's 100, or the poor quality of the Nagpur pitches, here are the main talking points from the first four games of the Super 10s:

#1 Results so far

Gayle scored an unbeaten 100 off 48 balls at a strike rate of 20s

While Indian fans were not pleased with India's poor performance against New Zealand, but from a neutral point of view, the tournament could not have had a better start. Everyone's pre-tournament favorites and hosts, India, losing the opening game, was just the perfect high note on which to start the tournament.

An Indian win would have been par for the course, and perhaps even mundane. A matter of fact win for the favorites would hardly have been a headline, but a huge upset in the very first game definitely catches the eye, and has already set the cat among the pigeons.

Pakistan beating Bangladesh was significant too, as Bangladesh had beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup, so it was sweet revenge for Pakistan. Pakistan cricket has been mired in controversy and disappointment in the past month or so, and this no doubt will help bring some positivity to their camp.

England would have been firm favorites going into the game against WI, but Chris Gayle turned on the show and England were blown away. England have radically improved in limited overs cricket since the World Cup in Australia and have competed well against the likes of New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa in T20I series in the past year.

WI on the other hand, seemed to have been a side struggling with off-field issues, such has Narine's bowling action and yet another pay dispute with the WICB. While no one ever doubted the cricketing talent, but there were doubts as to whether they were really focused on cricket enough.

All doubts were spectacularly put to rest by Chris Gayle's brilliant century. WI must not go overboard with celebrations, though. WI bowling was not great and the score of 182 that England got will more often than not be enough. Even with the bat it was just Gayle's heroics that took them over the line, can he do it every game?

However for now, what matters is that WI have definitely managed to put all the negativity behind them.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka was one game that went as most had predicted. Afghanistan competed brilliantly as everyone expected them to, but Sri Lanka had a little extra on the day and won on the back of Dilshan's fantastic effort with the bat. It was a very important confidence booster for the defending champions who had lacked any kind of form coming into the tournament.

As for Afghanistan, while no one will say they are too far behind the test teams with the bat and the ball, but fitness and fielding are two areas where the Afghanistan side needs a lot of work. Their players are too unfit, and there are just too many bulged bellies out there when fielding. This affects their overall fielding and there are really no fielders in the Afghanistan side who are truly up to modern day standards.

Once Afghanistan improve their fitness and fielding, they will give any side a run for their money. While a lot has been written about their Maverick keeper Mohammad Shahzad and talismanic skipper Asghar Stanikzai, the biggest positive was to watch their 17-year leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

Leg spin is a difficult art to master, as evidenced by the dearth of quality leg spinners today. The control and guile that Rashid showed at such a young age was a delight to watch.

It’s really great to see that Afghanistan are producing the next generation of players who are even more talented than the earlier generation and it is hard to put into words, just how positive a sign that is for Afghanistan.

#2 Poor reputation of Nagpur pitches

Not enough runs being scored on the Nagpur pitch

It must be said that the pitches used in Nagpur so far have been a huge disappointment. T20 cricket is not just about scoring runs, and its good when the ball comes into the equation. However the issue with Nagpur pitches, especially the one used for India vs New Zealand is not that enough runs are not being scored, but that it was truly a very substandard pitch not International standards.

While there is no denying that there is a loud outcry about the pitches in India from teams outside the sub-continent at the slightest hint of spin, and one cannot always be influenced by their over-reaction, but with Nagpur pitches those complaints seem very justified.

The pitch used for India vs New Zealand had been used earlier for one of the games hosted there during the 1st Round of the tournament. Why could a fresh pitch have not been used for such an important game, is a question that needs to be answered.

While the result of the game was in a way good for the tournament from a neutral's point of view, the overall quality of the match was of a very low standard, and the pitch was clearly to blame for that.

Nagpur had earlier hosted the third test in the recently finished Freedom Series between India and South Africa, and the pitch used in that test match had received an official warning from the ICC for being of a very poor quality.

Nagpur is fast developing a poor reputation for its pitches and it is something that the Vidarbha Cricket Association and BCCI need to address very soon.

#3 Low attendance at the grounds

The poor attendance at the grounds is so hard to explain

India is the home of cricket, which is why it is so strange to see so many empty seats in the stadiums during the matches. The match between India vs New Zealand was full as expected, but the crowds have largely stayed away from the other matches.

Just what is keeping the crowds away?

One explanation could be that the tickets for the tournament went on sale very late, and this has kept the supporters of other teams from travelling to India to support their team at the grounds.

However, even so during IPL in the same cities, the local crowds flock to the grounds to watch the many of the players who are playing this tournament. So why are they staying away from the grounds in the World T20, which without doubt is a much more prestigious tournament. This is what makes the poor attendance at the grounds so hard to explain.

While it’s true that the ICC World T20 matches are starting 30 mins before an IPL match would normally start, but a difference of 30 minutes in start time can hardly be an explanation for the lack of crowds so far.

Let’s hope that during the Friday evening and weekend games the attendance rises.

#4 T20\'s not just a young man\'s game

Tilakratne Dilshan stole the headlines against Afghanistan

Ever since it came into existence T20 cricket as always been labeled as a young man's game, but in the first few games of this tournament, this label has been called into question.

First, it was the grand old man of Pakistan Shahid Afridi who led from the front and scored a brisk 49 (19) at a Strike Rate of 257.89 to propel Pakistan's score beyond 200 and also beyond Bangladesh's reach.

This was a spectacular effort, but it paled in comparison to what followed later that evening in the match between England and WI, when Chris Gayle destroyed the English bowling attack, and scored an unbeaten 100 off 48 balls at a strike rate of 208, and took home the man of the match award.

Tilakratne Dilshan then stole the headlines against Afghanistan with an unbeaten 83. Had Dilshan gotten out for around a 50, it would have proved to be a very tricky chase. However, the experience Sri Lankan used all his experience to take Sri Lanka to victory and in the process won himself the man of the match award.

In three of the first four games of the Super 10, the man of the match winners are players in their late 30s. How can T20 be called a just a young man's game anymore?

There are plenty of other examples, such as Nehra made a comeback to the India side aged 36 and led the way with the ball as India won the Asia Cup. Pravin Tambe, approaching mid-40s now is still going strong every year in the IPL, while Michael Hussey now 40 led his side to victory in the Big Bash League.

The conventional belief that has existed around T20 cricket for so long that its only a young man's game, clearly is not true.