T20 World Cup 2021: 5 similarities between ICC T20 WC 2007 and 2021

The ICC T20 World Cup started in 2007, with South Africa playing host to the mega event. 12 teams participated in the tournament, which was eventually won by Team India.

14 years down the line, the seventh edition of the ICC T20 World Cup is currently underway in the Middle East, where 16 teams are battling it out. Only 23 matches have been completed so far in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, but there have already been quite a few similarities between the ongoing edition and the inaugural edition of the tournament.

In this listicle, we will take a look at the five similarities between ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and 2021.

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#1 India, Pakistan and Scotland are in the same group

Scotland will battle against India on November 5

Scotland have made it to the second round of an ICC T20 World Cup tournament for the first time in their cricket history. The Scots surprised fans by beating Bangladesh, Oman and Papua New Guinea in Round 1 to top their group's standings.

With those three wins, Scotland earned a place in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage, where India and Pakistan were already present. After Scotland's arrival, all three teams in Group D of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 are now present in Group 2 this year.

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#2 West Indies lost their first 2 matches

West Indies lost to South Africa in the group stage this year just like 2007

West Indies, South Africa and Bangladesh are in the same group just like the T20 World Cup 2007. Interestingly, West Indies lost their first two matches in that tournament and in the ongoing competition as well.

The Caribbeans have been the most successful team in ICC T20 World Cup history. Hence, seeing them lose back-to-back games has surprised quite a few fans.

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#3 Interesting coincidence in 2007 and 2021 India vs Pakistan matches

Virat Kohli scored a fifty against Pakistan

The India vs Pakistan group stage matches of 2007 and 2021 had multiple similarities. Mohammad Asif dismissed Gautam Gambhir for a duck and Virender Sehwag in single digits back in 2007. In 2021, Shaheen Afridi dismissed Rohit Sharma for a duck and KL Rahul in single digits.

Number 3 batter Robin Uthappa scored a fifty for India and guided them to a decent score. In a similar manner, Virat Kohli recorded a half-century for the Men in Blue this year. Notably, MS Dhoni, India's wicket-keeper in that game, scored 30+ while Rishabh Pant too managed 30+ in the recent match.

Lastly, a Pakistani fast bowler won the Man of the Match award in both matches. While it was Mohammad Asif in 2007, it has been Shaheen Afridi in 2021.

The complete list of all T20 World Cup 2021 teams is available here.

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#4 2 South Africa-born cricketers present in England squad

England's cricket squad in recent years has featured multiple players born outside the UK. There were four non-English players in the England squad for the T20 World Cup 2007, and two of them, namely Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, were born in South Africa.

This year, England's squad comprises four players born outside England as well, with Jason Roy and Tom Curran being two cricketers born in South Africa.

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#5 8 common players in both tournaments

Rohit Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul are the only eight names to have played in the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and 2021.

All eight players have immense experience under their belt. A few of them might be playing in their last T20 World Cup this year. Nevertheless, fans have thoroughly enjoyed their game in the UAE.