The Sports Buff ⚽️ ⚾️ 🏈

The cricket World Cup is barely a week old, and already it’s clear that the Associate Nations aren’t here to just make up the numbers. In tournaments gone by, there had been an air of predictability in terms of results.

Although the matches between England vs Nepal, Netherlands vs Pakistan and India vs USA have all ended the way they should have done on paper, they have been very hard-fought wins for the more established cricket nations, shall we say.

Some of that is due to the underestimating of the opposition. India and England are two-time T20 World Champions, so subliminally it can enter into one’s thinking.

Well, as for Pakistan, they did what they do best, which is be so unpredictable. It’s a real art of being unpredictable, which only very few teams in world sport can achieve. In 2009, under the captaincy of Younis Khan, however, they were able to be consistent enough.

USA, after being ground out in their opening day defeat, will be hoping to get on the board with a win against Pakistan on Tuesday. It won’t be easy because the last time these two teams faced off, it’s best not to remind the Pakistanis who won.