ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2019-20 Standout player, biggest takeaway, best quote – Aamir Kaleem, Singapore, and JP Kotze

Standout player – Aamir Kaleem
The Oman left-arm spinner has been almost unplayable sometimes, on slow, sluggish tracks in Abu Dhabi. Kaleem has taken seven wickets in four matches – two away from top wicket-taker Jan Frylink – but nobody among the top ten wicket-takers better his economy rate of 4.83. He took 4/14 against Nigeria, who simply couldn’t pick him, and has shown his qualities with the bat in hand as well, notably scoring a 19-ball 27.

Standout moment – Singapore triumphing over Scotland
There have been quite a few surprise results in the tournament so far. Jersey’s defeat of UAE ranks high, as does Namibia’s win over Scotland. But perhaps the real standout was the tournament opener between Scotland and Singapore. Scotland came into the tournament as the highest-ranked side at No.12. Singapore are much further away at 21. However, in a last-ball thriller, Singapore secured a 2-run victory, and the scenes thereafter were wild. It set the tone for a tournament that has seen quite a few of these upsets.  

Room to improve – Streaming of non-broadcast matches
There are 28 matches in the tournament that are broadcast. However, at the moment, it seems as though the non-broadcast matches are largely ignored. There has been very little video content coming through from these matches, and apart from scorecard and pictures, there isn’t much to suggest the ICC are doing much to promote these matches. At the very least, the ICC could have had these matches live-streamed, perhaps on Facebook, going by their recent deal with the silicon valley giant. Far too many good matches have gone by without due coverage.

Biggest takeaway – Associate cricket is competitive
The one big standout from the tournament so far is how every team is capable of beating every other team on the day. Canada and Netherlands were unbeaten for three matches – more than any other side – but even they suffered defeats in their fourth outings. Which means at the moment, there isn’t a single undefeated side in the tournament – that’s not something you can say is routine at Full Member level. There have been a few close-run thrillers too, and it all goes to show just how much the standards of Associate cricket, at least in T20Is, has improved in a very short time.

Standout quote – JP Kotze, Namibia
“I averaged 15 before I got married. After I got married, I average around 50! My wife has played a big role.”