Most cricket followers don't like the idea of a ten team World Cup. Those that do will probably be convinced it's a bad idea come late June next year.
I've asked the question of what format the World Cup should be, in which I stated my own preference for a 20 team tournament. I've also attacked ODI status as being a relic from the past, which the World Cup Qualifiers have surely confirmed. After all, everyone beat everyone during the tournament. There was no big gap in skill between the top and the bottom, which is supposedly the main justification for the shrinking of the World Cup.
A little while back I simulated a tournament to demonstrate that the nations of the West Indies would be able to survive on their own as cricketing nations, and the simulation backed that theory up. I have continued promoting this idea ever since (to the dismay of PhatBoy).
So, building on these things, I present to you: the Alternative World Cup! A 24 team tournament with four groups of six, followed by knock-out finals. I am yet to decide whether to go with the top two in each group play quarter finals immediately, or whether to do the proposed 2nd vs 3rd matches before them. If anyone has a preferences then feel free to mention it
The groups were divided according to their seeds. For the Caribbean nations, I seeded them according to their relative quality, while all the other nations were based on their ODI rankings or their World Cricket League places.
Each team has a thirteen man squad, based on their most recent teams, though a couple of liberties have been taken where necessary. The pitches throughout will be randomly chosen by me, and I will pick teams accordingly, trying to replicate a real-life tournament with horses for courses selection (for conditions and form).
Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad, Usman Ghani, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib,
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Andrew Tye
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamal Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mushifiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
Barbados: Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Kyle Hope, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Miguel Cummins, Suliemann Benn, Kyle Mayers
Canada: Srimantha Wijeratne, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nitish Kumar, Dhanuka Pathirana, Rizwan Cheema, Hamza Tariq, Naveet Dhaliwal, Junaid Siddiqui, Nikhil Dutta, Satsimranjit Dhindsa, Cecil Pervez, Jimmy Hansra, Saad Bin Zafar
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Alex Hales, Tom Curran
Guyana: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmeyer, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Chris Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Ronsford Beaton, Sherfane Rutherford
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan, Anshy Rath, Babar Hayat, Jamie Atkinson, Mark Chapman, Tanwir Afzal, Christopher Carter, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Ehsan Nawaz, Scott McKechnie
Ireland: William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Andrew Balbirnie, Niall O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, Andy McBrine, George Dockrell, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh, Craig Young, Gary Wilson
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaspit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav
Jamaica: Chris Gayle, Chadwick Walton, Jermaine Blackwood, Marlon Samuels, Andre McCarthy, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Nkrumah Bonner, Sheldon Cottrell, Jerome Taylor, Nikita Miller, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith
Namibia: Stephan Baard, Lohan Lowrens, Jean Bredenkamp, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus, JP Kotze, Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Sarel Burger, Christi Viljoen, Bernard Scholtz, Zane Green, Louis van der Westhuizen
Netherlands: Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Tom Cooper, Ben Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Roelof van der Merwe, Wesley Barresi, Peter Borren, Timm van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma, Pieter Seelaar, Logan van Beek
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Lathan, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Todd Astle
Nepal: Gyanendra Malla, Anil Sah, Paras Khadka, Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Sharad Vesawkar, Rohit Kumar, Sompal Kami, Basant Regmi, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shakti Gauchan, Dilip Nath
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz
Papua New Guinea: Tony Ura, Vani Morea, Lega Siaka, Assad Vala, Sese Bau, Mahuru Dai, Charles Amini, Kiplin Doriga, John Reva, Norman Vanua, Chad Soper, Alei Nao, Jack Vare
Scotland: Kyle Coetzer, Matthew Cross, Michael Jones, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen, Richie Berrington, Tom Sole, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Chris Sole, Michael Leask
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller, JP Duminy, Farhaan Berhardien, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo
Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dushmantha Chameera
Trinidad and Tobago: Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Imran Khan, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Shannon Gabriel, Kevon Cooper, Khary Pierre
United Arab Emirates: Rohan Mustafa, Adnan Mufti, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Muhummad Usman, Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Naveed, Imran Haider, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat, Chirag Suri
Windward and Leeward Islands: Johnson Charles, Sunil Ambris, Devon Smith, Rakheem Cornwall, Devon Thomas, Andre Fletcher, Darren Sammy, Delorn Johnson, Shane Shillingford, Alzarri Joseph, Kesrick Williams, Michael Matthew
Zimbabwe: Cephas Zhuwao, Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer, Tendai Chisoro, Kyle Jarvis, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Malcolm Waller
This tournament will begin soon after the WCQ final has been played. This will be simulated with Virtual Cricket 4, using List A statistics.
I've asked the question of what format the World Cup should be, in which I stated my own preference for a 20 team tournament. I've also attacked ODI status as being a relic from the past, which the World Cup Qualifiers have surely confirmed. After all, everyone beat everyone during the tournament. There was no big gap in skill between the top and the bottom, which is supposedly the main justification for the shrinking of the World Cup.
A little while back I simulated a tournament to demonstrate that the nations of the West Indies would be able to survive on their own as cricketing nations, and the simulation backed that theory up. I have continued promoting this idea ever since (to the dismay of PhatBoy).
So, building on these things, I present to you: the Alternative World Cup! A 24 team tournament with four groups of six, followed by knock-out finals. I am yet to decide whether to go with the top two in each group play quarter finals immediately, or whether to do the proposed 2nd vs 3rd matches before them. If anyone has a preferences then feel free to mention it
The groups were divided according to their seeds. For the Caribbean nations, I seeded them according to their relative quality, while all the other nations were based on their ODI rankings or their World Cricket League places.
Code:
Group A Group B Group C Group D
England India New Zealand South Africa
Bangladesh Pakistan Australia Sri Lanka
Afghanistan Ireland Barbados Zimbabwe
Netherlands Trinidad & Tobago Jamaica Scotland
Nepal Papua New Guinea Hong Kong United Arab Emirates
Guyana Namibia Canada Windward and Leeward IslandsEach team has a thirteen man squad, based on their most recent teams, though a couple of liberties have been taken where necessary. The pitches throughout will be randomly chosen by me, and I will pick teams accordingly, trying to replicate a real-life tournament with horses for courses selection (for conditions and form).
Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad, Usman Ghani, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Gulbadin Naib,
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Andrew Tye
Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Anamal Haque, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Mushifiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasir Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed
Barbados: Kraigg Brathwaite, Shai Hope, Kyle Hope, Roston Chase, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Miguel Cummins, Suliemann Benn, Kyle Mayers
Canada: Srimantha Wijeratne, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nitish Kumar, Dhanuka Pathirana, Rizwan Cheema, Hamza Tariq, Naveet Dhaliwal, Junaid Siddiqui, Nikhil Dutta, Satsimranjit Dhindsa, Cecil Pervez, Jimmy Hansra, Saad Bin Zafar
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Liam Plunkett, Alex Hales, Tom Curran
Guyana: Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmeyer, Assad Fudadin, Leon Johnson, Chris Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Ronsford Beaton, Sherfane Rutherford
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan, Anshy Rath, Babar Hayat, Jamie Atkinson, Mark Chapman, Tanwir Afzal, Christopher Carter, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Ehsan Nawaz, Scott McKechnie
Ireland: William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Andrew Balbirnie, Niall O'Brien, Kevin O'Brien, Andy McBrine, George Dockrell, Barry McCarthy, Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh, Craig Young, Gary Wilson
India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jaspit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav
Jamaica: Chris Gayle, Chadwick Walton, Jermaine Blackwood, Marlon Samuels, Andre McCarthy, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Nkrumah Bonner, Sheldon Cottrell, Jerome Taylor, Nikita Miller, Fabian Allen, Odean Smith
Namibia: Stephan Baard, Lohan Lowrens, Jean Bredenkamp, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus, JP Kotze, Jan Frylinck, JJ Smit, Sarel Burger, Christi Viljoen, Bernard Scholtz, Zane Green, Louis van der Westhuizen
Netherlands: Stephan Myburgh, Michael Rippon, Tom Cooper, Ben Cooper, Ryan ten Doeschate, Roelof van der Merwe, Wesley Barresi, Peter Borren, Timm van der Gugten, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma, Pieter Seelaar, Logan van Beek
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Lathan, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Todd Astle
Nepal: Gyanendra Malla, Anil Sah, Paras Khadka, Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Sharad Vesawkar, Rohit Kumar, Sompal Kami, Basant Regmi, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shakti Gauchan, Dilip Nath
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Nawaz
Papua New Guinea: Tony Ura, Vani Morea, Lega Siaka, Assad Vala, Sese Bau, Mahuru Dai, Charles Amini, Kiplin Doriga, John Reva, Norman Vanua, Chad Soper, Alei Nao, Jack Vare
Scotland: Kyle Coetzer, Matthew Cross, Michael Jones, Calum MacLeod, Preston Mommsen, Richie Berrington, Tom Sole, Josh Davey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal, Chris Sole, Michael Leask
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller, JP Duminy, Farhaan Berhardien, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Imran Tahir, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo
Sri Lanka: Danushka Gunathilaka, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dushmantha Chameera
Trinidad and Tobago: Evin Lewis, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Jason Mohammed, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Imran Khan, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Shannon Gabriel, Kevon Cooper, Khary Pierre
United Arab Emirates: Rohan Mustafa, Adnan Mufti, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Muhummad Usman, Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Naveed, Imran Haider, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat, Chirag Suri
Windward and Leeward Islands: Johnson Charles, Sunil Ambris, Devon Smith, Rakheem Cornwall, Devon Thomas, Andre Fletcher, Darren Sammy, Delorn Johnson, Shane Shillingford, Alzarri Joseph, Kesrick Williams, Michael Matthew
Zimbabwe: Cephas Zhuwao, Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Graeme Cremer, Tendai Chisoro, Kyle Jarvis, Blessing Muzarabani, Tendai Chatara, Malcolm Waller
This tournament will begin soon after the WCQ final has been played. This will be simulated with Virtual Cricket 4, using List A statistics.
Last edited:
and I actaully rate T Sole over de Lange tbh.
