Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets to lift its first-ever T20 World Cup. While the performances were consistent, the Aussie team also had luck going it’s way. In all the crucial games, they won the toss and opted to field first. Not just Australia, most of the other teams that won the toss also experienced similar success. Aussie legend Ian Chappell had a few words to say about the toss factor. In this article, we take a look at Ian Chappell’s comments on the recently concluded T20 WC campaign.
Australia won its first T20 World Cup
Before the tournament started, very few expected Australia to do well. However, in the crucial games, the batters stepped up and hence, they were able to defeat teams like Pakistan and New Zealand. The bowling, too, was handled well with the likes of Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood stepping up.
Ian Chappell comments on the recently concluded T20 WC campaign
Most of the games at the T20 WC was decided by the toss. Teams winning the toss chose to field first and in most cases, the chasing team won the game. This happened in all three knockout games as well.
In his column for Espn Cricinfo, Ian Chappell talked about the toss factor. He said, “They [Australia] clinched the trophy by clouting deliveries to and over the boundary while producing a mixture of bowling that combined just enough wicket-taking with the right amount of containment. They also had the good fortune to win the toss when it really mattered, in a tournament where the major matches too often became a “win the coin flip, win the game” event. That was one of the major flaws in a tournament that achieved quite a lot of success.”
He further added that the lawmakers must try to change the game such that the teams winning the toss do not end up having too much of an advantage. Ian Chappell concluded by saying that although T20’s cannot survive without entertainment, a balance has to be brought so that there is an equal contest between the bat and the ball.
