T20 World Cup 2024: Josh Hazlewood Questions Tournament Format, Says NRR Will Count For Nothing In Super 8

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood finds it a bit strange that their superior net run-rate after three comprehensive wins will count for nothing in the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup. Considering it is the biggest-ever T20 showpiece with the involvement of 20 teams, the ICC created four groups of five teams, out of which two from each pool make the Super 8 stage of the tournament.

Thereafter, two groups of four will be formed to determine the semifinalists of the competition. The format is different from the previous edition, when all the top teams began their competition in the Super 12 stage where two groups of six teams were created and top two from each pool made the semifinals. Australia qualified for the Super 8 stage on Tuesday with a nine wicket hammering of Namibia, taking their run rate to +3.580.

"Yeah, it's a little bit strange that it doesn't really, it doesn't go through the tournament. This is probably the first T20 World Cup I've played that's set up this way, or first World Cup in general that's set up this way, so it's a little bit different," said Hazlewood in the post match media interaction. "Yeah, the work that you do in the round games and if you go through undefeated and have a good net run rate, doesn't really account for much once you're in the Super Eights. So, yeah, it's a strange run, but that's how it is," added the premier pacer. He was one of the stars of Tuesday's win alongside spinner Adam Zampa who took four wickets to take his tournament tally to eight. Asked if Zampa is one of the more underrated Australian cricketers around, Hazlewood showered due praise on the leg-spinner.

"Yeah, we certainly do within the team, for sure. We know his importance. We've seen it time and time again in whether it be one day cricket or T20 cricket, often in big tournaments and in big games as well. "100 T20 wickets, first one there, played the most T20 for Australia as a bowler. So, he's ticking a lot of boxes and continues to. I think the big thing is he continues to improve all the time. He's always working on something and nailing down his lengths or whatever it is so yeah - he's a key part of our team," Hazlewood added.