England need to get past FIVE teams if they want to win a Twenty20 World Cup trophy in November
England’s bid for the Twenty20 World Cup begins in Australia on Saturday when they take on Afghanistan.
And while Jos Buttler’s team is littered with a dazzling array of bat-and-ball talent, there are several teams who will attempt to bar their way to a second white ball tournament win in three years.
here sports mail takes a look at the five sides who will pose the toughest test if England are set to lift the trophy next month
Jos Buttler is hoping to lead England to a second Twenty20 World Cup triumph in Australia
AUSTRALIA
World Ranking: 6
Previous titles: 1 (2021)
how they develop: Australia weren’t the best team at last year’s World Cup but lifted the trophy by winning the crucial games. There remains a feeling that they stand behind the best teams in the world, but among their own fans it is expected that they will be the first in the competition’s 15-year history to defend their title.
Playing at home should help, but the three-game warm-up series against England revealed flaws. The poor form of two big-name players, captain Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell is worrying, there is debate as to whether Steve Smith still deserves a spot and they have a tracking problem.
Aaron Finch’s poor form has many questioning whether he deserves a role in the squad
What they have is Josh Hazlewood, the world’s top 20-over bowler, two Test side-kicks with strong white ball skills in Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, and a wicket take-leg spinner in Adam Zampa. But the lack of a fifth front-line bowler is a cause for concern, and whether their trumps can cover the cracks for the second time in 12 months is in question.
Dangerous Man: TimDavid. Made its international debut last month. The game’s forward among the top six.
Fun fact: David Warner is one of the most famous T20 players who has played in 332 games but only three of them have played in Australia’s Big Bash League.
Australia’s cross-format opener David Warner is a veteran of 332 Twenty20 players
NEW ZEALAND
World Ranking: 5
Previous titles: 0
How they develop: Last November’s defeated finalists had nine straight wins earlier this year but expect tougher tests than their opponents in this sequence, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and the West Indies.
Jimmy Neesham scored 27/11 against England
The Black Caps’ success in all formats is built on continuity and there have been minimal changes in the squad since Abu Dhabi’s semi-final win over England 11 months ago.
The decision to hand Devon Conway the wicketkeeper gloves expands the options of a favored XI which has forged him a new opening partnership with Finn Allen and veteran Martin Guptill, who has been relegated to cover.
Bowling attack injury problems will worry coach Gary Stead and captain Kane Williamson as the pace of Lockie Ferguson or Adam Milne is needed to complement the skills of veterans Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
They’re in the group of England and Australia but they won’t worry about that in conditions that suit their style.
Dangerous Man: Jimmy Neesham. A game changer, as he showed against England last year with 27 balls from just 11.
Fun fact: Boult, who recently turned down a Kiwis national contract, has been posting on social media about Louie, his golden retriever, rather than cricket.
Devon Conway has entered into an opening partnership with Finn Allen and has taken the gloves
INDIA
World Ranking: 1
Previous titles: 1 (2007)
How they develop: Pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s loss to a back injury is significant, especially as Ravindra Jadeja (knee), the other metronome, left arm spinner, is already out.
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will be a blow to the 2007 champions
Rivals take more wickets than Bumrah, but with a T20 economy rate of 6.62, he’s plugging leaks at the end of each inning. Mohammed Shami doesn’t have the X-factor of Bumrah’s pinpoint yorkers, so Bhuvneshwar Kumar will add extra pressure to get it right on death.
The rest of the attack is likely to be joined by Arshdeep Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin and the underrated Yuzvendra Chahal. Otherwise, India will need to find the right combinations when batting, which will be helped by World Form T20 player Suryakumar Yadav. Virat Kohli is also in good form.
Such richness in the first six positions means KL Rahul is destined for the fluorescent bib. All-rounder Hardik Pandya’s fitness is crucial to her balance.
Dangerous Man: Rohit Sharma. A consecutive winner at Mumbai Indians, big game player and the only man to score four times in T20 internationals.
Fun fact: Yadav, a man nicknamed SKY from his initials, hit the first ball he faced in his international career by England’s Jofra Archer for six.
Talisman ex-skipper Virat Kohli has also started to find his best form with the racquet
PAKISTAN
World Ranking: 3
Previous titles: 1 (2009)
How they develop: The 4-3 home defeat by England highlighted Pakistan’s weaknesses but also showed how dangerous they could be in a knockout scenario if they fix their problems.
For a country so abounding in spirited talent, it seemed strange that following the split of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, it would have had a striking unit with a number of working machines. Sometimes it was two off, all off. Subsequent promotions of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz added momentum to the middle class as they won a tri-series in New Zealand.
The return of Shaheen Shah Afridi has boosted Pakistan’s already rapid pace of attack
Reason for optimism is a bowling attack boosted by the return of left-back Shaheen Shah Afridi from a knee injury. With Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and also Mohammad Wasim, Pakistan has the fastest group in a country where conditions encourage fast bowling.
Dangerous Man: Mohammed Rizwan. Ranked as the world’s No. 1 T20 batter, Pakistan’s three wins over England were a trio of half-century.
Fun fact: Pakistan recently became the first country to win 200 Twenty20 internationals.
Mohammed Rizwan is considered the best T20 batter in the world and will be the star for his team
SOUTH AFRICA
World Ranking: 4
Previous titles: 0
How they develop: When it comes to form, South Africa is a contender. They have won 20 of their last 27 completed games and brushed aside England last summer.
The return of Rilee Rossouw after a six-year Kolpak hiatus has contributed to a top order that includes Quinton de Kock. With fellow power hitters Tristan Stubbs and David Miller to follow, the Proteas are not upset when the course demands escalate. The only problem is captain Temba Bavuma, who has averaged five in his last six white-ball internationals.
Captain Temba Bavuma’s form is a problem for the Proteas, who are averaging just five of his last six
As for their bowling, Dwaine Pretorious’s injury has led to greater diversity in attack. Substitute Marco Jansen offers the slippery Wayne Parnell an alternate left-arm trajectory.
Dangerous Man: Lungi Ngidi. No other fast bowler can match his career batting average of 12.4 with the ball.
Fun fact: Marco Jansen played provincial junior rugby as a fly-half until age 16, when he was 5ft 10in tall. Five years later, he made his international debut as a 6ft 8in bowler.
Marco Jansen started his career as a rugby fly-half before growing almost a foot in five years
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-11341851/England-past-FIVE-sides-lift-Twenty20-World-Cup-trophy-November.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 England need to get past FIVE teams if they want to win a Twenty20 World Cup trophy in November
