*1. WEST INDIES:
Surely my favorite for this year’s T20 World Cup, If I was to bet on any team it would be West Indies, because they have the best T20 players in the world and they are back to winning form after defeating New Zealand in their home series. With the return of Gayle and Samuels, their batting has become strong and they have a mystery spinner in the form of Sunil Narine.
Gayle has been in devastating off late in T20′s and was the highest scorer in IPL 2012, and Sunil Narine was the best bowler in the 2012 edition of the IPL. They should fancy themselves to win a major tournament after many years.
Strengths:
1. Best T20 batsmen like Gayle, Pollard, DJ Bravo
2. World class fast bowlers in the form of Roach and Rampaul
3. All-rounders like DJ Bravo, Sammy and Samuels
4. Mystery bowler in the form of Sunil Narine who can be very handy on slow Lankan Pitches.
Weakness:
1. Lack of experience of winning major tournaments and playing in finals of major tournaments.
2. Rusty fielding.
Players to watch out for: Gayle, Narine
*2. SOUTH AFRICA:
South Africa are also a favorite for the tournament. They have the team to win any tournament but they choke at the bigger stage. They have not won any major tournament, with the kind of quality of players they have, they have the potential to win a tournament. With their new coach Gary Kirsten under whom India won the ODI World Cup, the Proteas are looking for a change to win a major tournament. They have good all-rounders like Kallis, Albie Morkel and innovative captain in AB de Villiers. They also have best fast bowling attack in Steyn and Morkel.
Strengths:
1. Experience of Kallis and AB de Villiers.
2. Good bowling attack in form of Steyn, Morkel, Botha.
Weakness:
1. Unable to perform on bigger stage and major tournaments.
Players to watch out for: AB de Villiers, R.Levi
*3. INDIA:
India is always one of the favorites while walking into a major tournament, that too on the sub- continent. They have the best batting line up in form of Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina. As the tournament is in the sub-continent they would fancy their chances. But the Indian team lacks a good all-rounder and their bowling at the death has always been a problem. Hope Irfan and Yuvraj will deliver the goods as all-rounders. All the Indian players have gained good experience through IPL, so they should handle the pressure easily.
Strengths:
1. Strong batting lineup.
2. Good spinners in the form of R. Ashwin and Harbajan.
3. Good finishers in the form of Dhoni and Raina.
Weakness:
1. Lack of good death-bowlers.
2. Lack of a good all-rounder.
Players to watch out for: Yuvraj, Ashwin
*4. PAKISTAN:
Pakistan can be regarded as the most consistent team in the T20 World Cups so far by wining the cup in 2009, finishing as runner ups in the first edition in 2007 and reaching the semis in the 2010 edition.They have good all-rounders in the form of Hafeez and Afridi. They have a good spin attack in the form of Ajmal and all-rounders Afridi and Hafeez who can be very handy on slow Sri Lankan pitches. But their batting lacks the experience and power. Lot will be be dependent on captain Hafeez and Umar Akmal.
Strengths:
1. Good spin attack
2. Consistent T20 World Cup performances
Weakness:
1. Lack of good batting order
2. Lack of experienced players like Younis Khan and Misbah
Players to watch out for: Ajmal, Hafeez
*5. AUSTRALIA:
Australia have been dominant in all forms of the game, but the 4-time ODI champions were not so dominant in T20′s. They were close to the cup in the last edition in 2010 but lost to England in the final. This time they would like to win it, but the slow conditions do not favor them. They lack a good spinner in their team. Their batting line up is very good with Watson, Warner and the Hussey brothers. Doherty is their main spinner and their winning chances depend on how he performs in the spin friendly Lankan conditions. This would be a tough outing for their new captain George Bailey.
Strengths:
1. Best attacking openers in the form of Warner and Watson
2. Dependable Hussey brothers in the middle orde
r
Weakness:
1. They lack a good spinner
2. Heavy dependence on Mike Hussey in the middle order.
Players to watch out for: Warner, Watson and Hogg
*6. ENGLAND:
Defending champions and present No.1 team in Tests and ODI would fancy their chances to retain the title they won two years ago in West Indies. Announcement of Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from the ODI’s means he would not be selected even for the T20′s, which is a huge blow for the English team. Their strength is their bowling attack with the likes of captain Stuart Broad, Anderson and Swann. Their batting lineup has good youngsters in Bairstow, Butler and Keiswetter. Surely their young batting lineup will be tested on the slow pitches of SriLanka.
Strengths:
1. Strong bowling attack
2. Good attacking batsmen in the form of Morgan and Butler
Weakness:
1. Lack of experience in the batting order
2. Inexperienced captain
3. Inability to play spin
Players to watch out for: Morgan, Keiswetter
*7. SRI LANKA:
Sri Lanka is playing in their home conditions so they know the conditions very well, but their advantage is cut down by their weak bowling lineup. They lost their home series against India rather cheaply. They depend heavily on Malinga, who is not as lethal as he used to be, but he is still a threat and is hard to score off in the slog overs. Herath is good but fails to take wickets. Their batting lineup is good with the experienced Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardena. They also posses good all-rounders in the form of Mathews and Perera.
Strengths:
1. Good death bowler in the form of Malinga
2. Experienced batting lineup
3. Home support
Weakness:
1. Lack of consistency in the batting lineup
2. Other than Malinga no other lethal bowler
3. Sri Lanka are still not able to find a good spinner after Muralidharan.
Players to watch out for: Thisara Perera , Malinga
*8. NEW ZEALAND:
New Zealand are coming into this tournament with no expectations. They lost their recent series against West Indies. Their bowling attack has talented youngsters like Bracewell and Southee, but lack the experience. Vettori is their only hope in the bowling. Their batting lineup is also not so great and they always struggle against good spin bowling. They have tough sub-continent opponents in their group in the form of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It would be very hard for them to even reach the Super Eights.
Strengths:
1. Experience of Vettori in the bowling department
Weakness:
1. Lack of good, consistent batting lineup
2. Woes of the batsmen against spin
3. Lack of experienced death bowlers
Players to watch out for: Guptill, Bracewell
*9. BANGLADESH:
The minnows have always sprung a surprise in T20′s. Bangladesh have developed a lot and cannot be underestimated, especially in this format and that too in the sub-continent. Bangladesh always had an army of left arm spinners and on Sri Lankan piches, they would be handy. They have three left arm spinners in their squad in the form of Shakib, Razzak and Elias Sunny. Their batting will depend heavily on Tamim and captain Mushfiqur Rahim. They are gifted with a world class all-rounder in the form of Shakib-Al-Hasan.
Strengths:
1. Good spin attack
2. Good all-rounders in Shakib and Mahmadullah
Weakness:
1. Lack of variety in bowling
2. Inconsistency in Batting
Players to watch out for: Shakib-Al-Hasan, Tamim Iqbal
*10. IRELAND:
Ireland cricket team is developing very well, they have a history of shocking big games in major tournaments, and they would love to repeat it even this time. They have able resources in both the bowling and batting department. Their batting order is good but they will face a test of facing spin on slow tracks in Sri Lanka.
Strengths:
1. Good and balanced batting lineup
Weakness:
1. Lack of good bowling attack
2. Inability to tackle spin
Players to watch out for: Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling
*11. ZIMBABWE:
Zimbabwe shocked everyone by defeating Australia in their first match in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. But after that they have not performed so well in World Cups. But recently, they have developed a good team and are playing some good cricket. They have good T20 batsmen like Hamilton Masakadza, Malcom Waller and Brendan Taylor. They even have good spinners in the form of Utseya, Price and Cremer.
Strengths:
1. Good T20 batsmen in Masakadza and Taylor
2. Good spin attack.
Weakness:
1. Weak middle order and lower middle order in batting.
Players to watch out for: Waller, Brendan Taylor, Masakadza
*12. AFGANISTHAN:
Cricket in Afganisthan is developing rapidly. But they have not yet reached the quality required at international level. They are in a group with India and England and although I don’t see the Afghans defeating them, there will be a display of fighting spirit by the inspired Afghanistan team.
Players to watch out for: Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari
Surely my favorite for this year’s T20 World Cup, If I was to bet on any team it would be West Indies, because they have the best T20 players in the world and they are back to winning form after defeating New Zealand in their home series. With the return of Gayle and Samuels, their batting has become strong and they have a mystery spinner in the form of Sunil Narine.
Gayle has been in devastating off late in T20′s and was the highest scorer in IPL 2012, and Sunil Narine was the best bowler in the 2012 edition of the IPL. They should fancy themselves to win a major tournament after many years.
Strengths:
1. Best T20 batsmen like Gayle, Pollard, DJ Bravo
2. World class fast bowlers in the form of Roach and Rampaul
3. All-rounders like DJ Bravo, Sammy and Samuels
4. Mystery bowler in the form of Sunil Narine who can be very handy on slow Lankan Pitches.
Weakness:
1. Lack of experience of winning major tournaments and playing in finals of major tournaments.
2. Rusty fielding.
Players to watch out for: Gayle, Narine
*2. SOUTH AFRICA:
South Africa are also a favorite for the tournament. They have the team to win any tournament but they choke at the bigger stage. They have not won any major tournament, with the kind of quality of players they have, they have the potential to win a tournament. With their new coach Gary Kirsten under whom India won the ODI World Cup, the Proteas are looking for a change to win a major tournament. They have good all-rounders like Kallis, Albie Morkel and innovative captain in AB de Villiers. They also have best fast bowling attack in Steyn and Morkel.
Strengths:
1. Experience of Kallis and AB de Villiers.
2. Good bowling attack in form of Steyn, Morkel, Botha.
Weakness:
1. Unable to perform on bigger stage and major tournaments.
Players to watch out for: AB de Villiers, R.Levi
*3. INDIA:
India is always one of the favorites while walking into a major tournament, that too on the sub- continent. They have the best batting line up in form of Sehwag, Gambhir, Kohli, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Raina. As the tournament is in the sub-continent they would fancy their chances. But the Indian team lacks a good all-rounder and their bowling at the death has always been a problem. Hope Irfan and Yuvraj will deliver the goods as all-rounders. All the Indian players have gained good experience through IPL, so they should handle the pressure easily.
Strengths:
1. Strong batting lineup.
2. Good spinners in the form of R. Ashwin and Harbajan.
3. Good finishers in the form of Dhoni and Raina.
Weakness:
1. Lack of good death-bowlers.
2. Lack of a good all-rounder.
Players to watch out for: Yuvraj, Ashwin
*4. PAKISTAN:
Pakistan can be regarded as the most consistent team in the T20 World Cups so far by wining the cup in 2009, finishing as runner ups in the first edition in 2007 and reaching the semis in the 2010 edition.They have good all-rounders in the form of Hafeez and Afridi. They have a good spin attack in the form of Ajmal and all-rounders Afridi and Hafeez who can be very handy on slow Sri Lankan pitches. But their batting lacks the experience and power. Lot will be be dependent on captain Hafeez and Umar Akmal.
Strengths:
1. Good spin attack
2. Consistent T20 World Cup performances
Weakness:
1. Lack of good batting order
2. Lack of experienced players like Younis Khan and Misbah
Players to watch out for: Ajmal, Hafeez
*5. AUSTRALIA:
Australia have been dominant in all forms of the game, but the 4-time ODI champions were not so dominant in T20′s. They were close to the cup in the last edition in 2010 but lost to England in the final. This time they would like to win it, but the slow conditions do not favor them. They lack a good spinner in their team. Their batting line up is very good with Watson, Warner and the Hussey brothers. Doherty is their main spinner and their winning chances depend on how he performs in the spin friendly Lankan conditions. This would be a tough outing for their new captain George Bailey.
Strengths:
1. Best attacking openers in the form of Warner and Watson
2. Dependable Hussey brothers in the middle orde
r
Weakness:
1. They lack a good spinner
2. Heavy dependence on Mike Hussey in the middle order.
Players to watch out for: Warner, Watson and Hogg
*6. ENGLAND:
Defending champions and present No.1 team in Tests and ODI would fancy their chances to retain the title they won two years ago in West Indies. Announcement of Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from the ODI’s means he would not be selected even for the T20′s, which is a huge blow for the English team. Their strength is their bowling attack with the likes of captain Stuart Broad, Anderson and Swann. Their batting lineup has good youngsters in Bairstow, Butler and Keiswetter. Surely their young batting lineup will be tested on the slow pitches of SriLanka.
Strengths:
1. Strong bowling attack
2. Good attacking batsmen in the form of Morgan and Butler
Weakness:
1. Lack of experience in the batting order
2. Inexperienced captain
3. Inability to play spin
Players to watch out for: Morgan, Keiswetter
*7. SRI LANKA:
Sri Lanka is playing in their home conditions so they know the conditions very well, but their advantage is cut down by their weak bowling lineup. They lost their home series against India rather cheaply. They depend heavily on Malinga, who is not as lethal as he used to be, but he is still a threat and is hard to score off in the slog overs. Herath is good but fails to take wickets. Their batting lineup is good with the experienced Sangakkara, Dilshan and Jayawardena. They also posses good all-rounders in the form of Mathews and Perera.
Strengths:
1. Good death bowler in the form of Malinga
2. Experienced batting lineup
3. Home support
Weakness:
1. Lack of consistency in the batting lineup
2. Other than Malinga no other lethal bowler
3. Sri Lanka are still not able to find a good spinner after Muralidharan.
Players to watch out for: Thisara Perera , Malinga
*8. NEW ZEALAND:
New Zealand are coming into this tournament with no expectations. They lost their recent series against West Indies. Their bowling attack has talented youngsters like Bracewell and Southee, but lack the experience. Vettori is their only hope in the bowling. Their batting lineup is also not so great and they always struggle against good spin bowling. They have tough sub-continent opponents in their group in the form of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It would be very hard for them to even reach the Super Eights.
Strengths:
1. Experience of Vettori in the bowling department
Weakness:
1. Lack of good, consistent batting lineup
2. Woes of the batsmen against spin
3. Lack of experienced death bowlers
Players to watch out for: Guptill, Bracewell
*9. BANGLADESH:
The minnows have always sprung a surprise in T20′s. Bangladesh have developed a lot and cannot be underestimated, especially in this format and that too in the sub-continent. Bangladesh always had an army of left arm spinners and on Sri Lankan piches, they would be handy. They have three left arm spinners in their squad in the form of Shakib, Razzak and Elias Sunny. Their batting will depend heavily on Tamim and captain Mushfiqur Rahim. They are gifted with a world class all-rounder in the form of Shakib-Al-Hasan.
Strengths:
1. Good spin attack
2. Good all-rounders in Shakib and Mahmadullah
Weakness:
1. Lack of variety in bowling
2. Inconsistency in Batting
Players to watch out for: Shakib-Al-Hasan, Tamim Iqbal
*10. IRELAND:
Ireland cricket team is developing very well, they have a history of shocking big games in major tournaments, and they would love to repeat it even this time. They have able resources in both the bowling and batting department. Their batting order is good but they will face a test of facing spin on slow tracks in Sri Lanka.
Strengths:
1. Good and balanced batting lineup
Weakness:
1. Lack of good bowling attack
2. Inability to tackle spin
Players to watch out for: Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling
*11. ZIMBABWE:
Zimbabwe shocked everyone by defeating Australia in their first match in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. But after that they have not performed so well in World Cups. But recently, they have developed a good team and are playing some good cricket. They have good T20 batsmen like Hamilton Masakadza, Malcom Waller and Brendan Taylor. They even have good spinners in the form of Utseya, Price and Cremer.
Strengths:
1. Good T20 batsmen in Masakadza and Taylor
2. Good spin attack.
Weakness:
1. Weak middle order and lower middle order in batting.
Players to watch out for: Waller, Brendan Taylor, Masakadza
*12. AFGANISTHAN:
Cricket in Afganisthan is developing rapidly. But they have not yet reached the quality required at international level. They are in a group with India and England and although I don’t see the Afghans defeating them, there will be a display of fighting spirit by the inspired Afghanistan team.
Players to watch out for: Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari
0 comments:
Post a Comment