The ninth edition of the ICC T20 World features twenty teams competing to secure the ultimate prize. Five teams appear likely to be in the running to lift the title on June 29th at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Australia
The 2021 champions will be entering the contest as one of the favorites, mainly because of their track record in big events. Australia is unstoppable at times, such as in the 50-over ICC World Cup in 2023, where they defeated the home team and favorites India in the final to lift the title. The team will be led by veteran all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, replacing former opening batter Aaron Finch. Once again, the team will rely heavily on their pace battery, which consists of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood, as well as the spin duo of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar. In the batting department, the Kangaroos will have the services of veteran opener David Warner, Travis Head, Tim David and Mathew Wade. Glenn Maxwell, Marsh, Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis will balance the side with their all-round abilities.
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India
The Men-in-Blue will be coming into the competition full of confidence because of their performance in the most recent ICC event, where they finished as the runner-up last year and suffered just one defeat in 11 matches. In the most recent ICC T20 World Cup in 2022, the Rohit Sharma-led side lost in the semifinal to eventual champions England by 10 wickets. India will be led by Sharma and the batting department will again be loaded with star batter Virat Kohli, explosive Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Sampson. The finisher role will be played by the likes of vice-captain and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and experienced Ravindra Jadeja. The bowling side is looking more than decent, with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Siraj and Pandya taking care of the pace department, whereas Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel have all the potential to utilize the spin-friendly conditions.
England
The Three Lions lifted the title in the 2022, but the buzz around England cricket has dipped after a dismal run in the ICC 50-over World Cup where the finished sixth. Nearly half of the 15-member squad will feature new players compared to the squad that participated in the 2022 edition. England will once again heavily rely on their batting to take them over the line. Captain Jos Buttler, known for his aggressive batting, will have the services of the in-form Phil Salt, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett and Jonny Bairstow in the batting department to score the bulk of the runs. Batting all-rounders like Moeen Ali, Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone can also add crucial runs in the back end of the innings. The fast-bowling department looks slightly better than it was in 2022, especially with the return of Jofra Archer, who along with Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Reece Topley and Sam Curran, can cause a lot of damage to any batting side. The contingent has three spinners: Adil Rashid, Ali, and Livingstone.
West Indies
The Caribbean giants will be eager to leave their mark on the competition on home soil, especially after missing a place in the 50-over ICC World Cup. The Windies can be a force to be reckoned with in the shorter format and home conditions, at least in the batting department. The team will be led by hard-hitting Rovman Powell, who will have the services of Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Jhonson Charles and Sherfane Rutherford to score quick runs for the home team. If they are not enough, all-rounders Andre Russell and Jason Holder can provide quality finishes. The bowling department looks slightly weaker, especially the fast-bowling department, where there will be an overreliance on Alzarri Joseph, Holder, Russell and Obed McCoy to provide timely breakthroughs. The spin department looks alright where the likes of Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and all-rounder Roston Chase can prove to be more than handy in home conditions.
Pakistan
The Men-in-Green were very impressive in 2022, where they finished runner-up after losing in the final to England. Since then, however, a lot has changed, and things have not been as rosy. There has been a shuffle in captaincy where Babar Azam was reinstated just months before the mega-event, replacing Shaheen Shah Afridi, who replaced him after a disappointing outing in the 50-over ICC World Cup. A new coaching staff was in place, and former South Africa's opening batter Gary Kirsten joined the team just weeks before the ICC T20 World Cup. As far as the team composition is concerned, it looks like a good outfit on paper. The batting department is top-heavy, where Babar, along with Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub, will have the role of scoring the bulk of the runs. The middle and late middle-order looks a little weaker, where the onus will be on the likes of Azam Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed to provide a good finish. The pace bowling department looks amazing where Shaheen, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf can destroy any batting lineup on a given day. On the other hand, the spin department also looks alright with the likes of Imad Wasim, Abrar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed.
