The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in Australia in October and November this year. It has been less than 12 months since Aaron Finch and the Australian team lifted their maiden T20 World Cup trophy in Dubai, but they will have to defend their crown on home soil. The ICC has already released the schedule, with the tournament starting on the 16th of October.
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The tournament, which was supposed to be held in 2020, was postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be a total of 16 teams battling it out for the T20 World Cup down under, with the top eight teams going straight into the Super 12 stage. While, Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will have to go through the qualifiers against other Associate nations to get to the Super 12 stage.
Here, we look at the teams and the factors that could determine the winner.
Pitch and Conditions:
For starters, the conditions in Australia will vastly differ from that of the UAE, where the last World Cup was held. Last year's tournament was defined by the toss, with teams winning the coin toss attempting to chase rather than set a target. Dew played a huge part throughout the tournament, with batting becoming relatively easy in the 2nd innings.
This resulted in 30 wins out of 45 games for the teams winning the toss, while chasing teams won on 29 occasions. This most probably won't be the case this time around in Australia, where we can expect even conditions throughout the match.
Australia haven't played a lot of limited-overs games in recent times at home, but going by the Big Bash League in 2021-22, the pitches will be good for batting. An even contest between bat and ball can be expected, while the wickets won't dry up as the tournament progresses. Australia is home to one of the world's biggest grounds; hence, fielders and batsmen will be tested.
Can Australia defend their crown at home?
Australia will be playing their first T20 World Cup on home soil and anything less than the title will be deemed a failure. Australia's form in the shortest format since their triumph last year has been very good, winning all three series they have competed in.
With Marsh, Warner, Maxwell in batting, Starc, Hazlewood, Zampa in bowling, the hosts have one of the most well-rounded sides in the competition. Hazlewood and Zampa carried the Australian bowling in the UAE and both have been quite good since that tournament, while Warner and Marsh will once again be crucial in the batting.
The form of skipper Aaron Finch and Steve Smith will be a concern, with critics calling to axe the latter from the side altogether. Australia should be able to get through to the semifinals and their record in knockout games will keep them in good stead.
What about India and Pakistan?
India will be desperate to end their drought in ICC events after having a disastrous tournament last year. India bowed out in the Super 12 stage after losing to Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two games. But a lot has changed in Indian cricket since then, with Rohit Sharma taking over the captaincy from Virat Kohli.
Rohit has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the shortest format, thanks to the IPL, and has a great opportunity to end India's drought. India have been in incredible form since the last World Cup, losing just two games in 15. But the form of Virat Kohli and the fitness concerns of Rohit Sharma are major issues going into the competition.
Meanwhile, Pakistan exceeded expectations last year by winning all their games before losing to Australia in the semifinals. Babar Azam's men have retained their core group and will have another go this year. The conditions in Australia will suit their fast bowlers, while their free-flowing batsmen will enjoy the good batting decks down under.
The rest of the subcontinental nations, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, might have a hard time adjusting to the conditions.
Players to watch out for:
Jos Buttler has set the cricketing world alight this year with his exploits in the IPL and with the national team. He will be crucial in England's hopes of winning the title. It will be interesting to see how Rohit Sharma performs in his first tournament as captain, while Babar Azam and Rizwan will carry the hopes of all of Pakistan.
It is going to be a tightly contested competition this time around as well, with as many as five teams having a genuine chance of lifting the trophy in Melbourne.
Muhammad Adnan
Muhammad Adnan is a journalist and researcher. He is a PhD student at Monash University School of Media, Film and Journalism. He can be reached on Twitter at @Iammadnan
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