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Pakistan start the defence of their ICC World Twenty20 crown on Friday, with a number of teams in with a chance of winning.
Pakistan shocked everyone last year when their combination of brilliant bowling and exciting batting saw them take the T20 world championship. However, there are a few strong teams who will look to wrestle that crown away from them.
India have to be the favourites to win. The third Indian Premier League finished over the weekend and the competition has shown the strength and depth that will be in the Indian squad.
Finding a good consistency was India’s problem last summer but they have the best-balanced side in the whole competition. Any team that beats India during the tournament will have to play exceptionally well.
Sachin Tendulkar is in the best T20 form of his life and India’s bowling is so strong they have had to leave some exceptional spinners behind. Keep an eye on Piyush Chawla who is being tipped to take the most wickets in this event.
Sri Lanka will be intent on making up for the disappointment of losing in the final last year. They have changed from being an under rated side to one of the favourites. The key to beating Sri Lanka will be to punish their spinners early on. Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajentha Mendis do not cope well after being hit for a lot of runs.
You cannot count out the host nation of the West Indies either. The West Indies have some terrific T20 players but their problem has also been inconsistency. Caribbean cricket is all about flair and entertainment, but for the West Indies to win the likes of Chris Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo will have to perform.
England will probably be the under dogs and some bettors will be going for the good odds on this. England seem to have worked out a good T20 side and there will be players making international debuts who will help the side.
There will be pressure on Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter at the top of the batting order but these are two flair players the country has needed for a long time. Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Graeme Swann are in the form of their lives so the bowling should take care of itself.
South Africa and Australia always fancy their chances in any form of cricket. South Africa have the most powerful side in the competition. Where they trip up is lacking the tactical knowledge needed to bring down other sides.
Australia have always been historically good at T20 cricket. It was an Australian side that won the first T20 Champions League. Their batting is held together by the likes of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey and they have made good additions in the bowling department with Shaun Tait and Doug Bollinger.
New Zealand have a very experienced and balanced side but they will struggle to have an impact. There are better sides than the Kiwis in this competition and it will take more than flair from Brendan McCullum, Ross Taylor, Shane Bond or Daniel Vettori to get them into the final.
It’s important not to forget that Afghanistan will make their debut on the mainstream international cricket scene in this event. Although they have one of the fastest bowlers in the world they have group games against India and South Africa, which will be difficult to get through.
