T20 World Cup 2022: IND and AUS stand as early favourites, but can Asia Cup finalists PAK and SL upset odds?
The T20 World Cup is 30 days away and the teams have already begun preparations for the showpiece event in Australia. While India and Australia will be the favourites on paper, Asian counterparts Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already shown that they cannot be underestimated. So, with a month to go for the T20 World Cup here is a look at the teams and their chances at the T20 World Cup.
India
India will be one of the favourites to clinch the T20 World Cup in Australia. As inaugural champions of the 2007 edition, India are yet to add to their tally and have the firepower to go all the way. If issues fitness issues are kept aside, the Indian team has some of the biggest match-winners in the format. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, and Virat Kohli have nothing to prove on the global stage and will look to add another trophy to their impressive cabinet.
While team selection has created some controversy by keeping Mohammed Shami on standby, the Indian team still has a lot of firepower in the form of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav.
Australia
With the firepower they have and defending champions they will fancy their chances. As hosts, they will have the backing of the crowd and will target a place in the final on November 13. They know the winning formulae very well having notched exciting numbers in the 2021 showpiece.
Interestingly, the Aussies have kept the same squad albeit with one change as Mitchell Santner misses out while Tim David comes into the squad, who gives another dimension to the team. The likes of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh will be accompanied by last year’s semifinal hero Matthew Wade.
Pakistan
One of the best bowling units at present moment, Pakistan last won the T20 World Cup in 2009. They lost in the semifinals last year but will fancy their chances this time around. The likes of Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf all ended with 8 wickets each in the Asia Cup, showing the bowling unit is one of the strongest in the world.
While Shaheen Afridi will join the squad in Brisbane on October 15, Fakhar Zaman only gets a place in the standby team. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are one of the best T20 batters at the current moment, which therefore makes the Men in Green a balanced side and one of the favourites to win the T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka
After clinching the Asia Cup glory, the Lankan Lions will be ready to roar in the upcoming edition. They won the title in 2014 beating India in the final and will be ready to make the claim this time around as well. However, with the unpredictability factor surrounding the team, it will be interesting how they come up. They beat the likes of India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup but also lost to Afghanistan. Sri Lanka however will first have to navigate their passage through the qualifiers of the T20 World Cup.
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