Pakistan begin World Twenty20 defence in Group A
Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia are the teams drawn in Group A for the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, and just two of them can progress to the Super Eight stage of the competition. Here we assess their chances.
Pakistan
The defending champions have experienced the full gamut of off-field drama since winning last year’s final against Sri Lanka at Lords, and with their track record of erratic performances it will be tough to manufacture surprise at whatever result they produce at this year’s World Twenty20.
An inquiry into their winless tour of Australia - including two Twenty20 International losses - during the southern-hemisphere summer led to various players being sanctioned, but Shahid Afridi (pictured celebrating last year’s World Twenty20 win) avoided suspension for his bizarre ball-biting antics at the tail-end of the tour in Perth. The PCB may have put the hero of their 2009 World Twenty20 win on probation after that, but they’ve also appointed him captain in the Caribbean.
The absence, through injury, of pace spearhead Umar Gul might hurt Pakistan’s chances of replicating last year’s achievements and they’ll likely need the inconsistent Afridi to deliver with both bat and ball to replicate last year’s success. They’ll make it past the group stage, but it’s hard to see Pakistan’s run extending beyond the Super Eight phase of the competition.
Australia
It’s not, if you are the world’s best cricket team in Test and One-Day International cricket, a particularly arduous task to finish as one of the two teams from your group of three to progress to the Super Eight stage of the World Twenty20. That was the scenario facing Australia during the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, and they contrived to be eliminated during the earliest stage of last year’s tournament. Despite that result, Australia will enter the Caribbean competition as one of the early favourites for the title.
While Brett Lee was included in the 15-man squad, his injury in Australia’s warm-up match against Zimbabwe has seen the Australia selectors to add Ryan Harris to a pace attack that also includes Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson. The weakness for Australia may, however, be their reliance on lightning fast bowlers when the pitches are tipped to assist the spinners.
It’s Michael Clarke’s first big tournament in charge of Australia, but there are some slight question marks over his side - including the ability of opener David Warner to smash and grab runs on a consistent basis, though Shane Watson provides a reliable all-round option. While finishing the tournament as runner-up won’t satisfy anyone in the green and gold, it just might have to do.
Bangladesh
In a group that also includes Australia and Pakistan, Bangladesh are the obvious choice as the team whose tournament will end at the conclusion of the group stage, as it did in 2009. Twenty20 is a fickle game though, and if Shakib Al Hasan's side are to cause an upset then this is the format to do it.
Their big worry is the fitness of opener Tamim Iqbal, the team’s most dangerous shotmaker, who has aggravated an existing wrist injury playing domestic cricket in the lead-up to the World Twenty20. Much of the responsibility for Bangladesh’s chances of success rest with their skipper, who is currently ranked as the best all-rounder in ODI cricket. Bangladesh also boasts a selection of spinners who will be well suited to the predicted turning pitches in the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, it will probably be a group stage exit for Bangladesh.
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