The T20 format always challenges the stereotypes that fans of the sport have historically had about national teams. With the T20 World Cup moving outside of traditional cricket, the game and the teams need a fresh look. With the U.S. playing and hosting cricket instead of baseball, there are signs of change. A disclaimer ahead of the June 2-29 event: the usual adjectives don’t apply when describing the teams.
England: No bottling
When it comes to T20 cricket, the England team is not only revered for their innovative bowling and banging acceleration but they are also a pretty well behaved and uncomplaining team, so unlike older formats of the game, no one begrudges England a big win, and in this format, no one dwells on England’s wins either.
South Africa: Choker anyone?
South Africa has never won a T20 World Cup or even reached a final, but they have only made two semi-finals so far and have not shown enough talent to win, so they can avoid being labelled as an underdog. The country is constantly producing incredible talent, such as Heinrich Klaassen, but they are not expected to go all the way, so for now, South Africa will remain an underdog.
New Zealand: Choker
New Zealand have reached three semi-finals and one final but never won. They have a history of disappointing finishes in 50-over matches but have outplayed the Proteas in T20s. In their one final appearance, they recorded a top score of 172 in the T20 World Cup final, but then predictably lost to Australia in a 18-wicket victory.
India: Unpredictable
India have also failed as usual since Dhoni’s first Cup and will descend in the Americas in a style reminiscent of Pakistan’s infamous past feud, but the core of this team produced some fine cricket in last year’s 50-over ICC event and with coach Rahul Dravid now having the chance to erase memories of the 2007 Caribbean campaign, India, who are not favourites, will be hoping to pull off a Pakistan-style victory despite the extra egos they carry.
Pakistan: Not Unpredictable
Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan during a match at the 2023 ODI World Cup. (File)
Pakistan have also lost three semi-finals and two finals. But what could be a great rebranding statistic for Pakistan is that they are the most consistent T20 team, having reached the last four six times in eight tournaments. That record might erase the “unpredictable” label. Partisan and volatile, Pakistan remains a formidable T20 team on paper.
Bangladesh: No shine
Speaking of combustion, Bangladesh have strangely been quite unsparking in the T20 World Cup, never making it to the knockout stages – they lost to the USA recently and their usual unrealistic boasts have not translated into big wins in this format.
Australia: Slow takeoff
A generation of T20-only cricket fans will hardly understand why the rampaging Yellow Brigade were feared in Tests and ODIs. They have only won one T20 title, fewer than England have, but they have won six ODI World Cups out of 12. David Warner and Glenn Maxwell have both won, but they have never been huge T20 World Cup winners. It took time for Starc, Cummins and Head to find their rhythm in the format and become true contenders.
Lanka Windies: Losers
Former champions Sri Lanka have been losing steam over the years and no longer make headlines with their latest “mysterious” find, and West Indies have Shamar Joseph, who won a Test match against Australia earlier this year rather than any franchise achievement.
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