Muscat, Oct 16 (BUS): The West Indies will once again rely on a seasoned group of Twenty20 specialists to try to retain the World Cup title, but are prepared for a rigorous test from India, for their first World Cup under Virat. Kohli, and the England squad are striving to become champions in two forms.
Reuters reported that the seventh edition of the Twenty20 World Cup was due to take place in India, but the increase of COVID-19 in the country forced it to relocate.
The tournament will start on Sunday with the Oman national team, which is participating for the first time against Papua New Guinea in a preliminary match for Group B in Muscat.
The UAE will host Super 12 stage and knockout matches across three venues – Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – with a capacity of 70% of the crowd.
The 16-team tournament is the biggest global cricket event since the COVID-19 pandemic and the event had to be changed although the Indian Council retained its host status.
Kohli will step down as Twenty20 captain for India after the tournament and his teammates hope to give him a fitting farewell to outgoing coach Ravi Shastri.
Every member of the team played the Emirates match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is familiar with the local conditions.
Kohli will be able to benefit from the experience of team mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led India to the inaugural title in 2007.
England will be on their way to winning the world championship in both whiteball format two years after winning their first 50 World Cup titles under Ewen Morgan.
Morgan has struggled with a skinny IPL, and they would be without explosive player Ben Stokes, who is dealing with mental health issues, as well as injured speed bowler Jofra Archer.
Multi-level bowler Chris Jordan believes they still have the “talent and chemistry” to win their second world title in 20 times.
“Having gone so long, the chemistry is there, the talent is there—all the ingredients we’ve got to have a decent success in this campaign,” Jordan said.
“The team is very, very strong and I am very optimistic.”
Mercenaries T20
The West Indies, the only team to win the championship twice, will once again rely on a handful of incredible mercenaries from Twenty20, plying their trade in the world’s lucrative T20 competitions, to achieve the triple.
Captain Kieron Pollard and his all-round teammates, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo, are the three pillars of a team teeming with winners.
New Zealand have reached the finals in three of the last four world championships, and the World Test champions under Ken Williamson are once again strong contenders for the title.
The Australian team, led by Aaron Finch, will search for the biggest trophy that eluded them, but their latest form does not inspire confidence.
They head into the tournament after losing their last five Twenty20 series, including a 4-1 win over their depleted team in Bangladesh.
Former champion Pakistan will enter the tournament a little undercooked but the motivation will be high.
Babar Azam and his teammates were incensed when New Zealand and England pulled out of their Pakistan tour due to security concerns, and plan to channel their anger to improve their performance on the field.
Afghanistan has seen the most turbulent mobilization since the Taliban came to power in August.
NS