The 20-20 World Cup 2022 is set to start on October 16 in Australia. This will be the eighth edition of the tournament and the squads for all the teams have been announced. Eight teams have already sealed a direct qualification for the Super 12 stage of the competition, and it will be the first it will be held in Australia.
Here we rate the squads of the top eight teams:
8. Bangladesh – 3/10
They have good pace options with variety, the same goes for the spin department as well which will be led by Shakib Al Hasan.
The big weakness will be a lack of fitness, and no big hitter in the middle order other than Yasir Ali. They don’t have someone who can tonk the bowlers in the top order as well. Apart from Shakib Al Hasan, they lack a big-match player in the squad, it seems.
7. Sri Lanka – 4/10
They have attacking batters at the top; their strength is their unorthodox options in the spin department with the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. The weakness of the side is that they are inexperienced, and there will be more pressure will be on them to perform in a big tournament, following their Asia Cup triumph.
6. Pakistan -5/10
The strengths are that they have a strong opening combination of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. They have brilliant pace options in in the pace department with Harris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi in the squad. Their spin department also looks solid with Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz. The big weakness is that the middle order is very brittle and that there is overdependence on the top order. Lack of a backup spinner and a lack of a big hitter in the middle order.
5. South Africa – 6/10
They have a strong batting lineup and a lot of options in pace. They have an experienced spin attack. A strong middle order with the likes of Aiden Markram and Tristian Stubbs and David Miller. They have an out-of-form skipper, Temba Bavuma, with no backup finisher to replace Miller. And the lack of backup spin options could prove costly in case an injury occurs. They don’t have a lot of all-around options barring Dwaine Pretorius.
4. India -7/10
The positive for India is that they have good top order in Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. There is variety in the spin department and good new ball bowling options. The drawbacks are that the death bowling has been expensive, there is very less variety in the pace department, and the backup finisher in case Dinesh Karthik gets injured is not present in the squad.
3. New Zealand– 8/10
They have a strong batting lineup, A strong pace department with variety, and a good-looking spin attack with Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. The bowlers can also contribute with the bat, and what will help the Kiwis out is the familiarity with the conditions. They are also led by a very good captain, Kane Williamson, who has led the side to a 50-over World Cup and Test Championship. The lack of a big hitter in the middle order is a concern.
2. Australia – 9/10
They have a great top order, variety in the pace department, good spin options, and a wonderful middle order that has the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, and Mathew Wade. The likes of Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar make up the spin department. The big weakness for Australia is that they do not have depth in the spin department.
1. England– 9/10
The strengths of the squad are that they have depth in batting and the spin department is top-notch with the presence of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid. They have plenty of options with the ball for pace. The middle order of England is filled with stroke makers such as the likes of Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Dawid Malan, and Ben Stokes. The likes of Mark Wood, Chris Jordan, Reece Topley, and David Willey offer so much variety in terms of pace. The opening combination is very destructive with Jos Butler and Alex Hales. The big weakness is that they don’t have backup options in the spin department.
