Australia will host the eighth edition of the Twenty20 World Cup from mid-October to mid-November. A total of 16 teams will compete in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Four teams from the first round will advance to the Super 12 round. The top two teams from each group of the Super 12 will qualify for the semifinals. Let’s take a look at the venues, groups, and top contenders for the 2022 Twenty20 World Cup.
2022 Twenty20 World Cup: Participating Teams
Twelve teams who played in the Super 12 round in the 2021 World Cup automatically qualified for the 2022 edition. The rest of the four teams will be decided through the ICC’s Global Qualifier competition. The top eight teams in the ICC T20 rankings as of November 15, 2021, will get a direct entry into the Super 12 phase. The first round will be split into two groups for the remaining eight teams. Each group will see two teams qualify for the Super 12 phase.
In the first round, Namibia, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the Global Qualifier B Runner-up will play in Group A. On the other hand, Ireland, Scotland, the West Indies, and the winner of the Global Qualifier B will compete in Group B. The matches of the first round will be held from October 16 to October 21.
Twenty20 World Cup 2022: Venues
Australia were supposed to host the 2020 World Cup, which was later postponed to 2021 due to the coronavirus epidemic. However, because of travel restrictions and a series of lockdowns in multiple Australian cities due to the COVID-9 outbreak, Cricket Australia was reluctant to organize the seventh edition of the tournament in their country. Later, India stepped in to organize the competition, but they had to relocate the mega event to the UAE as India were also hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The ICC eventually handed over the 2022 T20 World Cup hosting rights to Australia all alone.
Australia already have the best facilities to organize a mega cricket event. Therefore, they don’t need to build new stadiums for the upcoming competition. Seven well-known cricket grounds in seven different cities will host the matches of the World Cup. The cities which will host the tournament are Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.
The ICC has already confirmed the two groups for the Super 12 phase. Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand, the winner of Group A and runner-up of Group B will play in Group 1 in this round. Oppositely, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, the winner of Group B and runner-up of Group A, will compete against each other in Group 2 in this phase.
As per the groupings, Australia, New Zealand, and England are the hot favourites to advance to the semifinals from Group 1. On the other hand, India, Pakistan, and South Africa are heavy favourites to qualify for the semifinals from Group 2. The Super 12 Round will begin on October 22 with a match between Australia and New Zealand and will end on November 6.
Favourites to Win the ICC T20 World Cup 2022
The hosts and reigning champions, Australia, are overwhelmingly favourites to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The Australians have a very strong squad and they can utilize the home advantage to secure their second World Cup title. The runner-up of the 2021 edition, New Zealand will be looking to win their first-ever Twenty20 World Cup in the upcoming edition.
India, Pakistan, South Africa, and England are also among the favourites, apart from Australia and New Zealand. Besides, teams like Bangladesh, Afghanistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka will aim to perform well during the tournament, and qualifying for the semifinals will be a great achievement for them. Let’s take a look at the present scenario of each heavy favourite prior to the main event.
Australia
Australia are the fifth-ranked team as per the ICC’s latest T20 rankings. However, the Baggy Greens’ recent twenty20 record has been outstanding. Since the 2021 World Cup, Australia have played 16 T20I matches. They have only lost three matches and won 13 of them, including their maiden World Cup trophy and three bilateral series victories. So, the Aussie side is having a nice preparation to retain the trophy next November. Australia’s main obstacle in the Super 12 Round will be to overcome either New Zealand or England to finish in the top two in Group 1.
Three Key Players for Australia: Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell
World Cup 2021 Performance: Champions.
New Zealand
New Zealand became runner-up in the 2021 edition of the Twenty20 World Cup. It was their first appearance in the final. After losing the 2021 World Cup final against Australia, the Blackcaps have only played three T20 matches against India and lost all of them. New Zealand are currently ranked sixth in the ICC rankings. They need to play some bilateral series prior to the main event to test their strengths and weaknesses. However, the Kiwi team has some seriously talented T20 players who have the ability to single-handedly win matches.
Three Key Players for New Zealand: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill and Trent Boult
World Cup 2021 Performance: Runner-Up
England
England were heavy favourites for the 2021 World Cup, but they were knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-finals. England have played five Twenty20 matches since last year’s World Cup and all of them against the West Indies. They lost the 5-match series to the West Indies by 3-2. However, there is a reason England are the second-ranked team in the world; they have some outstanding T20 players. England will definitely be well-prepared for the upcoming event and will try to win their second Twenty20 World Cup.
Three Key Players for England: Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali
World Cup 2021 Performance: Semi-Finals.
Pakistan
Pakistan have become a very competitive team across all formats in the last one and a half years. In particular, Pakistan’s T20 side is very strong and has the ability to choke any opposition on their day. The Pakistan team was applauded for their brilliant showing in the 2021 World Cup and they will once again be one of the hot favourites to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan reached the semi-finals in the last edition but lost to Australia by 5 wickets. Since then, they have only lost one match and won six. Pakistan’s main hurdle in the Super 12 round will be to overcome India and South Africa to finish top two in their group.
Three Key Players for Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi
World Cup 2021 Performance: Semi-Finals
India
India were overwhelming favourites in last year’s World Cup, but they lost steam after losing to Pakistan in their opening match. India will once again be one of the favourites in the upcoming edition and will try to win their second T20 World Cup trophy. India went onto to win twelve straight matches after their defeat to New Zealand in the 2021 World Cup, and they are currently the number one ranked team. The Indian side has some seriously talented Twenty20 players and they have plenty of options to pick an ideal playing XI.
Three Key Players for India: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Hardik Pandya
World Cup 2021 Performance: Super 12 (3rd Position in Group 2).
South Africa
The Proteas national team is rebuilding after losing some of its most prominent players in recent years. South Africa won the same amount of games as Australia and England in the Super 12 Round of the World Cup 2021. However, they were unable to qualify for the semifinals due to net run rates. There are some genuine power hitters on the South African side, as well as some efficient pacers. The Proteas T20 team is capable of winning the next World Cup.
Three Key Players for South Africa: Quinton de Kock, David Miller, and Tabraiz Shamsi
World Cup 2021 Performance: Super 12 (3rd Position in Group 1)
Aftermath
Australia will host a Twenty20 World Cup for the first time, which promises to be an exciting competition to watch. Australia and New Zealand will be big favorites to win the trophy since they are very familiar with the conditions and wickets. In addition, India, Pakistan, England, and South Africa have a good chance of winning the tournament’s eight editions. The ICC T20 World Cup will begin on October 16 and finish on November 13, with the championship match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The semifinals will be held on November 9 and 10 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval, respectively.
Source: United News of Bangladesh