T20WC - Team previews

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Team preview: Sri Lanka
Top-heavy
Kanishkaa Balachandran
September 6, 2007

Though England are credited with the conception of Twenty20, the trendsetters of the style of batsmanship that characterises the format are the Sri Lankans, who took the 1996 World Cup by storm with their pinch-hitting up the order.

The only survivor from that team is Sanath Jayasuriya and his blazing starts will be crucial.

Under Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka have emerged as world beaters, and were regarded as the team best equipped to topple Australia in the World Cup, though they faltered at the final hurdle. A short home series against Bangladesh followed, where the visitors were defeated in both the Tests and ODIs.

The Sri Lankans have had some valuable time off since then, and have been able to pick their strongest squad, with only a couple of youngsters included. A handful of key players will be coming in from county stints, and rustiness should not be a factor.

Home truths
Sri Lanka were early to embrace Twenty20 cricket and included it in their domestic season in 2004, a year after the format was introduced in England. It was scheduled in September, ahead of the domestic season and Chilaw Marians emerged champions. The 2005-06 edition was held in November; the defending champions lost to Sinhalese Sports Club in the final. This year's tournament was played in March and Ragama Cricket Club emerged winners.

However, the interest in Twenty20 is yet to take off in the country, owing to last-minute scrambling to get the tournaments organised. Operational and marketing glitches were also to blame and it could be a matter of time till the crowds start pouring in.

Sri Lanka's international experience is limited to three matches, winning two and losing one. The tour of New Zealand last year included two matches, while their first Twenty20 international ended in a two-run victory against England at Southampton.

Strengths
Batting continues to be Sri Lanka's strength and the squad has plenty of strokeplayers with good one-day records. The top order have the ability to pierce the gaps early, and their experience will be a factor in ensuring they don't step over the fine line between aggression and recklessness. Jayasuriya will be relied upon to blaze away, and the side has handy finishers like Chamara Silva and Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Chaminda Vaas will be difficult to get away, as will Dilhara Fernando with his clever changes of pace; the way he out-thought Ravi Bopara in the World Cup nailbiter is a case in point.

The fielding is mostly sharp and the number of runs saved could well be the difference between victory and defeat.

I would expect Sri Lanka to reach the semi-finals, but where I previously thought that they would reach the final, this may be now beyond them without the threat of Muralitharan

Ian Chappell

Weaknesses
Sri Lanka's limited international experience of Twenty20 is a possible drawback. While that is true of most international teams, Sri Lanka played the last of their three matches eight months ago - not the ideal preparation. The players in the side haven't been exposed to too much Twenty20 cricket at the domestic level either.

Muttiah Muralitharan, nursing an elbow injury, will be missed. And the selectors may have missed a trick by not picking Upul Chandana, who provides a spin option with his quickish legbreaks; his powerful lower-order hitting and electric fielding would have come in handy too. Allrounder Chamara Kapugedera, who has a Twenty20 best of 96 at the domestic level, is another surprise omission.

Players to watch
Sanath Jayasuriya Sri Lanka's dominance over the last year has coincided with Jayasuriya's return to form, and his reflexes are still reminiscent of his halcyon days of 1996. He starred in the first Twenty20 international against New Zealand last year, scoring an unbeaten 51 and picking up three wickets. He also scored 41 in the game against England. His left-arm spin will be useful as a wicket-taking and run-saving option both, given his ability to fire the ball into blockhole, especially to right-handers.

Lasith Malinga With 18 wickets in the World Cup, Malinga has emerged as Sri Lanka's premier strike bowler. His slingy action continues to bamboozle batsmen, and his screeching yorkers will be difficult to get away. His dramatic four-wicket burst against South Africa in the World Cup was one of the few talking points in an otherwise dull tournament; his tournament average of 15.77 was among the top three as well.

Dark horse
Jehan Mubarak In and out of the side, Mubarak - who has a Twenty20 personal best of 94 not out - could be the surprise package at the top of the order. He was recalled for the one-dayers against Bangladesh and made a good impression, scoring 72 from No. 5 in the third match. It could well be a toss-up between him and Upul Tharanga for the opener's slot. Between Mubarak and the other relative newcomers, Hasantha Fernando, Gayan Wijekoon and Dilruwan Perera, Mubarak seems more of a certainty to play.

Ian Chappell's take
While the loss of Muttiah Muralitharan on the eve of a major tournament is not quite the disaster it would have been five years ago, it will still be a big blow to Sri Lanka's chances of winning the ICC World Twenty20 Championships. Even without Muralitharan, Sri Lanka still have great variety in their attack, but much of the intimidation factor will be lost. This will add to the burden of the faster bowlers, in particular Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga. However Muralitharan's absence creates a wonderful opportunity for Kaushal Lokuarachchi, who should now be close to the age of maturity for a legspinner.

Sri Lanka are also fortunate to have a number of part-time spinners who have had a lot of experience bowling at the international level, and they will help dispel some of the disappointment since Muralitharan isn't available.

The batting is strong with the dangerous Sanath Jayasuriya and the elegant Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who all have different ways of reaching the same target - a substantial total. Nevertheless Sri Lanka do lack a powerful hitter in the middle order and this is most likely to hurt them against Australia, as it most probably would have, if the recent World Cup final was played over the full distance.

I would expect Sri Lanka to reach the semi-finals, but where I previously thought that they would reach the final, this may be now beyond them without the threat of Muralitharan. Rating: 7/10

Kanishkaa Balachandran is an editorial assistant on Cricinfo

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[Sahan_se]

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Team preview: New Zealand

Team preview: New Zealand
Mission: restriction
Brydon Coverdale

Another World Cup, another missed opportunity. New Zealand's failure to progress to the decider in the Caribbean was the fifth time they had stumbled at the semi-final stage, and post-tournament changes were inevitable. Stephen Fleming quit the one-day captaincy, John Bracewell's position as coach was reviewed, and four members of their initial World Cup squad were overlooked for the Twenty20 version.

Bracewell has stayed since but Fleming, James Franklin, Michael Mason and Daryl Tuffey have made way for Chris Martin, Gareth Hopkins, Bradley Scott and Nathan McCullum.

It is Daniel Vettori's first engagement as the full-time limited-overs captain and on-the-job training may be required, as his only Twenty20 experience is a solitary match for Northern Districts two years ago.

Home truths
Only England have played more Twenty20 internationals than New Zealand's five - which resulted in two wins, two losses and a tie - and the concept has been embraced at domestic level. Each provincial team played two matches in 2005-06 and the program was expanded significantly last year. In addition to a full round-robin tournament, a Southland Twenty20 competition was held in Invercargill over a weekend in November.

Strengths
Quality slow bowling has become an important weapon in Twenty20. Batsmen are then forced to create the pace and contrive shots. New Zealand have potentially the most difficult spin duo of any team: Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel will use every piece of guile they can muster to tie down and frustrate the opposition. Vettori is a proven match-winner in one-day internationals with his subtle variations in line, length, flight and turn, and Twenty20 should be no different. Patel has become an effective foil and bowling in tandem they race through overs in the middle of an innings. Patel's Twenty20 record - eight games, nine wickets at 16.77 and an economy rate of 6.20 - is excellent.

They will follow the always dangerous Shane Bond, which means even the best sides will have to work hard to rack up a big score against New Zealand.

New Zealand have a great spearhead, and they also have great depth and variety in their bowling, which is second only to Australia's

Ian Chappell

Weaknesses
It's just as well New Zealand are good at restricting their opponents, because posting a huge total themselves will be a challenge. Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram are all dangerous strikers, but they struggled to click as a unit at the World Cup and their only decent totals came against minnows. The batting lacks the depth of more fancied sides and the line-up remains far from settled.

In Fleming's absence McCullum could again be pushed up to open, although that ploy has been unsuccessful in ODIs. Teams will also target New Zealand's second-tier bowlers. Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin have their moments but at times they leak copious amounts of runs. The newcomer Scott, a left-arm fast-medium bowler, concedes nearly ten an over in domestic Twenty20.

Player to watch
Scott Styris Thanks to his time in county cricket, Styris is the most experienced Twenty20 player in the squad. He is in form - he was easily New Zealand's best batsman at the World Cup with 499 runs at 83.16 - and he could be the platform around which the likes of McMillan and McCullum launch their attacks. The only concern is that he returned from Durham with niggling back, knee, and calf problems, and losing him mid-tournament would be a major setback.

Dark horse
Gareth Hopkins It will be interesting to see how Hopkins, the back-up wicketkeeper, is used. New Zealand believe Hopkins and McCullum can play in the same side and after Hopkins made 514 first-class runs at 85.66 last summer, who can argue? He had a taste of ODI cricket three years ago, and at 30 he has enough experience to suggest he will not be overawed by the occasion. Hopkins will be desperate to pass this audition as he pushes for a batting spot in the one-day team.

Ian Chappell's take
New Zealand are mainly a side of veterans who have been around in international cricket for a long time. The only unknown aspect about their cricket is the captaincy of Daniel Vettori, who takes over from long-term leader Stephen Fleming. How the left-armer adapts to the difficult role of being a bowler-captain is crucial to New Zealand's chances in the tournament.

The two big question marks surrounding New Zealand cricket are the ones that have been around for a long time - their vulnerable top-order batting and their ability to fall at the final hurdle with the winning post in sight. If Lou Vincent plays consistently well, the top order will be enhanced, which improves New Zealand's chances immeasurably as they have ample power in the middle order. Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum have the power, precision and thought processes to make New Zealand's middle order as dangerous as any, including Australia.

With Shane Bond licensed to dismiss, New Zealand have a great spearhead, and they also have great depth and variety in their bowling, which is second only to Australia's. They back up their strong bowling line-up by being resourceful and athletic in the field.

If they bat well at the top, and Vettori handles the extra responsibility of captaincy, then New Zealand could very well make the finals as long as they don't freeze in sight of the prize. Rating: 7.5/10

Brydon Coverdale is an editorial assistant on Cricinfo

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[farshad]

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[isuru009]

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Team preview: Pakistan

Team preview: Pakistan
In pace we trust
Osman Samiuddin
September 7, 2007

Given that almost all their players have grown up on 20-overs-a-side night matches with taped tennis balls, Pakistan should be ideally placed for the World Twenty20. As ever, it isn't that simple.

Pakistan's 15-man squad is as significant for those who are in as for those who are not. Dropping your best batsman - Mohammad Yousuf - is a big, but not particularly clever, move. Abdul Razzaq's recent form sadly warranted his axing, though at his peak he would've been a shoo-in not only for the squad but for a player-of-the-tournament award.

Still, the squad remains blessed with the kind of allrounders the format loves; a Shahid Afridi blitz and four tidy overs here, a Mohammad Hafeez spell to open the innings (they've experimented with it) and a handy 20 there, a Shoaib Malik middle-order whirlwind and a key wicket there.

They warmed up well in Nairobi - as well they should have, given the quality of opposition - but bear in mind also that their last international before the Nairobi warm-up was the most crushing defeat yet seen in this form of the game. Dark horses, you say? But of course.

Home truths
Behind England and South Africa, Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 is the most evolved. Three editions of the tournament have attracted more fans than the last 20 seasons of domestic cricket put together, and as Geoff Lawson noted, it has given many squad members a good grasp of the format.

Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Asif have all played crucial roles in the success of Sialkot Stallions as reigning two-time champions and Faisalabad Wolves were the first winners of the World Club Twenty20 tournament in 2005.

Strengths
Pace. Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul are all fit and available for once, which means Pakistan have an attack that is the envy of any in the tournament. The format may favour batsmen but good pace bowlers are good anywhere, anytime, any format, and if they come across helpful pitches, they can be the difference. With Afridi and a coterie of limited-overs spinners as back-up, the bowling is nicely rounded.

Pakistan may have robbed themselves of a wicket-taking threat by following the edict that limited-overs players must be two-dimensional. Danish Kaneria is a good legspinner and they should have made an exception in his case

Ian Chappell

Nazir and Salman Butt have hinted in a summer of practice matches that they could turn opening, a traditionally debilitating weakness, into an explosive asset. With Afridi, Malik and Kamran Akmal lurking in the lower order, Pakistan's batting could yet be their strength ...

Weaknesses
But it could also be their Achilles heel, especially with an anorexic and unsettled middle order. Essentially Younis Khan is the middle order, though at least he is in some form. Misbah-ul-Haq has an impressive Twenty20 record (one of four century-makers domestically) but the order looked fluid through the warm-up games, which can be both good and bad.

Fielding is the other obvious weakness, though without Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq the standards rise by default. Pakistan could do much worse than Nazir, Malik, Hafeez and Afridi in the circle, but beyond that remain some serious passengers. It is likely to be pivotal.

Players to watch
Shahid Afridi Like Razzaq, he is tailormade for the format. Surprisingly he has yet to score a fifty in a Twenty20 international or a domestic match, though his form in the warm-up matches in Nairobi suggests it may not be too far off. If so it will be, as in any format, a blisteringly quick one. His bowling has been far more successful: difficult to get away and likely to break partnerships.

Imran Nazir Malik picked him as one of the players to watch and he should know, having played alongside him for Sialkot Stallions in two winning campaigns. Nazir averages just over 35 in domestic Twenty20 but it is the strike-rate of 162 that is worth drooling over. If he gets Pakistan off to the kind of starts he has given Sialkot, their prospects are promising. As a bonus, he is the most athletic fielder in the side, and as captain of the Stallions he will be expected to bring something to the brains trust.

Dark horse
Yasir Arafat He has been hovering around the national team for some time without ever making the type of impact expected of him. Slingy pace and a good, full length helped his county side, Kent, win the Twenty20 Cup this year (and he had the third-highest wicket haul in the tournament) though his lusty lower-order belting has had more success in Pakistan than abroad. Perhaps this is his chance, and his format?

Fawad Alam If he gets a game, look out for this diminutive allrounder who stole the show in the last domestic tournament. His heroics in the final (a fifty and five wickets) couldn't prevent defeat for his team, but it was the highlight of a magnificent domestic season and catapulted him onto the national stage

Ian Chappell's take
Pakistan is its usual self - a skilled rabble. Only, this time they're a little bit down on ability; with Inzamam-ul-Haq retired and Mohammad Yousuf enchanted by the Indian Cricket League's dollars, the Pakistan middle order - which has been the life-blood of their batting - has been severely diluted. Also, the omission of Abdul Razzak has reduced - by 50 per cent - the dangerous power-hitting duo he formed with Shahid Afridi. Pakistan will struggle to put enough runs on the board, which is an even greater concern, given their fielding is likely to remain butter-fingered and unathletic.

This is a pity, because their pace bowling is potentially strong, especially if Shoaib Akhtar returns to his best form. He and Mohammad Asif are an imposing dual-strike threat, and Iftikhar Anjum and the fast-improving Umar Gul are good back-up pacemen. Afridi and skipper Shoaib Malik are handy spinners but Pakistan may have robbed themselves of a wicket-taking threat by following, like sheep, the edict that limited-overs players must be two-dimensional. Danish Kaneria is a good legspinner and they should have made an exception to this dubious rule in his case.

Pakistan will make the final eight - but that won't be a great achievement since they have lowly Scotland in their group - and they will fall well short of a semi-final berth. Rating: 6/10

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

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Team preview: India

Team preview: India
Generation X
Dileep Premachandran
September 7, 2007


India's squad for the tournament represents the first real break from the legends' generation - Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Sourav Ganguly have all opted out. Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads a side high on potential but low on achievement.

No one knows quite what to expect, but as Dinesh Karthik showed in India's lone Twenty20 appearance - a thrilling win at the Wanderers last December - the format is tailormade for unexpected heroes. A successful campaign - a place in the last four - might hasten the process of new faces being inducted into the one-day side as well.

Home truths
Unlike England or South Africa, who embraced the format in domestic cricket a few seasons ago, India only held its first tournament in the aftermath of the World Cup disaster. Tamil Nadu won that, but there were few signs that India's lack of nous and ability in cricket's third estate - fielding - would be transformed by the inclusion of younger players. Thrashing the ball around on home pitches was also no real indicator of batting quality, and that might explain the lack of left-field picks in the XV for the World Championship.

Strengths
Starting with the recalled Virender Sehwag at the top of the order, India has quite an array of exciting batting talent. Most of the leading batsmen, especially Dhoni, are capable of improvising cleverly, and the medium-pace bowlers they come up against might get a real pasting.

Zaheer Khan, India's pace spearhead, who was magnificent in helpful conditions at the Wanderers last year, has been rested for the event, and the onus could well be on Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla to induce mishits and get wickets.

Despite his descent into poor-form hell last year, Irfan Pathan could also be an integral part of India's challenge. When he can get it to swing early on, he's a different proposition, and there are few cleaner hitters in the game. His ability to bat anywhere in the order makes him the most likely shock option.

Weaknesses
The biggest handicap will undoubtedly be the fielding. India's best two practitioners, Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina, have been left behind, and barring the often outstanding Yuvraj Singh, there are no AB de Villiers/Michael Clarke-type fielders to prowl the inner ring. With the exception of Sreesanth and Ajit Agarkar, few have strong, accurate throws from the deep either.

India have little hope of winning this tournament, but hopefully their fruitless search for an allrounder will end with the return to form of Pathan, and their sloppy fielding will be improved with the injection of youth

Ian Chappell

The inexperienced pace bowling is as much of a worry. Sreesanth and RP Singh are both capable of hustling the best batsmen, but they can also leak runs alarmingly when off radar. As for Agarkar, the most experienced member of the side, no one still knows what to expect from him after a decade at the highest level. The back-up medium-pace option, Joginder Sharma, doesn't inspire much confidence either.

The lack of a head coach may be cited by some as a handicap, but the team certainly hasn't suffered for it thus far in England.

Players to watch
Virender Sehwag No one has more to prove than Sehwag, whose descent from the world's premier destroyer of quality bowling to man on the outer in both Test and one-day cricket is a sobering reminder of the pitfalls of sporting fame. His inability to pace himself properly in one-day cricket hastened the slide, but the constant-thrash nature of the Twenty20 format may well result in a return to the days of calm and unfettered hitting.

Yuvraj Singh Dhoni, with his massive carves over the infield, will doubtless play a part, but the star man should be Yuvraj, whose uncanny ability to find the gaps on both sides of the wicket is unparalleled in Indian cricket.

Dark horse
Yusuf Pathan Most people will know of him as Irfan's brother, but Yusuf Pathan's ability to belt the cricket ball beyond the boundary, coupled with his tidy spin bowling, has propelled him onto the biggest stage. Other leading contenders have specialists like Luke Wright and Gulam Bodi in their ranks, and India will hope that the unknown Pathan turns out to be their X-factor.

Ian Chappell's take
By making themselves unavailable, India's big three, Tendulkar, Dravid and Ganguly, have done what the selectors weren't brave enough to do on their own accord - make the Indian side younger.

India have little hope of winning this tournament, but hopefully their fruitless search for an allrounder will end with the return to form of Pathan, and their sloppy fielding will be improved with the injection of youth.

The other big plus that India will be looking to get out of this tournament is the international rehabilitation of Sehwag and Harbhajan. Just as a term in the wilderness has revitalised Ganguly's career, a return to former glory by these two talented young players would greatly enhance India's showing in this tournament and also in the future. In fact, if Sehwag, Irfan and Harbhajan all perform well in this tournament, and Sreesanth is sufficiently chastened by his omission from the 50-overs side to concentrate purely on bowling, then India will be much the better for participating. Chawla is another young player who is fast improving and looks ready to assume greater international responsibility.

With their dubious top-order batting and their propensity for being generous in the field, India could well disappoint in this tournament. Then again, if all their reclamation projects are successful, they could be the biggest surprise package of the tournament. They are more likely to fall in the former category than in the latter, and to miss the semi-finals. However, even if two of the reclamation projects fire, it could be regarded as a successful tournament for India. Rating: 6/10

Dileep Premachandran is associate editor of Cricinfo

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[ishara91]

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[Diyathi]

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[sheyan]

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