ICC T20 Cricket World Cup team-by-team guides, squad details and betting pointers

Afghanistan

Sky Bet outright odds: 66/1

Squad: Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveen ul Haq

Captain: Mohammad Nabi

2016: World Cup: 5th in Group 1

Overview: Afghanistan’s spinners propelled their team to a famous group victory over eventual winners West Indies in 2016 and with qualification already assured this time around, they’ll be hopeful of pulling off another major surprise or two in the UAE. Afghanistan showed their hand in their opening warm-up match against South Africa by opening with spin from both ends as Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman proved typically frugal. That will leave Rashid Khan to do his thing in the middle overs, but the batting looks awfully light and the bowlers will need to do the heavy lifting. They look up against it.

Star man: RASHID KHAN might have resigned from the captaincy in light of recent events in Afghanistan, but there is no doubting his commitment to the cause, or his country. There is absolutely no doubting the quality of the Men’s T20I cricketer of the decade, either: 95 wickets in 51 T20Is and an economy rate of 6.21 is a remarkable record. He can be dangerous with the bat, too, and his side are sure to need some of that.

Richard Mann’s pointer: KARIM JANAT seems to have been missed, or just plain underrated, by most firms, but the 23-year-old looks set to bat in the Afghanistan top four. With such impressive numbers in First Class cricket, it shouldn’t be long before Janat makes his mark at this level and he might just be worth following in the Afghanistan top batsman markets if bookmakers continue to ignore his claims.

Pakistan

Outright odds: 7/1

Squad: Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood

Captain: Babar Azam

2016 World Cup: 4th in Group 2

Overview: While Pakistan are often charged with being unpredictable and inconsistent, it is worth remembering that they won the 50-over ICC Champions Trophy as recently as 2017. Their top order is particularly strong with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan forming an outstanding opening partnership. In Shaheen Afridi they can call upon a high-class pace spearhead who takes wickets with the new ball and bowls a brilliant yorker at the death. The major concern remains the lack of a middle-order finisher and with their recent record against India not favourable, they could find themselves up against it, for all they know these conditions better than most.

Star man: BABAR AZAM is already firmly established one of the leading batsmen in the world, but his white-ball credentials are particularly impressive. Babar averages a very healthy 46.89 in T20Is and how he performs with the bat, along with juggling captaincy, will go a long way to determining the fate of his side.

Richard Mann’s pointer: Having the option of bowling plenty of spin in the powerplay could prove a crucial weapon at this World Cup, particularly given how little success the seamers enjoyed with the new ball towards the end of the recent Indian Premier League which was also staged in the UAE. As such, IMAD WASIM could yet prove to be Pakistan’s trump card. Imad delivered three overs for only six runs in Pakistan’s opening warm-up match against the West Indies and he should continue to be hard work for top-order batsmen.

T20 World Cup betting odds: Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

India

Outright odds: 9/4

Squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami

Captain: Virat Kohli

2016 World Cup: Semi-finalists

Overview: Typically, India have assembled a powerful squad which just about justifies their favouritism in the outright market. However, there are some notable omissions, with another excellent IPL not enough to earn Yuzvendra Chahal a place in it. Ravi Ashwin and Rahul Chahar have been preferred to him for the spin-bowling spots, but neither comes into the competition in quite the same form. It’s the same with the batting, captain Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan both showing glimpses of their best at the IPL but all too fleetingly. With Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also in the squad, who bats where in the top order needs to be considered carefully.

Star man: The headlines will generally be made by Kohli and Rohit, but across all three formats, JASPRIT BUMRAH is arguably the best bowler in the world and he will need to prove it if India are to lift the trophy. With Ashwin and Chahar having questions to answer at present, so too Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Bumrah will carry a big burden over the next few weeks. Despite delivering the bulk of his overs at the death, Bumrah’s economy rate in this format is only 6.90 and with his devilish off-cutter ideal for the type of wickets expected in the UAE, he should be set for a fruitful tournament.

Richard Mann’s pointer: By moving himself back up to open in this format against England earlier in the year, Kohli appeared to set in stone India’s formula for the T20 World Cup. With Rohit a banker for the other opening batsman slot, that means KL RAHUL – hot off the back of another stellar IPL season – could find himself batting out of position. That would be madness given number three has long been Kohli’s position in white-ball cricket and that Rahul is the in-form Indian batsman right now. The warm-up matches will provide further clues, but should Kohli appear likely to make a welcome U-turn, Rahul would be a bet at 3/1 for top India tournament batsman.

New Zealand

Squad: Kane Williamson, Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

Outright odds: 13/2

Captain: Kane Williamson

2016 World Cup: Semi-finalists

Overview: The 2019 50-Over World Cup final defeat still hurts New Zealanders, fans and players alike, but 2021 has already seen a change in fortunes following victory over India in the ICC Test Championship final. Their paths will cross again in Group 2 and the Kiwis should be confident of more success given the strong squad Kane Williamson has at his disposal. Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner are the big names in the bowling attack, while Williamson and veteran Martin Guptill will be backed up by the impressive Devon Conway. Finding the right balance will be key, as will be fast starts from Guptill, but this is a side going places and they could prove a tough nut to crack.

Star man: With plenty of viable options for this section, the roulette wheel has stopped on LOCKIE FERGUSON whose genuine pace and fearsome yorker could prove to be one of New Zealand’s biggest weapons. Ferguson was outstanding in the aforementioned 2019 World Cup and comes into this on the back of a strong tournament in the IPL, helping Kolkata Knight Riders reach the final and generally finding a way to defy some slugging surfaces. With Trent Boult not quite at his best in that competition, Ferguson will need to deliver again.

Richard Mann’s pointer: Early indications suggest that Conway might find himself batting at number four in this competition, bad news for anyone wishing to take him for top tournament runscorer, but ensuring that New Zealand don’t risk burning their ‘big three’ too early. Another crucial factor will be how Williamson manages his spinners with Santner, Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle all turning the ball in the same direction. It could leave New Zealand vulnerable to aggressive left-handers in the middle overs, and might persuade Williamson to find room for batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips who bowls part-time off spin. This squad appears to have few flaws, but this might just be a weak spot opposition sides look to exploit.

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