T20 World Cup 2024
20-20 World Cup 2022: Biggest weaknesses of each team
The much-anticipated 20-20 World Cup is all set to commence on 16th October 2022 in Australia. Ahead of the start of the tournament, there have been talks on the balance of all the teams participating in the show-piece event. The cricket experts have put forth their opinions on the batting and bowling combination of the big teams for the marquee event.
All the teams have tried to come up with the best possible squads and would be looking to exhibit their best performance in the tournament. However, despite that, every team has some or other weakness which might come to haunt them in the tournament. In this article, we will be talking about one big weakness of each team in the 20-20 World Cup.
20-20 World Cup 2022: Biggest weaknesses of each team
- India: Lacklustre bowling unit
Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar: (Image Source: Twitter)
There is no denying that India have a great batting unit, consisting the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul etc. However, bowling is a big concern for them right now. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah might prove to be a big worry going into the tournament. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel need to step up to the plate or India might struggle in the tournament.
2. Pakistan- Middle-order failure
Pakistan: (Image Source: Twitter)
The opening pair of Babar Azam and M Rizwan is the biggest strength of Pakistan’s batting unit. The duo scores the majority of runs for the team. However, the team gets in trouble if they get out cheaply. Pakistan’s middle-order batters haven’t shown a lot of promise, of late and this is one big headache for them right now.
3. Australia- Skipper Aaron Finch’s lacklustre form with the bat
Australia: (Image Source: Twitter)
Australia skipper, Aaron Finch’s performances in the last couple of years in the shortest format haven’t inspired a lot of confidence. Finch is the skipper of the team and his poor form with the bat can have a bad impact on his captaincy as well. In 16 T20Is played this year, Finch has scored 405 runs at 27.00.
4. New Zealand: Middle-order woes continue to haunt them
New Zealand: (Image Source: Twitter)
New Zealand have a strong middle order, consisting of the likes of Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, and Chapman to name a few. However, the players haven’t delivered on a consistent basis. Their most important batter, Kane Williamson has looked like a pale shadow of himself in the recent past and this is a big concern for the team.
5. South Africa: Temba Bavuma’s horror run continues
Temba Bavuma: (Image Source: Twitter)
South Africa have a pretty balanced squad going into the World Cup. However, the skipper Temba Bavuma’s form doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. Bavuma’s recent performances with the bat have been a big concern for the team. With him being the skipper, he needs to return with good performances to give himself some confidence.
6. Sri Lanka- Injury concerns in the pace-department
Sri Lanka: (Image Source: Twitter)
Sri Lanka have two pacers in the squad i.e., Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara, who can clock over 150 kmph speed throughout the tournament. However, both of them are coming into the tournament on the back of injuries. It wouldn’t be easy for them to bowl at full throttle and this is a worry for the team.
7. West Indies: Inconsistent performances of the batting unit
Nicholas Pooran: (Image Source: Twitter)
West Indies are a force to be reckoned with in T20 cricket. They are only team that has won two T20 World Cup titles. However, they haven’t dished out inspiring performances in the last couple of years and their inconsistent batting is a big reason for that. Skipper Nicholas Pooran is going through a pretty bad patch, while Shimron Hetmyer isn’t part of the squad. Rovman Powell has been inconsistent with the bat as well. It remains to be seen how the batting fares out on the big stage in Australia.
8. England: Death over bowling
England: (Image Source: Twitter)
England have an outstanding batting unit but the same cannot be said about their bowling. They have some good bowling options in Mark Wood, David Willey, Chris Jordan, and Reece Topley. However, their ability to contain runs in the death overs has been under scrutiny for quite some time. The English bowlers have been conceding a lot of runs towards the back end of the innings and it might come to haunt them in the World Cup.
9. Bangladesh: Batting continues to be a headache
Bangladesh: (Image Source: Twitter)
Bangladesh recently participated in a tri-series in New Zealand and the fans aren’t too happy with their performance. Batting has been a major cause of concern. Apart from Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das, there isn’t any batter whom you can bet on. For Bangladesh to go far in the tournament, batters need to step up to the plate.
10. Afghanistan – Lack pacers who could bowl fast on bouncy pitches in Australia
Naveen Ul Haq: (Image Source: Twitter)
Afghanistan performed admirably in the last edition’s 20-20 World Cup and in the Asia Cup as well. They have a pretty balanced squad going into the tournament but how well their pace attack perform on bouncy pitches of Australia remains to be seen.
The likes of Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq have done well at the sub-continent but one doubts if they can replicate similar performances in Australia. Afghanistan are short of fast bowling option who could consistently bowl at over 150 clicks and this might prove to be a worry in the tournament.
