Prospects of Teams To Win the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England

Chances and Prospects of all the 12 Participating Teams & their odds to win the Second Edition of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

India Factbox for the  ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

 Strengths

Confident side under the assured leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The team are experienced and an average age of 25 means vastly improved fielding with the Indian Premier League (IPL) helping players to learn to keep their cool under pressure.

Weaknesses

Fatigue after a long season could have left the players jaded. Strike bowler Zaheer Khan is recovering from a shoulder injury while the subdued displays of openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir during the IPL are a concern.

Key Player

Yuvraj Singh is an explosive left-handed batsman who hit England paceman Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over during India’s surprise triumph in the inaugural edition in South Africa two years ago. Now more mature and in excellent batting form, his slow left-arm spin and sharp fielding at point will boost the team.

ODDS 11/4

Squad

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh.

Pakistan Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

Strengths

Skipper Younis Khan needs to do little to motivate a team hungry for success after being starved of international games due to security concerns at home. The 2007 finalists know success will go a long way to revitalise Pakistan cricket and if the batsmen play to their potential, their bowlers led by Sohail Tanvir and Shahid Afridi can come into play.

Weaknesses

Players missed out on useful practice in the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to political tension between Pakistan and India following the Mumbai attacks last November. The team are also notoriously inconsistent, exiting the last 50-overs World Cup in the first round.

Key player

Shahid Afridi, whose all-out aggression seemed to have anticipated the demands of Twenty20 cricket, is a vital component. Although unpredictable and without a half-century in 16 Twenty20 internationals, he can be explosive with the bat. His good recent form with his fast leg-spin and sharp fielding will be crucial.

Odds: 6/1

Squad

Younis Khan (Captain), Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Aamir, Salman Butt, Shahzaib Hasan, Sohail Tanvir, Yasir Arafat, Ahmed Shehzad, Rao Iftikhar, Misbah-ul-Haq, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Umar Gul.

Australia Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England. 

Strengths

Australia are ranked number one in the world in test cricket, have won the last three World Cups and are the holders of the Champions Trophy. They are one of the few cricketing countries to make money from the sport and they boast a seemingly endless production line of top-quality players.

Weaknesses

Among the last of the major cricket countries to embrace Twenty20 and have been reluctant to treat it any more seriously than a money-making novelty event. Test cricket remains the priority.

Key Player

David Warner is the only specialist Twenty20 player in the squad. An explosive left-handed opener, he blasted 89 from 43 balls in his Twenty20 debut against South Africa in January.

Odds 9/2

Squad

Ricky Ponting (Captain), Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Andrew Symonds, David Warner, Shane Watson.

New Zealand Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England. 

Strengths

New Zealand habitually punch above their weight in limited-overs cricket, scrapping tenaciously and fielding enthusiastically. Brendon McCullum, one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket, is ably supported by Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram.

Weaknesses

One-paced bowling, almost exclusively medium pace.

Key Player

Captain Daniel Vettori is the best finger spinner around, relying in one-day cricket on variations of flight and pace.

ODDS 9/1

Squad

Daniel Vettori (Captain), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Kyle Mills, Iain O’Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

England Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

Strengths

England have made a fine start to their packed summer with clean sweeps of the test and one-day series against an admittedly uninterested West Indies side. Ravi Bopara has been in prime form with the bat after a successful stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Weaknesses

Have fallen off the pace in one-day cricket in the past decade and have still to win a major tournament. Look short of firepower in the batting.

Key Player

Kevin Pietersen was an expensive failure in the IPL and missed the one-dayers against West Indies through injury. He still remains the batsman the opposition fear most with his power, range of strokes and ability to improvise.

Odds 8/1

Squad

Paul Collingwood (Captain), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, James Foster, Robert Key, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Kevin Pietersen, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

South Africa Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

Strengths

Boast a strong and deep batting lineup. Batsmen of the calibre of Graeme Smith and the in-form JP Duminy and AB de Villiers are all skilled Twenty20 cricketers while all-rounder Albie Morkel is one of world cricket’s most fearsome hitters.

Weaknesses

Will be concerned about their lack of suitable bowlers in the final overs. Fast bowler Dale Steyn will provide plenty for the opposition to think about from one end but South Africa’s choices are limited at the other.

Key Player

Proteas’ captain and opening batsman Smith plays a vital role. He leads from the front and if he can get his team off to good starts, and shrug off the effects of a tennis elbow injury, South Africa will be confident of a successful tournament.

Odds 9/2

Squad

Graeme Smith (Captain), Yusuf Abdulla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe.

Sri Lanka Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

Strengths

Experience and explosive power in a batting lineup of Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, captain Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Sri Lanka have always played as a unit and spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis will be a handful.

Weaknesses

Pace bowling backup for Lasith Malinga, who took 18 wickets for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Key Player

Captain Sangakkara, one of the best attacking batsmen in the world and an accomplished wicketkeeper. In form after amassing 332 runs in 13 innings for the King XI Punjab team in the IPL.

Odds: 8/1

Squad

Kumar Sangakkara, Indika de Saram, Sanath Jayasuriya, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Silva, Isuru Udana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Angelo Mathews, Jehan Mubarak, Thilan Thushara.

West Indies Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England.

Strengths

A match for any team when fit and fully focused, as they showed in their demolition of England in the Stanford Twenty20 match last year. Captain and opener Chris Gayle can win a game on his own.

Weaknesses

After regaining the Wisden trophy against England in the Caribbean this year, succumbed supinely in the return test and one-day series.

ODDS 10/1

Key Player

Dwayne Bravo, who missed the test series in England because of a lingering ankle injury, is a free-scoring batsman, more than useful medium-fast bowler and dynamic fielder.

Squad

Chris Gayle (captain), Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor.

Bangladesh Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England

Strengths

The shortest format provides Bangladesh with the best opportunity to beat established sides. Possess talented batsmen in skipper Mohammad Ashraful and the 20-year-old Tamim Iqbal.

Weaknesses

Bangladesh have struggled to find their feet in international cricket. Inconsistent players lose confidence in their abilities when put under pressure.

Key Player

Shakib Al Hasan is a fine all-rounder, taking seven for 36 in a test innings against New Zealand last year and scoring 108 in a one-dayer against Pakistan in Multan.

Odds: 40/1

Squad

Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Zunaed Siddique, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Roqibul Hasan, Shahadat Hossain, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Mahmudullah, Mithun Ali, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Syed Rasel.

Scotland Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England

Prospects

An ageing team of club cricketers going through a transitional period after performing creditably at the 2007 50-overs World Cup.

Key Player

Captain Gavin Hamilton played test cricket for England but he is now very much a part-time player and no longer bowls.

Odds 250/1

Squad

Gavin Hamilton, Kyle Coetzer, Majid Haq, Calum MacLeod, Navdeep Poonia, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Craig Wright, Richie Berrington, Gordon Drummond, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Glenn Rogers, Jan Stander, Fraser Watts.

Ireland Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England

Prospects

Best of the minor nations in the tournament with two players on full-time contracts. Cricket in Ireland received a huge boost when their team knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 50-overs World Cup on St Patrick’s Day.

Key Player

Captain and opener William Porterfield who has been entrusted with anchoring the innings.

Odds 250/1

Squad

William Porterfield (Captain), Jeremy Bray, Alex Cusack. Kyle McCallan, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Regan West, Gary Wilson, Andre Botha, Peter Connell, Trent Johnston, John Mooney, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Andrew White.


Netherlands Factbox for the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England

Prospects

Two classy professionals bolster the Dutch side, all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate and fast bowler Dirk Nannes.

Key Player

Nannes has genuine pace and the advantage of bowling left arm.

Odds 500/1

Squad

Jeroen Smits (Captain), Mudassar Bukhari, Maurits Jonkman, Dirk Nannes, Darron Reekers, Pieter Seelaar, Ryan ten Doeschate, Bas Zuiderent, Peter Borren, Tom de Goorth, Alexei Kervezee, Ruud Nijman, Edgar Schiferli, Eric Szwarczynski, Daan van Bunge.

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