HIGH-OCTANE ENTERTAINMENT

Cricket’s most frenetic format is coming to the UK. The ICC World Twenty20 kicks off on 5 June, pitting nation against nation in a winner-takes-all showdown.

Lord’s, the Brit Oval and Trent Bridge will play host to some 27 matches across 16 days, with two to three matches taking place each day. The 12 competing sides have been split into four groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing on to the Super Eights. The top four sides to emerge from this second stage go on to contest the semi-finals and, ultimately, the final.

If the bookmakers are to be believed, India will start as pre-tournament favourites. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir form arguably the most explosive opening partnership in the game, whilst the clean striking of Yuvraj Singh, who memorably dispatched England’s Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over during the inaugural tournament in 2007, and MS Dhoni will be difficult to restrain during the crucial middle overs.

Australia will also inevitably prove dangerous, Boasting a fearsome array of fast bowling talent, numerous athletic fielders and arguably the most accomplished middle-order in international cricket, Ricky Ponting’s men look a formidable proposition. Having previously been accused of regarding the 20-over format with disdain, Australia will doubtless be looking to put down a marker for the rest of the summer.

South Africa will also be highly favoured. With their pugnacious skipper Graeme Smith and the mercurial Herschelle Gibbs forming a highly effective chalk-and-cheese opening partnership and Albie Morkel rapidly becoming the most dangerous finisher in world cricket, the Proteas are once again evolving into an
effective one-day unit.

England as a limited-overs force remain frustratingly inconsistent, and their record to date in Twenty20 Internationals is mediocre at best, but, on their home turf and with a need to build momentum ahead of the Ashes, no one will be taking Paul Collingwood’s team lightly. With numerous hard-hitting all-rounders, an outstanding keeper in James Foster and the flamboyant brilliance of Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen to call upon, England will be fancying their chances. Likewise Pakistan, who ran Australia surprisingly close during their recent one-day series out in the UAE despite little match practice. Watch out for Umar Gul, one of the most incisive pace bowlers in Twenty20 cricket.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will be extremely comfortable with their status as the dark horses of the tournament. Their batting relies heavily on Sanath Jayasuriya, but in Lasith Malinga, the most effective seamer in this season’s IPL, Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis they have three unique bowlers of frightening potency. New Zealand similarly rely on a cluster of outstanding individuals, but they more than make up for this by maintaining fantastic standards in their fielding and fitness. Throw in the miserly left-arm spin of skipper Daniel Vettori and the expansive batting of Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum and you have a team to be reckoned with.

Meanwhile, the West Indies will be anxious to put their poor form in the recent Test series behind them, and Chris Gayle will no doubt be very keen to return to the format he most enjoys following his much publicised remarks about the Test game. Keep an eye out for Kieron Pollard, a ferocious striker of a cricket ball down the order, and the enduring class of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

But whilst everyone expects these teams to feature heavily, no one would be surprised if the likes of Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland sparked an upset. Bangladesh in particular will be a consistent threat, with the likes of Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza proven all-round performers on the international stage, and they will no doubt be champing at the bit to prove they can compete with
their more experienced rivals.

It all adds up to a feast of big hitting, dynamic bowling and athletic fielding, so strap yourself in as you take your seats. It should be one heck of a show.