T20 World Cup 2022: Teamwise weaknesses of top 8 sides in tournament

As the Super 12 of T20 World Cup 2022 is knocking on the door, the elation of fans can be witnessed everywhere. Fans are eager to see how their team will perform in this mega T20 event in Australia. After 2009- 2010, this is the second time that the tournament is being held in consecutive years. When it comes to ICC events, one can’t write off Australia. Their scintillating records speak a lot about their domination in ICC events. The defending champions will be one of the favourites to win the title due to home advantage. Until now, hosts haven't won the T20 World Cup in their own backyard but this year, the men in yellow will try to achieve this record by retaining the trophy. In the last few months, fans saw all the teams in T20 action to get the best combination for this cricket extravaganza. After playing so many games, the boards have announced the best combination for the World Cup. Although the teams announced by their respective boards look perfect and ready to deliver swashbuckling performances, still there are some issues they need to address so that their frailties can’t be exploited by their opponents. With that in mind, here are- Weaknesses of top 8 squads of the T20 world cup 2022 1. Afghanistan- Pace bowling, Inconsistent batting The team Afghanistan is known for its fighting spirit. The team’s consistent spin attack and fierce batting line-up make them dangerous for other opponents, but at the same time, it can be said that their batting unit lacks consistency. In the recent Asia Cup, Afghanistan’s batting line-up faltered in the matches against both India and Pakistan. While playing against the quality bowling attack of Pakistan and India, the Afghan batting line-up completely struggled. Against India, the batters had a responsibility to chase 213 but Bhuvaneshwar Kumar’s swing deliveries bewildered them and exposed their weakness. Talking about their pace attack, Afghanistan stand nowhere compared to the quality bowling attacks of Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan. Since the last year, it has been witnessed that Afghanistan bowlers leak a lot of runs in close matches. Last year’s World T20 match against Pakistan and this year’s Asia Cup game against Pakistan are the perfect examples of the choking tendency of Afghan bowlers. 2. Bangladesh- Frail performance outside subcontinent There are no qualms that Bangladesh is one of the most dangerous sides in the T20 World Cup. On their day, they can spoil any team’s plans with their skilled batters and bowlers. In the subcontinent conditions, Shakib and his men have improved their graph in recent years, but in the Australian conditions, laxity from bowlers and batters could lead to the early elimination of the team from the event. The batters’ recent dismal outings in the Asia Cup and the tri-series in New Zealand will not bring cheers to Bangladesh supporters where every batter in the team looked out of rhythm and lacked consistency. The same case is with the bowlers as fans can see that the bowlers in the death overs have looked helpless and got beaten mercilessly. This frail batting and bowling department of the Bangladesh team could lead them to an early exit from the World Cup. 3. New Zealand- Choking on big stage New Zealand were the runners-up of the 2021 World T20 and during their campaign, they displayed valiance by dominating teams such as India and England. But in the final game against Australia, the Blackcaps again choked as their bowling wasn’t up to the mark. Big names such as Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, and Mitchell Santner were ineffective with the ball. When it comes to the announced squad for the World Cup 2022, New Zealand have selected the opener, Martin Guptil, who is lacking consistency. The veteran has failed to impress with his bat. The 36-year-old’s numbers in the last few T20 matches are horrendous. His scores of 6 and 2 in the series against Australia are enough to wilt the faces of the New Zealand team management. In this world championship, the Blackcaps need to resolve these issues to take the trophy home and remove the tag of chokers. 4. South Africa- absence of all-rounders South Africa can never be underrated to win the title. Renowned names such as David Miller, De Kock, Klaasen, Aiden Markaram, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Tabraiz Shamsi can win their team any trophy but the biggest weakness of this squad is the absence of all-rounders. Poor batting display by the skipper Tenda Bavuma is also a matter of concern for the team. In the T20I series against India, Bavuma failed to reach double digits. On the Australian pitches, it would be vital for him to deliver a fine start against the top bowling attack of top-notch teams. The absence of Van Der Dussen and Dwaine Pretorious will also be felt by South Africa as both these players had the ability to turn the match around. Dussen, in the last few years, has won some crucial matches for the team with his valuable innings. While Pretorious’ presence in the team fills the shoes of an all-rounder. 5. England- Inconsistent bowling According to experts, Australian pitches will be suitable for English pacers but the inconsistent bowling is a headache for the team. In the home series against India, English bowlers were outclassed by Indian batters. While playing against Pakistan, English batters choked twice under pressure. In the 4th and 5th games of the series, the team were given small targets by Pakistan but instead of achieving those with ease, the strong batting line-up faltered and lost both matches. 6. Australia- Inconsistent Form of big batters Australia as a squad is looking dangerous on paper. Well-known names such as Warner, Smith, Maxwell, Finch, Starc, and Hazlewood can bulldoze any team on their day. With the announced unit, the defending champions will look to win the title consecutively, but the skipper’s recent form might cause anxiety to Australian fans. Before the World Cup, not only Finch but Maxwell also disappointed fans with his bat. In this tournament, the team management will expect him to use his muscle power to win crucial matches for Australia. In the home series against West Indies and England, he had a dismal outing. No one can doubt Tim David’s ability to fire in T20s, but for the first time, the right-hander batter will play at the ICC event for Australia. Under pressure situations, David has to go ballistic against prime bowlers of the top teams, and under those circumstances, there are chances of this inexperienced batter getting preyed on easily by bowlers. 7. Pakistan- Middle order struggle Pakistan’s performance in the Asia Cup final and the home series against England drew flak from their former cricketers and fans. The PCB chief Ramiz Raja stood with the players during this difficult time, but looking at the statistics, the performance of the Pakistani middle-order batters diminishes their chances of having a successful campaign in the World T20 in Australia. Batters such as Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali, Shan Masood, and Asif Ali have failed to impress with their bats. While following colossal targets, the team’s overdependence on Rizwan and Babar creates pressure on both openers also. After the final games of the Asia Cup and the home series against England, the scoring rate of Rizwan and the middle-order batters was questioned by the critics. 8. India - Death bowling, batters' struggle against left-armers After the disappointing World T20 in 2021, India will strive to win the title under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. Under MS Dhoni, the Men in Blue became champions in the 2007 edition of the competition. In the last edition, India under Kohli failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to huge defeats from Pakistan and New Zealand. This year, Rohit and his men will try to win the trophy and end the 15-year drought but to make a reality, India have to resolve bowling and batting woes. In Bumrah’s absence, the death-over bowling is a headache, even the experienced and reliable Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and other key bowlers such as Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, and Axar Patel are spilling runs in the important overs of the matches. India’s struggle against left-arm pacers is also not hidden. In the last edition, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi wreaked havoc on India by dismissing both Indian openers, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul early.

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