Australia will enter the upcoming <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T20 World Cup 2022</a> starting on October 16 as one of the favourites. The defending champions are currently ranked sixth on the latest ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings but as a host nation, they can put up a big challenge to other contenders. Australia will be hoping for big performances from their veteran openers in David Warner and Aaron Finch, as both batters are likely to be playing in their last T20 World Cup.

Pakistan also possess a big threat in the upcoming World Cup with both openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dominating the T20I rankings lately. Similar to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies are also largely dependent on their opening pair to make a big impact in the T20 World Cup.

Both India and England are not entirely dependent on their top-order but it will definitely play a big part in their outcomes in Australia. India's batting order is looking sorted out but their bowling attack seems less impressive. On the other hand, England's recent away series win against Pakistan, without key senior players, has boosted their chances for the T20 World Cup 2022.

In cricket, openers' performance is a crucial factor in building up an innings and the T20 World Cup is no different. Notably, four of the top-five run-getters in the last edition of the T20 World Cup were all openers. So let's rate the the top-eight teams based on their opening pairs.

West Indies, the only team to win the T20 World Cup tournament twice, are placed seventh in the current ICC rankings and pose no real threat in the upcoming edition. They need to overcome a tough challenge from Ireland, Scotland, and Zimbabawe in the First round, to qualify for the Super 12.

West Indies' recent T20I series defeats against India and New Zealand at home, have further exposed their weakness in every department. The Caribbean unit has tested Shamrah Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, and Brandon King for the openers' position in the last two series. King and Mayers were impressive in the recently concluded <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-reviews/cpl-2022-brandon-king-shamarh-brooks-power-jamaica-tallawahs-to-title-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caribbean Premier League 2022 (CPL</a>) and are likely to open for the Windies in the World Cup.&nbsp;

King smashed 422 runs and Mayers scored 366 in the CPL 2022 season, and finished as the top-two leading run-getters in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how both players perform as an opening pair in the World Cup matches.

Also Read: <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/most-runs-in-icc-mens-t20-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Most Runs in T20 World Cup</a>

South Africa were excellent in the T20 World Cup 2021 with four wins in five group stage matches, but they failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to a poor net run rate. Unlike other teams, South Africa's best performers were their middle-order stars Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram. Openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks struggled to put up big knocks upfront and that put a lot of pressure on the middle-order.

With van der Dussen missing the upcoming World Cup due to injury, the Proteas will be hoping for big performances from their openers. The current opening pair, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/his-performance-is-something-boucher-needs-to-think-of-makhaya-ntini-expresses-concerns-over-temba-bavumas-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Temba Bavuma-Quinton de Kock</a>, has struggled for good starts in recent T20Is, including in the latest T20I series against India.&nbsp;

Captain Bavuma, who played in middle-order during the 2021 edition, opened with de Kock, over in-form Reeza Hendricks against India. Compared to Bavuma's 64 runs in seven games, Reeza has scored 323 runs in eight matches at an excellent average of 46.14 and strike rate of 139.83 in 2022. So the current Bavuma-de Kock pairing definitely hampers South Africa's chances in the T20 World Cup 2022.

Sri Lanka, who managed to win only two matches in the Super 12 during the T20 World Cup 2021, have <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-five-matches-which-we-are-due-to-play-in-australia-will-be-to-our-advantage-sri-lanka-skipper-dasun-shanaka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many reasons to believe in themselves</a> in the upcoming tournament. The triumph in the Asia Cup 2022 is the biggest reason for the Asian giants to make a similar impact in Australia and for that, they need eye-catching performances from their opening pair.&nbsp;

Both Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka provided excellent starts in the Asia Cup and that was one of the key reasons for their success in UAE. But they are not completely dependent on the opening pair as the lower middle-order is also in good form with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka finishing games.

Mendis scored 155 runs in the recent Asia Cup at an impressive strike rate of 156.56 and Nissanka played an accumulator role with 173 runs at a strike rate of 115.33. But Mendis was not part of the World Cup team last year and his partnership with Nissanka is very new compared to other opening pairs in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup.

New Zealand, runners-up in the last edition, will fancy their chances as far as the upcoming T20 World Cup is concerned especially after their recent T20I success in the West Indies and Europe. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-goal-is-to-rotate-the-squad-selector-gavin-larsen-on-new-zealand-squad-for-upcoming-tri-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kiwis</a>, with their full strength, defeated West Indies 2-1 last month but the performance from their opening pair of Martin Guptil and Devon Conway was a concerning one.

The in-form all-rounder Daryl Mitchell opened alongside Guptil during in the last edition, and the pair was excellent with 208 runs each. But Conway's outings in the Indian Premier League 2022 have made him open the innings lately in T20Is.

Although both Conway and Guptill struggled for consistency on the West Indies tour and have an exciting prospect in Finn Allen, Kiwis are likely to stick with the current pair to open the innings in Australia. They have a strong middle order and in-form finishers to score big totals in Australia if the opening pair struggles to perform.

England have sent warnings to other teams participating in the T20 World Cup 2022 with their latest seven-match T20I series win against Pakistan despite the absence of their key stars in Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone. Buttler, a captain and regular opener, has recently recovered from his injury, and remains one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world.

With both Jonny Bairstow and Buttler out injured, England management went on with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/twitter-reaction-phil-salt-shines-as-england-hammer-pakistan-to-set-up-epic-series-finale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phil Salt</a> and Alex Hales as their opening pair on Pakistan tour. Salt, a young wicketkeeper batter, smashed 167 runs at a strike rate of 157.54 and the veteran Hales scored 130 runs at a strike rate of 141.30 in Pakistan.

It remains to be seen as to who opens for England in the upcoming mega event. Both Salt and Buttler opened the innings in the recently concluded The Men's Hundred 2022 for Manchester Originals and formed impressive partnerships.

The hosts lost a recent three-match T20I series 2-1 to India but it came in the absence of regular starters David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis. Captain Aaron Finch continued his struggles with only 60 runs in three matches but notched up an impressive strike rate of 176.47.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/">Cameron Green</a> turned out to be the highest run-getter with 118 runs at a strike rate of 214.54 while opening the innings in the absence of Warner.

Warner, who accumulated the most runs (289) for his team in just seven matches in the last edition of the tournament, will definitely look to repeat his heroics. Green is not part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad, but given his form with the bat Australia will be tempted to draft him in.

Afrter failing to reach the final of the Asia Cup 2022, India managed to win their latest two T20I series against Australia and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa 2-1 at home</a>. But it was not a totally convincing performance from the hosts due to their recent struggles with bowling. But India's batting unit has been in great rhythm lately and the top-order will be their main strength in the T20 World Cup 2022.

Both Rohit and Rahul are clear choices to open the innings in the mega tournament in Australia. But India's opening pair don't top the opening chart due to the inconsistent form of captain Rohit. The veteran opener struggled for big knocks against Australia and South Africa after below-average performances in the Asia Cup.

But Rohit was India's leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2021 and will be looking forward to create a similar impact in the upcoming mega tournament as well.&nbsp;

Pakistan's latest T20I home series defeat against England has put questions on their chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The defeat exposed the middle-order and finishing issues in the squad but the performance from the star openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan was top-notch, yet again.

Babar scored 303 and Rizwan smashed 281 runs in the T20 World Cup 2021 and once again remain Pakistan's main strength ahead of the upcoming tournament.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/need-to-improve-in-the-shortest-format-babar-azam-reacts-after-t20i-series-loss-to-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Babar</a> ended his brief poor run of form by scoring 285 runs in seven innings against England at an impressive average of 57.00 and strike rate of 143.21 with the help of his first-ever hundred in T20I cricket. His current form will be a key for Pakistan to make a big impact in the upcoming World Cup.

Rizwan, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper batter, is enjoying his dream run in T20I cricket. After accumulating 281 runs in just six innings at the Asia Cup 2022, he finished the seven-match T20I series against England as the leading run-scorer with 316 runs in six innings at an average of 63.20 and a strike rate of 138.59.

He surpassed Babar in the ICC Men's T20I Rankings during the Asia Cup tournament and now sits at the top of the chart.

Australia will enter the upcoming <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T20 World Cup 2022</a> starting on October 16 as one of the favourites. The defending champions are currently ranked sixth on the latest ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings but as a host nation, they can put up a big challenge to other contenders. Australia will be hoping for big performances from their veteran openers in David Warner and Aaron Finch, as both batters are likely to be playing in their last T20 World Cup.
Pakistan also possess a big threat in the upcoming World Cup with both openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dominating the T20I rankings lately. Similar to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies are also largely dependent on their opening pair to make a big impact in the T20 World Cup.
Both India and England are not entirely dependent on their top-order but it will definitely play a big part in their outcomes in Australia. India's batting order is looking sorted out but their bowling attack seems less impressive. On the other hand, England's recent away series win against Pakistan, without key senior players, has boosted their chances for the T20 World Cup 2022.
In cricket, openers' performance is a crucial factor in building up an innings and the T20 World Cup is no different. Notably, four of the top-five run-getters in the last edition of the T20 World Cup were all openers. So let's rate the the top-eight teams based on their opening pairs.
<h3>8. West Indies (6/10)</h3>
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West Indies, the only team to win the T20 World Cup tournament twice, are placed seventh in the current ICC rankings and pose no real threat in the upcoming edition. They need to overcome a tough challenge from Ireland, Scotland, and Zimbabawe in the First round, to qualify for the Super 12.
West Indies' recent T20I series defeats against India and New Zealand at home, have further exposed their weakness in every department. The Caribbean unit has tested Shamrah Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, and Brandon King for the openers' position in the last two series. King and Mayers were impressive in the recently concluded <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-reviews/cpl-2022-brandon-king-shamarh-brooks-power-jamaica-tallawahs-to-title-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caribbean Premier League 2022 (CPL</a>) and are likely to open for the Windies in the World Cup.&nbsp;
King smashed 422 runs and Mayers scored 366 in the CPL 2022 season, and finished as the top-two leading run-getters in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how both players perform as an opening pair in the World Cup matches.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/most-runs-in-icc-mens-t20-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Most Runs in T20 World Cup</a>

<h3>7. South Africa (7/10)</h3>
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South Africa were excellent in the T20 World Cup 2021 with four wins in five group stage matches, but they failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to a poor net run rate. Unlike other teams, South Africa's best performers were their middle-order stars Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram. Openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks struggled to put up big knocks upfront and that put a lot of pressure on the middle-order.
With van der Dussen missing the upcoming World Cup due to injury, the Proteas will be hoping for big performances from their openers. The current opening pair, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/his-performance-is-something-boucher-needs-to-think-of-makhaya-ntini-expresses-concerns-over-temba-bavumas-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Temba Bavuma-Quinton de Kock</a>, has struggled for good starts in recent T20Is, including in the latest T20I series against India.&nbsp;
Captain Bavuma, who played in middle-order during the 2021 edition, opened with de Kock, over in-form Reeza Hendricks against India. Compared to Bavuma's 64 runs in seven games, Reeza has scored 323 runs in eight matches at an excellent average of 46.14 and strike rate of 139.83 in 2022. So the current Bavuma-de Kock pairing definitely hampers South Africa's chances in the T20 World Cup 2022.

<h3>6. Sri Lanka (7.5/10)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1665134195104_Pathum-Nissanka-and-Kusal-Mendis.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Sri Lanka, who managed to win only two matches in the Super 12 during the T20 World Cup 2021, have <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-five-matches-which-we-are-due-to-play-in-australia-will-be-to-our-advantage-sri-lanka-skipper-dasun-shanaka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many reasons to believe in themselves</a> in the upcoming tournament. The triumph in the Asia Cup 2022 is the biggest reason for the Asian giants to make a similar impact in Australia and for that, they need eye-catching performances from their opening pair.&nbsp;
Both Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka provided excellent starts in the Asia Cup and that was one of the key reasons for their success in UAE. But they are not completely dependent on the opening pair as the lower middle-order is also in good form with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka finishing games.
Mendis scored 155 runs in the recent Asia Cup at an impressive strike rate of 156.56 and Nissanka played an accumulator role with 173 runs at a strike rate of 115.33. But Mendis was not part of the World Cup team last year and his partnership with Nissanka is very new compared to other opening pairs in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup.

<h3>5. New Zealand (8/10)</h3>
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New Zealand, runners-up in the last edition, will fancy their chances as far as the upcoming T20 World Cup is concerned especially after their recent T20I success in the West Indies and Europe. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-goal-is-to-rotate-the-squad-selector-gavin-larsen-on-new-zealand-squad-for-upcoming-tri-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kiwis</a>, with their full strength, defeated West Indies 2-1 last month but the performance from their opening pair of Martin Guptil and Devon Conway was a concerning one.
The in-form all-rounder Daryl Mitchell opened alongside Guptil during in the last edition, and the pair was excellent with 208 runs each. But Conway's outings in the Indian Premier League 2022 have made him open the innings lately in T20Is.
Although both Conway and Guptill struggled for consistency on the West Indies tour and have an exciting prospect in Finn Allen, Kiwis are likely to stick with the current pair to open the innings in Australia. They have a strong middle order and in-form finishers to score big totals in Australia if the opening pair struggles to perform.

<h3>4. England (8/10)</h3>
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England have sent warnings to other teams participating in the T20 World Cup 2022 with their latest seven-match T20I series win against Pakistan despite the absence of their key stars in Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone. Buttler, a captain and regular opener, has recently recovered from his injury, and remains one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world.
With both Jonny Bairstow and Buttler out injured, England management went on with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/twitter-reaction-phil-salt-shines-as-england-hammer-pakistan-to-set-up-epic-series-finale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phil Salt</a> and Alex Hales as their opening pair on Pakistan tour. Salt, a young wicketkeeper batter, smashed 167 runs at a strike rate of 157.54 and the veteran Hales scored 130 runs at a strike rate of 141.30 in Pakistan.
It remains to be seen as to who opens for England in the upcoming mega event. Both Salt and Buttler opened the innings in the recently concluded The Men's Hundred 2022 for Manchester Originals and formed impressive partnerships.

<h3>3. Australia (8.5/10)</h3>
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The hosts lost a recent three-match T20I series 2-1 to India but it came in the absence of regular starters David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis. Captain Aaron Finch continued his struggles with only 60 runs in three matches but notched up an impressive strike rate of 176.47.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/">Cameron Green</a> turned out to be the highest run-getter with 118 runs at a strike rate of 214.54 while opening the innings in the absence of Warner.
Warner, who accumulated the most runs (289) for his team in just seven matches in the last edition of the tournament, will definitely look to repeat his heroics. Green is not part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad, but given his form with the bat Australia will be tempted to draft him in.

<h3>2. India (8.5/10)</h3>
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Afrter failing to reach the final of the Asia Cup 2022, India managed to win their latest two T20I series against Australia and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa 2-1 at home</a>. But it was not a totally convincing performance from the hosts due to their recent struggles with bowling. But India's batting unit has been in great rhythm lately and the top-order will be their main strength in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Both Rohit and Rahul are clear choices to open the innings in the mega tournament in Australia. But India's opening pair don't top the opening chart due to the inconsistent form of captain Rohit. The veteran opener struggled for big knocks against Australia and South Africa after below-average performances in the Asia Cup.
But Rohit was India's leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2021 and will be looking forward to create a similar impact in the upcoming mega tournament as well.&nbsp;

<h3>1. Pakistan (9/10)</h3>
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Pakistan's latest T20I home series defeat against England has put questions on their chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The defeat exposed the middle-order and finishing issues in the squad but the performance from the star openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan was top-notch, yet again.
Babar scored 303 and Rizwan smashed 281 runs in the T20 World Cup 2021 and once again remain Pakistan's main strength ahead of the upcoming tournament.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/need-to-improve-in-the-shortest-format-babar-azam-reacts-after-t20i-series-loss-to-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Babar</a> ended his brief poor run of form by scoring 285 runs in seven innings against England at an impressive average of 57.00 and strike rate of 143.21 with the help of his first-ever hundred in T20I cricket. His current form will be a key for Pakistan to make a big impact in the upcoming World Cup.
Rizwan, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper batter, is enjoying his dream run in T20I cricket. After accumulating 281 runs in just six innings at the Asia Cup 2022, he finished the seven-match T20I series against England as the leading run-scorer with 316 runs in six innings at an average of 63.20 and a strike rate of 138.59.
He surpassed Babar in the ICC Men's T20I Rankings during the Asia Cup tournament and now sits at the top of the chart.

Australia will enter the upcoming <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">T20 World Cup 2022</a> starting on October 16 as one of the favourites. The defending champions are currently ranked sixth on the latest ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings but as a host nation, they can put up a big challenge to other contenders. Australia will be hoping for big performances from their veteran openers in David Warner and Aaron Finch, as both batters are likely to be playing in their last T20 World Cup.
Pakistan also possess a big threat in the upcoming World Cup with both openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan dominating the T20I rankings lately. Similar to Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies are also largely dependent on their opening pair to make a big impact in the T20 World Cup.
Both India and England are not entirely dependent on their top-order but it will definitely play a big part in their outcomes in Australia. India's batting order is looking sorted out but their bowling attack seems less impressive. On the other hand, England's recent away series win against Pakistan, without key senior players, has boosted their chances for the T20 World Cup 2022.
In cricket, openers' performance is a crucial factor in building up an innings and the T20 World Cup is no different. Notably, four of the top-five run-getters in the last edition of the T20 World Cup were all openers. So let's rate the the top-eight teams based on their opening pairs.
<h3>8. West Indies (6/10)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1665131859411_WI-TEAM.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt="">
West Indies, the only team to win the T20 World Cup tournament twice, are placed seventh in the current ICC rankings and pose no real threat in the upcoming edition. They need to overcome a tough challenge from Ireland, Scotland, and Zimbabawe in the First round, to qualify for the Super 12.
West Indies' recent T20I series defeats against India and New Zealand at home, have further exposed their weakness in every department. The Caribbean unit has tested Shamrah Brooks, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, and Brandon King for the openers' position in the last two series. King and Mayers were impressive in the recently concluded <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-reviews/cpl-2022-brandon-king-shamarh-brooks-power-jamaica-tallawahs-to-title-win/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caribbean Premier League 2022 (CPL</a>) and are likely to open for the Windies in the World Cup.&nbsp;
King smashed 422 runs and Mayers scored 366 in the CPL 2022 season, and finished as the top-two leading run-getters in the tournament. It will be interesting to see how both players perform as an opening pair in the World Cup matches.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/most-runs-in-icc-mens-t20-world-cup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Most Runs in T20 World Cup</a>

<h3>7. South Africa (7/10)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1665131899858_CSA.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt="">
South Africa were excellent in the T20 World Cup 2021 with four wins in five group stage matches, but they failed to qualify for the semi-finals due to a poor net run rate. Unlike other teams, South Africa's best performers were their middle-order stars Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram. Openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks struggled to put up big knocks upfront and that put a lot of pressure on the middle-order.
With van der Dussen missing the upcoming World Cup due to injury, the Proteas will be hoping for big performances from their openers. The current opening pair, <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/his-performance-is-something-boucher-needs-to-think-of-makhaya-ntini-expresses-concerns-over-temba-bavumas-form/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Temba Bavuma-Quinton de Kock</a>, has struggled for good starts in recent T20Is, including in the latest T20I series against India.&nbsp;
Captain Bavuma, who played in middle-order during the 2021 edition, opened with de Kock, over in-form Reeza Hendricks against India. Compared to Bavuma's 64 runs in seven games, Reeza has scored 323 runs in eight matches at an excellent average of 46.14 and strike rate of 139.83 in 2022. So the current Bavuma-de Kock pairing definitely hampers South Africa's chances in the T20 World Cup 2022.

<h3>6. Sri Lanka (7.5/10)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1665134195104_Pathum-Nissanka-and-Kusal-Mendis.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt="">
Sri Lanka, who managed to win only two matches in the Super 12 during the T20 World Cup 2021, have <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-five-matches-which-we-are-due-to-play-in-australia-will-be-to-our-advantage-sri-lanka-skipper-dasun-shanaka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many reasons to believe in themselves</a> in the upcoming tournament. The triumph in the Asia Cup 2022 is the biggest reason for the Asian giants to make a similar impact in Australia and for that, they need eye-catching performances from their opening pair.&nbsp;
Both Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka provided excellent starts in the Asia Cup and that was one of the key reasons for their success in UAE. But they are not completely dependent on the opening pair as the lower middle-order is also in good form with Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka finishing games.
Mendis scored 155 runs in the recent Asia Cup at an impressive strike rate of 156.56 and Nissanka played an accumulator role with 173 runs at a strike rate of 115.33. But Mendis was not part of the World Cup team last year and his partnership with Nissanka is very new compared to other opening pairs in the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup.

<h3>5. New Zealand (8/10)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1665131731481_NZ-TEAM.jpeg" width="640" height="400" alt="">
New Zealand, runners-up in the last edition, will fancy their chances as far as the upcoming T20 World Cup is concerned especially after their recent T20I success in the West Indies and Europe. <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/the-goal-is-to-rotate-the-squad-selector-gavin-larsen-on-new-zealand-squad-for-upcoming-tri-series/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Kiwis</a>, with their full strength, defeated West Indies 2-1 last month but the performance from their opening pair of Martin Guptil and Devon Conway was a concerning one.
The in-form all-rounder Daryl Mitchell opened alongside Guptil during in the last edition, and the pair was excellent with 208 runs each. But Conway's outings in the Indian Premier League 2022 have made him open the innings lately in T20Is.
Although both Conway and Guptill struggled for consistency on the West Indies tour and have an exciting prospect in Finn Allen, Kiwis are likely to stick with the current pair to open the innings in Australia. They have a strong middle order and in-form finishers to score big totals in Australia if the opening pair struggles to perform.

<h3>4. England (8/10)</h3>
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England have sent warnings to other teams participating in the T20 World Cup 2022 with their latest seven-match T20I series win against Pakistan despite the absence of their key stars in Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Liam Livingstone. Buttler, a captain and regular opener, has recently recovered from his injury, and remains one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world.
With both Jonny Bairstow and Buttler out injured, England management went on with <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/twitter-reaction-phil-salt-shines-as-england-hammer-pakistan-to-set-up-epic-series-finale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phil Salt</a> and Alex Hales as their opening pair on Pakistan tour. Salt, a young wicketkeeper batter, smashed 167 runs at a strike rate of 157.54 and the veteran Hales scored 130 runs at a strike rate of 141.30 in Pakistan.
It remains to be seen as to who opens for England in the upcoming mega event. Both Salt and Buttler opened the innings in the recently concluded The Men's Hundred 2022 for Manchester Originals and formed impressive partnerships.

<h3>3. Australia (8.5/10)</h3>
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The hosts lost a recent three-match T20I series 2-1 to India but it came in the absence of regular starters David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis. Captain Aaron Finch continued his struggles with only 60 runs in three matches but notched up an impressive strike rate of 176.47.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/i-dont-think-so-australia-skipper-aaron-finch-unsure-of-cameron-green-making-it-to-t20-world-cup-squad/">Cameron Green</a> turned out to be the highest run-getter with 118 runs at a strike rate of 214.54 while opening the innings in the absence of Warner.
Warner, who accumulated the most runs (289) for his team in just seven matches in the last edition of the tournament, will definitely look to repeat his heroics. Green is not part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad, but given his form with the bat Australia will be tempted to draft him in.

<h3>2. India (8.5/10)</h3>
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Afrter failing to reach the final of the Asia Cup 2022, India managed to win their latest two T20I series against Australia and <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/india-vs-south-africa/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Africa 2-1 at home</a>. But it was not a totally convincing performance from the hosts due to their recent struggles with bowling. But India's batting unit has been in great rhythm lately and the top-order will be their main strength in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Both Rohit and Rahul are clear choices to open the innings in the mega tournament in Australia. But India's opening pair don't top the opening chart due to the inconsistent form of captain Rohit. The veteran opener struggled for big knocks against Australia and South Africa after below-average performances in the Asia Cup.
But Rohit was India's leading run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2021 and will be looking forward to create a similar impact in the upcoming mega tournament as well.&nbsp;

<h3>1. Pakistan (9/10)</h3>
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Pakistan's latest T20I home series defeat against England has put questions on their chances in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. The defeat exposed the middle-order and finishing issues in the squad but the performance from the star openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan was top-notch, yet again.
Babar scored 303 and Rizwan smashed 281 runs in the T20 World Cup 2021 and once again remain Pakistan's main strength ahead of the upcoming tournament.
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/need-to-improve-in-the-shortest-format-babar-azam-reacts-after-t20i-series-loss-to-england/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Babar</a> ended his brief poor run of form by scoring 285 runs in seven innings against England at an impressive average of 57.00 and strike rate of 143.21 with the help of his first-ever hundred in T20I cricket. His current form will be a key for Pakistan to make a big impact in the upcoming World Cup.
Rizwan, the 30-year-old wicketkeeper batter, is enjoying his dream run in T20I cricket. After accumulating 281 runs in just six innings at the Asia Cup 2022, he finished the seven-match T20I series against England as the leading run-scorer with 316 runs in six innings at an average of 63.20 and a strike rate of 138.59.
He surpassed Babar in the ICC Men's T20I Rankings during the Asia Cup tournament and now sits at the top of the chart.

Australia will enter the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 starting on October 16 as one of the favourites. The defending champions are currently ranked sixth on the latest ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings but

T20 World Cup 2022: Ratings top 8 teams based on their opening pairs

Pakistan's Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are currently dominating the ICC T20I Men's Rankings.

5. New Zealand (8/10)