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The eighth edition of the ICC T20 World Cup is being held in Australia. Having started in 2007, the tournament usually takes place every two years, although the 2020 World Cup was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first round of matches start on Sunday, October 16 where eight teams seek qualification into the Super 12 stage. The Super 12 matches start the following weekend on Saturday, October 22. Semi-finals are then held on November 9 and 10 and the final on November 13.
Having missed out on hosting the 2020 Men's World Cup due to Covid-19, Australia will be hosting this year's edition for the first time. Teams will play across the country in Adelaide, Brisbane, Geelong, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The semi-finals will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Adelaide Oval, with the final taking place at Australia's largest capacity ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
England are among the favourites for the T20 World Cup [Getty Images]
There will be 16 teams seeking the trophy this year.
Teams that reached the Super 12 last year automatically qualified for the tournament. Those countries are Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Namibia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, Sri Lanka, South Africa and West Indies.
Based on world rankings, Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka and West Indies will have to play in group stages to advance to this year's Super 12. They will be joined by the UAE, Ireland, Zimbabwe and the Netherlands who earnt their places in the group stages through two global qualifier tournaments.
The tournament structure is the same as last year. Eight countries (Namibia, Scotland, Sri Lanka, West Indies, UAE, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Netherlands) will be split into two groups of four teams each. There will a single round-robin in each group with the top two teams advancing to the Super 12 stage.
These groups are as follows:
Group A: Sri Lanka, Namibia, Netherlands, UAE.
Group B: Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, Zimbabwe.
The Super 12 is a further group stage to determine the semi-finalists. There will be two groups of six teams where each team plays other group members once.
The Super 12 groups are as follows:
Group 1: Australia, England, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Group A winner, Group B runner-up.
Group 2: India, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Group B winner, Group A runner-up.
Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup champions, are involved in round one [Getty Images]
The World Cup follows the format of T20 internationals. Bowlers will be allowed to bowl four overs each, with one extra run being awarded for wides and an extra run followed by a free hit being awarded for no-balls. Batters can only be out to run-outs on free hits.
Teams will be given a maximum of two unsuccessful reviews per innings, where no review is lost if the result is umpire's call.
There are some notable rule changes that were not in place in previous World Cups. If a batter is out caught, the incoming batter must take strike, unless it is the end of the over.
A further rule change is the prohibition of saliva to polish the ball. In the 2021 World Cup this was a temporary rule due to Covid-19, but the ICC have now decided to make this permanent and therefore will continue to be enforced this year.
Previous winners of the ICC Men's World cup are India (2007), Pakistan (2009), England (2010), West Indies (2012, 2016), Sri Lanka (2014) and Australia (2021).
West Indies are the only team in history to win the tournament twice although Australia are favourites to win this year which would make them the first team to win consecutive tournaments.
The highest score by any player in the Men's T20 World Cup is 123 by Brendon McCullum in 2012. Ajantha Mendis holds the record for best bowling figures in a World Cup having taken 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe in 2012.
Mahela Jayawardene has scored the most runs in World Cups (1,016). With 41 wickets, Shakib Al Hasan, who will represent Bangladesh, is the leading wicket-taker in World Cups.
Australia are the world champions [Getty Images]
Having won the tournament last year, Australia are one of the favourites to win this year. They have the fast bowling attack to suit the Australian pitches, and will have the benefit of a home crowd in every game. With the current highest ranked bowler in the world in Josh Hazelwood, and Mitchell Starc who has been a world-class white ball bowler for many years, Australia are likely to pick up crucial wickets in the powerplay.
Despite pitches not being as suited to spin as last year's World Cup, Adam Zampa has regularly picked up wickets in Australian conditions and remains a valuable asset in the middle overs. Their batting is equally dangerous with David Warner at the top of the order and two of the best finishers in the world in Tim David and Matthew Wade lower down the order. Perhaps Australia's only area of concern is the form of their captain, Aaron Finch.
India are usually in the favourites conversation for white-ball tournaments and this year is no different. Suryakaumar Yadav has had a sensational year with the bat and he does not look like slowing down. Yadav's consistent quality, paired with the batting form of Hardik Pandya since returning from injury, makes their middle order more than capable of reaching some high totals. Although Jaspirit Bumrah's injury is a massive loss to their side, their squad depth ensures a world-class bowling attack remains.
England are not as strong favourites as India and Australia, but they remain a dangerous team who will very likely reach the knockout stages and possibly more. Having won their past two T20I series, in Pakistan and Australia, they will be coming into the tournament with confidence. Led by Jos Butler, their batting line up is full of quality players capable of taking apart any bowling attack. Their issue is their bowling, particularly their death bowling. If their bowlers can step up and produce some consistent performances, they will be a very hard team to beat.
South Africa are a team who will worry the favourites. They have arguably the best seam-bowling attack with Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi and a consistent wicket taker in left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.
Their batting has been a concern in recent years which is why they are not considered favourites. However, wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is always a danger and David Miller is coming into the tournament off the back of a stunning 106 not out off 47 balls against India. If others such as captain Temba Bavuma and Aidan Markram can show form, they will certainly be in the running to win.
The following list shows which television networks are broadcasting in which country:
Star Network- India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives.
PTV & ARY Digital Networks- Pakistan
Gazi TV, Rabbithole- Bangladesh
Sky Sports- United Kingdom
Fox Sports, Channel Nine, Kayo- Australia
Willow TV, ESPN+- United States
Hotstar- Canada
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