 Australia – the favourites to win Twenty20 World Cup
11th Sep 2007 20:01 IST
Agencies
The first ever Twenty20 World Cup gets underway today with the hosts South Africa taking on West Indies in the opening game of the 12-team competition, which will the best batsmen in the game will be encouraged simply to hit the ball out of the ground.
Australia hold the record for the highest international score, amassing 221/5 against England in Sydney in January at an average of 11 runs an over. With Ricky Ponting trying to add the title to the World Cup title, they are the favourites at this level too.
They won the 2007 Cricket World Cup in April with a 104-ball 149 from Adam Gilchrist and remains the highest ranked Test nation. Ponting delayed his arrival in South Africa until an improvement in his wife’s health but has now arrived. With several quality sluggers, including all-rounder Andrew Symonds, Australia remain the kings.
The great batting trinity of India – Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly – opted out of the tournament, but led by the swashbuckling Mahendra Singh Dhoni and aided by the explosive Virender Sehwag, India has the credentials to do well in the tournament.
South Africa’s new selection panel said it left out Jacques Kallis to rest him ahead of a busy conventional season, rather than admitting it believes he scores too slowly. But with captain Graeme Smith – the world’s leading scorer in Twenty20 internationals with 259 runs in five matches – along with a host of other six-hitters, bowlers will not relish facing the hosts.
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