Your team's form and keys to success at the T20 World Cup

See the full fixture list.

ROUND 1

GROUP A

SRI LANKA

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs India by seven wickets and 33 balls
Win vs India by four wickets and two balls
Loss vs India by 38 runs
Loss vs England by 89 runs
Loss vs England by five wickets and 11 balls

Keys to success:

The rise of leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been a timely one for Sri Lanka and one they will hope can fuel a triumphant T20 World Cup campaign. Hasaranga sits second on the ICC T20I bowling rankings and was Player of the Series in Sri Lanka's recent 2-1 win over India. He is averaging 10.76 with the ball in T20Is this year and Sri Lanka's millions of fans will be keeping their fingers crossed he continues that form. Expect him to operate alongside a group of spinners as Sri Lanka look to make the most of Asian conditions.

Question marks surround the exact make-up of Sri Lanka's batting order, with the team in a state of flux for the past 12 months or so. They have a reliable anchor in all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva, but the Sri Lankans need firepower around him. If Avishka Fernando can take his ODI success into the T20I arena and Charith Asalanka delivers on the promise he has shown so far, their tournament hopes look much brighter.

IRELAND

**Form (most recent first):**Loss vs South Africa by 49 runs
Loss vs South Africa by 42 runs
Loss vs South Africa by 33 runs
Tie vs Afghanistan – won Super Over
Loss vs Afghanistan by 21 runs

Keys to success:

The team has experienced heads at the top as Paul Stirling, now inside the top ten for men’s T20I run-scorers, joins Kevin O’Brien once more as the opening pair.

Despite a lean trot for O’Brien in recent times, if there’s been one lesson learned, it has been to never underestimate the Dubliner in big games. The only Irish player with an international hundred in all three formats, the 37-year-old is never to be discounted.

With players of the golden era passing the baton to a new Irish crop, 24-year-old Gareth Delany, tailor-made for the T20 format, could well have a breakout tournament. Hitting at a strike-rate of more than 150 with the bat so far in his international career, Delany’s leg-spin also goes at under 7.50 runs per over, and takes a wicket inside every 20 balls.

Fellow all-rounders George Dockrell and Simi Singh also provide spin options, while quick Mark Adair can launch at the death with lusty blows.

NETHERLANDS

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Nepal by 142 runs
Tie vs Malaysia
Win vs Nepal by three wickets and three balls
Win vs Malaysia by 15 runs
Loss vs Nepal by nine wickets and 30 balls

Keys to success:

One of the most well-rounded teams from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019, the Dutch have ample strength with bat and ball.

If the dashing exploits of Tobias Visee and Max O’Dowd fail, Tom Cooper can keep things ticking alongside an aggressive middle order. The most notable of those middle-order batters is Associate giant Ryan ten Doeschate.

The 41-year-old is joined by fellow veteran Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackermann to beef up the batting stocks. Skipper Pieter Seelaar, known more for his bowling during his early international career, can chip in with late-innings runs.

Seelaar has a wealth of options with the ball and has been known to execute with his own left-arm orthodox in death over situations, most notably keeping England at bay in the Netherlands’ famous victory in the 2009 curtain-raiser.

Van der Merwe and Ackermann’s spin will also be deployed, and the Dutch pace attack led by Brandon Glover and Fred Klaassen should find life in the surfaces, as they did during the Qualifier.

NAMIBIA

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Uganda by 65 runs
Win vs Uganda by 20 runs
Win vs Uganda by seven wickets and 31 balls
Loss vs Ireland by 27 runs
Loss vs Papua New Guinea by 18 runs

Keys to success:

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Namibia’s class can be seen in their depth of talent, and coach Pierre de Bruyn will likely be mulling over a number of decisions before naming his final tournament squad. Youngsters Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, and Ben Shikongo will push for selection, though spots are at a premium as the team boasts a well-set line-up.

With the bat, Niko Davin’s aggression will be matched with Stephen Baard’s technical approach, and skipper Gerhard Erasmus has the rare ability to play both anchoring or attacking roles. Craig Williams can fit anywhere in the batting order as required, and JJ Smit, a man who could well have a breakout tournament, will likely come in with five or six overs to go, if not earlier.

Smit and fellow left-armer Jan Frylinck are the key quicks, though left-arm orthodox spinner Bernard Scholtz and his low release could undo even the most accomplished players of spin.

BANGLADESH

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Australia by 60 runs
Loss vs Australia by three wickets and six balls
Win vs Australia by 10 runs
win vs Australia by five wickets and eight balls
Win vs Australia by 23 runs

Keys to success:

With a strong core of experienced players and some impressive talent coming through the ranks, Bangladesh will be eying far more than progressing to the Super 12 stage.

Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, and Soumya Sarkar all shape as key figures in a batting order that knows what it takes to be successful in Asian conditions. The rise of Mohammad Naim adds further quality as does the continued progression of Liton Das.

With the ball, Bangladesh will be banking on the experience of Shakib and the guile of Mustafizur Rahman to fuel their campaign. The duo should be well-supported, with Shoriful Islam stepping up after starring in Bangladesh's ICC Under-19 World Cup 2020 victory. Nasum Ahmed's impressive performances against Australia also bode well.

SCOTLAND

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Oman by five wickets and six balls
Win vs United Arab Emirates by 90 runs
Loss vs Netherlands by four wickets and 18 balls
Win vs Bermuda by 46 runs
Loss vs Namibia by 24 runs

Keys to success:

Scotland’s line-up will not be overawed by the occasion or any opponent, and will likely bring more than 400 international matches of T20 experience.

George Munsey’s T20I strike-rate of 154 is an outlier in the Associate world where batting can be tricky, and the spin play of Calum MacLeod, an excellent sweeper, will be crucial. Captain Kyle Coetzer provides a cool head that firms up the top order, while Matty Cross is one of the leading Associate batting glovemen. Ollie Hairs has been in magical touch with the bat of late at domestic level, and he could be a bolter for Scotland’s middle order.

On the bowling side of things, Scotland will likely make their hay in the middle overs through the left-arm orthodox pair of Mark Watt and Hamza Tahir. Safyaan Sharif is key with the new ball, as is Alasdair Evans and the 6-foot-9 Adrian Neill, who will no doubt be a point of difference.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

**Form (most recent first):**Loss vs Netherlands by seven wickets and six balls
Win vs Namibia by 18 runs
Win vs Kenya by 45 runs
Win vs Singapore by 43 runs
Win vs Netherlands by five wickets and six balls

Keys to success:

Few would have predicted Papua New Guinea to be the first team to book their World Cup ticket through the Qualifier, nor expected their opening pair of Assad Vala and Tony Ura to be so devastating throughout the campaign.

Attacking at the top will be the modus operandi for the Barramundis, though to step up at the next level the contributions of their numerous all-rounders will be vital.

Lega Siaka, possibly the best runner between wickets at the Associate level, will look to squeeze every possible run out of the fielding side, alongside CJ Amini, Sese Bau, and the rest of the batting line-up. Norman Vanua, a hard-hitting bowling all-rounder, could bat as low as nine in what is a versatile unit.

Amini will be pivotal with his leg-spin alongside left-arm quick Nosaina Pokana, who will spearhead the new ball attack. Captain Vala will have options with no fewer than seven bowlers and can pivot to plans B and C where required.

OMAN

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Maldives by 10 wickets and 34 balls
Loss vs Qatar by 34 runs
Win vs Bahrain by eight wickets and 40 balls
Loss vs Scotland by five wickets and six balls
Win vs Hong Kong by 12 runs

Keys to success:

The final team to qualify for this year’s tournament, Oman, come into the World Cup as a second-time participant, appearing in the first round in 2016. While exiting after three matches, they were not overawed by the occasion, beating Ireland and only falling to Bangladesh on the DLS method in Dharamsala.

The national team has seen transformative change and improvement in the five-year gap between tournaments, though the top three of their batting line-up consists of familiar names from 2016. Khawar Ali, Jatinder Singh, and captain Zeeshan Maqsood will all feature, albeit in a different order with the skipper likely to line up at No.3. The joint tournament host’s tactic is to go hard at the top with Jatinder given licence to thrill. Stability in the middle overs through Maqsood and Aqib Ilyas will intervene should the top order not fire.

With the ball, most of the hopes hinge on the form of swing bowler Bilal Khan. A rare mix of pace, accuracy, and movement in the air, the 33-year-old left-arm quick may well bowl three overs in the Powerplay to collect as many scalps as he can. All-rounder Mohammad Nadeem and his crafty changes of pace are also crucial to his team’s hopes alongside Fayyaz Butt, who will bowl at the death. Despite responsibilities at the top of the batting order, Ali’s leg-spin has been somewhat of a trump card for his country, and will factor into Oman’s chances of progression.

SUPER 12 STAGE

ENGLAND

**2021 results:**Seven wins, four losses

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Pakistan by three wickets and two balls
Win vs Pakistan by 45 runs
Loss vs Pakistan by 31 runs
Win vs Sri Lanka by 89 runs
Win vs Sri Lanka by five wickets and 11 balls

Keys to success:

The world’s No.1 men’s T20I team, England, go into the T20 World Cup among the favourites. Eoin Morgan’s team marched to the final in 2016 and their formula for success this time around won’t be too dissimilar.

In 2016, their top three were of paramount importance and we can expect more of the same this year with Jason Roy and Dawid Malan locking down spots one and three, while Jos Buttler is likely to bat at the top as well.

Malan, the world’s No.1 men’s T20I batter, plays the foil in an order packed with big hitters and England will be relying on him to steer them through any tricky periods if their gung-ho approach comes undone. Roy and Buttler, meanwhile, will be charged with getting the team off to a flyer in the Powerplay, setting things up for an even more explosive finish from the likes of Ben Stokes and Morgan.

With the ball, England will be banking on a big tournament from Adil Rashid, who currently sits fourth on the T20I bowling rankings. Spin is quite often king in Asian conditions, so the leggie will be at the heart of Morgan’s plans alongside the use of all-rounders Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone. If that doesn’t work, they’ve got speed to burn in the shape of Mark Wood and Chris Jordan.

AUSTRALIA

**2021 results:**Four wins, 11 losses

**Form (most recent first):**Loss vs Bangladesh by 60 runs
Win vs Bangladesh by three wickets and six balls
Loss vs Bangladesh by 10 runs
Loss vs Bangladesh by 23 runs
Loss vs West Indies by 16 runs

Keys to success:

With the bat, Australia will be hoping for big performances from their three most proven T20I batters – Aaron Finch, David Warner, and Glenn Maxwell.

The Australians will be sweating on the fitness of Finch. The No.3 batter in the world faces the prospect of knee surgery ahead of the tournament - his absence would be a major blow to their hopes.

Both Warner and Maxwell missed the recent tour of the Caribbean but should be near certain picks in Australia’s XI given their explosive ability with the bat. Averaging 31.45 with a strike-rate of 139.72, Warner’s combination with Finch at the top is among the most feared in the world while Maxwell’s average of 31.78 with a strike-rate of 158.92 places him among the game’s most destructive players.

With the ball, Australia will be hoping for Mitchell Starc to take the form he has shown of late in ODI cricket into the T20I format. If the pace spearhead can do that, and spin twins Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar are at their best, they should have one of the tournament’s best attacks.

SOUTH AFRICA

**2021 results:**Eight wins, seven losses

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Ireland by 49 runs
Win vs Ireland by 42 runs
Win vs Ireland by 33 runs
Win vs West Indies by 25 runs
Loss vs West Indies by 21 runs

Keys to success:

All eyes will be on Tabraiz Shamsi, with the wrist-spinner going into the T20 World Cup as the No.1 men’s bowler in the world and with the form to back it up*.Shamsi sits on top of the T20I wicket-taking charts for the year – 24 wickets – and he has taken those scalps at the second-best average – 12.20 – of anyone in the top 20 wicket-takers all while leaking just 5.32 runs per over.* In conditions that should suit him, he will play a key role. He’s not South Africa’s sole spinner either; the Proteas will have their fingers crossed that George Linde continues to impress alongside seamers Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Anrich Nortje.

On the batting front, South Africa will be relying on captain Temba Bavuma and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock to set up the innings at the top and provide much of the fireworks given the middle order is better equipped for accumulating rather than bashing. The exception of course is David Miller, and his power-hitting will be required if his team is to go deep into the tournament.

WEST INDIES

**2021 results:**Eight wins, six losses

**Form (most recent first):**No result vs Pakistan
No result vs Pakistan
Loss vs Pakistan by seven runs
No result vs Pakistan
Win vs Australia by 16 runs

Keys to success:

The West Indies are building up nicely to the T20 World Cup, showing just how daunting an opponent they can be when it all clicks during their recent 4-1 series win over Australia.

No team boasts as much power-hitting as West Indies, with captain Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell among the format’s most feared batters at the death, Evin Lewis the fastest player ever to notch up 100 T20I sixes, and Chris Gayle T20 cricket’s greatest ever scorer.

What the two-time champions need is a way to keep the runs ticking over when the boundaries aren’t flowing.

Pollard’s team will go into the tournament with all the confidence in the world in their attack, with spinners Fabian Allen and Hayden Walsh Jr both in impressive form and primed to make the most of conditions that should suit them. The two of them will lead West Indies’ efforts in the field as well, with both of them entrenched among the most exciting fielders around the globe.

INDIA

**2021 results:**Four wins, four losses

**Form (most recent first):**Loss vs Sri Lanka by seven wickets and 33 balls
Loss vs Sri Lanka by four wickets and two balls
Win vs Sri Lanka by 38 runs
Win vs England by 36 runs
Win vs England by eight runs

Keys to success:

India have a problem of plenty going into the T20 World Cup with a stack of quality options in every position.

At the top of the order, captain Virat Kohli has floated the idea of opening the batting with Rohit Sharma, which on paper looks as good as it gets. The only issue with going that way is it would likely see Shikhar Dhawan running the drinks. Whichever way they go, expect India’s opening pair to bat deep into the innings with a responsibility for at least one of them to be there to lead the charge at the death.

In the middle order, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Surkyakumar Yadav, and Ishan Kishan will all be vying for selection alongside all-rounder Hardik Pandya, leaving the India selectors a task of finding the right mix of explosive power and reliability.

Look to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah to lead the bowling attack, with India’s next tough call being over which spinners to turn to. There are specialist options in Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Rahul Chahar, accompanied by the more rounded skills of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Krunal Pandya. Which direction India go could determine their fate in the tournament.

PAKISTAN

**2021 results:**Nine wins, five losses

**Form (most recent first):**No result vs West Indies
No result vs West Indies
Win vs West Indies by seven runs
No result vs West Indies
Loss vs England by three wickets and two balls

Keys to success:

Plenty will sit on the shoulders of opening batters Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. The good news for Pakistan is the two men look up for it.

Sitting second and seventh on the T20I batting rankings respectively, Azam and Rizwan have found consistency in the format that only Kohli can truly rival. The fastest man to reach 2000 T20I runs, Azam, boasts the third-best average in the format ever (46.89*) and his partner, Rizwan, sits second on the ledger.

The duo showed just how strong a platform they can lay during Pakistan’s recent tour of England, putting on a 150-run stand that set up the country’s biggest-ever total. That match also showed that the team’s middle-order has it in them to go hard early, with Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez both freeing their arms.

Boding well for Pakistan with the ball is the form of Hasan Ali, who is averaging 14.88 in T20Is this year. If Shaheen Afridi brings his best alongside spinners Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim, their attack should be equipped for any conditions.

NEW ZEALAND

**2021 results:**Six wins, two losses

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Bangladesh by 65 runs
Win vs Bangladesh by 28 runs
Win vs Bangladesh by 66 runs
Win vs Australia by seven wickets and 27 balls
Loss vs Australia by 50 runs

Keys to success:

New Zealand will be hoping for big campaigns from Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson, who are the most experienced members of their batting order and their most proven.

Guptill, sitting eighth on the T20I batting rankings, will soon become the first New Zealander to pass the 3000-run mark in men’s T20I cricket. He will be intent on leaving his mark on the tournament, having generally a lean time of it at T20 World Cups, and it is crucial that he does this time around for New Zealand’s title hopes.

T20I outings have been few and far between for Williamson of late thanks to a niggling elbow injury and the Black Caps will be hoping he can find his feet quickly.

The good news for New Zealand is that the veteran duo has plenty of support with Devon Conway looming the largest among them right now. The southpaw sits fourth on the T20I batting rankings and is averaging 59.12 in the format across 14 matches. It’s a small sample size but few would wager against Conway right now.

As always, the Black Caps have an impressive attack and will be banking on spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner to make an impact the same way they did in the 2016 edition. Expect big things from Tim Southee, who has been in outstanding form.

AFGHANISTAN

**2021 results:**Three wins, no losses

**Form (most recent first):**Win vs Zimbabwe by 47 runs
Win vs Zimbabwe by 45 runs
Win vs Zimbabwe by 48 runs
Tie vs Ireland – lost super over
Win vs Ireland by 21 runs

Keys to success:

Afghanistan’s strong suit is obvious to everyone and they go into the tournament with arguably the best set of T20I spinners in the world.

Their captain, Rashid Khan, is already a bona fide great of the format at just 22 years of age. Entrenched near the top of the T20I bowling rankings for the past four years, Rashid sits fourth for the most wickets by a men’s T20I bowler (95 wickets). He boasts the best average and strike rate of anyone who has bowled at least 500 balls in men’s T20I cricket with the fifth-best economy (6.21). Suffice to say, a big showing from Rashid is central to Afghanistan’s hopes of making the knockout stage.

He is ably supported on the spin-bowling front by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi, with the latter currently sitting first on the men’s T20I all-rounder rankings.

Their major challenge at the World Cup will be consistently scoring enough runs for their excellent attack to defend, with the onus on the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Nabi, and newcomer Rahmanullah Gurbaz to shine with the bat.