ICC T20 World Cup 2022: West Indies, Sri Lanka Favourites To Progress Into Super 12 Round In Australia

West Indies is the only team to win the T20 World Cup twice, and 2014 champion Sri Lanka is the only three-time finalist in the championship for international cricket’s shortest format.

Even with those credentials, two of the game’s traditional entertainers are having to go through a preliminary stage with the lower-ranked teams to earn a spot in the T20 World Cup’s main round.

The tournament before the tournament starts Sunday, with Sri Lanka, coming off victory in the Asia Cup, opening Group A against Namibia at Kardinia Park in Geelong, west of Melbourne.

Nicholas Pooran will lead his West Indies lineup out against Scotland at Hobart in Group B on Monday, about the same time defending champion Australia has a scheduled practice match against India, the inaugural T20 champions in 2007.

“As a group we’re doing well, putting our ego aside, trying to move toward a team plan,” Pooran said after his team lost a two-game warmup series against Australia last week in Queensland state. “By the time of the World Cup … we’ll be ready.”

Provided the West Indies and Sri Lanka finish in the top two in their four-team groups next week, they’ll join the top eight-ranked teams in the Super 12 stage. That kicks off Oct. 22 with a 2021 final rematch between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney and features another intense derby the following day in Melbourne between India and Pakistan.

Jos Buttler’s England squad starts its bid to become dual white-ball world champions — they want to add the T20 trophy to their 50-over World Cup title in 2019 — against Afghanistan on Oct. 22. South Africa, aiming for its first global limited-overs cricket title of any kind, and Bangladesh are the other two teams already qualified.

The Australians have had less than a year to savor their first T20 world title, overcoming a group-stage loss to England and hot-and-cold form in the preparation phase to beat Pakistan in the semifinals and New Zealand in the final last November. (OutLook)