2020 T20 Cricket World Cup Preview – Australia can make home advantage count

The 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup draws ever nearer and despite COVID-19 fears Australia are confident of being able to host the tournament successfully. With five months to go before the T20 Cricket World Cup gets underway it may be worth looking at some of the contenders.

Australia are always among the favourites regardless of the format. Being at home counts in their favour too but it is India who are the bookmakers favourites.

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Here are the odds for the 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup followed by your tips and predictions.

Source: Betway

India are understandably favourites heading into the 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup but despite their one previous title, they have fallen short more often than not. Playing in Australia may add some extra motivation while the Indian side won’t have a lack of support ‘down under’.

Virat Kohli is the name that rings through your head when you think of India, but there are numerous other players who can do serious damage. Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the best bowler in the world at the moment while talents like KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant cannot be ignored.

India have also won 11 of their last 12 completed T20 internationals, albeit it two of those came in a super over against New Zealand. That form however cannot be ignored and rightly go into the Cup as favourites.

England won the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup on home soil and many of those players will be at the forefront of their efforts to claim the double in the shorter format of the game. They have everything a team can want – world class batsmen, the world’s best all-rounder and bowlers with a variety of skills.

Their strength however can often be their weakness. England’s T20 form has been somewhat inconsistent recently with four wins and three defeats in their last seven T20 matches. Captain Eoin Morgan and the coaching staff will want to get to their best side as soon as possible but COVID-19 is limiting their opportunities.

England certainly have the players to go all the way in Australia but whether they can be consistent  enough to win three or four big games on the bounce is a concern for me.

I’m surprised Australia are only third favourites at their home World Cup and for this reason I feel it may be a good time to take a punt on them. No matter what sport, let alone cricket, Australia should never be written off, but even more so for cricket.

Home advantage could count against them with the immense pressure to perform but Australia are used to performing under such scrutiny. Their form has been tremendous too with nine victories in their last 10 completed T20’s.

With the likes of David Warner, Steven Smith, Aaron Finch at the top of the order along with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc with ball in hand Australia look to me like superb value.

The perennial dark horses at cricket tournaments since the early 90s New Zealand are now a team filled with world class talent and should be a real force at the 2020 T20 Cricket World Cup.

I have them among the favourites specifically for this reason. Always known as the team filled with fighters, which they very much still have, but in recent years the Black Caps have developed some of the best players in the game.

There are no superlatives for captain Kane Williamson while Martin Guptill can wreck havoc on any given day. With ball in hand Trent Boult and Tim Southee are among the best in the world while they have some superb young talent coming through alongside them.

No more among the outsiders, New Zealand can look forward to this World Cup with real hope it their hearts. This was proven with their run to the 2019 ODI Cricket World Cup final where they lost to England by the narrowest of possible margins – a boundary count!

The Proteas are the underachievers of World Cup history. Consistently they have suffered heartbreak at crucial stages despite having among, and sometimes the best team in the world. This time around South Africa are going through a transition and don’t have the quality they once had – perhaps now is their chance to take glory?

The talk of AB de Villiers returning to the fold after retiring in 2016 could prove the difference for them. If he does come back South Africa arguably gain the best batsman in the world while a number of talented youngsters could also come to the party.

This is a strange one. Why would Pakistan – ranked no.1 in the world in the T20 format – be outsiders? Well, they have been consistently good over recent years in the T20 format but have often fallen to the bigger sides.

In late 2019 they were humbled in Australia as the hosts cruised to a series victory. My personal feeling is that against the best teams in the world Pakistan will need Babar Azam to play big innings’ in order for them to stand a chance.

The West Indies is another strange side. They are the only team to win two T20 Cricket World Cup titles and are the defending champions. The Windies are a flamboyant side and things either go very right or very wrong.

Should key players be fit and they hit their straps the West Indies will be right up there. But they can just as easily be near the bottom – on their day very few can match them, on an off day a rank underdog will fancy their chances.