The T20 World Cup is already unfolding at its fullest swing and the teams are at each other’s neck to claw a win out of every game possible. Last time Australia did the honours, rising through a flurry of formidable foes and managing to re-establish themselves as the ultimate force in cricketing echelons.
However, a year has passed and there have been significant changes across the cricketing roster. With all said and done, there will be new challengers this time with a force like never before, piling up new odds and putting them to the sword. Let’s have a look at the four strongest contenders for the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-finals.
#1 India
Despite losing out to Jasprit Bumrah, or most likely being on the brink of it, Team India started with a banger against Pakistan. Virat Kohli led the charge with an imperious showdown turning the game on its head from the very ashes. Hardik Pandya was in equally brilliant touch when he paced his innings perfectly to brush off the Pakistani challenge.
However, the most impressive part of the game was undoubtedly India’s bowling unit led by Arshdeep Singh who simply gave a glimpse of the kind of brilliance that he is capable of bringing to the platter. Overall, it was an impressive display from the Men in Blue and if they are able to sustain this form, they would be the obvious favourites to be a part of the semi-finals.
#2 Australia
Australia’s start wasn’t too great as they suffered a humiliating loss at the hands of their continental neighbours in the curtain-raiser of the tournament. However, They have a strong bunch of players gracing their ranks whose preceding T20 history says that even if there has been a defeat to start the tournament with when the time comes, they are always prepared to deal the telling blow.
Josh Hazlewood has found himself in the midst of wickets and Glenn Maxwell has found himself scoring early runs which are good signs for the Men in Yellow. However, the firepower that they have in their ranks in the form of David Warner, Tim David, Marcus Stoinis and even Cameron Green as the backup, make no mistake that they are not going to sleep on one game. Add to that the home advantage and you never know when will they be hitting back.
#3 New Zealand
A very silent force are the Kiwis and yet the kind of domination that they are capable of stitching, well, the 2021 World Cup was just another burning ode to their brilliance. The best part about the Blackcaps is that they have started the tournament with a roaring win over Australia and both their batters and bowlers were absolutely clinical in the execution of their plans.
They have a high-scoring top order and the kind of carnage that they are capable of stitching together can be dangerous for any opponent. Add to that the depth in their batting which goes until almost 7 or 8 with Tim Southee and Jimmy Neesham both being abled batters. Lockie Ferguson is also a significant contributor if his team needs him in crucial circumstances both with the bat and the ball. If you sum up all these factors the Blackcaps aren’t an easy team to deal with.
#4 England
The opening act of England has been a massive giveaway of what kind of impact they are able to carve in an ocean of teams who are willing to give it all way. Their rout of Afghanistan in the opener showed how well-prepared they were and the kind of carnage that they bring to the side.
They have tremendous power-hitters in their ranks and the kind of runs that they can pile up even before being skittled out is actually a much bigger target than teams stretching out their full house with swagger. As cricket keeps on evolving, England can definitely be a new leader.
