Posted in bangladesh, india, ireland, tagged andre botha, bangladesh, england, eoin morgan, india, ireland, mahendra dhoni, mohammad ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, tamim iqbal, twenty20, west indies, world twenty20, yuvraj singh on May 31, 2009|
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The ICC World Twenty20 gets underway from Friday. Here’s part one of my preview:
India, the defending champions, will face high expectations after emerging triumphant from the thrilling finale last time out. The intervening years have of course seen the development of the Indian Premier League, a competition that means India’s players have a wealth of Twenty20 experience (although the national side has only played five T20 Internationals since the last competition, winning only one). Twenty20 superstars such as MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh will certainly strengthen the holders’ chances of retaining the title.
Bangladesh caused a minor shock last time out when they beat the West Indies to make the Super Eight, and hopes will be high that they can reach that stage again. The likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan are potential match-winners, but no Bangladeshi player has yet set the IPL alight, and any progression beyond the last eight seems unlikely for the Tigers.
Ireland qualified for the tournament mainly thanks to an impressive performance from Andre Botha. The side will, however, be missing a key player of recent years in Eoin Morgan, who has been called into England’s squad for the tournament. A surprise result against Bangladesh could see the Irish sneak into the Super Eight (much as they did in the last 50-over World Cup), but on balance the current side (especially without Morgan) may be hard-pressed to repeat the heroics of 2007.
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