In the blink of an eye, the world’s most exciting cricket players will be heading down under to contest the T20 World Cup. The event begins on the 18th of October and concludes on the 15th of November at the MCG. Not so long ago, the T20 World Cup would have been brushed aside as a bit of a non-event but the 2020 edition will certainly be the most eagerly awaited event of its kind
That probably has to do with the numerous T20 tournaments that are ongoing throughout the year and the subsequent interest that has arisen from them. Needless to say, winning the T20 World Cup is one of the most prestigious accolades a team can collect in international cricket these days.
So who are the early favorites for the 2020 T20 World Cup?
India is the team to beat
India is so skilled in every facet of the game that it’s hard to look beyond them as the favorites for the tournament. That is in any case certainly a view held by the experts as the AI and data-driven cricketprediction.com also can’t see anyone else but the Indians winning this event. Led by Virat Kohli, this Indian team is in no doubt about its identity and are blessed with the best natural talent of any team at the tournament, as well as a solid work ethic.
A masterclass. #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/4WX6yevLTY
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) December 6, 2019
It is this dedication in training that has turned a decidedly ordinary team of fielders into the sharpest in the world.
Just behind the Indians will be the hosts Australia who have a good record down under after winning the 2015 Cricket World Cup on home soil, although they are yet to win the World Cup in this format. As the match report from the final shows on theguardian.com, it was indeed a thumping of ugly proportions.
Don’t be fooled though, you need a bit more than passionate home support to get the job done and fortunately for Australia, they have the biggest power hitters in the game with players like Aaron Finch, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell all capable of winning a game single-handedly.
Whilst South African cricket is going through a transition period never seen before in the history of the country, it would be unwise to write the Proteas off. There are a few signs that South Africa under Mark Boucher’s leadership, will begin to get back on the winning trail sooner rather than later. A tied 1-1 ODI series against world champions England in February was a move in the right direction and given that Boucher will have a further eight months to work with this team, you can be sure that South Africa won’t be making up the numbers in Australia.
There is also the small matter of AB de Villiers, arguably the greatest ever T20 player, possibly returning. According to icc-cricket.com, the 35-year-old is keen to play so this is a developing story to keep an eye on.
Mark Boucher open to asking AB de Villiers to come out of retirement https://t.co/UYIR8aZiR9
South Africa fans, would you like to see AB return from retirement to play at the T20 World Cup? pic.twitter.com/Mworwpfhtj
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) December 14, 2019
Last but not least, England should be good value for money down under. Over the last four years, England has become one of the most feared teams in world cricket and play with a bravado that simply can’t be matched by any other team. With power players like Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes, the Three Lions will undoubtedly roar in Australia.
2020 will be a huge year for cricket with most of the teams solely using the first half of the season to gear up for the T20 World Cup in October. This is now the second biggest prize in cricket and you can bet we will see the best ever T20 World Cup.
