Group B: Depleted Aussies top pick; Lanka always packs a punch at home

Teams: Australia, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Oman

Australia’s lone T20 World Cup (2021) may not quite match with their domination of the ODI World Cup, which they have held aloft six times so far. However, the yellow shirts are a transformed lot when it comes to ICC tournaments and the Mitchell Marsh-led side looks no different as they are ready to open their campaign.

While they would miss out on the inspirational Pat Cummins, who would need more time to recover from his back injury, they will still have Josh Hazlewood to lead the pace attack. The challenge before them will be to battle the spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka, where their matches are scheduled in Colombo and Sri Lanka. They have had a poor start to their sojourn of the sub-continent when they were swept 3-0 by Pakistan at home, but these are the conditions where they are known to bounce back.

Co hosts Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, can be a different kettle of fish at home and should be the second team from the group to make the cut for Super Eight. However, they need to keep a wary eye on Sikander Raza’s Zimbabwe – an extremely competent team in this format.

Australia  (Odds: 5/1)  

The only time Australia laid their hands on the T20 World Cup was in the UAE in 2021, and the squad has moved on from there with the likes of David Warner, Matthew Wade bowing out and Mitchell Starc retiring from this format. However, the Mitchell Marsh-led squad features a solid mix of power hitters, quality allrounders and a spin-focused bowling unit.

 The dangerous Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood headline the squad while young players such as Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett add depth. They clearly have a plan for the spin-friendly conditions, first in Lanka and then in India from the Super 8 stage onwards.

 Strengths: There are no prizes for guessing that Australia’s biggest strength is its strong batting depth combined with flexible bowling options. Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh are likely to open the innings and Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell can either steady the innings or accelerate in the middle order.

 The presence of Tim David, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Short and Cooper Connolly ensures Australia can bat deep, making it difficult for opposition teams to dominate the middle overs.

Another major advantage is the number of allrounders in the squad. This allows Australia to adjust their team combination based on conditions without disturbing the balance. In the bowling department, Zampa remains the main wicket-taker, supported by left-arm spin options that can be effective in Sri Lankan conditions.

Weakness: The wear-and-tear of their decorated pace bowling trio is now telling and Josh Hazlewood is the only experienced senior pacer. Hazlewood himself is returning from injury and will need careful workload management and in case any further injuries occur, Australia’s bowling options could become limited, forcing players like Nathan Ellis and Xavier Bartlett into fixed roles and making the attack more predictable.Wicketkeeping is another area of concern as Josh Inglis is the only specialist wicketkeeper in the squad. Any injury to him could disrupt the batting order and overall team balance.

Squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Sri Lanka (Odds: 40/1)

It will be no exaggeration to say co-hosts Sri Lanka, led by Dashun Shanaka, could be a dark horse of the tournament. An eclectic mix of aggressive batters, variety of their spin trio may make it difficult for the rival batters to get away – while they are always known to be a different kettle of fish at home.

The pace attack may may go under the radar but the slingshot  Matheesha Pathirana can really work his variations. No wonder, Kolkata Knight Riders have dished out a whopping Rs 18 crores for him, while young Matheesha will have Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga and Pramod Madushan for company.

Strength: The Islanders’ top order boasts of enough quality with openers like Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera and allrounders Dasun Shanaka and Charith Asalanka. The pace attack has bowlers like Matheesha Pathirana, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga and Madushan, who derives bounce and an ability to swing the ball.

 Wanindu Hasaranga, a former world No.1 T20I bowler, is expected to lead the spin bowling unit. The likes of Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage can also keep the batters guessing on their sluggish surfaces.

Weaknesses: The inconsistency in their batting line-up hasn’t quite helped as in recent times, they have failed to chase down big totals or put up winning scores. The main issue had been the early collapse of the middle order. There is one more weakness though as despite their varied bowling line-up, Lanka have often failed in getting wickets in the early overs.

Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Eshan Malinga.