Group C: Difficult to look beyond two-time winners England, West Indies

Teams: England, West Indies, Scotland, Italy and Nepal

The composition of the group took a hit at the eleventh hour when Bangladesh, who refused to travel to India after the IPL ban on Mustafizur Rehman, were replaced by Scotland. This makes the job of predicting the two teams from this group to Super 8 a fairly straightforward job: it should be England and West Indies – both two-time winners of the T20 World Cup.

 A new T20 captain in Harry Brook and a line-up of explosive batters, along with bowlers with a lot of gametime in IPL, makes England one of the semi-final prospects who can challenge India at their own backyard. The last time they visited India for a T20I series, England had received a 4-1 drubbing but such record counts for little in the high stakes environment of a World Cup.

 The Caribbeans, who had adapted to sub-continent conditions both times they had won the World T20 crown (2012 in Sri Lanka & 2016 in India) can be dangerous but as always unpredictable. The inconsistency in their batting line-up has often let them down and this is comething they need to guard themselves against if they want to go deep into the tournament.

England (Odds: 13/2 to 5/1)

The two-time champions, who almost looked invincible in white ball cricket between 2019 and 2022, has not been at their best in the last couple of years. Their last sojourn for the 2023 ICC World Cup, where they had come in as defending champions, had been nothing short of a disaster – which led to the resignation of Jos Buttler as captain.

 However, it’s a squad with the right mix of experience and youth with Jofra Archer fit and raring to go. They could be an unstoppable team while chasing under dew and it will take a meticulous planning from their rivals to contain them.  

Strengths: A key to England’s high success rate in the white ball cricket had been the explosive starts given by their openers – and it’s going to be no different this time. The likes of Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler and Will Jacks can score quickly in the opening overs while the team also has multiple options in the middle order, with Harry Brook and Sam Curran capable of contributing with both bat and ball while young talents like Jacob Bethell offer exciting potential.

 Experienced leg spinner Adil Rashid will lead the spin attack in helpful conditions, supported by Rehan Ahmed and Liam Dawson. There are a number of survivors from their 2022 champion squad like Buttler, Rashid and Archer bring valuable experience. Archer’s extra pace and bounce can trouble any opposition batter.

Weaknesses: England’s main concern lies in fitness of their bowlers. Archer has a history of injuries while they have historically struggled in death overs on flat Indian pitches, often leaking runs. Dependence on key players like Sam Curran and Archer can be risky. Some of the top-order batters also struggle against spin in subcontinental conditions, which could pose a challenge in crucial games. Moreover, this will be Brook’s first T20 World Cup as captain and his relative inexperience could lead to strategic errors.

Squad: Harry Brook (C), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (WK), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tong, Luke Wood

West Indies (8/1 – 40/1)

The era of Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels may be over, but the West Indies remains a star draw in a T20 World Cup in any conditions. It’s a pity that the team will be deprived of the services of someone like Nicholas Pooran, who has chosen franchise cricket over country colours with an international retirement in mid 2025, but then that had been the irony of the Caribbean cricket at least for last 15 years.

 It’s time they come to terms with it as there are a number of exciting players in the line-up and a stirring show at a time, when not too many pundits are keeping them in the fray for semi-finals, will only help them in their demand in the T20 leagues.

Strengths: The batting line-up looks a powerpacked one with the trio of Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford along with Brandon King, while they boast of strong allrounders in as Jason Holder, Roston Chase and Romario Shepherd.

 Their spin attack is also impressive with Akeal Hosein, known for his unique variations, playing the lead bowler alongwith Gudakesh Motie. Talking about their pace attack, they have Shamar Joseph in their squad who has great bounce and an ability to swing the ball – while he will get support of Jayden Seales and Matthew Forde.

 Weaknesses: No prizes for guessing that the inconsistency of their batting line-up can be a big bane. Despite having the likes of Hetmyer and Powell in the squad, they are dogged by early collapse of the middle order and lack of a character who can anchor chases on the sluggish surfaces in both India and Sri Lanka. The sooner they fix the blunders, starting with their opener against a gritty but somewhat unprepared Scotland, the better.

 Squad: Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.