"In a country where we manage by crisis, we discovered the true potential of our resilience and innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic." —Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Aspire to Innovate (a2i) programme of the Government of Bangladesh

After being the flag bearers of fearless cricket for the past few years, England now seem like a team that have lost their mojo and are stuck between gears.

On the face of it, this should be a World Cup that suits South Asian teams. Pitches in the Caribbean have tended to be slow, in Guyana, Kingstown, and Antigua in particular.

Scotland will be heading into their sixth T20 World Cup with a blend of experience and youthful exuberance, hoping to continue their track record of a blockbuster opening fixture and, perhaps, take a step further this time.

If history has imparted any wisdom, it’s to never count out the West Indies cricket team, even after a year as calamitous as 2023. Failing to advance to the main round of the ODI World Cup in India was a colossal debacle, even for a team that have long concentrated their efforts on Twenty20 cricket.

While the exclusion of Jan Nicol Loftie Eaton from the T20 World Cup squad has grabbed the headlines, there are plenty of big names in the Namibia squad.

England scripted history in 2022 when Jos Buttler-led team defeated Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to win the T20 World Cup more than once.

One could be fooled into predicting New Zealand’s fate in this World Cup based on their record since the last edition -- 16 wins in 34 matches -- as the Black Caps have, time and again, brought their prime version in mega events.

A peek at the recent form of most of the cricket-playing nations might just be enough to give you an idea as to how they could fare at a particular event.

There is no room for bummer this summer as co-hosts West Indies prepare to set aside their miseries of the past two editions. Instead, as the two-time champions and the first to achieve the feat, the Men in Maroon will be inclined to seek inspiration from past successes.

The fact that Afghanistan have had nine players in teams’ rosters for the Indian Premier League this season speaks volumes about the reputation of Afghan individuals as well as Afghanistan as a team in Twenty20 cricket. To put this into perspective, that number is more than Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and on par with New Zealand and West Indies -- the latter two regarded as powerhouses in all forms of cricket.

Uganda qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup might have been an upset, but it definitely wasn’t an accident.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) are back in the T20 World Cup after a one-edition absence. They dominated in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, winning all six matches on home soil.

Under the guidance of a young Najmul Hossain Shanto and with some exciting weapons in their arsenal, Bangladesh will hope to re-write their record in T20 World Cups heading into the ninth edition of the mega event. 

South Africa’s cricket team embodies immense talent and potential, yet since re-instatement into international cricket, they have always fallen short of winning trophies. Despite fielding powerful squads and entering tournaments as favorites, they’ve consistently earned the unenviable title of “chokers.”

Mustafizur Rahman reignited expectations of him ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup following his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he scalped 14 wickets in nine matches.

‘’We have enough’’ was the main theme in most of the answers Sri Lanka’s chief selector Upul Tharanga gave when asked about the shortcomings in power-hitting abilities in the squad.

Netherlands arrive in the tournament by virtue of having secured automatic qualification, finishing in top-eight of the previous edition, but without veterans Roelof van der Merwe and Colin Ackerman as selectors opted for promising talents.

Nepal were unfortunate not to go through to the Super 10s of the 2014 T20 World Cup, their debut campaign, as they were edged by Bangladesh on net run-rate.

If someone were wandering the streets of the USA and heard the sweet sound of a bat meeting ball, the immediate assumption might be that it’s a baseball game. However, it’s increasingly likely that this sound comes from a cricket match.