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.

If for nothing else, there will be a lot of focus on USA for being the co-hosts of the global T20 tournament for the first time. And they would be undoubtedly willing to make a mark on their home soil, in front of the home crowd regardless.

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

Oman’s cricketing journey in the T20 World Cup began in 2016 and they co-hosted the 2021 edition with the UAE. However, their qualification bid fell short in 2022, as they finished fourth in the qualifiers.

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.

In the truest sense, Australia have conquered the game of cricket.

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.

Online cricket traffic coming out of the USA as well as ICC event ticket purchase credit card sales data further supported the point that there is plenty of money to be made out of fans located in America, who are starved of high-quality cricket action close to home.

I In 2007 as the inaugural edition was about to start, Twenty20s were still widely viewed as the ‘fun’ version of cricket. Its reputation as the ‘fun’ version, prompted the ‘serious’ cricketers to distance themselves from it. Perhaps seeing something like a ‘bowl out’ decide the fate of tied matches inclined them to stay away from such frivolity.

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.

For those cricket fans who have got used to enjoying the sight of batters steamrolling bowlers of all ilk over the past 65 days or so, will the forthcoming T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies may prove to be a bit of a turn-off.

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.

India will have to set aside all the chatter regarding a few of their star names and get behind one common idea of winning the T20 World Cup if they are to quench their thirst for a first major trophy in white-ball cricket since their 2013 Champions Trophy triumph.

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.

From the Netherlands pulling off a heist against England to India producing a memorable win against arch-rivals Pakistan on the back of a Virat Kohli masterclass, the T20 World Cup has witnessed the impossible.

In T20Is, Scotland hold a 100 percent win record over Bangladesh, West Indies, and five other teams.

Pakistan are placed alongside India, co-hosts United States, Canada and Ireland in Group A. The top two teams will qualify for the next round of Super Eight, to be held in the West Indies with the final in Barbados on June 29.

Bangladesh will take on the USA in their first World Cup warm-up match at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday, hoping for a drastic turnaround in form following their series loss against the same opposition in Houston.