ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2014: It's anybody's cup!

Sri Lanka are on the top of table in ICC's Twenty20 rankings. They also have best playing record in 2014 - winning all their limited-overs contests. Winning the Asia Cup has given them an added advantage and experience of excelling in Bangladesh, the venue of this year's Twenty20 World Cup. This prompts us to say that the in-form Islanders are clear favourites to win their first World Twenty20 title. However, things are not as simple as they seem in the shortest format of the game.

The most fascinating thing about the T20 is that there are no clear favourites. It all boils down to who wins the battle of risks. For example in an ODI, a well-compiled hundred has to be supported by other batsmen with the odd fifty and 30s or 40s to reach a challenging score. That can all go in vain if you bowl without strategy, do not break partnerships, maintain the pressure with sharp fielding etc. This theory of the purists gets shattered in a T20 game that quite literally gives you your 'fifteen minutes of fame'. Three tight overs, three quick wickets, a 15-ball 40-odd can turn the tables and win you a match.

If we look at the history of international cricket's marquee T20 event, no one gave a chance to an inexperienced Indian side led by a rookie captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2007. Not many felt Pakistan could brave out the chilly conditions in England in 2009 against all odds and better suited oppositions. Many are bewildered with the fact that England's only ICC championship is the 2010 World T20 crown in the Caribbean. And, the West Indies were not one of the top three contenders for the 2012 crown.

Similar is the story ahead of this year's tournament. How does one pin down a favourite team? Do teams play enough Twenty20 internationals for their consistency in that format to be taken into account? Clearly not. For example, Since the last World T20, Team India, who are ranked second in the T20I ratings have played just 5 games. By the time the tournament proper starts on March 21, South Africa, England and Pakistan would have played most number of T20Is amongst Test-playing nations since last the edition - 15 games. Australia and New Zealand both would have played 14 matches, while, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka 13 games while hosts Bangladesh merely 7 T20Is.

Apart from the potential individual power-hitters, lethal death bowlers and uncanny spinners, we may have to look at how a team adjusts to the slow and batting-friendly conditions of the sub continental tracks in Mirpur, Chittagong and Sylhet. If anything, the recently-concluded Asia Cup gave us a fair idea of what the surfaces can provide in the upcoming competition. True, players like Lahiru Thirimanne, Ahmed Shehzad, Fawad Alam and Anamul Haque worked hard to dig in, build an innings and accumulate the runs in order to reach a century and take their teams to decent totals but teams would know that workman-like knocks can tend to backfire in a fast-paced T20 game, especially on pitches suited to strokeplay.

Till the time you have the finesse and style of a Kumar Sangakkara or a Virat Kohli to up a gear at will and dismantle the bowling plans of the opposition, like they showed in their free-wheeling centuries in the Asia Cup or you are gifted with 'in your face' aggression of Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal or a Kusal Perera, you have limited scope to succeed with the bat in a T20 game.

This brings a lot of excitement to the World Cup, which promises to showcase the best of the strokemakers like Kohli, Sangakkara, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, David Warner, Brendon McCullum, Eoin Morgan and the brute power of Afridi, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Hodge, Alex Hales, David Miller and Corey Anderson.

As far as the bowling goes, every team aspires to have a lethal and consistent death bowler like Lasith Malinga. Star pacers like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Mitchell Johnson, Stuart Broad can trouble the batsman irrespective of the pitch profile. This year's tournament, predominantly played on slower surfaces could be dominated by the spin bowlers like Saeed Ajmal and Ajantha Mendis, who prowled in the Asia Cup. Combined with the guile and skill of other top-ranked tweakers like Sunil Narine, Nathan McCullum, Shakib Al Hasan and Afridi, this year's extravaganza could be the battle of the spinners. Indian slow bowlers R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Yuvraj Singh can be a handful, if utilised well.

One of the most important factors that gets highlighted the most amongst all formats is the fielding. Here is where teams like South Africa, Australia, New Zealand have an edge over others in applying the pressure on the field. A dropped chance, a missed run out, or lethargy on the field could prove to be costly and that's where Asian sides would like to be consistent, and not put on sporadic shows of brilliant field work.  

All in all, the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 throws open an enthralling prospect to savour. Chris Gayle and Darren Sammy have already voiced their concerns about defending the title the Caribbean side won with some swagger in 2012. Will two-time runners-up Sri Lanka finally lift their first major ICC title since 1996? Can Australia, who have a flattered to deceive in the tournament in the past, cross the final hurdle? Can South Africa raise the bar and not 'choke'? Can under-fire India erase their poor run of form? Will New Zealand steal the show? It's anybody's guess. It's anybody's cup!