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Netherlands
Power Ranking: 1
Qualification through: Top eight place finish in 2022 T20 World Cup
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands
Probably the top dogs in this pool of teams, the Netherlands have plenty of experience at the highest level compared to the others. Not just that, the Dutch have also remarkably defeated South Africa the last time they were at the World Cup, showing great grit - both with the bat and the ball. They have qualified across the last two World Cups, fighting toe-to-toe with big teams.
Also Read: Scott Edwards Interview: ‘Keep’ing Netherlands marching ahead
Since the last World Cup, however, the Oranje have only played nine T20Is, the second joint-lowest amongst all the teams. Only the United States of America have played fewer games (7) than them. They qualified directly for the T20 World Cup, having finished in the top eight at the mega event in Australia.
Player to watch out for: Michael Levitt, a swashbuckling opener who could startle teams with his aggressive batting (349 runs in T20Is @43.62 and 156.50)
Namibia
Power Ranking: 2
Qualification through: Finished top in African Qualifiers
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Namibia were the King of the African region, finishing on top of the 2022-23 African Qualifiers with 12 points. They are no strangers to the teams at the T20 World Cup, having shown their prowess in the 2021 tournament. Across two editions, they have won four games at the T20 World Cup.
Also Read: JP Kotze: The talent that got away…or did it?
Since the 2022 event, the Eagles have played 25 games, averaging 26.7 with the bat, but their run rate isn’t as impressive, at 7.6. That is one of the biggest factors that they are behind the Dutch side.
Namibia’s bowling unit, however, is quite solid, with an economy of 7, averaging 18.3, with Gerhard Erasmus picking up 24 wickets, the most.
Player to watch out for: Nikolaas Davin, an opener who has scored the most runs for the Eagles in that period (520 runs @34.67 and 134 SR).
Nepal
Power Ranking: 3
Qualification through: Runners-up at the 2023 Asia Qualifier
Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands
One of the growing cricketing powerhouses in the Associate world, Nepal have a point to prove at the upcoming T20 World Cup. At the 2023 Asian Games, Nepal broke the T20 record, scoring 314/3 against Mongolia, where Kushal Malla scored a 50-ball 137.
Their run rate (8.9) is the best among all the teams mentioned here. If you dig deeper, Nepal have scored 220 sixes in their last 28 innings, smashing almost eight sixes every innings. Between Kushal Malla and Dipendra Singh Airee, they scored 1,111 runs, striking at 183.5.
Also Read: Kushal Bhurtel, Nepal’s vital cog in the Monty Desai era
Look out for Abinash Bohara, who has picked up 34 wickets at 18.5, with an ER of 8.1. Karan KC isn’t too far behind, with 30 wickets, both key to their bowling.
Player to watch out for: Dipendra Singh Airee, the man who smacks the leather, striking at 190.9 with 34 sixes since the last global event.
Scotland
Power Ranking: 4
Qualification through: Topping at 2022-23 Europe Qualifier
Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Scotland qualified for the T20 World Cup by finishing top of the European Qualifiers with 12 points. Not only that, but they did it sublimely, going unbeaten with a net run rate of 4.110. Ollie Hairs was the top run scorer for Scotland in that tournament, with 248 runs, while Bradly Currie picked up 12 important wickets.
Also Read: Interview: Michael Jones sets sight on Scotland's opening spot
They have won three out of the last five games, with losses against Ireland and the Netherlands. This will likely be Richie Berrington’s last T20 World Cup, so they hope to give him a good send-off.
Players to watch out for: Ollie Hairs, a sizzling batter with 276 runs, striking at 179.2, including an unbeaten 127 against Italy, smashing 22 boundaries.
Oman
Power Ranking: 5
Qualification through: Winners of 2023 Asian Qualifiers
Group B: Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
Beating Nepal in Nepal? ✅
Oman were a team to watch out for at the 2023 Asian Qualifiers, going unbeaten in the tournament. They showed their prowess while defending and chasing in the tournament, including the final, which was decided through a super over.
They have an impressive five-match winning record across their last six games. However, they lost the final against the United Arab Emirates by 55 runs. In the time frame, they have lost six times, twice against Namibia, both by a significant margin, which is one of the reasons why they are in fifth.
Also Read: From nearly giving up cricket to scripting history, Aqib Ilyas leads the way for Oman
Player to watch out for: Aqib Ilyas is their top run scorer (631 runs @33.21 and SR 136.3) and their top wicket-taker (35 wickets @12.6 and ER of 5.7)
United States of America
Power Rankings: 6
Qualification through: Hosts of 2024 T20 World Cup
Group A: India, Pakistan, Canada, Ireland, United States of America
The co-hosts, United States of America, have improved dramatically over the last few years, so much so that playing for the USA has become a viable option for some top cricketers.
Read: Who is Shadley van Schalkwy?
Although they only qualified because they are the hosts, they could spring a surprise, as Bangladesh experienced first-hand when they beat them in the series, which is one of the major reasons why they rank higher despite not playing enough cricket in that time period. Don’t take them lightly.
Steven Taylor, who has consistently scored runs for them, has been integral to their chances, scoring 174 runs. On the other hand, left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar might be crucial, with eight wickets and an ER of 7.8.
Players to watch out for: Harmeet Singh, both with the bat and the ball. The left-arm spinner picked up six wickets and can tonk a long ball, with a strike rate of 202.5.
Uganda
Power Ranking: 7
Qualification through: Runners-up of the 2023 African Qualifiers
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda
Relatively the new kid on the block, Uganda is the fairytale story of this year’s T20 World Cup. Heading into the African Qualifiers, no one gave them a chance, but that’s how fairytales start, don’t they? They are up higher than PNG for two reasons: having a lot of game time behind their back and beating stellar sides like Zimbabwe despite being 23rd ranked.
Also Read: Meet 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga - Force behind Uganda’s unprecedented rise
They found new heroes every game - Dinesh Nakrani, Riazat Ali Shah, Alpesh Ramjani, or Simon Ssesazi. Of all these teams, they have played the most games — 50 T20Is — where they have won 42 games and lost only eight.
On average, they have picked up 8.7 wickets every game. Not only that, but even with the bat, they have outscored the opponents, averaging 22.5/wicket and scoring 7.9 runs/over. They will certainly be a team to watch out for.
Players to watch out for: Henry Ssenyondo, you might not have heard of him, but the left-arm spinner’s record (71 wickets @12.2 and 5.3 ER) is stellar. Keep an eye out for Ssenyondo.
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Power Rankings: 8
Qualification through: Winners of 2023 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier
Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda
So, what to expect from PNG? PNG ran through the competition in the East-Asia Pacific Qualifier with 12 points. Given that they have experience playing at the big event, they have that experience over Canada.
One of the biggest reasons they are placed as low as eight is the competition isn’t strong in their region, besting Japan, the Philippines, and Vanuatu. You are only as strong as your competitors. Why not above Uganda? Well, Uganda has plenty of game time behind them, plus they have lost to the UAE and Malaysia, both of whom aren’t in the World Cup.
Also Read: Assad Vala: To go into the same dressing room as Sangakkara was unbelievable
That’s where they will need all the help from Tony Ura, Assad Vala and Charles Amini to put on a show. Ura remains an integral part of the setup, with 416 runs, striking at 150.2.
Players to watch out for: John Kariko, the left-arm orthodox bowler, who has picked up 25 wickets, averaging 11.4, with an ER of five.
Canada
Power rankings: 9
Qualification through: Winners of Americas Qualifier
Group A: India, Pakistan, Canada, Ireland, United States
Canada first became an associate member in 1968; incidentally, they are also one of the oldest nations to have played cricket. However, they have a single win against a full-member association, coming against Ireland in 2019, where they won by ten runs.
However, what brings them here is that they won the Americas Qualifier.
Interestingly, in the Qualifiers opener, Bermuda crushed them to pieces. Chasing 182, Canada could only score 95 runs, starting the tournament with a crushing defeat. However, they turned their campaign around with three wins in a group of Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Panama before their final game was washed out.
Despite that, they made it to the World Cup, bettering Bermuda with a superior NRR (3.980) compared to Bermuda’s 2.410.
Players to watch out for: With an average of 4.6 and ER of 3.7, there’s no way you can look past the left-arm speedster Kaleem Sana.
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