Oz journalist tips Sri Lanka, Oz, India, Kiwis as four 'top teams' for World T20

Image
ANI Sydney
Last Updated : Mar 16 2014 | 10:25 AM IST

A senior Australian sports journalist has tipped Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand and Australia as the top four teams of the World Twenty20 tournament in Bangladesh.

Ben Dorries has however, written off Pakistan's and England's chances for the tournament, saying that Pakistan looks like a 'rabble' after a slew of changes following Dav Whatmore's exit while England has low chances due to injury, form woes and their long time on the road.

According to News.com.au, Dorries said that Sri Lanka would be playing in familiar conditions, has come into the competition in sparkling T20 form, has won the 50-overs Asia Cup, is the best-ranked T20 side in the world and has a clever brigade of spinners and experienced batsmen.

Dorries further said that India has played more 20-over cricket than any other team in the world, thanks to the Indian Premier League (IPL) and their batsmen MS Dhoni, Virat Kholi, Shikhar Darwan and Yuvraj Singh will love the slow Bangladesh pitches.

Dorries branded New Zealand as one of the 'big surprise packets' of the tournament, provided they can quickly adjust to conditions, adding that Corey Anderson (who scored the fastest ODI century in history), Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor will be a serious T20 threat.

Dorries backed Australia to extend their consistency from their 'golden summer' into the tournament, although he added they might have to adjust against rival sides that have played a lot more T20 cricket in recent times given that they have played on hard, fast, bouncy pitches for the last five months.

Dorries said that West Indies and South Africa are the 'shock values' for the tournament.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Mar 16 2014 | 10:12 AM IST

Next Story