After an enthralling qualifying round which saw Sri Lanka survive an early scare and two-time champions West Indies crash out against all odds, the teams for the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2022 are confirmed.
While eight teams made it to the Super 12 directly, the remaining four spots were decided through a qualifying round.
Australia, being the host nation, automatically qualified for the Super 12 and are one of the favourites to lift the title.
However, their recent form has been a cause for concern. The defending champions lost to India 2-1 in their recent T20I bilateral series, before winning 2-0 against West Indies and losing 2-0 against England.
The Australian team is clubbed with England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Ireland and Group 1.
Meanwhile, 2010 T20 World Cup winners England defeated Australia 2-0 in their backyard in the T20I bilateral series before getting the better of Pakistan in their warm-up fixture.
However, England have had injury concerns of their own. Pacer Reece Topley was ruled out of the competition after ligament damage to his left ankle.
Another favourite from Group 1 is the New Zealand cricket team. The 2021 runners-up have been in scintillating form in T20Is this calendar year, winning all four away series, against Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands and West Indies.
Meanwhile, Asia Cup 2022 champions Sri Lanka suffered an early scare but made it to the Super 12. They lost to Namibia by 55 runs in the opening game of the qualifiers before defeating UAE and Netherlands.
Afghanistan made it directly to the Super 12 round while Ireland registered a memorable win over West Indies in the qualifiers to knock the Caribbean side out of the race.
As far as Group 2 is concerned, India are clubbed with Bangladesh, South Africa, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Pakistan.
The inaugural T20 world champions India are unbeaten in all eight bilateral series in the shortest format since the previous T20 World Cup, winning seven and drawing one.
Team South Africa is another strong contender among the Super 12 teams in T20 World Cup 2022. They announced their arrival Down Under with a nine-wicket win over New Zealand in the warm-up game.
Pakistan, the 2009 world champions, are high on confidence after winning the recently concluded tri-series in New Zealand. The Asia Cup 2022 runners-up received a huge boost after the arrival of lead fast bowler Shaheen Afridi, who will spearhead their bowling department.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands shrugged off UAE and Namibia to qualify for the Super 12s along with Zimbabwe.
Super 12 teams in T20 World Cup 2022
Group 1 - Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Ireland
Group 2 - India, Bangladesh, South Africa, Netherlands, Zimbabwe and Pakistan
Featured photo: HANDOUT / INTERNATIONAL CRICKET COUNCIL (ICC) / AFP
