The Kock-up India don’t need

T20 cricket is predicated on close finishes and stirring games However the brutal losses for both West Indies and Sri Lanka with the miserable failure of the former to reach the major draw are a reminder that T20 also produces upsetsTherersquos the likelihood of more surprises as the major section of the T20 World Cup is now underway The unpredictable and dire weather that Australia has recently been experiencing also has to be a factorAustralia are the defending T20 World Cup champions and they along with India England and Pakistan are the most likely candidates to reach the semifinal stage However itrsquos worth remembering the tendency for upsets while also considering the longer boundaries and bouncy Australian pitchesThe successful team needs to exploit not only the extra bounce but encourage opponents to hit to the longer boundaries In searching for a likely winner concentrate on balanced pace attacks that contain wickettaking spinners in a team that compiles viable totalsNot just because they are defending their crown at home but Australia also have the ingredients for success in their own country Their batting is long and explosive and the bowling covers all bases Nevertheless Aaron Finchrsquos unreliable form as a player and how well they field will affect Australiarsquos progress If those performances are acceptable then a place in the final is well within Australiarsquos graspIndia has a huge battle on the bouncy Perth pitch against South Africa on October 30 and that is the Proteas best chance to unsettle one of the favourites in that group Pakistan is fortunate to play South Africa on the more spin friendly Sydney Cricket Ground and the result of those matches could decide the balance of power in that divisionWhile India has a strong playing group they also benefit from performing in a highly competitive IPL tournament A series of practice matches in Australia should have given India the opportunity to acclimatise to local conditionsThe loss of Jasprit Bumrah is unfortunate but his replacement Mohammad Shami is a good bowler If Shami receives a reasonable share of T20 luck then Bumrahrsquos loss wonrsquot be too heavily feltIndiarsquos batting fortunes are more evenly shared and the brilliant form of Suryakumar Yadav obviates any reliance on Virat Kohli The success or otherwise of their spinners and whether Hardik Pandya can clear the longer boundaries will play an important role for IndiaPakistan doesnrsquot possess many superstar names but they have a solid squad Their progress will depend heavily on the consistent opening partnership of Babar Azam and the aggressive Mohammad Rizwan They also need opening bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to be fully fit and performing wellIf Afridi is in top form Pakistan has the bowling combination to fully test India Their progress will come down to Pakistanrsquos batting consistency fielding and there often suspect cohesionDespite some major injury woes England has chosen sensibly by including a number of successful BBL players No matter what sort of disturbance Alex Hales character causes his was a practical choice considering his previous success in AustraliaFielding and the ability to cope with Australian conditions will be important but England has the talent to sneak past New Zealand in their group and qualify for the semifinalsThe T20 formula suggests South Africa could be a surprise outfit but their batting and previous World Cup history is dire If Quinton de Kock has an outstanding tournament and carries the batting then the Proteas excellent bowling will give thema chanceAnd therein lies one of the frailties of T20 cricket in a short game one individual can have an unnatural effect on the overall resultThat helps make choosing a winner difficult but talent says an Australia v India final is likely Nevertheless beware of the tournamentaltering upsetSydneybased former Australia captain Ian Chappell is one of the most influential voices in the gameThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper