Mustafizur Rahman reignited expectations of him ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup following his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he scalped 14 wickets in nine matches.

If someone were wandering the streets of the USA and heard the sweet sound of a bat meeting ball, the immediate assumption might be that it’s a baseball game. However, it’s increasingly likely that this sound comes from a cricket match.

Even though cricket is a global game which in terms of popularity is only behind football in the world, the people running the sport have always been sceptical about letting new teams join the ranks of the established names.

If history has imparted any wisdom, it’s to never count out the West Indies cricket team, even after a year as calamitous as 2023. Failing to advance to the main round of the ODI World Cup in India was a colossal debacle, even for a team that have long concentrated their efforts on Twenty20 cricket.

England scripted history in 2022 when Jos Buttler-led team defeated Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to win the T20 World Cup more than once.

The match, which was supposed to begin at 9:30 pm Bangladesh time, was the first of two ICC mandated warm-up games for the Tigers

The 55-year-old coach recommends focusing on the youth to steer Bangladesh to a level of excellence.

From the Netherlands pulling off a heist against England to India producing a memorable win against arch-rivals Pakistan on the back of a Virat Kohli masterclass, the T20 World Cup has witnessed the impossible.

In T20Is, Scotland hold a 100 percent win record over Bangladesh, West Indies, and five other teams.

The two most recent champions along with three spirited associates make up Group B of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Co-hosts West Indies will be eyeing a record third title in the ICC T20 World Cup this year and the man who will lead them in their charge for glory is Rovman Powell.

In Group A, a pair of neighbours – India and Pakistan along with the USA and Canada – will be joined by Ireland.

This will be Hasaranga’s maiden campaign as captain of Sri Lanka and the all-rounder will be leading an exciting group of players in the USA and the West Indies

"Sri Lanka are banking on Matheesha Pathirana to turn around their fortunes in the upcoming T20 World Cup," cricket writer Rex Clementine wrote in The Island newspaper.

Aiden Markram is set to appear in his third ICC T20 World Cup this year, first time as captain, in the USA and the West Indies where he will be leading a strong squad with a point to prove.

The South Asian nation is one of nine countries to have played all T20 World Cups since the tournament began in 2007 but is alone in never having made it to the knockout stage.

Rohit, 37, and Kohli, 35, have long been the twin torchbearers for the hopes of their cricket-mad nation, which last saw a major title triumph in the 2013 Champions Trophy.

Pakistan are placed alongside India, co-hosts United States, Canada and Ireland in Group A. The top two teams will qualify for the next round of Super Eight, to be held in the West Indies with the final in Barbados on June 29.

Bangladesh will take on the USA in their first World Cup warm-up match at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Tuesday, hoping for a drastic turnaround in form following their series loss against the same opposition in Houston.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, the current Bangladesh captain in all three formats, is feeling that pressure right now. His struggles with the bat in T20Is are as clear as daylight. In his last 10 outings in the format, Shanto has scored just 189 runs at a strike rate of a little over 102.