Lately, things have been a bit unsettling for Pakistan, runners-up of the last T20 World Cup in 2022 in Australia and champions of the 2009 edition.

There is no room for bummer this summer as co-hosts West Indies prepare to set aside their miseries of the past two editions. Instead, as the two-time champions and the first to achieve the feat, the Men in Maroon will be inclined to seek inspiration from past successes.

In the truest sense, Australia have conquered the game of cricket.

The fact that Afghanistan have had nine players in teams’ rosters for the Indian Premier League this season speaks volumes about the reputation of Afghan individuals as well as Afghanistan as a team in Twenty20 cricket. To put this into perspective, that number is more than Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and on par with New Zealand and West Indies -- the latter two regarded as powerhouses in all forms of cricket.

Under the guidance of a young Najmul Hossain Shanto and with some exciting weapons in their arsenal, Bangladesh will hope to re-write their record in T20 World Cups heading into the ninth edition of the mega event. 

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.