T20 World Cup 2022: Which teams could be the surprise of the tournament?

There will be no other bilateral series until the tournament, and while teams will be playing in warm-up games before the match, these don't have a List A status and won't be counted as official games. 

 There are pretty clearly a few teams that one would rate higher than the others. Australia is both the hosts and the defending champions and has a star-studded side. They are impossible to discount as far as title hopes are concerned. 

England is also up there as favourites and even won their final T20I series ahead of the World Cup – in Australia, no less! And India will always be seen as a threat and a team to beat. 

However, that doesn't mean some teams can't make one upset. New Zealand is the perfect example of many discounts but consistently punches above its weight in ICC tournaments. 

It's worth noting that New Zealand has played in the final of three of the last four World Cups across formats to be held. 

They made it to the finals of the 2015 and 2019 ODI World Cups and also played in the 2021 T20 World Cup summit clash. 

They might not boast the type of star names that the so-called ''Big Three'' might have, but they are a tough team to put away more often than not. 

There's also Pakistan, a team with a middle order with more gaping holes than Swiss cheese. Yet this Pakistan side made it to the semis of the last T20 World Cup and the finals of the 2022 Asia Cup. 

Yes, they rely overly on their openers, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and their bowling. But they are tough to beat on their day – and have an unpredictable streak that makes most sides dread facing them. 

There's also Sri Lanka, the 2022 Asia Cup champions, and a side that last won a T20 World Cup back in 2014. 

They, too, don't have the kind of star power that would make most teams sit up and take notice. But, as they proved during their Asia Cup campaign, it doesn't matter when the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 

South Africa would be reeling from losing both a T20I and ODI series to India ahead of the World Cup. 

But don't let those losses fool you – they have a solid batting line-up and, in Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, two bowlers who will doubtless enjoy Australia's conditions. 

Yes, they, too, have concerns of their own – not least the form of skipper Temba Bavuma, who had a torrid time in India. But they, too, cannot be discounted. 

This is shaping up to be a World Cup with multiple potential contenders – precisely what cricket fans want.