T20 World Cup2022: Why are Pakistan and WI unpredictable and still considered outsiders to win the T20 World Cup?

But as we witnessed in the recently concluded Asia Cup and many such instances, the significant tournaments rarely go directly in favour of favourites. And these are the events where the role of dark horses comes, making these tournaments much more challenging and fun to witness.

T20 can be tough to predict due to its dynamic nature. Unlike other forms of cricket where teams have time to make a recovery and a comeback in the game, such things are challenging in T20 cricket. 

So here we will take a look at two teams that are unpredictable and still considered to be the dark horses for winning the T20 World Cup 2022.

West Indies- Of lately, West Indies have been cracking edges, and we might say they have no hope for the tournament. But this is what everyone thought and spoke for the West Indies in 2016, and we all witnessed them scripting history then.

The Caribbean power has always managed to set aside its weaknesses and turn things in its favour on the most prominent events. The squad announced sees a mixture of youth and experience to represent their strength.

There were many surprises in the team, like the exclusion of Andre Russell and Fabian Allen to include fresh talent who played in the last edition World Cup in UAE. They have unexpected call-ups in the form of Johnson Charles and Yannic Cariah, who will be complete surprises for their opponents. 

They have power hitters Rovman Powell, Kyle Mayers, and Nicholas Pooran and a bowling department headed by Jason Holder, Obed McCoy and Odean Smith. All these are going in good form and can attack opponents on any given day. 

Pakistan- Pakistan is one such team that goes unpredictable, and one can never be sure how things will turn out for them. The same XI can be no-hopers one day and can be the champions the next. 

They have their key hopes lying in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi for the tournament. If these three have a good run in the matches, the team is more than likely to defeat any opponent. So a lot of fate for Pakistan stays dependent on them. 

Notable exclusion of Fakhar Zaman and Shahnawaz Dahani to the inclusion of Shan Masood, Pakistan has made these surprising changes to their squad. While they have a prolific opening pair, the middle order makes them unstable and unpredictable. They have handy all-rounders in the form of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan, whom we saw can be the potential game-changers for their team. 

"If Babar doesn't have a great tournament, I don't think they can win," said former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting. He added that New Zealand, Pakistan, and West Indies might be the tournament's dark horses.

"I know the game too well and any of New Zealand, Pakistan or West Indies even- we know how they tend to love playing this game and they're probably most suited to the T20 format. It wouldn't surprise me if any of those sides find their way through to the final."