“What is important is that we play as a team and try and support each other as much as we can, whether it’s in the field or when we are batting or bowling. That is something we hope to do and we hope we can do it on a consistent basis.” Says Sarwan who was a member of the 2004 Champions Trophy winning team.

The team with match winners like Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, has the power to defeat any side on their day. They know that the next week in the Caribbean will be a perfect oppurtunity to lay the ghosts of  2007 World Cup.

Chris Gayle at the top of the order, Chanderpaul and Sarwan in the middle order add experience to the team. Wavell Hinds has  been recalled and he will add more experience to their squad. Allrounders like Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Ravi Rampaul has already proved themselves at International stages.

History:

In the inaugural tournament in 2007 they suffered a humiliating loss to Bangladesh and exited in the first round and in 2009 they lost in the semis to Sri Lanka.

Darkhorses in the team:

Wavell Hinds: Selectors believed that the addition of this Jamaican All-rounder will add tons of   experience to the middle order.

Players in spotlight:

Kieron Pollard: The exciting all-rounder gava a whopping performance in this season IPL and his country expects him to repeat it.

Squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor

Afghanistan enter their first global tournament in Group C, alongside South Africa and India but are buoyed by a recent a run of success that saw them win the qualifier and chase down 494 to beat Canada in the Intercontinental Cup.

Afghanistan squad for the ICC World Twenty20: Nawroz Mangal (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Karim Sadiq, Mirwais Ashraf, Rais Ahmadzai, Dawlat Ahmadzai, Mohammad Shahzad, Hamid Hassan, Samiullah Shinwari, Noor Ali, Asghar Stanikzai, Shahpoor Zadran, Shabir Noori, Sayed Nasrat, Shafiq Shafaq.

Commenting on the England men’s squad, Geoff Miller, England National Selector, said: “We believe we’ve picked a balanced squad that can meet the needs of the Twenty20 format – aggressive batting with variation and strength in depth and various bowling options that accommodate the conditions and surfaces in the West Indies. Our fielding, which is such a vital aspect of limited overs cricket, has improved markedly and there’s no reason we can’t perform well in what will be a challenging global tournament.

“On the recent tour of Bangladesh Craig Kieswetter showed what he is capable of in international limited overs cricket and as a wicketkeeper at the top of the order he gives us options down the order. Craig has improved over time and his selection indicates real competition for places which is only healthy for the England team. Despite missing selection for this format of the game Matt Prior very much remains in the England set up and a part of our plans.

“Michael Lumb has consistently performed well in limited overs cricket for Hampshire and has also impressed during his time in the IPL and with the England Lions. As a powerful left-hander Michael adds aggression to our batting and has the ability to compliment the rest of the line-up.

“Michael Yardy has also performed at a consistently high level for his county, Sussex, in limited overs cricket and knows his game inside and out. Both Michael and Ravi Bopara have earned recalls to the England squad after going away and working hard on their cricket with excellent results.”

Commenting on the England women’s squad, Clare Connor, Head of England Women’s Cricket, said: “We believe we have selected a squad of players with the necessary skills to retain the ICC World Twenty20. Whilst this will be no easy feat given the strength of our group (Australia, West Indies and South Africa), the Twenty20 series win in India in February has prepared the squad well for the challenge.

“In order to make way for the return of Claire Taylor and Holly Colvin, who missed the India tour due to other commitments, the selectors have had to make some tough decisions. Young Academy graduates Heather Knight, Danielle Wyatt and Danielle Hazell all seized their opportunities in India and, as such, have retained their places in the squad.

“A couple of senior players have missed out on selection but the door remains open to them with a huge summer ahead against New Zealand in July. It is exactly this sort of competition for places that we are always striving for. We wish Charlotte Edwards and her squad every success in their bid to retain their ICC World Twenty20 champion status.”

England Men’s ICC World T20 squad: Paul Collingwood (Durham, Captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex).

The ICC World Twenty20 commences on Friday April 30 in Guyana with the final to be played on Sunday May 16 in Barbados. The England men’s team are in Group D alongside West Indies and Ireland, with its first Group match against hosts West Indies in Guyana on Monday May 3 (13:30 local time). The England women’s team are in Group A alongside Australia, West Indies and South Africa, with its first Group match against Australia in St Kitts on Wednesday May 5 (14:00 local time).

The squad also includes Jesse Ryder, who is set to make play his first internationals for the Black Caps since a tumultous Champions Trophy campaign in South Africa last October.

Daryl Tuffey and Neil Broom were ruled out because of injury, clearing the way for Nichol’s inclusion.

Black Caps coach and selectors’ spokesman Mark Greatbatch said the squad contains a mix of players who can compete in Twenty20 at a world-class level.

“We think we have some very dynamic batters who can be lethal in this form of the game. Our bowlers are also very effective Twenty20 performers,” he said.

The Black Caps will leave for their Brisbane training camp on April 18 where players such as Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills, who are returning after injury, will be put through their paces in an effort to restore match fitness.

Several squad members will play in the National Club Championship before the team leaves for Brisbane.

The T20 World Cup runs from April 27 until May 16. The Black Caps will play their initial pool matches against Ireland, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

New Zealand squad for the ICC World Twenty20: Daniel Vettori (capt), Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Aaron Redmond, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

Ashraful failed to register a half-century in his last 13 international innings and skipped the recent one-day series against England, instead opting to try to regain form in domestic first-class matches.

However, a string of low scores in domestic cricket and in a warm-up game against the tourists cost him his place in the test squad as well.

Left-arm pacer Syed Rasel also returned to the side after missing out on the New Zealand tour and England series, while left-arm spinner Mohammad Sohrawordi and batsman Jahirul Islam retained their places in the Twenty20 squad.

Bangladesh will play against defending champions Pakistan and unseeded Australia in Group A of the ICC World Twenty20.

Bangladesh squad for the ICC World Twenty20: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Jahirul Islam, Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Syed Rasel and Mohammad Sohrawordi.

For probably the first time in Pakistan cricket history, a squad was named without a captain as chairman of selectors Mohsin Khan announced his first national side at a crowded media conference here at the National Stadium.

There was no issue as regards the selections since the 15 names read out by the chief selector were more or less the same which were already published in most of Friday’s national newspapers.

Therefore, on Friday it became just a mere formality for Mohsin, who was accompanied at the press briefing by fellow selector Saleem Jaffer and PCB’s general manager (media) Nadeem Sarwar, to officially announce the squad that will defend the title Pakistan won in England last summer after defeating Sri Lanka in the final.

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s severe punishments handed out to seven players at the completion of probe committee report – following the national team’s deplorable showing in Australia mainly –, the selectors were literally left with limited options in finalising the squad from the provisional list of 28 after two of the 30 probables — Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan — were each banned for a year.

As widely tipped, versatile all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez returned to the national side for the first time since the inaugural World Twenty20 tournament in South Africa in September 2007. Also making a comeback is veteran batsman Misbah-ul-Haq after a string of strong performances in domestic cricket. He was axed from the national side midway through the Australia tour last Dec.

Nine members of the squad named on Friday – Salman Butt, Fawad Alam, Misbah, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamir – were also members of the squad which Younis Khan successfully led in England last June in World T20.

Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Asif, two among the five-man pace attack named in the current side, were also members of the Pakistan team that played in South Africa.

Following the PCB’s drastic measures/penalties announced on Wednesday against some of the leading players in the country, Mohsin faced a barrage of awkward and at times hostile questions during the press briefing, most of which sadly were irrelevant. However, being an elegant Test opening batsman of the 1980s, the chief selector calmly offered a straight bat time and again to the rather aggressive media contingent.

When asked why the squad was being named early when the skipper has not been appointed, Mohsin said: “The main reason why the PCB chairman requested us [the selectors] to announce the squad at this point in time is that we all wanted to give the selected players ample time to get both mentally and physically prepared for such an important assignment at the conditioning camp to be set up probably next week.

“The appointment of captain is not our domain because only the chairman has the authority to name him. But I can assure you that we have complete backing of the board chief while picking the squad, which has been finalised in unanimous consensus with the other selectors [including Mohammad Ilyas and Azhar Khan] as well as the two co-opted members of the selection committee [Farrukh Zaman and Asif Baloch].”

Giving his views on the squad, Mohsin admitted in the given circumstances, the best possible set of players have been picked.

Mohsin said the selection of Hafeez would allow Pakistan the luxury of using him as a floating player who can bat anywhere in the order from No 1 to No 7.

Hammad Azam, the all-rounder who played a huge role in guiding Pakistan to the final of the recent Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, is the only uncapped player selected for shortest format of the game.

The selectors named five reserves too which include paceman Mohammad Sami, wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed and slow left-armer Raza Hasan, who was Hammad’s team-mate during the Under-19 Word Cup.

Meanwhile, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi are the most likely candidates to lead the team in World T20 in the West Indies.

Top seeds Pakistan, who are grouped in Pool ‘A’ of the 12-team competition, will face Bangladesh on May 1 before taking on Australia the next day in the preliminary round fixtures to be played in St Lucia.

Pakistan squad for the ICC World Twenty20: Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat, Kamran Akmal (wicket-keeper), Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Asif.

Reserves: Sarfraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shahzeb Hasan, Mohammad Sami, Naved Yasin, Raza Hasan.

Lee, 33, has played only one match, taking 0/39 for King’s XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League, since returning this month from a serious elbow injury. He won selection on Tuesday ahead of the in-form Ryan Harris.

Test incumbent Michael Hussey was also included in the squad ahead of left-hander Travis Birt, while Daniel Christian has held his place as an all-rounder.

Australia will play Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stages of the World Cup, which runs from April 30 to May 16.

Australia squad for the ICC World Twenty20: David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, Daniel Christian, Brad Haddin (wk), Brett Lee, Dirk Nannes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Shaun Tait.

ICC World Twenty20

In the midst of the Indian Premier League, the national selectors, on Friday, picked up the 15-member squad for Twenty20 Cricket World Cup which begins next month in the West Indies.

Pacer Ishant Sharma was not picked for the championship’s third edition in the Caribbean from April 30-May 16.

Piyush Chawla and Vinay Kumar are the new faces in the otherwise tried and tested Indian squad.

Impressive performers in IPL like Robin Uthappa of RCB, Saurabh Tiwary of MI and Murali Kartik of Kolkata Knight Riders were not part of the 30-strong list picked last month.

India are in Group C with South Africa and qualifiers Afghanistan in the preliminary league phase of the 12-team event and their first match is against the Afghans on May 1.

In last June’s Twenty20 World Cup in England, India’s defence for the title they won with much fanfare in 2007 in South Africa was affected because of injuries to key players Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.

India squad for the ICC World Twenty20: MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Piyush Chawla, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Vinay Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan.

The 31-year-old all-rounder was named in the 15-man group released exclusively for the agency on Thursday. Blignaut last played for his country in 2005 before joining a strike by players dissatisfied with their contracts.

He was also involved in a dispute with Zimbabwe’s cricket board in 2004 which resulted in the sacking of 15 senior white players.

Former Zimbabwe under-19 batsman Craig Ervine, the younger brother of Hampshire’s Sean Ervine, was called into the national squad for the first time.

There is no place for the older Ervine, who is still tied to a contract in English county cricket.

Also missing are Stuart Matsikenyeri and Shingi Masakadza, who have been dropped following Zimbabwe’s 4-1 loss in a recent one-day series in West Indies. Fast bowler Kyle Jarvis, whose tour was cut short by injury, was left out too.

Top-order batsman Chamu Chibhabha returns after shining in Zimbabwe’s domestic Twenty20 competition last month, where he was the second highest run-scorer.

The squad will travel to the Caribbean with an additional player, teenager Tendai Chatara. The promising paceman, who opened the bowling for Zimbabwe at the under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in January, will only play in a warm-up match against West Indies ‘A’ on April 16 before flying back home.

Zimbabwe will be under the direction of new coach Alan Butcher for the first time at the World Twenty20. Butcher is due to arrive in Harare over the weekend.

The 12-team Twenty20 competition begins on April 30. Zimbabwe is grouped with Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Zimbabwe squad for the ICC World Twenty20: Prosper Utseya (captain), Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Andy Blignaut, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Greg Lamb, Elton Chigumbura, Vusi Sibanda, Ray Price, Graeme Cremer, Chamu Chibhabha, Chris Mpofu, Timycen Maruma, Craig Ervine.

Dhoni and opener Gautam Gambhir were injured during the early part of the ongoing Indian Premier League while Ashish Nehra, another important member, has not played any match in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils due to a rib cage problem.

In last June’s Twenty20 World Cup in England, India’s defence for the title they won with much fanfare in 2007 in South Africa was affected because of injuries to key players Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.

The selectors would be wary of the injuries to the key players when they meet to prune down the preliminary list of 30 players to half for the April 30-May 16 tournament in the Caribbean.

The biggest worry could be the injury to left-arm pacer Nehra, whose last competitive tie was against South Africa in the second ODI at Gwalior on February 24.

Gambhir, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, and Nehra went to Sri Lanka for ayurvedic treatment there.

Dhoni, who was hit on his forearm by New Zealand pacer Shane Bond when leading Chennai Super Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders on March 16, has, however, rejoined his team members and declared himself fit.

Barring the odd surprise, the five selectors are unlikely to experiment too much with unknown commodities.

One of the players expected to get a look-in following his impressive show in 2008 IPL and current edition of the lucrative Twenty20 league is Karnataka’s Manish Pandey, who has also been in peak form in this year’s Ranji Trophy championship.

Pandey has made the wise move to move up the order and accompany veteran South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis in giving his franchise outfit Royal Challengers Bangalore sound starts in IPL 3.

The inclusion of Pandey will give the Indian team the option to have another explosive player at the top of the order to take advantage of the first six overs of power play which sets the tone of the course of the innings.

Another player, who is under a cloud but not because of injury, is Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, an integral part of the Indian ODI squad. The IPL had imposed on him a one-year ban for breaching player guidelines.

The IPL Governing Council has asked Cricket Board Vice President and legal expert Arun Jaitley to conduct a fresh hearing in the case by calling Jadeja as well as representatives of franchises Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians to sort out the issue.

A green signal for the talented Saurashtra all rounder would be an indication that he would be on the flight to the West Indies too after taking part in the remainder of the IPL that ends on April 25.

There have been news reports that the selectors can look beyond the preliminary list of players chosen on February 25 and sent to the International Cricket Council, but BCCI sources could not confirm it.

Impressive performers in IPL like Robin Uthappa of RCB, Saurabh Tiwary of MI and Murali Kartik of Kolkata Knight Riders were not part of the 30-strong list picked last month.

The selectors would have to decide on important issues like whether a second stumper would be required as back-up for Dhoni, how many pace bowlers need to be in the squad and whether any additional specialist spinner is required to support Harbhajan Singh.

There are quite a number of part-time spinners the team could bank upon like Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh if the selectors decide not to include any other specialist slow bowler apart from Harbhajan.

The 30-strong preliminary list of players: Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, S Sreesanth, Sudeep Tyagi, Rohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Piyush Chawla, Abhimanyu Mithun, Manish Pandey, R P Singh, Munaf Patel, M Vijay, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin.