A new game for Punter & co

Nothing, it seems, can make a World Cup in cricket more exciting than seeing Australia arrive as non-favourites. Over the years, their domination has been so absolute, not to forget the three back-to-back World Cups victories, that at times even their own fans might have struggled to stifle a yawn.
So, here it is. The 2009 World T20 will have India as hot favourites to defend the title, Pakistan and South Africa a close second, Sri Lanka looking to spoil the odds and New Zealand and England as good on paper as Australia.Thanks to the game���s most unpredictable format, the world order in cricket suddenly looks different. In 2007, Ricky Ponting���s men did make it to the semi-final but lost to India there. That team, however, still had Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden opening, while Ponting himself was two years younger, Brett Lee fitter and Stuart Clarke deadly accurate.
This time around, Ponting is struggling for runs, the Gilchrist-Hayden pair has retired, an out-of-form Clarke is anyway injured and the team, again on paper of course, depends heavily on names they have otherwise ignored for national berths.
Andrew Symonds - the name that won���t feature in Australia���s quest to retain the Ashes; Shane Watson - the name that wouldn���t have featured had Symonds kept himself out of harm���s way; David Warner - with still only the 43-ball 89 against South Africa to talk about are the men on whom Australia���s fortunes will rest.
There are a few other names, though, that are likely to trigger a surprise. Look out for Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle with the new ball, David Hussey and James Hopes in the middle order and, of course, Mitchell Johnson, who will remain Australia���s trump card.
Australia play their first match against West Indies and their second against Sri Lanka before the Super Eights. In a similar format last time, they stumbled in their second game against England and then a surprise defeat against Bangladesh further weakened their momentum.
This year, it will be important for Ponting to not just keep the thought of the upcoming Ashes at bay but also ensure that they get on with the task right from the start. History will tell you that once Australia start dominating, it takes a mammoth effort to halt them. That alone could be the Punter���s best bet.
Squad:
Ricky Ponting (Captain), Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, James Hopes, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, Nathan Hauritz, David Warner