Team Australia

The reigning ICC CWC, Champions Trophy and Super Series winners will be looking to add another trophy to their cabinet when they compete in the ICC World Twenty20 in September.Having performed outstandingly in the Caribbean, where it didn’t lose a single match on the way to its third consecutive CWC title earlier this year, Australia will be the team to beat at the event.And while some of the old guard, who contributed to Australia’s success in both the long and short form of the game for so long, have recently retired, (including Man of the Tournament at the CWC 2007, Glenn McGrath) there is plenty of batting and bowling firepower left in the team.

With a batting order that includes CWC 2007 final centurion Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey, there is no shortage of big hitters. Meanwhile, the likes of Shaun Tait, Nathan Bracken and Brad Hogg also enhanced their reputations with excellent displays in the West Indies, and previously-injured Brett Lee, who missed out on the CWC 2007, is itching to get back to international action.

Having played the first ever Twenty20 International match, when they defeated New Zealand in Auckland in February 2005 thanks to an unbeaten 98 off 55 balls from Ponting and four wickets from Michael Kasprowicz, the Australians then suffered a heavy 100-run defeat to England in the build-up to the 2005 Ashes series.

Australia will see host nation South Africa as one of its main rivals for the Twenty20 crown and it has had mixed fortunes against Graeme Smith’s side in this form of the game. In January 2006 the Australians coasted to a 95-run win over South Africa at Brisbane, with Damian Martyn top scoring with 96, but less than two months later they suffered a two-run defeat in a thrilling match in Johannesburg, where Lee couldn’t quite manage to hit 19 off the last over for victory.

Australia then gained revenge on England for its defeat at Southampton in 2005, when it thrashed its arch-rival at Sydney by 77 runs, posting an incredible 221-5.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Bradley Hogg, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Watson