T20 World Cup Group A preview: India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands, Namibia

Group A at the T20 World Cup brings together co-host India, Pakistan, USA, Netherlands and Namibia. The tournament runs February 7 to March 8 and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

India

• Best result: Winners (2007, 2024). 2024 result: Winners. Qualified as co-hosts. Head coach: Gautam Gambhir.

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan.

Players to watch: Rinku Singh as a composed middle-order finisher; wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, a regular T20 match-winner when picked. Notable omission: Shubman Gill missed out after a quiet Asia Cup.

Round-one fixtures: vs USA (Mumbai, Feb 7); vs Namibia (Delhi, Feb 12); vs Netherlands (Ahmedabad, Feb 18).

Pakistan

• Best result: Winners (2009). 2024 result: Group stage. Qualified on T20 rankings. Head coach: Mike Hesson.

Squad: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.

Players to watch: Shaheen Shah Afridi leads the pace attack with experience and genuine yorker skills. Babar Azam remains Pakistan’s key run-maker who can take games away when in form. Note the seam-to-spin selection balance after Haris Rauf's omission.

Round-one fixtures: vs Netherlands (Colombo, Feb 7); vs USA (Colombo, Feb 10); vs Namibia (Colombo, Feb 18).

USA

• Best result: Super 8s (2024). 2024 result: Super 8s. Qualified via 2024 World Cup performance. Head coach: Pubudu Dassanayake.

Squad: Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.

Players to watch: Andries Gous, who made headlines in 2024 and in franchise cricket; left-armer Saurabh Netravalkar, a key new-ball and death overs option who starred in the USA’s Super Over win over Pakistan.

Round-one fixtures: vs India (Mumbai, Feb 7); vs Pakistan (Colombo, Feb 10); vs Netherlands (Chennai, Feb 13); vs Namibia (Chennai, Feb 15).

Netherlands

• Best result: Super 19s (2014). 2024 result: Group stage. Qualified via European Qualifier. Head coach: Ryan Cook.

Squad: Scott Edwards (captain), Noah Croes, Max O'Dowd, Saqib Zulfiqar, Aryan Dutt, Kyle Klein, Paul van Meekeren, Fred Klaassen, Colin Ackermann, Bas de Leede, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Logan van Beek, Roelof van der Merwe, Timm van der Gugten.

Players to watch: Opener Max O'Dowd provides power at the top and can change momentum quickly; Roelof van der Merwe adds experience and crafty spin in pressure moments.

Round-one fixtures: vs Pakistan (Colombo, Feb 7); vs Namibia (Delhi, Feb 10); vs USA (Chennai, Feb 13); vs India (Ahmedabad, Feb 18).

Namibia

• Best result: Super 12s (2021). 2024 result: Group stage. Qualified via Africa Qualifier. Head coach: Craig Williams.

Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (captain), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, Jan Balt, Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Max Heingo. Reserve: Alexander Busing-Volschenk.

• Players to watch: Louren Steenkamp for aggressive scoring and Ruben Trumpelmann for left-arm swing bowling that has troubled top batters.
• Round-one fixtures: vs Netherlands (Delhi, Feb 10); vs India (Delhi, Feb 12); vs USA (Chennai, Feb 15); vs Pakistan (Colombo, Feb 18).

Broadcast: Watch the Men's T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from February 7 to March 8. Sky Sports subscribers and NOW customers can stream the tournament.