Starting today for the next three weeks all eyes will be firmly glued on Bangladesh where the fifth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 takes place. To begin with, the established ‘big boys’ won’t be seen in action in the early days of the tournament as six nations compete to earn two spots in the ‘Super 10’ main round. Women’s World T20, with 10 teams competing, including Pakistan Women, will also commence later, from March 23.

Hosts Bangladesh, Ireland and Afghanistan are the most likely contenders to make the cut from the two groups in the men’s event, a changed format from the one which was in place for the previous edition in Sri Lanka. The new format is intended to minimise the possibilities of one too many lopsided fixtures. This means no team can afford to relax in the initial phase of the event because only the pool champions would be going through.

Ireland won the qualifying tournament, defeating Afghanistan after both made it to the final among with the 14 countries who participated in the 72-match marathon which was held in Abu Dhabi last November.

The eight ‘minnows’ include first-time qualifiers Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the biggest surprise of all, Nepal. All three will brace their first taste of ‘real’ cricket while both Ireland and Afghanistan — currently the best Associate Member sides by miles — have had some experience of competing against the major teams in the past.

Many may not have heard of some of the cricketers coming from the minor competing teams. Paras Khadka, a 26-year-old all-rounder from Kathmandu, played a pivotal role while captaining Nepal to third-place with a creditable win over UAE in the qualifying event in Abu Dhabi last November. He is certainly a player to watch out for.

Hong Kong can easily be described as a virtual Pakistani outfit with an astonishing 11 of the team members born in Pakistan, including vice-captain Waqas Barkat, the 24-year-old wicket-keeper/batsman who hails from Rawalpindi, and former skipper Najeeb Amar.

And then are the expatriates from the sub-continent in the UAE squad as well with cricketers who were born in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka representing them. The presence of this lot should make the tournament extra special from the onset with fierce battles anticipated on the playing fields of Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet which will also be making international debuts.

It would be a definite toss up between Bangladesh and Afghanistan to join Pakistan, India, Australia and reigning champions West Indies in Group 2 of the Super 10 round. Afghanistan’s truly stunning victory over Mushfiqur Rahim’s side in the Asia Cup has left Bangladesh sweating and if they are unable to qualify it would be quite a huge embarrassment for the host nation. That is a distinct possibility given the daring approach of the Afghans, particularly towards the shortest form of cricket.

Bangladesh also made history in the inaugural edition of ICC World Twenty20 when they inflicted a shock six-wicket defeat on the West Indies at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, but of late they have been generally found struggling and are short on confidence. But their heartening performance in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan is an indicator that they have the potential to bounce back.

The same theory applies to Zimbabwe who had hitherto shown the ability to stun the might of Australia in a first-round fixture of the same 2007 competition when Ricky Ponting’s men were humbled by five wickets in the spectacular surroundings of Newlands in Cape Town.

But the Zimbabweans’ participation in the 2014 tournament was in grave doubt after the unpaid players had gone on strike while threatening to pull out if the country’s cricket authorities didn’t address matters pertaining to their salaries and related financial guarantees.

The deep-rooted crisis was eventually solved after the intervention of Dave Richardson, ICC’s chief executive, who flew down to Harare as a mediator between Zimbabwe Cricket and the agitating players. However, what lies ahead could be an awkward task for Zimbabwe who have Ireland, UAE and the Netherlands blocking their path to the Super 10 stage.

While the main round matches are only reserved for Dhaka and Chittagong, the warm-up games, with each team allotted two fixtures apiece, began last Wednesday with Dhaka, Chittagong and Fatullah being used as the venues.

Given the conditions and nature of the usually slow and low Bangladeshi pitches, the expected number of sixes — the main ingredient of T20 cricket — could be much less compared to those struck lustily in the previous four World Twenty20 tournaments in South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka.

This tournament is likely to be dominated by the quality of spinners on show and there will be some decent slow bowlers lining up such as Saeed Ajmal, Sunil Narine, Ravindra Jadeja, Sachithra Senanayake, Mohammad Hafeez, Ajantha Mendis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Zulfiqar Babar, Shakib Al Hasan, Amit Mishra, Nathan McCullum, Sohag Gazi, Prosper Utseya, etc.

Some of the squads chosen by established nations for the forthcoming event show a number of surprises for a variety of reasons. After their harrowing experience in Australia last winter, England have dared to move forward without the intimidating figure of Kevin Pietersen who has been pulled down by the English cricket authorities without giving any legitimate explanation.

Pietersen’s precipitated downfall as a high-profile international cricketer has opened the door for former England Under-19 captain Moeen Ali — almost a Hashim Amla look-alike with more lush beard — to prove his credentials at the top of the order as well as a handy off-spinner who has even taken lessons from Saeed Ajmal on how to deliver the well-disguised doosra whenever the Pakistan star turned up at Worcestershire.

Hafeez, who will be leading Pakistan at the World Twenty20 level for the second time, has singled out 35-year-old slow left-armer Zulfiqar Babar as the man who could be the surprise element this time round.

Having skippered his team to the semi-finals of the 2012 edition in Sri Lanka where Pakistan lost to the hosts by 16 runs, Hafeez also believes that the current side is as capable as any other side and could repeat the feat of the Younis Khan-led squad which annexed the 2009 World Twenty20 crown in England.

In fact, Pakistan are the only country thus far to qualify for the knockout stage of all four previous tournaments. They were upstaged by old foes India in the 2007 final when Misbah-ul-Haq’s ill-fated paddle sweep was pocketed by short fine leg. And then Michael Hussey’s famous assault on Saeed Ajmal when Australia needed 18 from the last over decided the 2010 semi-final at the picturesque Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet (St Lucia).

Australia may not have yet won a T20 world title but they are always regarded as a formidable unit after having lost to their traditional rivals England in the 2010 final in Barbados where paradoxically Pietersen made the difference as Paul Collingwood became the first — and only so far — England captain to hold a global trophy.

Shane Warne, one of the true legends of the game, was summoned by head coach Darren Lehmann to work on the spinners during the recent three-match T20 series against the Proteas to ensure Australia prepared adequately for Bangladesh with one tourist — unorthodox left-arm spinner Brad Hogg set to become the oldest player to feature in a Twenty20 International at the ripe age of 43 years.

Hogg, of course, won’t be the only 40-plus player in the championship. UAE skipper Khurram Khan is well past his 42nd birthday, while Hong Kong’s Najeeb Amar and Munir Dar are 42 and 41, respectively, to suggest that even the fast and swift type of cricket needs older and wise heads!

At the other end will be several teenagers who will be showcasing the youth. Sompal Kami turned 18 on Feb 2 this year and is part of a comparatively young Nepalese squad. There are two other 18-year-olds, one in Hong Kong’s squad, Kinchit Singh, and Moaaz Qazi of the UAE.

It would be survival of the fittest at the final hurdle provided they play with full commitment and passion to leave a lasting legacy for the stars of tomorrow. It could be Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa to earn the plaudits while West Indies may find it tough to retain the crown this time.

If Pakistan, despite big question marks on the batting front, manage to clinch their second title it would be a befitting answer to the aspirations of the ‘Big Three’ in their endeavour to rule the world of cricket.