Batting tactics in the Powerplays and the slog overs

To go hammer and tongs at the bowling from the very beginning or to keep wickets in hand and launch the assault at the end? You could argue that the format of the game is such that teams have no option but to choose the first plan, but the stats from Twenty20 internationals so far suggest sides have adopted different strategies, which obviously cater to their strengths.

Take Sri Lanka, for example. With Sanath Jayasuriya opening the batting, often with Tillakaratne Dilshan, the best option for the team is to attack the bowling from the start and score mountains of runs in the first six overs, when the fielding restrictions are in place. That eases the pressure on the batsmen following later, which works well for Sri Lanka, as many of the players in the middle and lower orders aren't out-and-out hitters.

For the two other major teams from the subcontinent, though, that isn't the preferred approach. Both India and Pakistan have relatively low runs-per-over stats of around 7.50 (and India tend to lose wickets early too, as is indicated by their poor average of 23 runs per wicket). Pakistan have the option of Shahid Afridi at the top of the order, but they've often preferred to keep him for the later overs; India have a pretty well-rounded line-up, with big-hitters spread throughout the batting line-up, but the major impetus for them has usually come in the middle and latter overs.

Bangladesh top the table for highest run-rates in the first six, which is also reflective of their carefree approach to batting. As you'll see later in the piece, though, that approach has cost them quite dearly towards the end of the innings.

Though Afridi fell for a first-ball duck in the warm-up game against India, there's perhaps a case for sending him up the order during the World Twenty20 (though that'll also depend on the pitch and weather conditions at the specific venue). In his first Twenty20 international innings, against England in Bristol, he batted at No. 4, and, coming out in the fourth over, blitzed 28 from 10 balls to put Pakistan on course. Overall, his stats in the first six are impressive: 86 runs at an average of 43 and a strike-rate of more than two runs per ball. In the last six overs, on the other hand, his numbers are dismal: 80 runs in 60 balls at an average of 11.42 and a strike-rate of eight runs per over.

Bangladesh's Aftab Ahmed's fearless approach has served him well too during the Powerplay overs - in the World Twenty20 in 2007, he was one of the masterminds of the victory against West Indies with a 49-ball unbeaten 62, and then blasted 36 from a mere 14 deliveries against the hosts. Zimbabwe's Hamilton Masakadza had impressive stats too, though his best innings came against a weak Canada attack, when he scored 79 from 52.

Jayasuriya may be in patchy form at the moment, but there's no doubting his destructive ability at the top of the order: in the first six overs he averages almost 38 runs per dismissal, at more than nine-and-a-half runs per over. Surprisingly, Virender Sehwag has been rather quieter, which partly explains India's rather sedate starts in Twenty20 internationals.

The table for the last six overs looks quite different: Australia lead the way, but India jump up to second spot, thanks to the likes of Yusuf Pathan, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Co. - they average an impressive 9.59 runs per over. South Africa move up too, to fourth place, after languishing at the bottom in the previous table. Sri Lanka's lack of firepower in the late overs is obvious, as they slip to seventh place and are only marginally ahead of West Indies.

The worst stats, though, belong to Bangladesh: they are the only team who score at less than a run a ball during the final six overs, which indicates how badly they lose momentum at a time when they should be turning on the heat. Much of that is due to the fact that they struggle to keep their wickets intact - they average less than eight runs per wicket at this stage, easily the worst among all teams.

David Hussey leads the way for individual batsmen in the last six overs (in terms of run- rates, among those who've scored at least 75 runs). Australia will look to him to crank it up in the slog overs. And to see how big a loss Andrew Symonds' withdrawal could be, check his stats below, which show he has been a huge force with the bat in the last six, a quality he demonstrated amply in the IPL. Not only does he score runs quickly at a time when it's needed - his strike-rate is nearly 11 per over - he does so without losing his wicket often, as the average of 113 demonstrates. Add his medium pace or offspin and his outstanding fielding, and it indicates just how badly he could be missed by Ricky Ponting.