Although England enters the ICC World T20 competition in Sri Lanka as defending champion, it remains to be seen if a talented, but callow squad can defend the title in conditions in which English players rarely thrive.

Several members of the victorious 2010 team are now in international limbo, including the gritty, inspirational captain, Paul Collingwood, who lifted England's first-ever piece of international competition silverware, bowler James Anderson, who didn't get a game in when the tournament was held in the West Indies, and most controversially of all, Kevin Pietersen.

He is currently without a central contract and his international future is in jeopardy, despite the selectors delaying the announcement of the Test squad for India until Tuesday in the hope of reaching some sort of agreement with the mercurial, but troubled, batsman.

Many observers have pointed out that the absence of the devastating Pietersen will limit England's chances of retaining the crown, but there are plenty of hard-hitting batsmen in the squad, with Somerset's Jos Buttler the hottest current prospect after his dazzling 10-ball 32 in the victory over South Africa earlier in the week.

Moreover, Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow has begun to live up to the expectations heaped on his shoulders after his stunning debut against India last year, and in Eoin Morgan, England has one of the most innovative batsmen in the tournament.

Bowlers win T20 games, though, and one poor over can be the difference between victory and defeat, so slim is the margin for error.

Given the conditions, spinners Graeme Swann and Samit Patel will have to be spot-on from ball one in the hope of restricting opponents on pitches that should favor their bowling. On the pace front, quickies Steven Finn and captain Stuart Broad will be augmented by a variety of clever slower balls from Surrey's Jade Dernbach and the military medium of Luke Wright.

There will also be a role for Ravi Bopara as the Essex player attempts to salvage something positive from a season where his Test career has stalled once again. Only Bopara's excellence with the ball kept him in the one-day side, his batting haven fallen off a cliff of late.

Smart fielding, something at which England teams have excelled until recently, will also be a top priority if the side is to thrive in this tournament. The squad is young enough to ensure that enthusiasm in the field will not be lacking.

The team's first game is against Afghanistan, a challenge that should not trouble England too much, but those who remember the embarrassing capitulation to the Netherlands in 2009 will be prepared for the worst.

If England can retain its T20 crown, it would at least add some gloss to what has been a disappointing year in which the Test team tumbled from the top of the tree and also lost its respected captain, Andrew Strauss.

The unvarnished truth, though, is that any of the top teams can win this tournament and victory in the shortest form of the game will prove little, whoever wins.

You can contact the writer at paultomic@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/16/2012 page8)