The timing of Symonds' indiscretion couldn't have been worse. Australia already had a difficult enough task just trying to qualify for the semi-finals. With their loss against West Indies, it's now that much tougher for them to get past Sri Lanka and move on to a Super-Eight Group E that's loaded with talent.
With due respect to West Indies, the most likely scenario is a group that will include India, Australia and South Africa. That's the three best teams in the tournament, all in one Super Eight group. The lop-sided nature of the draw means that one of the big three will miss out on a semi-final berth. Following Symonds' demise, the chances that team will be Australia just rose like a sky rocket on New Year's Eve.
Because Twenty20 matches are brief there's very little time to recover from a setback. Therefore teams with match-winners at the top of the order or among the frontline bowlers are well placed to wrest the initiative. Australia just lost one of a rare breed; a player who can have a major affect on a game from the middle order. Nevertheless, Australia are still well credentialled and rank up there with India and South Africa. Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina can all get a move on at the top of the order for India, and Zaheer Khan is a proven wicket-taker - though his fitness is under a cloud. Australia are well placed with Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Ponting and the lethal pairing of Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee to make early inroads.
South Africa rely on a slightly different formula. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis aren't a typical helter-skelter Twenty20 opening combination, but the team compensate with the sublime skills of JP Duminy and AB de Villiers. Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell are a capable opening bowling pair, but the real surprise is South Africa's sudden reliance on spin. South Africa have recently stifled Australia's batting with spin in both the shorter versions of the game. The emergence of Roelof van der Merwe to partner Johan Botha, and the guile of Duminy, give South Africa a trio of wicket-takers in the middle- to late overs.
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