From Sri Lanka to Afghanistan, we've profiled each of England's opponents in Super 10 Group 1, as well as identifying the key players likely to be pivotal in the battle for the tournament's semi-finals.

England

Squad: Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Eoin Morgan (c), Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, James Vince, David Willey.

England head in to the tournament with a number of pundits backing the side to be the surprise package of the ICC World T20, as the young squad looks to make the knockout stages by progressing from a tough Group 1.

With explosive batsmen aplenty in Alex Hales, Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan, and the captain being able to call on Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the spin department, England will be out to improve their record on the subcontinent.

One to watch: Jos Buttler – England have a top order packed with exciting talent including Hales, Jason Roy and captain Morgan. However, the Outlaws opener himself has earmarked the dynamic wicketkeeper as England’s key player in India, calling him ‘the best finisher in the world' and remarking that 'there isn’t a ground big enough for him when he’s on his game’.

South Africa

Squad: Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis (c), David Miller, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, David Wiese.

Perennial underachievers at world tournaments, South Africa have the household names to challenge for the T20 crown, but their inability to finish off performances in the latter stages of showpiece events will forever haunt them until they get over the line.

This tournament could be their time, with a squad captained by FAF du Plessis, containing the likes of Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir, the Proteas have all the requisite match-winners to emerge victorious from all situations. 

One to watch: AB de Villiers – Feared for his outstanding ability to hit the ball 360 degrees, the right-hander will be a target for every team in the competition. Relieved of the captaincy and his role behind the stumps, de Villiers will be fully focused in propelling his side to 180 plus scores and, if they get the chance in the knockout stages, removing the semi-final hoodoo from the national side.

Sri Lanka

Squad: Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Shehan Jayasuriya, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews (c), Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Dasun Shanaka, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne.

One of the more prolific sides in the shorter format, Sri Lanka have the best record across the five tournaments of any team; one victory and two runners-up spots. The reigning champions will be looking to defend their crown in familiar conditions but will be without experienced duo Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara who were ever-present in the victorious 2014 campaign.

Despite that, the side, led by all-rounder Angelo Mathews and able to call on Tillakaratne Dilshan at the top of the order, and Lasith Malinga to bowl the pivotal death overs, could be well-placed to push for consecutive trophies.

One to watch: Angelo Mathews – The 28-year-old has come of age in all three formats and has recently been handed the T20 captaincy in conjunction with his 50-over and Test leadership. His runs from the middle order and ability to pick up wickets with his right arm seamers will be vital in Sri Lanka’s title defence.

West Indies

Squad: Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy (c), Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor.

Despite their well-documented troubles off the field, West Indies have a squad full of power hitters including Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell.

Under the stewardship of former Outlaws big-hitter, Darren Sammy, the West Indies have a raft of talented all-rounders to choose from within their side.

However, in the bowling department, despite having talented leg-spinner Samuel Badree as part of the line-up, the West Indies will miss the experience of world number one T20 bowler Sunil Narine, especially in subcontinental conditions.

One to watch: Chris Gayle – His power and ability to clear the ropes with ease can give West Indies the perfect start to any match and teams will be targeting the early dismissal of the left-hander. Whether his off-spin will be called upon is yet to be seen, but the bowling adds another string to the impressive bow of Chris Gayle.

Afghanistan

The underdogs of the entire competition, Afghanistan have been in fine T20 form over the past few years, winning 17 out of their 22 matches. However, with the current World T20 Champions Sri Lanka as well as South Africa, England and West Indies in their group, wins could be hard to come by for the second qualifiers from the preliminary stages.

Squad: Usman Ghani, Amir Hamza, Hamid Hassan, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Sadiq, Shafiqullah, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari, Asghar Stanikzai (c), Dawlat Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Shapoor Zadran.

One to watch: Mohammad Nabi – A strong middle-order batsman and talented off-spinner, Nabi is the go-to man for Afghanistan in both facets of the game. The 31-year-old, alongside opening batsman Mohammad Shahzad and opening bowler Dawlat Zadran, will be crucial to Afghanistan's chances of springing a surprise.

 

England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.