Australia return to the unknown

Since their first-round exit in last year's World Twenty20, Australia have undergone a significant rebuild and installed Michael Clarke as their full-time leader. The changes have led to hope of a strong performance but, unlike in the Test and one-day arenas, they don't really know what to expect in the Caribbean.

Cameron White, Dirk Nannes, David Hussey, David Warner and Shaun Tait are some of the limited-overs experts who are now highly rated in the squad while Steven Smith and Daniel Christian provide some youth. Clarke, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin bring the experience of productive careers in all three genres.

Australia have appeared in 29 T20 internationals, including 15 wins and 12 losses, and should enter the event on a high after being unbeaten at home and in New Zealand during 2009-10. However, they were set back by a tight loss to Zimbabwe in their opening warm-up, which was a familiar result.

They were upset by the same team in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and their problems with slow starts continued at the 2009 tournament when they were beaten by West Indies and Sri Lanka. "It will be critical for us that we hit the ground running," the coach Tim Nielsen said. Already they need to turn things around for the first match against Pakistan on Sunday.

Twenty20 is Australia's worst format and the greatest concern is they don't really know how to be the best. Most of the players are still learning how to master the tactics, although the selectors have finally relied on an impressive batch of specialists with considerable IPL and Big Bash experience. The national side has appeared in a lot of Twenty20s - nine more than India and 15 more than Bangladesh - but most of their main men don't get a go in the domestic tournaments due to international commitments.

Depending on the day, the fast-bowling attack can be the most frightening weapon or the place to attack. If Tait, Johnson and Nannes are on song life will be almost impossible for the batsmen. If they are loose they will be expensive on the smaller Caribbean grounds. Things might have been worse for the opposition if Brett Lee hadn't been ruled out on the eve of the tournament with a forearm injury.

Shaun Tait helped win Australia a World Cup the last time he was in the Caribbean, taking 23 wickets at 20.30. Over the past two years his body and mind have restricted him to limited-overs affairs, where he can bowl a handful of overs at full pace. He has already clocked 160kph this year and is a severe threat whenever operating near his peak.

David Warner has become a brutal Twenty20 specialist and has an essential role at the top of the order. While Shane Watson can show his muscle, Warner is the man capable of racing along at two runs a ball without feeling like he's out of control. In 13 matches with Australia he has a strike-rate of 155.32 and if he fires Australia's chances improve significantly.

It still feels a bit strange saying it, but in this set-up Cameron White is a senior figure. Over the past year he has turned from a fringe limited-overs figure into a vice-captain who is dependable and destructive. With the bat he can add steel or power and when he hits cleanly no ground is big enough. In his previous T20 international he crunched 64 off 26 balls in a barely believable display.