Finch, Morkel and Waqar turn out as T20 World Cup Trophy launch kicks off in Melbourne

Australia captain Aaron Finch and South Africa skipper Morne Morkel helped kick off the 100-days-to-go countdown to the T20 World Cup in Melbourne on Friday.

Sixteen-teams will compete for the trophy including the UAE who sealed their spot in the showpiece by winning the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Oman earlier this year.

Speaking at the Trophy Launch alongside greats of the men's and women's game including Georgia Wareham, Shane Watson and Waqar Younis, Australia captain Finch said excitement in Australia at hosting the tournament for the first time was bubbling.

“It’s an exciting time for cricket with so many world-class teams coming out to play all around the country," Finch said.

"Now that there’s just 100 days to go, you can feel the excitement building among the team about the prospect of playing in a home World Cup in front of our fans.

“In a World Cup every game is a tough game, and anyone can beat anyone on their day so the white ball cricket we’ve got coming up over the next couple of months is going to be crucial to make sure we are ready come the first ball of the World Cup in October.”

The Trophy Tour is set to visit 35 locations in 13 countries across four continents. The Men’s T20 World Cup trophy will make stops in Fiji, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Namibia, Nepal, Singapore and Vanuatu.

Beginning in Melbourne and circling the globe, the Trophy Tour will make its final stop in Geelong on October 16 for the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2022 between 2014 Champions Sri Lanka and Namibia.

Former Australia allrounder Watson said: "“As a player, there’s few things that can top playing in a home World Cup and I can’t wait to see the world’s best T20 players on the fast bouncy pitches in