Cricket
7 players primed to succeed at UAE T20 World Cup.
The 2021 T20 World Cup will no longer be played in India. The tournament's move to the United Arab Emirates and Oman brings several fresh faces into the equation for who will be the top batsman and top bowler.
Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan is among the most talented and in-form in world cricket at the moment, so much so he was chosen to captain his country during July's tour of Sri Lanka. Dhawan was the leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL prior to the tournament's suspension. He'll likely feature in the resumption in the UAE, too, and soon thereafter the start of the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal was the leading run-scorer at the previous T20 World Cup in 2016. He struck an unrivalled 295 runs in total against several challenging opposition bowling attacks. Iqbal is the country's ODI captain nowadays and, importantly, isn't letting the additional responsibility negatively affect his primary role with the bat, namely at the top of the order.
When the IPL was held entirely in the UAE in 2020, South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took the most wickets in the tournament. That record and experience will go a long way in fashioning his approach to the Proteas' 2021 T20 World Cup campaign, to which Quinton de Kock will also be important. Rabada is a big asset to a SA bowling attack still trying to fill gaps in the absence of trio Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
Australia's David Warner was the leading run-scorer among non-Indian players at the IPL 2020 in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. What he did for the Sunrisers Hyderabad last year, he can do for the Australians this season. As a left-hander, Warner can be particularly tough for opposition bowlers to successfully combat. He strikes the ball to unorthodox areas with relative ease. Betway, bet365 and some of the other best betting sites in India have the Aussies priced at 5.0 to win the T20 World Cup. The reigning and two-time champions West Indies are offered at 8.0.
Sohaib Maqsood was named the player of the tournament after the 2021 Pakistan Super League, the second leg of which was staged in Abu Dhabi. Maqsood has not played international cricket since 2016, but is due a comeback on a solid string of showings in the PSL. A similar scenario occurred for countryman Sharjeel Khan not so long ago. The hard-hitting Maqsood would be a key player for Pakistan's pursuit of a second T20 World Cup title. Their first was in 2009, when the competition was still known as the World Twenty20.
New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult is somewhat of a household name in global cricket these days. He is a reasonably permanent fixture in New Zealand's T20, ODI and Test XIs - and was outstanding during victory over India in the 2020-21 World Test Championship final. He also plays for the Mumbai Indians, so is a firm favourite among Indian cricket fans, to. They should be cheering him on in the UAE, when India are not playing New Zealand.
West Indies batsman Sherfane Rutherford seems on the outskirts of national selection for the time being, but could be picked as an extra batsman for the T20 World Cup. His experience for Peshawar Zalmi could then come in handy, particularly in Abu Dhabi. Another West Indian batsman in a similar bracket to Rutherford is Shimron Hetmyer, though he is probably closer to first-choice selection. Hetmyer was with the Multan Sultans in the PSL and will also be seen in the 2021 Caribbean Premier League with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. As well as winning a T20 World Cup with the men in maroon this season, he might couple that with a maiden CPL title with the Warriors.
