The T-20 World Cup is finally happening after a gap of 5 years. This is a welcome relief for cricket fans as they emerge out of an unwanted crisis precipitated by a virus and human callousness. Some experts are busy waxing eloquent about the impact usual suspects like Kohli and Smith are going to make in the tournament. But there are certain players for whom this series is critical considering the competition they are facing from younger players and the batting form they are battling currently. Hence, we have chosen some players who need to deliver big-time to remain relevant in the world of cricket.
David Warner
The former captain of Australia and Sun Risers Hyderabad has been having a horror run with the bat for a year or so. His awful batting led to his ouster from the IPL team and going by his poor returns in the two T-20 WC warm-up games so far only a miracle can save his international career. In the first game against Kiwis, the southpaw was dismissed for a golden duck and in the second game against India, he just managed one run. Time is fast running out for the Australian opening batsmen right now and this world cup will be critical for his future as an international player.
Babar Azam
The No 2 batsman in the T-20 format and Pakistan captain across all the formats has for long been considered a worthy entrant to the quartet of fabulous four: Kohli, Smith, Root, Williamson. Though this happens to be his maiden appearance in a T-20 World Cup, whispers are growing louder about his inability to win matches for his team. With over 2,000 runs from 61 T-20 matches at a batting average of 46, Babar’s record is not at all a cause of concern but to be a great batsman he needs to do more for Pakistan with the willow. So, he needs to score big in the all-important tournament to help Pakistan reverse their dismal records in recent times in the T-20 World Cups or else he might become another also ran for the national team.
Ravindra Jadeja
The all-rounder is an automatic choice in almost all the formats of the game for Team India. Even in the IPL, he has played some match-winning knocks for the CSK. But at 33 he is not getting any younger and his inconsistency with the bat, especially while playing for India, in recent outings could not have come at an inappropriate time. The fact that he is yet to score a half-century in T-20 is a mystery that has confounded several cricket pundits. With players like Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar waiting in the wings, it is time Jadeja does a little more with the bat.
Eoin Morgan
The Ireland-born England cricketer has been captaining his national side for a while now. However, the lack of runs from his bat has been haunting his career for a while. In the recently concluded IPL, he was a better captain than a batsman where he led his IPL team KKR to the final. Morgan has only scored 82 runs from seven T-20 matches this year for England. He had already hinted at dropping himself from the squad if the string of poor scores does not end, so his batting assumes a lot of significance in the 2021 T-20 World Cup.
Chris Gayle
The “universal boss” has been in and out of the national team for a while. Even his form has been patchy in the shortest format as he has scored just one fifty against Australia this year. Also, some of the former players, especially Curtly Ambrose, have questioned his presence in the squad. The current T-20 World Cup, in all probability, looks like his last outing at a big tournament for his national team, so Gayle should make it count by bowing out in style. The batting average of less than 30 in the T-20 format is an indication of the waning powers of this bowlers’ nightmare in the not-so-distant past.
