ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024: Top five bowlers to watch out for in upcoming world cup.
The common saying in cricket is that batters will win you matches but bowlers are the ones who will win you tournaments. This is true as far as the modern-day game is concerned, especially in the T20 format.
The T20 game is strongly tilted in the favour of the batters and even a 200-plus score is not safe to secure a win. This is where the skillset and the mental strength of a bowler is tested. The ones who find ways to challenge these modern-day batters are those who result successfully in this format.
Since we are less than a month away from the T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and the USA, here is the list of bowlers who we feel can come out with flying colours in the showpiece event.
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is all set to lead the team’s bowling line-up at the marquee event. Going into the tournament, Bumrah has been in sensational form in all formats of the game in 2024. In Tests, he has claimed 27 scalps in five games and in the ongoing IPL, he has by far been the pick of bowlers with 20 wickets in 13 games with a phenomenal economy of 6.48.
Though he has featured in only two T20Is for India since 2023, these recent numbers make him one of the contenders to be the bowler of the upcoming T20 World Cup. Not just the numbers, but the way he has bowled since his comeback from a serious injury is heartening if you are a Team India fan.
Bumrah has become more potent with his yorkers & slower balls and India will hope that he brings the same form to the World Cup.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
One of the reasons why the rest of the teams are taking the Afghanistan cricket team seriously in the global events is the presence of Rashid Khan in their side. The wily leg-spinner has the inert ability to change the game on its head with his accurate bowling. In the pitches of the Caribbean, where it tends to turn, Rashid can be a handful.
The 25-year-old has missed quite a bit of action this year due to a back injury. He is just about making a comeback after a long time-off with the IPL. In this ongoing edition, Rashid has played all the games and remained fit throughout. Though he has picked just ten wickets from 12 games with a relatively higher economy of 8.40, we need to acknowledge the fact that pitches have favoured batters this season.
However, in West Indies & USA, the surfaces could aid spinners and Rashid could be a threat against any batting line-up. He has a tremendous record in international T20 cricket having taken 138 wickets from just 85 games at an astounding average of 14.28 with two fifers to his credit.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
Shaheen Shah Afridi is a sort of bowler who is a captain’s dream and a threat to the oppositions’ openers. His ability to swing the new ball with raw pace makes him one of the best in the business, especially in the white-ball formats.
The left-arm pacer from Pakistan more often than not picks a wicket or two in the powerplay overs, setting the tone for the bowling innings. Shaheen has done it time and again for the national team. In the current year, he has picked 18 wickets in just 10 games at an economy of 8.17 in T20Is. He also had a great PSL season, striking 14 times in nine games.
As a left-arm pacer, he is an asset to any side and Pakistan will rely on him to come good at the World Cup in a month’s time.
Jofra Archer (England)
When Jofra Archer stormed into the scene, he was seen in vain as the yesteryear’s great pace bowler. But unfortunately for this tearaway quick from England, his body didn’t allow him to reach his full potential.
One after another, injuries derailed his career. His recent injury and recovery from an elbow problem has kept him out of competitive action for more than a year. He was last seen playing in the IPL for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023. But his potential is known to everyone.
The fact that the World Cup will be played in the country of his birth (West Indies) will make it even sweeter for him. He knows those conditions in-and-out. He will be eager to add to his tally of 18 wickets from 15 T20Is for England.
Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Yet another bowler who is recuperating from an injury is South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje. He suffered a stress fracture back in September 2023, ruling him out of the subsequent World Cup, missed cricketing till March this year in the longer run.
He turned up for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2024 where he had a lacklustre run, picking just seven wickets in six games while being on the expensive side (13.36 economy). But the impact he can create when on full flow is known to the world. He has a wealth of experience at the international level, picking 144 wickets in 72 outings for South Africa across formats.
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