T20 World Cup 2024: Top 5 wicketkeeper-batters to watch out for. Rishabh Pant, Jos Buttler are among the top five wicketkeeper-batter to look out in upcoming world cup.
The excitement has reached its peak with two weeks to go before the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The ninth edition of the tournament is scheduled to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). 19 out of the 20 teams have already announced their squad.
One of the vital members of the game are the wicket-keepers. Over after over, being on the haunches and doing innumerable sit-ups, they energize the team. Besides this, if they are not the captain, they also help the skippers to pass tips of setting the field.
Let’s take a look at the top five wicketkeeper-batters to watch out for in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Rishabh Pant (987 T20I runs at a strike rate of 126.37)
Rishabh Pant is making his comeback from injury after 18 months in India’s team for the T20 World Cup. The India wicket-keeper was in fine touch with the bat before his accident. But since making his comeback in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Pant has been all guns blazing.
In 13 innings of the tournament, he has smashed 446 runs at an aggressive strike rate of 155.40. The left-hander, with three fifties in this season, has shown his old golden touch of playing the funky shots. Coming in the middle order of India’s team, Pant will offer the option of going with a right-left combination.
He will look to improve his T20I record of 987 runs at a strike rate of 126.37. Pant has been exceptional for his 4767 T20 runs at a strike rate of 145.7. The 26-year-old is expected to play a key role for India in the upcoming world event.
Jos Buttler (2927 T20I runs at a strike rate of 144.61)
Jos Buttler, with leadership duties and responsibility of opening the batting, will be important for England to defend their title. The right-hander was in supreme touch in the IPL 2024, with 359 runs at a strike rate of 140.78.
Buttler proved that he could take responsibility when required. He could go berserk in powerplays and also hold one end when wickets are falling continuously. His century against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where he stayed unbeaten till the end, was a prime example of the latter.
In the previous T20 WC 2022, Buttler was the fourth leading run-getter with 225 runs. He smashed the bowlers at a strike rate of 144.23, besides a couple of half-centuries. Even in 114 T20Is for England, the wicketkeeper-batter has smoked 2927 runs. Buttler has hit 22 fifties and one century in his T20I career.
Lastly, Buttler’s role with the bat and his captaincy hat will be essential in managing the England bowlers.
Read More: IPL 2024: Buttler's 2 hundreds have come batting second; What makes him a gritty customer in chases?
Devon Conway (1338 T20I runs at a strike rate of 129.02)
Devon Conway’s role of playing through the innings, and taking responsibility of entire 20 overs, power New Zealand. The left-hand opening batter is out of action with a finger injury. He missed this year’s IPL too. Technically sound and powerful, especially against the spinners, Conway’s role will be much more vital on the slow surfaces of the Caribbean.
The 31-year-old struggled in the last edition of the competition. Although Conway managed 145 runs, his strike rate was only 116.93, which would hardly put pressure on the opponents. Given he plays for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL, he knows how to tackle spin.
During the IPL 2023, he was the third-highest run-getter with 672 runs at a strike rate of close to 140. His experience will be vital for the 2021 runners-up.
Read More: CWC 2023, ENG vs NZ: Ravindra, Conway's blitzkreig ensures a 9-wicket victory for New Zealand
Nicholas Pooran (1848 T20I runs at a strike rate of 134.69)
Nicholas Pooran has cracked the second most sixes (64) after Heinrich Klassen (68) in T20 matches in 2024. With 881 runs in 28 innings, Pooran has also managed the most runs in T20s till May 15, 2024. This has come at a strike rate of 164.98, besides smashing 57 boundaries. These are quite phenomenal records to demonstrate how brutal the West Indies batter could be.
Even in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the left-hander has nailed 424 runs in 13 innings. These runs have come at a strike rate of 168.92 with a couple of fifties. For West Indies, Pooran has gathered 1848 runs in 80 innings at a strike rate of 134.69.
Coming in the middle order, the aggressive batter could fire the co-hosts to huge totals. His performance, especially in the death will be crucial for the two-time champions.
Quinton de Kock (2277 T20I runs at a strike rate of 137.33)
Another aggressive batter in the top order is South Africa’s Quinton de Kock. The left-hander hasn’t been in good touch, with only 250 runs in 11 innings of this IPL 2024. His average of 22.73 is poor while a strike rate of 134.41 hasn’t been up to the mark as well. But what De Kock brings to the table is his experience and great specialty of playing the spinners.
In 79 T20I innings, the left-handed batter has smashed 2277 runs at a strike rate of 137.33. He has also been quite acrobatic with the gloves behind the wickets. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022, the opener collected 221 runs at a strike rate of 128.48. His role will be vital for South Africa in getting top starts.
Apart from these five, the eyes will also be on Kushal Mendis and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. Both will be important for their team’s success in the world event. Another notable player in this format is Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan. With 3180 T20I runs at a strike of 128.22, he could come up with a splendid knock on any given day.
The ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will begin on June 2, 2024.
Read More: T20 WC 2024: Top 5 bowlers to watch out for