The 2022 T20 World Cup is the eighth edition of the ICC-organized tournament, and it will feature 16 teams this year. Australia are the hosts and the defending champions, after they beat New Zealand in the final in 2021.
Here is a look at four players who could shine in the T20 event which is set to give great entertainment to fans of the sport.
Hardik Pandya (India)
All-rounder Hardik Pandya has established himself as one of India’s most consistent players in white-ball cricket. He is proving to be very useful to his team with the ball and the bat, so expect to see him amongst the wickets and runs later this year.
Pandya is seen as a future India captain. He led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in 2022 in his first year with the new franchise. The 28-year-old should also be full of confidence following his performances in England during India’s tour of the country.
As of the 27th of August, India are of the favorites at +300 in the Betway cricket online market for the T20 World Cup. If Pandya is at his very best, he can play his part in helping his country lift the trophy for just the second time in history.
Reece Topley (England)
One of the breakthrough players in international cricket in 2022 has been Reece Topley. He has shown he is a very dangerous pace bowler in the T20 and ODI formats of the game. As shown in this Guardian report, the Surrey man picked up his best figures for England back in July when he finished with 6/24 against India at Lord’s.
Reece Topley’s stunning spell keeps England alive in the ODI series against India 👊 #ENGvIND 📝 Scorecard:https://t.co/LUUs4go6H0 pic.twitter.com/wPZBs7mGTd ICC (@ICC) July 14, 2022
Topley was a reserve for England at the T20 World Cup in 2021 but this time around he is set to be a key part of Jos Buttler’s bowling attack. He showed against India that he is not afraid of batsmen with big reputations.
The Englishman has experience of playing in franchise T20 leagues, as he has featured for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred and Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. Those competitions will have helped him prepare for the challenge ahead in the upcoming international tournament.
David Warner (Australia)
At the age of 35, David Warner will be one of the oldest players at the T20 World Cup, however, the Australia batsman remains in great shape. He will be expecting to score a lot of runs from the top order for the hosts.
Warner was a key player for the champions when they won the trophy in 2021 in the UAE. He was named the Player of the Tournament, as he got his side off a fast start on many occasions.
He’s BACK. ⚡️ @davidwarner31 signs with Sydney Thunder for two seasons ahead of #BBL12! ✍️pic.twitter.com/pdEDcO6uLl KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) August 20, 2022
The Sydney Thunder batsman is one of the most inspiring and dangerous openers in world cricket. He looks to attack the bowler from the opening ball of the innings, averaging an impressive 33.55 in the T20 game. He shows what he was capable of in the 2022 IPL for the Delhi Capitals.
Warner has scored 22 half centuries in international T20 cricket, with his best score being an unbeaten 100. This could be the last time that the Australian plays in a T20 World Cup, so he will be keen to put on a strong performance for his country.
Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Pakistan’s Babar Azam is the number one batsman in the ICC T20 rankings. He has now scored over 2,500 international runs in this format of the game, with his highest score being 122.
The 2021 ODI Cricket of the Year is the captain of his country and a lot of their hopes rest on his shoulders. He has had 26 wins from 41 T20 matches which means he is the second most successful T20 Pakistan captain of all time.
Azam played in Australia in 2021 for Pakistan where he appeared to enjoy playing in the conditions in the country. He was named the Man of the Match on a number of occasions during that tour. If he gets off to a fast start in the T20 World Cup, he could finish a long way ahead of his rivals in the most runs standings.
The opening game of the 2022 T20 World Cup takes place on October 16 and the tournament runs through to the final on November 13.
