Men's T20 World Cup 2021 team guide

Afghanistan

Unlike, Sri Lanka, who is battling in the first round to earn a spot in the main tournament, Afghanistan will be hoping to leave behind the chaos at home and bring some joy to its long suffering people. They are in the main draw and are pitted against the likes of India, Pakistan and New Zealand in Group 2.

There was chaos on-field, too, with star spinner Rashid Khan quitting captaincy, saying he was not consulted over the team’s selection. Mohammed Nabi replaced him. Nabi had led the side in 2014 when Sri Lanka lifted the cup and his experience as a skipper and being a veteran player of white-ball cricket could be vital for their success.

Rashid Khan is a superstar in white-ball cricket, with the ball, the bat and his electrifying fielding. He will be key in the Afghans' journey along with off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. At 20, he has dominated in franchise leagues around the world and heads into the World Cup with 150 T20 matches and 165 wickets to his name.

There was also a change in the coaching department with former South African all-rounder Lance Kluesner being brought in. Australian seamer Shaun Tait was also roped in as fast-bowling coach while former England coach Andy Flower joined as consultant coach

Squad: Mohammad Nabi (Capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveen ul Haq

Reserves: Sharafuddin Ashraf, Samiullah

Shinwari, Dawlat Zadran, Fazal Haq Farooqi Fixtures: October 25 - Group B Winners; October 29 - Pakistan; October 31 - Group A Runners up; November 3 - India; November 7 - New Zealand

Australia

Australia have lost eight of their last 10 games, four each against West Indies and Bangladesh. That’s when six of their big guns skipped those winter tours. David Warner, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stonis, Pat Cummins and Kane Richardson have all returned to boost their chances of winning the title.

However, the Aussies will be wary of the form of David Warner who was a pale shadow of himself during the stage two of the IPL. Glenn Maxwell on the other hand has been in astounding form in the UAE. In addition to his batting, where he has scored 1,780 runs at 31.78, a strike-rate of 159.92, his bowling has been very economical--and that is not to ignore his fielding.

Skipper Aaron Finch is coming off a knee injury and will play a key role at the top of the order while Steve Smith will be the anchor in the batting line up. Marcus Stonis who returned for Delhi Capitals following a hamstring injury will be the finisher along with wicketkeeper bat Mathew Wade.

Pat Cummings, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Kane Richardson will spearhead the fast bowling department while Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa and Mitchell Swepson are the spinners in the bag.

Squad: Aaron Finch (Capt), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (VC), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Fixtures: Oct 23 – South Africa, Oct 28 – v A1, Oct 30 – England, Nov 4 – B2, Nov 6 – West Indies

Bangladesh

Like, Sri Lanka,

Bangladesh are contesting in the qualifying stage of the tournament and are favourites to go through, given the strength of their outfit. Led by Mahmudulla, the Tigers come into the tournament with confidence high after wins over Australia and New Zealand on home soil.

They beat Australia (4-1) and New Zealand (3-2) and will look to create history by qualifying to the knockout stage of the tournament. They will pin hopes on all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to shoulder much of the burden but there are Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman to support him in their quest for improved performances.

The downside, however, is the lack of power-hitters who could change the whole complexion of a match within few hits to or over the ropes. This will put additional burden on Shakib to flourish in all aspects of the game. He has enough experience to do so but high dependency on his abilities does not augur well for the Tigers.

Their strength, though, is their spin attack which has plenty of depth. Supported by spin bowling legend Rangana Herath, their spin bowling consultant, they will look to exploit the worn out pitches in UAE. There is a lack of depth in the seam department, and they will rely on Mustafizur and Shoriful to do the job.

Squad:

Mahmudullah (Capt), Shakib al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das, Afif Hossain, Mohammad Naim, Nurul Hasan (wk), Shamim Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shariful Islam, Taskin Ahmed Fixtures: Oct 17 – Scotland, Oct 19 – Oman,

Oct 21 - Papua New Guinea

England

After laying their hands on the maiden 50-over

World Cup in 2019, Eoin

Morgan’s men will eye to clinch a double in UAE. England is one of the top teams in white-ball cricket and, even though Ben Stoke and Jofra Archer are missing from the squad, they can still boast of a strong squad to challenge the best in the business in UAE. England won the title back in 2010 and were the losing finalist in 2016 when West Indies broke their hearts with a close win in the final.

With both Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes missing, England added left-arm fast bowler Tymal Mills who last represented England in 2017.

England is one of the most balanced sides in the tournament with a formidable batting lineup comprising Jos Buttler, Jonny Baristow, Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan.

Morgan’s form, however, has been a cause for concern. In his last nine innings for Kolkata Knight Riders, Morgan, the captain, has crossed the 10-run mark only once. But given his experience as a player, he is expected to bounce back sooner than later to lead England’s charge.

Tom Curren, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Tymal Mills comprises the strong seam attack while spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali will be the spinners.

Squad: Eoin Morgan (Capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood Fixtures: Oct 23 – West Indies, Oct 27 – B2, Oct 30 - Australia, Nov 1 - A1, Nov 6 - South Africa

India

The team to watch. Still the hosts of the tournament, India may not have home support since the tournament is in UAE and Oman. But given the strength of the squad they have picked, they one of the favourites to lift the title. Ranked number two in the world, Virat Kohli’s men come in with ample match practice, having played the IPL, also in UAE. In terms of depth, they have plenty in all departments.

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishab Pant, and Suryakumar Yadav make up the strong batting lineup while Ravindra Jadeja’s all-round performance will add value to the team. The inaugural winner in 2007, India has recalled spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for first time since 2017 to strengthen the spin department which also includes Rahul Chahar and Varun Chakravarthy.

They also have one of the best seam attacks led by Jasprit Bumrah. The other seamers are Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur who replaced Axar Patel at the last minute.

Squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Rohit Sharma (VC), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.

Standby players: Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel,

Deepak Chahar

Fixtures: October 24 - Pakistan; October 31 - New Zealand; November 3 - Afghanistan; November 5 - Group B winners; November 8 - Group A Runners up.

Ireland

Ireland is one of the strong sides among associate members. They will want finish among the first two teams in

Group A to qualify for the main draw. They beat Bangladesh in their warm up game, indicating that they are no pushovers.

Led by Andy Balbirnie, the Irish have included the uncapped spin-bowling all-rounder Graham Kennedy while also recalling 26-year-old off-spinner Andy McBrine. Under Head Coach Graham Ford, they are a force to reckon with and their match against Sri Lanka should be a blockbuster. In Paul Sterling and Kevin O’Brien, they have two vastly experienced batters known for their power-hitting.

Squad: Andrew Balbirnie (Capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Shane Getkate, Graham Kennedy, Josh Little, Andrew McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, Neil Rock, Simi Singh, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Namibia

Namibia is making the

T20 World Cup debut at the

UAE tournament. They achieved ODI status in 2019 and earned their qualifications to the World Cup by beating Oman in the playoff stage.

Gerhard Erasmus, a classy batsman, leads one of the strongest outfits the nation have ever put together.

Their squad includes former South African international David Wiese, a regular in the T20 circuits around the globe, and will want to send Sri Lanka packing when they meet on Monday, in their world cup debut.

Squad: Stephan Baard, Karl Birkenstock, Michau du Preez, Gerhard Erasmus (Capt), Jan Frylinck, Zane Green (wk), Nicol LofieEaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, David Wiese, Craig Williams, Pikky Ya France

Fixtures: Oct 18 – Sri Lanka, Oct 20 –

Netherlands, Oct 22 – Ireland

Netherlands

The Netherlands made to the world event by reaching the semi-finals of the

T20 World Cup qualifier tournament, which they went on to win.

With proven match-winners like Ryan Ten Doeschate, the 41-year-old veteran batter, Ben Cooper, Roelof van der Merwe and Pieter Seelaar in their ranks, the Dutch will be keen to make a statement this year. In 2009, they beat England at Lord’s in a last ball thriller chasing 163 runs. They could repeat that this year. They are pitted against Sri Lanka, Namibia and Ireland in Group A.

Squad: Pieter Seelaar, Colin Ackermann, Philippe Boissevain, Bas de Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Ben Cooper, Max O’Dowd, Scott Edwards, Ryan ten Doeschate, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Brandon Glover, Fred Klaassen, Logan van Beek, Stephan Myburgh

Reserves: Tobias Visee, Shane Snater Fixtures: Oct 18 – Ireland, Oct 20 – Namibia,

Oct 22 – Sri Lanka

New Zealand

The inaugural Test champions, New Zealand have been one of the top white-ball teams in world cricket in recent years. They reached the finals of the 50-over World Cup in the last two occasions but failed to lay their hands on the cup that matters the most.

Therefore, Kane Williamson’s men will be eyeing the title at least this time around. They come to the tournament after a 4-0 thrashing against Bangladesh and expect their batters to get used to slower turning pitches quickly in their quest to win country’s first global title in white-ball cricket.

In Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips they have a powerful batting line-up while Tim Southee and Trent Boult lead a pace attack also featuring Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson, all of whom featured in the IPL.

Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner will be pivotal in spin department. They were semi-finalists in the first edition in 2007, losing to Pakistan, and reached the semis in 2016, where they lost to England.

Squad: Kane Williamson (Capt), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne (injury cover)

Fixtures: Oct 26 – Pakistan, Oct 31 – India, Nov 3 – B1 (TBC), November 5 – A2 (TBC), November 7 - Afghanistan

Oman

Oman qualified for the

T20 World Cup for the first time in 2016 and their qualification this year was a great achievement for the country. Coached by Duleep Mendis, a top class cricketer produced by Sri Lanka, Oman will be keen to make an impression. They are playing with Scotland, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea in Group B in the qualifying round.

As preparations for the World Cup, they played two matches against Sri Lanka. Even though they ended on the losing side, they gave Sri Lanka a scare or two before going down.

The likes of Khawar Ali and Jatinder Singh and Aqib Ilyas’ are capable batters while pacemen Mohammad Nadeem, Fayyaz Butt and yorker specialist Bilal Khan will make a strong bowling attack.

Squad: Aqib Ilyas, Ayaan Khan, Bilal Khan, Fayyaz Butt, Jatinder Singh, Kaleemullah, Khawar Ali, Khurram Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Nestor Dhamba, Sandeep Goud, Sufyan Mehmood, Suraj Kumar (wk), Zeeshan Maqsood (Capt) Fixtures: Oct 17 – Papua New Guinea, Oct 19

– Bangladesh, Oct 21 – Scotland

Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the most unpredictable teams in world cricket. Having lost the inaugural final to India in 2007, they made a quick turnaround in 2009 to lift the trophy, beating Sri Lanka.

With a strong squad at their disposal, Pakistan will look to annex their second title in UAE. Led by Babar Azam, a top class batter, they have many dangerous campaigners in their side. The last minute inclusion of Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman and Sarfraz Ahmed, the man who led them to victory the Champions Trophy in 2017, has strengthened their batting which also has the likes of Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammed Hafeez and Imad Wasim.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali and Mohammed Wasim Jr will form a fearsome seam attack while Mohammed Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz and Imad Wasim will the spinners to watch. Squad: Babar Azam (Capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Asif Ali, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman| Reserves: Usman Qadir, Shanawaz Dahani, Khushdil Shah

Fixtures: Oct 24 – India, Oct 26 – New Zealand, Oct 29 – Afghanistan, Nov 2 – Qualifier, Nov 7 - Qualifier

Papua New Guinea

They will be making their debut at the World Cup, starting the group stage of the tournament against Oman, one of the hosts. Led by skipper Assad Vala, PNG will look to leg-spinning allrounder Charles Amini and medium-pacer Norman Vanua to lead the bowling attack while Tony Ura and Vala will be their key source of runs.

They are coached by Carl Sandri, who famously hit his first delivery for six in the BBL. The former South Australia quick Chadd Sayers is their fast bowling coach.

Squad: Charles Amini, Simon Atai, Sese Bau, Kiplin Doriga (wk), Jack Gardner, Hiri Hiri, Jason Kila, Nosaina Pokana, Damien Ravu, Lega Siaka, Chad Soper, Gaudi Toka, Tony Ura, Kabua Vagi-Morea, Assad Vala (Capt), Norman Vanua

Fixtures: Oct 17 – Oman, Oct 19 – Scotland,

Oct 21 – Bangladesh

Scotland

The Scottish side will lean heavily on the experience of their veterans, led by captain Kyle Coetzer, with Richie Berrington, Calum Macleod, Safyaan Sharif, Matthew Cross and Ally Evans all included.

Seven players – Dylan Budge, Chris Greaves, Oli Hairs, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace and Brad Wheal – will be making their debut at an ICC global event. They have roped in former England batter Jonathan Trott as a consultant coach to help them prepare. Squad: Kyle Coetzer (Capt), Richie Berrington, Dylan Budge, Matthew Cross, Josh Davey, Alasdair Evans, Chris Greaves, Ollie Hairs, Michael Leask, Calum Macleod, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Chris Sole, Hamza Tahir, Craig Wallace, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal Fixtures: Oct 17 – Bangladesh, Oct 19 –

Papua New Guinea, Oct 21 – Oman

South Africa

The eternal chokers,

South Africa have never laid their hands on a global title despite producing some of the greatest players of all times. The best they have reached in the T20 global showpiece is the semi-finals. Led by Temba Bavuma, the Proteas will want to go the distance this time. They no more have superstars like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Chris Morris or Imran Tahir in their ranks, but the squad includes some exciting talent.

Their batting will revolve around Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen. They also have an imposing seam attack comprising Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi but what is more interesting is their spin attack that sees Tabraiz Shamsi, the world’s top ranked T20 bowler Keshav Maharaj and Bojrn Fortuin.

Squad: Temba Bavuma (Capt), Keshav Maharaj (VC), Quinton de Kock (wk), Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, W Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen Fixtures: Format Oct 23 – Australia, Oct 26 – West Indies, Oct 30 – A1, Nov 2 - B2, Nov 6 – England

Sri Lanka

The 2014 champions are a work in progress and their first hurdle is to avoid a first round exit from the global showpiece. While they go in as favourites to make it to the Super 12, Sri Lanka is going through an years-long rough patch. As a result, the selectors took a drastic decision to drop some of the seniors from the side and form a young team with an eye on the 2023 World Cup. This has received wide condemnation from some former players, who urge them to have a short-term plan to build player confidence.

But the selectors, backed by the Technical Advisory Committee, have remained resolute, selecting an inexperienced side for the T20 World Cup. As many as eight of the 15-man squad have played less than 10 games. The absence of Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka, who are serving year-long bans for breaking COVID-19 protocols on their tour of England in July, have made matters worse for them.

Batting will revolve around Kusal Janith Perera and Avishka Fernando. The likes of Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa need to take more responsibility as batters to help Sri Lanka’s course. Their bowling look a tad strong with Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranaga leading seam and spin attacks respectively.

Squad: Dasun Shanaka (Capt), Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando Fixtures: Oct 18 – Namibia, Oct 20 – Ireland,

Oct 22 - Netherlands

West Indies

Led by Kieron Pollard, the

West Indies have been the most successful team in the global showpiece and will feel they have everything right to defend their title. They won the title twice--they beat Sri Lanka in the 2012 finals and England in a thrilling 2016 final.

They have a strong battling line-up and a host of all-rounders who can threaten any opposition. With the likes of Pollard, Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo, they have some of the cleanest hitters of the cricket ball who can turn a match within a matter of seconds.

Their strength is power-hitting and this has largely worked for them. Fabian Allen, skipper himself, Russell, Bravo and Roston Chase are all match-winning allrounders. Ravi Rampaul and Oshane Thomas will lead the seam attack.

They are part of the "group of death". England, Australia and South Africa and Pollard’s men will need to work on their consistency going into the tournament in order to overcome some of the top sides in T20 cricket.

Squad: Kieron Pollard (Capt), Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Roston Chase, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr Fixtures: Oct 23 – England, Oct 26 – South Africa, Oct 29 - B2, Nov 4 - A1, Nov 6 - Australia