T20 WC 2021: 5 players whose form is a concern for their teams

The excitement and build-up to the upcoming ICC T20 WC are palpable among fans and critics, and experts. After a gap of five years, the showpiece event will get underway from October 17 in Oman and UAE. All the top teams are gearing up for the event either by playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or by playing domestic matches for their respective teams. India, South Africa, Australia, and England players are majorly seen playing IPL.

Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh players are done with the preparation and are ready to land in UAE. During the five-year cycle, fans have seen some top teams like England, India, and New Zealand take the game to an altogether different level by playing a fearless brand of cricket. While some teams like Sri Lanka and South Africa have slipped and have failed to rebuild well during the transformation stage.

That counts for nothing during an ICC event, as any team can beat a top team in the T20 WC.
The format of T20 cricket is also very unpredictable, and within a blink of a second, the game changes. Hence we cannot rule out any team upsetting one. Few of the top teams could though be worried about the performances of some players. For example, Australia could be worried about David Warner’s dismal returns for SRH this season. Also, Shadab Khan for Pakistan has looked a bit of color in recent times. Meanwhile, here are a few-

Out of form players who can be a cause of  worry in T20 WC

1. Hardik Pandya

Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardena said that the management are not pushing all-rounder Hardik Pandya to bowl because it may affect his batting. In the five matches during the UAE leg of the IPL, Pandya was not given to bowl one single over. His batting too looked indifferent, barring the one innings of unbeaten 40 he had played against PBKS.

During several of his interviews, skipper Virat Kohli has spoken about the importance of having Pandya in the team due to the balance he provides with both bat and ball. Also by playing Hardik, Kohli can either play an extra batter or a bowler in the team. The MI all-rounder had returned to bowl during the recent limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. But during the IPL, he was kept away from bowling in the crucial middle overs.

The BCCI selectors while selecting the squad, picked Pandya as an all-rounder. India head coach Ravi Shastri has also backed Pandya to come good during the T20 World Cup. It remains to be seen whether he plays as an all-rounder or just a lower-order batter in the team.

2. Eoin Morgan

It won’t be wrong to say that England’s skipper Eoin Morgan has been instrumental in changing the landscape of his country in the white-ball formats. Ever since leadership has been bestowed upon him in late 2014, Morgan has been pivotal in the team winning several matches.

He was also the skipper when England finally broke a 44-year-old jinx in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. As a player also he has contributed immensely to the team in the middle order.

Of late though, the southpaw’s form has taken a dip. He also has not contributed to KKR as a player in the lower order. In the 14 games that he has played, Morgan has scored only 124 runs. His strike rate is also disappointing, as he has scored at 102.47. The lack of runs briskly might start to worry the England management as he is the team’s crucial player in the middle order.

3. David Miller

One of South Africa’s most experienced batters in the T20 World Cup, David Miller has not been at his fluent best. In a few T20I matches against Ireland and Sri Lanka, the southpaw showed flashes of brilliance but has not shown the same consistency that once was seen in his batting. With the team re-building and some lack of power hitters lower down the order, Miller’s runs become all the more vital for South Africa.

Also, with regular skipper Temba Bavuma just returning from the injury, the onus of run-scoring will be on Miller. The 32-year-old has so far played 90 T20Is and has scored 1742 runs at a healthy strike rate of 140.82. There is no doubting Miller’s class but his ability to produce match-winning knocks consistently is what the management would be hoping for.

With a plethora of experience, and by being the senior-most player in the team in terms of matches played, the southpaw would be hoping to convert his 20s and 30s into something substantial.

4. David Warner

Australia’s limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch during a pre-match press conference said he is backing David Warner to come good during the T20 World Cup. He also said Warner will open the batting for the team. These comments from Finch came after the southpaw yet again failed for SRH in the UAE leg. In the India leg of the IPL, Warner was also sacked by SRH as the captain of the team.

Things started to go downhill for Warner as well as SRH, who were knocked out of the IPL. The southpaw this year only scored 195 runs in the eight games he got to play for SRH. Surprisingly he struck at a strike rate of 107.73, way lower than his career strike rate of 139.96. His recent form surely might worry the Australian management.

Also, the southpaw has not played a T20I since September 2021, yet Finch has backed him, and that might just give the senior player confidence to get back to run-scoring ways.

5. Shadab Khan

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has not been making an impact on the team as he would have liked. This year, his numbers with the ball and bat are unimpressive by his lofty standards. His recent performances against England and West Indies left a lot to be desired. Worst, the management also were reluctant to promote him up the order.

The leg-spinner has played 53 T20Is and has picked 58 wickets. During the same time with the bat, he has scored only 226 runs in the 22 innings that he has played. The management’s lack of trust is evident in the lesser opportunities he has got while batting.

Shadab has potential with the bat and has displayed the same for domestic and PSL matches. With Shadab blowing hot and cold with the ball, the PCB can try to experiment with him by sending him up the order.