T20 World Cup 2021: Team-wise one underperformer whose form might be a concern

We’re barely a month away from the commencement of the 2021 T20 World Cup (WC). This happens to be the first ICC tournament post the 2019 ODI WC and thus, there’s already a lot of hype. Each and every team would feel that they have a chance to lay their hands on this wonderful ICC trophy. In a quest to do so, all the teams have already announced their squads for the WC. As it goes without saying, a WC squad generally consists of your best players who happen to be in the best of form. However as they say, form is only temporary and one can’t expect an individual to be in good form forever. Thus, it becomes rather unfortunate when a player isn’t in the best of form during or before a WC. So which are those players who aren’t really in the best of form despite the T20 WC being just around the corner? In the article, let’s take a look at team-wise one underperformer whose form might be a concern going into the T20 World Cup 1) Afghanistan- Hazratullah Zazai Hazratullah Zazai. (Photo Source: Twitter) Hazratullah Zazai is arguably one of the most aggressive players Afghanistan have right now. In fact, his T20I numbers are extraordinary to say the least. A batting average of 40 and a strike rate of 155 are nothing but sensational. However the Afghans would be worried about his performance in the upcoming T20 World Cup. He last played a T20I way back in March 2020. He was ordinary during that series against Ireland and failed to even score a 30 in the two innings in which he played. The fact that he hasn’t played a T20I for a year and half doesn’t help either. An impactful player like him being out of form is something that can dent Afghanistan’s chances in the T20 WC and thus, they’d be worried about his form. Besides, Nabi’s team already have a lot of issues going around in their ranks with respect to the selection calls and differences of opinion. 2) Bangladesh- Taskin Ahmed Taskin Ahmed of Bangladesh. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) Taskin Ahmed was considered to be a bright prospect for Bangladeshi cricket during his early days. His ODI as well as his T20I debuts were really memorable. However, he unfortunately hasn’t been in the best of form for quite a while. First things first, he was far from impressive in the final T20I against New Zealand recently. Besides, he was below average against Zimbabwe in the T20I series prior to that in July. He failed to pick a single wicket in the two T20Is and didn’t really look at his best. Moreover, in the two T20Is combined, he gave 56 runs in the 6 overs in which he bowled. To make matters worse, he has played just the three T20Is in 2021. It is to be seen if Taskin can get back to the grove during the T20 World Cup. 3) Pakistan- Asif Ali Pakistan batsman Asif Ali. KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Asif Ali has been severely criticized by his own countrymen of late. While he hasn’t been in the best of form, several cricket pundits believe that he shouldn’t have even been in the T20 World Cup squad in the first place. Despite all the potential, the middle order batsman is yet to impress the fans of his team. He was awful in the recently concluded Caribbean Premiere League (CPL) too. The middle order batsman had a batting average and strike rate of just 25.4 and 121.65 respectively. He last played a T20I match against Zimbabwe where he scored one in the second T20I. Before that, he played a T20I against the Proteas and failed over there as well. However, the selectors have still shown faith in him owing to his abilities. It is to be seen if he can prove his critics wrong. 4) New Zealand- Tim Southee Tim Southee. (Photo by Joe Allison/Getty Images) Tim Southee is one of the greatest pacers to have played for New Zealand. The legend has picked the most number of T20I wickets for his country as well. However, his form in the shortest format of the game hasn’t really been the best. The Kiwi was last seen in a T20I series against Bangladesh earlier in 2021 where he took the most number of wickets in that series. However, despite that he struggled for consistency and was below average before that series. He was below average in the series against the Aussies even after a good game in the first T20I. He tends to leak a lot of runs at the death. Southee’s overall numbers of late might be impressive but it’s his death bowling which is a concern. As he is expected to bowl at the death for NZ in the T20I World Cup, he needs to be a bit more consistent in that aspect of his game. 5) South Africa- Kagiso Rabada CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – MARCH 16: Kagiso Rabada of South Africa. (Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Seeing his name over here might be shocking. Despite being one of the best bowlers of this era, Rabada has just been a pale shadow of himself in the recent past. The pacer has leaked runs more often than not. In the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, the Proteas pacer gave 72 runs in just 8 overs in the 3 T20Is combined. His bowling average was 36.50. He was far from impressive as even when his team bundled the opposition out for 103 in the second T20I, he leaked 29 runs in just the 2 overs. Even before that series, he was consistently inconsistent and despite picking a few wickets, always went for plenty. As Rabada happens to be their lead pacer, the Proteas would hope that he gets his lost mojo back. The second phase of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is a perfect platform for him to get back his confidence. 6) England- Eoin Morgan Eoin Morgan of England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images for ECB) When was the last time you saw the captain of the team being the one out of form? Eoin Morgan has struggled of late and has been far from his best. Barring the one game where he scored a quickfire 21 against Pakistan, he has been horrible in the shortest format of the game. He was one of the major reasons why England failed to beat India the last time they played a T20I series against each other. He failed to finish the game not once but twice. He struggled in the T20I series against a relatively weak Sri Lankan side earlier as well. Without Ben Stokes, a lot depends on Morgan when it comes to finishing games for England. The fact that England don’t really have a proper finisher other than him doesn’t help England’s cause either. The English skipper being out of form is a worrying sign as it has been some time since he’s played a knock of substance. The ongoing second phase of IPL 2021 is the ideal time for Morgan to work on his game and get back to hitting the ball out of the park. 7) Australia: Mitchell Starc Mitchell Starc of Australia. (Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images) Mitchell Starc is lethal to say the least. Over the years, he has been arguably one of the best bowlers of this era. However, his recent form is worrying for the Aussies. The pacer was ordinary in the recently concluded series against Bangladesh where his team got whitewashed by the hosts. Prior to that, he didn’t really have a good series against the West Indies as well. He took just the one wicket in the four T20Is. To make matters worse, he went for plenty in the death overs barring one game where he defended 11 runs in the final over. Even in that game, he went for about 9 runs an over. Considering the fact that he’s Australia’s lead bowler, a lot more is expected from the speedster in the upcoming T20 WC. 8) India- Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: Getty Images) Hardik Pandya was India’s best batting all-rounder for a really long time. However, his recent form has been lukewarm. His injuries haven’t helped him either. The all-rounder looked terribly out of touch against England in the T20I series earlier in March. It was pretty evident that he was struggling to time the ball. He then failed against Sri Lanka in the first T20I in which he played as well. On top of that, he struggled in the first phase of IPL 2021 too. The fact that he hasn’t bowled too often makes it even harder for him. India would be hoping for him to find his lost form before the start of the T20 World Cup.

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T20 World Cup 2021: Team-wise one underperformer whose form might be a concern

It becomes rather unfortunate when a player isn't in the best of form during or before a World Cup.

8) India- Hardik Pandya

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