New Delhi. There is a common belief that T20 cricket suits more energetic young players. This is because the game in this format is very ‘fast’ which requires tremendous fitness and reflexes for ‘running between the wickets’ and fielding. This is true to some extent, but older players with sporting skills have also shown success in this format. Amid strong performances from youngsters like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Nicholas Pooran, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Arshdeep Singh and Tanzeem Hasan Shakib, some older players have also managed to shine in the T20 World Cup 2024 group matches.
Many of these ‘older’ players will also be seen playing in the Super 8 round of the tournament. In the current World Cup, older players who have made a significant impact on their game include Australia’s David Warner, New Zealand’s Tim Southee, Scotland’s Tim Bennington, West Indies’ Andre Russell and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan. Among them, the team of Warner, Shakib and Russell has made it to the last eight.
A ‘troubleshooter’ on difficult pitches, twice player of the match, Team India will have to be alert
Warner has the highest strike rate in an innings.
37-year-old David Warner is playing for the last time in T20 World Cup 2024. Warner, who has retired from Test and ODI formats, will bid adieu to international cricket after this tournament. In such a situation, he is leaving no stone unturned to make his last tournament a memorable one. Left-handed batsman Warner keeps the scoreboard moving by playing aggressive shots. He has the highest strike rate in an innings in the current tournament. In the group match against England, Warner played a brilliant innings of 39 runs in just 16 balls with the help of two fours and four sixes (strike rate 243.75). This is the highest strike rate in an innings in this edition. Warner’s batting performance has also been good in the tournament, scoring 116 runs in four matches so far at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 146.83, including a half-century.
Saudi has the best economy in bowling
If Warner is effective in batting, in bowling, New Zealand’s Tim Southee left an impression with the most miserable bowling in the group matches. Unfortunately, Saudi won’t feature in further matches of the tournament as the Kiwi team failed to reach the Super 8s. In the three group stage matches, the Saudis took 7 wickets for 36 runs with one maiden in their quota of 12 overs. His strike rate was 3.00. The Saudi was not part of the playing eleven for the New Zealand team’s opening match against Afghanistan. New Zealand’s Indian-origin player Rachin Ravindra also has a strike rate of 3.00 like the Saudi, but bowled only 3 overs in three matches. Rachin took two wickets for 9 runs in three overs.
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43-year-old Tsubuga’s record broken in 12 days, 33-year-old Ferguson’s record broken
The record for the best economy in an innings in a T20 World Cup was set by 43-year-old Ugandan off-break bowler Frank Nubuga on 17 June. In the match against Papua New Guinea, he took 2 wickets conceding 4 runs (economy 2.00) in four overs with two maidens. However, Tsubuga’s record for the best economy in an innings was broken in 12 days. New Zealand’s 33-year-old Lockie Ferguson took three wickets in all four overs of his quota maiden (economy 0.00) against Papua New Guinea. This is the best economy spell of the T20 World Cup so far.
Barrington ranks second in batting average.
In this group of older players, Scotland’s Richie Barrington’s batting has not received much praise but his contribution is no less. This was because Scotland was not a full member of the ICC and its cricket was not getting much attention. The 37-year-old Barrington remained unbeaten twice and scored 102 runs (average 102.00) in three innings from 4 matches. In terms of batting average in the group round, Barrington is second behind America’s Aaron Jones (141.00). Barrington has scored 389 runs at an average of 32.41 in 18 matches in four T20 World Cups. The Scotland team did not make it to the Super.
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Boult, Shakib and Russell are also shining
New Zealand’s Trent Boult, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan and West Indies’ Andre Russell have also done well in the tournament to prove that age is just a number. The 34-year-old left-arm bowler Bolt has announced his retirement after this World Cup. He left international cricket with 9 wickets in 4 matches at an average of 6.55 and an economy of 3.68. Part of the T20 World Cup since 2007, the 37-year-old Shakib has scored 92 runs at an average of 30.66 in 4 matches, including a half-century. Meanwhile, he has also taken 2 wickets. Similarly, the 36-year-old Andre Russell of the host Indies team has been unbeaten three times in four matches and has scored just 62 runs at an average of 62 and taken 5 wickets at an average of 14.00.
As for Team India, two of its three experienced players, 35-year-old Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, failed to live up to expectations in the group stage. Kohli has scored a total of 5 runs in three matches while Jaddu’s run and wicket account is yet to open. 37-year-old Rohit Sharma’s performance is yet to reach its peak. After scoring an unbeaten 52 in the first match against Ireland, he could only score 13 and 3 in the next two innings. Fans are expecting a good performance from these star players in the Super 8 round. (*stats up to group matches)
Tags: Andre Russell, David Warner, ICC T20 World Cup, Shakib Al Hasan, T20 World Cup, Tim Southee
First published: June 20, 2024, 11:39 IST