The T20 World Cup 2022, slated to be played in Australia, is less than a month away: the Qualifying round of the event will commence on October 16 before the Super 12 rounds begin on October 22. Defending champions Australia won the tournament less than 11 months ago in the UAE, and now they are seated well to become the first team to successfully defend their T20 crown at home.
Similar to last year, fans are expecting another high-scoring tournament on the flatter, truer surfaces in Australia, even though the pacers will get assistance in the initial phase. Hard-hitting batters who can shift or gain momentum in quick time are of great significance in the shortest format.
Today, we look at the 3 most destructive keeper-batsmen who could light up the T20 World Cup 2022:
Jos Buttler
England keeper-opener Jos Buttler will be amongst the ‘to-watch-out-for’ batters in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022. Having taken over the captaincy duties from Eoin Morgan a few months ago, Jos Buttler will have extra responsibility, however, he is expected to continue batting in the gung-ho approach that’s known for.
At the T20 WC last year in the UAE, Buttler scored 269 runs at a strike rate of 151 with a century and a fifty in 5 innings. In the IPL 2022, the RR opener was the Orange Cap holder, smashing 863 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 149, notching up 4 centuries and 4 half-centuries.
Dinesh Karthik
We are expecting Dinesh Karthik to start in India’s XI in the T20 World Cup 2022, irrespective of whether Pant is in the eleven or not, after India’s losses in the Asia Cup to Pakistan and Sri Lanka where the batters failed to give a late flourish in the death overs – the phase of the game Karthik specializes in.
Not many cricketers have ever made a comeback to the national side at the age of 37. But Karthik forced his way into the Indian team following a thunderous IPL season for RCB, wherein he smashed 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.
Dinesh Karthik, who is perhaps India’s best death overs pace-hitter at the moment, has won two Player of the Match awards on his return to the side in recent months. Further, DK plundered runs at a strike rate of 220 in the death overs in the IPL 2022.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Afghanistan keeper-opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has gone from strength to strength in recent years – his penchant for power-hitting realized by Gujarat Titans who snapped him in IPL 2022, and the good news for Afghanistan is that Gurbaz is hitting his straps near the T20 World Cup 2022.
Since June 2022, in 12 T20I innings, Gurbaz has struck 294 runs at a strike rate of 140, and hogged the limelight during the recent Asia Cup: 152 runs at a strike rate of 163! Against Sri Lanka, even though Afghanistan lost the Super 4 match, Gurbaz was given the Player of the Match award for plundering 84 runs off 45 balls.
Taking an insight into why Gurbaz is so destructive: this year in all T20s, Gurbaz has smashed at a strike rate of 163 in the powerplay and 156 in the middle-overs, giving no respite for the bowling team.
