The T20 World Cup is set to commence this Sunday with the preliminary round; the Super 12 round will begin on October 22 with the final slated for November 13 at the iconic MCG.
Australia, the defending champions, are hosting the tournament for the first time and are overwhelming favorites to retain their title which they won in the UAE last year.
There will be a huge star attraction at the tournament in Australia. Right from a number of youngsters to some of the veterans of the games will glitter the competition with their presence.
In this article, we look at the youngest and oldest members of each of the squads of the 8 teams that have qualified for Super 12:
New Zealand
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill turned 36 on September 30 and is the oldest member of the Kiwi squad. Guptill has played in 6 out of the 7 T20 World Cups so far, and was a crucial cog in New Zealand reaching the final last year.
The other right-handed opener in the squad, Finn Allen, at 23 years and 176 days is the youngest of all the Kiwis.
India
Dinesh Karthik, who has made a terrific comeback to the team after three years, and who featured in the 2007 T20 World Cup as well, is the oldest member of India’s squad, aged 37 years and 136 days.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh, who has made a place for himself in India’s XI, is the youngest of the Indian squad at the age of 23 years and 252 days.
Australia
Man of the Tournament at last year’s T20 World Cup, David Warner, is the oldest Aussie player this year; Warner will turn 36 by the end of October, while their youngsters player – but who has vast T20 experience – is Tim David, 26 years and 213 days. This reflects that all the players in Australia’s squad have plenty of experience.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan will pose a threat to the top-ranked teams and could be party spoilers. Their skipper Mohammad Nabi is their most experienced and oldest player at 37 years and 287 days old. Uncapped young pacer Mohammad Saleem is the youngest in Afghanistan’s squad; Saleem is a little over 20 years of age.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka don’t have too much of experienced players, or those in their late thirties; the oldest player in their squad is leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who is 32 years and 252 days old while the youngest is left-arm fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka, who turned 22 last month, who was part of the team that won the Asia Cup a week before his birthday.
Pakistan
Semi-finalists of last year’s tournament in the UAE, Pakistan have added young pace sensation Naseem Shah to their side, who is only 19 years and 242 days old. They have also added left-handed batsman Shan Masood, who celebrated his 33rd birthday a couple of days ago.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh managed to earn direct qualification into the Super 12 round. The BCB reinstalled Shakib Al Hasan as their captain again, who is the most experienced, most important, and the oldest player at 35 years and 205 days.
Bangladesh’s squad includes several youngsters, of which the youngest is pacer Hasan Mahmud, who turned 23 a few days ago.
England
Another strong contender for the T20 World Cup are England, who recently beat Australia in a T20I series. All-rounder Moeen Ali is their oldest player at 35 years and 119 days, while hard-hitting batsman Harry Brook is the youngest, aged 23 years and 235 days.
South Africa
The in-form David Miller, who has emerged as one of the best finishers in the world, is the oldest Protea player, aged 33 years and 127 days. On the other side of life is young finisher Tristan Stubbs, who is only 22 years old.
