The 2014 World T20 is all set to begin in a day’s time and the fans are eager to see their favourite players turning up for their respective sides. The format is known to assist the batsmen and without any doubt there are a cluster of batsmen taking part in the tournament. Batsmen like MS Dhoni, Aaron Finch, David Miller and Yuvraj Singh are expected to demonstrate some fireworks. Here is a list of batsmen who can really set the stage on fire with their willow.
5. Brendon McCullam
If Chris Gayle is said to have the knack of scoring centuries in T20’s at will, then this man is no different from the Jamaican. Nothing is more dangerous than Brendon McCullam in a T20 game. The kiwi skipper in the same league as Chris Gayle when it comes to Twenty20 format. Baz, as he known to his teammates, is the only cricketer to have scored two International Hundreds in the shortest version of the game. His knock of 158 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the inaugural match of Indian Premier League is still in the hearts of fans and one has to feel sorry for the bowlers for the kind of destruction he made. He is the go-to man for Kiwis when it comes to scoring some quick runs and he even displayed his hard hitting skills in the previous World T20 in Sri Lanka against Bangladesh where he score a record 123*, the highest ever individual score by a batsman in T20 Internationals, the feat Aaron Finch broke during his knock of 156 against England last year. He has all his shots in the book and he will look to unleash them against the bowlers in a few days’ time. Even with players like Cory Anderson and Jimmy Neesham in the team, McCullam holds key to New Zealand’s campaign in the World T20.
4. Virat Kohli
He is neither as powerful as Chris Gayle and David Warner nor as destructive as Brendon McCullam, but he has the class and technique to prevail in T20 cricket. India’s backbone over the past 2 years, Virat Kohli is the batsman to watch out for in the World T20. He is very consistent with the bat even in the shortest format of the game. He is not known to hit some huge sixes like Gayle, but he can make the opposition pay with his brilliance in batting, Lasith Malinga and his fellow Lankan bowlers are evident to this. He can score runs without taking too much risks and hold one end till the last few overs from where he can launch an attack on the bowlers. It will be good for his team if Kohli opens the innings. It allows his teammates Raina and Rohit to play in their favourite positions which they have mastered during the IPL. With the conditions in Bangladesh known to aid Virat, the fans can expect some fireworks from the Indian Vice-Captain and lead them all the way to the title.
3. AB de Villiers
You set the field tight in front of the wickets? Then no problem, I will play my shots over the Wicket Keeper, Fine Leg and the Third Man. This is what the South African batsman AB de Villiers replies to the opposition captain. De Villiers, a proven match winner in the past will look to end South Africa’s chokers tag in the upcoming World T20. He is the X-Factor in the proteas line-up and can come out to bat at any position depending on the situation. He can play his shots right from the word go as well as play some sensible cricket in case of some early collapse. When de Villiers comes out to bat, then the opposition captain screw himself to set the field positions to deny de Villiers some crucial runs. De Villiers is a kind of player who can play all over the park with ease and has a bagful of unorthodox shots in his bag. He won’t fear any bowler and it is evident by the fact that he even sent Dale Steyn on a leather hunt in an IPL game a couple of years ago. He will also take up the role of finisher as he is the best finisher in World Cricket at present apart from MS Dhoni.
2. Chris Gayle
He might not have the technique to excel in tests and flamboyance needed for ODI’s, but when it comes to the Twenty20 format, the big man from Jamaica is the King. Christopher Henry Gayle, the most feared name among the bowlers in the T20 circuit is all set to lead West Indies to successfully defend the World T20 title. No one would have forgot the rampage he did to the South African bowlers in the inaugural match of the World T20. Since then, Gayle has almost become a freelance T20 cricketer who travels around the world to play in domestic T20 tournaments and assault the bowlers with his weapon of Mass Destruction, a Spartan Willow. He is a kind of player who can score a century in T20 matches at will, a feat that some batsmen find it difficult to achieve in ODI’s. In his T20 career, he has scored a record 11 centuries with a strike-rate of 151.05. This shows how destructive he can be. Once he sets his eye in, then the spectators become fielders and the fielders become spectators. Sometimes, the power he generates, makes the audience to go under covers as he is capable of clearing the stands easily. With Windies expecting Gayle to come good, the fans around the world can expect the Gayle Storm to strike Mirpur.
1. David Warner
When David Warner was called in to join the Australian team to face South Africa in the two match T20 series in 2009, many raised eyebrows over selecting a rookie who was yet to make his First-Class debut. But Warner shut the mouths of the people who questioned his selection with his swashbuckling 89 in his debut match and introduced himself to the cricketing arena as a T20 specialist. Five year down the line, now Warner has adapted his game to play and cement his place in the Aussie squad for all three formats of the game. Warner, a player who depends on his power and timing has the ability to score some quick runs in the field restriction overs and get his team off to a flier. Warner, along with his opening partner Aaron Finch are the most feared opening combination in the World T20. Warner, who has the ability to hit the balls miles out of the ground, has been working on a new shot to his armoury, the switch-hit, which he attempts against the spinners. Whoever it is, be it the left handed Warner or the right handed Warner, one thing is guaranteed, the Pocket Dynamo will set the World T20 on fire.
