ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Best XI Of World Beaters Who Missed Out On Squad Selection. The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is scheduled to begin on October 17, a few days after the conclusion of IPL 2021, and the final clash of the tournament will take place on November 14 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Originally, T20 World Cup 2021 was scheduled to commence in India but was shifted to UAE and OMAN besides IPL 2021 due to the Covid-19 scare in the country.
There have been a total of 8 teams that have made entry into the T20 World Cup 2021 through direct qualifications apart from the few teams battling out in the qualifying stage including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who could not qualify directly for the Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE and Oman.
In the already qualified teams, Group 1 consists of England, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa. On the other hand Group, 2 consists of India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan. All the teams have announced their squads for the T20 World Cup 2021. However, there have been several big names that have been left out from the 15-member squad and their absence from the main squad was a big shocker for cricket fans.
ICC T20 World Cup 2021: Best XI Of World Beaters Who Missed Out On Squad Selection
Alex Hales
Alex Hales was axed from England’s (eventual winners) 50-over World Cup squad in 2019 for failing a second test for use of recreational drugs. He recently enjoyed an excellent BBL campaign and continues to hold the record for the highest T20I score by an England player – 116 not out against Sri Lanka in the 2014 World T20.
The 31-year-old Alex Hales made his international debut in August 2011 through the T20I cricket. He has played 11 Tests, 70 ODIs, and 60 T20Is for England.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan missed out on the T20 World Cup 2021 squad as it shocked cricket fans as many thought that the BCCI selection committee would add him to the squad based on his healthy amount of experience and his red hot form in the IPL.
in T20Is Shikhar Dhawan has scored 1759 runs at an average and strike rate of 27.92 and 126.36. Notably, Shikhar Dhawan has been scoring 450 and above runs in IPL since 2016 and there is no doubt if Shikhar Dhawan would have been on the team for T20I World Cup 2021, he would have performed amazingly well. He was really unfortunate to miss out on selection.
Shikhar Dhawan was the captain recently of the Indian team that toured Sri Lanka, playing all 6 matches on the tour. He registered scores of 86*, 29, 13 in the 3 ODIs and 46, 40, 0 in the 3 T20Is. Delhi Capitals’ batsman Shikhar Dhawan is currently the highest run-getter in the IPL 2021 season with 380 runs in 8 matches averaging 54.28 with 3 fifties. He was 2nd among leading run-scorers in IPL 2020 too with 618 runs in 16 matches averaging 44.14 with 2 tons and 4 fifties.
Faf Du Plessis
Almost every T20 World Cup 2021 squad prediction of South Africa contained the name of Faf Du Plessis. However when the squad was announced fans were left upset and shocked not to see his name in T20I World Cup 2021 squad. Notably, Faf Du Plessis on February announced his retirement from Test cricket to focus on his T20 career. Also, he is in red hot form in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League.
Faf Du Plessis has already smashed a century in the league. But he may miss a few initial IPL games in UAE for an injury he picked up in the Caribbean Premier League. The opener didn’t play any part in this season’s inaugural edition of English cricket’s new Hundred competition because of the lingering effects of a concussion suffered during the Pakistan Super League.
Faf Du Plessis was in tremendous form for CSK this season in India and scored 320 runs in 7 matches at a strike rate of 145.45 before the event got postponed due to a bio-bubble breach. He was the 3rd highest run-getter after Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul.
Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes broke his hand taking a catch for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 and a repeat X-ray and CT scan revealed that he has a fracture of his left index finger. He missed the 2 Tests against New Zealand while his last Test came against India in March 2021.
England was forced to pick an entirely new squad of players and support staff for the ODI series against Pakistan after seven members of the party originally selected tested positive for the virus. Ben Stokes returned to the squad to captain the side. After the Covid-19 outbreak, England named a new 18 member squad captained by Ben Stokes and consisting of 9 uncapped players and still won 3-0.
Ben Stokes withdrew from the Test series against India, IPL 2021, and T20I World Cup 2021 as he has decided to ‘prioritize his mental wellbeing’. Ben Stokes’ heroics in the final of World Cup 2019 where he scored 84 runs, helping England win their maiden 50-over World Cup title, are still fresh in every English fan’s memory. England won by boundary count after scores were tied in 50 overs and Super Over.
AB de Villiers
Having initially retired from international cricket in 2018, AB de Villiers decided in May of this year that he wasn’t going to return for the T20 World Cup 2021 citing concerns about coming in ahead of players who had long been in the system.
AB de Villiers has played 114 Tests scoring 8765 runs averaging 50.66 and 228 ODIs scoring 9577 runs averaging 53.5. He also featured in 78 T20Is where he averaged a modest 26.12. In 176 IPL matches, he has 5056 runs averaging 40.77 and is 6th among the leading run-scorers in IPL history.
Chris Morris
The most expensive player in IPL auction history will be absent from the T20I World Cup 2021. Chris Morris hasn’t played for South Africa for two years. Chris Morris had last represented the country as a replacement for injured Anrich Nortje in the Cricket World Cup 2019 two years back and the 33-year-old hasn’t been in any contention for a spot despite veterans like Dale Steyn have retired.
Chris Morris has played in 42 One day internationals,23 T20s, and 4 tests in the South African colors taking 48, 34, and 12 wickets respectively.
Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine has been a regular in T20 franchises across the world, however, has not played for the West Indies since 2019. In February he was approached by selectors in relation to being called up to the squad for T20I World Cup 2021 and told them that he wasn’t ready to return to international cricket.
In-form batsman Sherfane Rutherford and spinner Sunil Narine were among a few players not eligible for selection to the World Cup squad after failing fitness standards. Sunil Narine, once the top-ranked spinner in the world, has recently shown versatility at the top of the order as a pinch-hitter and could have been a weapon for the team at the tournament.
Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer’s stress fracture has ruled him out of all cricket for the remainder of 2021. Already a 50-over World Cup winner, Jofra Archer’s pace and lower order hitting make him one of the most sought-after T20 players in the world.
Jofra Archer last played international cricket during the tour of India in March this year. He featured in all five T20Is before being ruled out of the one-day series. Jofra Archer was ruled out of the entire 2021 season following a recurrence of the stress fracture in his elbow. Apart from the ongoing Test series against India, Jofra Archer will also miss The Ashes and the T20I World Cup 2021.
Imran Tahir
Despite being one of the leading spinners on the T20 circuit, Imran Tahir has been left out of South Africa’s squad for T20 World Cup 2021. Imran Tahir has also said in the press that he hasn’t been contacted by South Africa’s selectors since being told he was in their plans for the competition last year. In March 2019, he announced that he would quit ODI cricket following the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Imran Tahir was one of the three big omissions alongside Faf du Plessis and Chris Morris from South Africa’s squad for the T20 World Cup to be held in Oman and the UAE from October 17 to November 14. He is South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 61 wickets at an economy rate of 6.56. Imran Tahir last featured in a T20I for South Africa in March 2019.
Yuzvendra Chahal And Kuldeep Yadav
Yuzvendra Chahal’s exclusion from the squad was a big surprise. In the IPL and in international cricket, Yuzvendra Chahal was Virat Kohli’s, go-to man. Virat Kohli decided to stick with the leg spinner when the team management decided to bring an end to the ‘Kul-Cha’ partnership.
Rahul Chahar’s rise in recent times might also have played a role in the more experienced spinner not being picked in the XI. The Mumbai Indians leggie had a brilliant first half of the IPL in India picking up 11 wickets from his first seven games.
The UAE conditions for T20 World Cup 2021 will be helpful for him bagging a few more wickets as well. Along with Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav was also not selected in India’s T20 World Cup squad. The mystery spinner’s confidence is really down in recent times. Despite being with the side in the last two to three years, Kuldeep Yadav has not played consistent cricket.