Analysis
20-20 World Cup 2022: Five players whose form is a major concern
The respective teams would be scratching their heads due to these players’ form.
The 20-20 World Cup is almost upon us. With just weeks left for the curtain raiser event, all players are looking to get back to their best and hopefully take their team deep into the tournament.
There are however some whose forms have deserted them in recent times, giving headaches to their respective teams. Let’s look at five players whose form is a major concern for the 20-20 World Cup.
Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel (Image source: Twitter)
Harshal Patel took 32 wickets in the 2021 Indian T20 League and followed up with 19 in the next season. He has however failed to emulate a similar level of performance for the national side and continues to be costly for the team.
In his last six matches, for example, he has given runs in excess of 11 runs-an-over on four occasions. In the same matches, he took just three wickets. His overall economy of 9.39 in 2022 doesn’t impart much confidence either.
Khushdil Shah
Khushdil Shah (Image source: Twitter)
Pakistan have been struggling with their middle order for quite some time now. In Asia Cup, none other than the top two batters i.e. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam contributed with the bat.
In Asia Cup 2022, the left-handed batter made just 58 runs in six matches at an average of 14.50. Additionally, his striker rate for the year 2022 is just 102.46 which is not what a team wants in a T20I match.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran (Image source: Twitter)
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran is among the very best batters in modern-day cricket. His hard-hitting has led many franchise teams and the national side to innumerable victories over the years.
Recently however the southpaw seems to be going through a lean patch which could be a cause of concern for the West Indies team. In the last nine T20I matches, Pooran has failed to cross 24 and has been dismissed four times on single-digit scores.
Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant (Image source: Twitter)
The swashbuckling southpaw was deemed the future of Indian cricket in the shortest form. His mercurial rise to the pinnacle of sports had everyone thinking that he will become an integral player of the World Cup team. The reality however is anything but.
Pant’s recent form has him sliding in and out of the playing XI on a constant basis. His stats of 338 runs in 21 matches at an average of 26 doesn’t show the entire picture of his bad form. It is the manner in which he gets out and leaves the team in limbo that is a cause of concern for the team. It is often that Pant gets caught out when the team is in a pressure situation leaving the team worse than when he comes to bat. His last 14 dismissals for example have been caught out.
Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell (Image source: Twitter)
Probably the most concerning player on the list, Glenn Maxwell has played with an average of 16.45 in 2022. Furthermore, he has failed to make a double-digit score in his last six matches. His last half-century knock in the shortest format was way back on 3rd March 2021.
Maxwell has failed to come up with a double-digit score in 17 of his last 30 matches which shows the kind of slump Maxwell is going through. The hosts would be in grave trouble if the right-hand batter fails to deliver in the 20-20 World Cup as well.
