T20 World Cup: “He is someone you’ll always watch out”- Ravi Shastri picks Matthew Wade as one of his favorite players 

Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri has picked swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade as one of his favorite players for the T20 World Cup in Australia.

Last month, the finisher looked impressive against India in the T20Is, where he struck unbeaten knocks of 45 (21) and 43 (20) in the first two matches.

He continued his good form in the recently concluded T20Is against West Indies and England.

In 2022, Wade has so far amassed 274 runs in 12 innings at an average of 68.5. He is expected to continue his purple patch for the defending champions throughout the showpiece T20 event.

Shastri hailed the southpaw's ongoing form and recalled his exploits in the last edition of the showpiece T20 event in the UAE, particularly against Pakistan in the semi-finals.

Speaking to Fox Sports, Shastri said:

“I think going down Australia, all-round players will play a major role, but the form of Matthew Wade has been outstanding of late. The way he’s played and we saw what he did in last year’s T20 World Cup in the game against Pakistan. He is someone you’ll always watch out.”

The former Indian cricketer further hailed Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who smashed an unbeaten 77 off 50 balls in the final last year against New Zealand to help his side win their maiden T20 World Cup title.

“If Mitchell Marsh is fully fit, another guy to watch out for. At the top of the order, he can be really explosive.”

The right-handed batter has been decent since recovering from an injury. He scored 35 off18 balls against India in the opening warm-up match in Brisbane on Monday, October 17. Marsh also played a couple of handy knocks in the recently concluded home T20Is against England.

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“He will go over 10 crores” – Ravi Shastri predicts Cameron Green’s price for IPL 2023

Shastri also praised Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who impressed everyone with his batting skills against India. He feels the youngster will earn no less than Rs 10 crore in the upcoming mini-auction for IPL 2023.

The cricketer-turned-commentator said:

“Absolutely, there is no question. He is a star in the making and will get better with the experience. He is a tall man who can smash it and is more than a useful bowler. So, he’s got all the tools that are needed for the T20 format of the game.”

He added:

“He’s got the power and can smash it a long, long way, so I think he’ll be watched very closely by IPL. He will go over 10 crores, that’s for sure. He’ll definitely go for over a million US dollars for sure.”

The 23-year-old took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners while opening the innings for Australia in the bilateral T20I series against India. He smashed 61 off 30 balls and 52 off 21 deliveries in the first and third T20Is, respectively.

Green, however, failed to make the cut into Australia's squad for the T20 World Cup at home.