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The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 will be held in Australia from October 16 to November 13. The tournament will kick off with first-round matches, which will feature eight teams, divided into two groups. Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates are in Group A, while Ireland, Scotland, West Indies, and Zimbabwe are in Group B.
The winners and runners-up from the two groups will progress to the Super 12 round, joining the eight sides that qualified automatically. Out of the teams that have already made it to the Super 12s, Afghanistan, Australia, England, and New Zealand are in Group 1, while Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and South Africa are in Group 2.
All 16 teams that will be taking part in the T20 World Cup 2022 have announced their squads. A few big names who were part of the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year won’t feature in this year’s edition. We look at six such players.
#1 Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Team India’s T20 World Cup chances have suffered a major blow with their lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the ICC event. Bumrah has been dealing with injuries and fitness issues for the last few months. He was ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a back injury.
When he was named in the T20I squads for the home series against Australia and South Africa, the team management and fans breathed a sigh of relief. However, Bumrah missed the first T20I against Australia and looked out of sorts in the remaining two matches. He was subsequently ruled out of the T20Is against the Proteas.
Bumrah has been a central figure in India’s bowling line-up across all formats. He was the team’s joint-leading wicket-taker during the 2021 T20 World Cup. In five matches, he claimed seven wickets at an average of 13.57 and an economy rate of 5.08.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja (India)
Not just Bumrah, Team India will also miss the services of their leading all-format all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The 33-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Asia Cup, which ruled him out of the Super 4 stage of the tournament and, subsequently, the T20 World Cup as well. He underwent knee surgery and is currently recuperating.
Without an iota of doubt, Jadeja has been India’s most versatile player in recent times, irrespective of the format. He scored a hundred in the rescheduled Test in Birmingham and followed it up with an unbeaten 46 off 29 in the second T20I. The southpaw also chipped in with a crucial 35 in India’s Asia Cup opener against Pakistan after being promoted to No. 4 in the batting order.
The significance of Jadeja and Bumrah’s absence can be gaged by the fact that they were India’s top two wicket-takers during last year’s T20 World Cup. Like the latter, Jadeja also claimed seven wickets in five matches. His scalps came at an average of 14.42 and an economy rate of 5.94.
#3 Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies)
West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, who was initially part of West Indies’ T20 World Cup 2022 squad, will miss the tournament due to a bizarre reason. The aggressive left-hander missed his re-scheduled flight to Australia, which was changed from Saturday, October 1, at his request due to some family reasons.
A re-scheduled flight was booked for the cricketer two days later from Guyana and via New York. However, on the morning of the flight, Hetmyer informed West Indies Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams that he would not be able to reach the airport on time.
Adams stated that Hetmyer was aware of the consequences of missing the flight. He clarified through a statement:
"It was made clear to him that if there were any further delays and issues with his travel to Australia then we would have no choice but to replace him in the squad, as we are not prepared to compromise the team’s ability to prepare for this extremely important global event.”
The 25-year-old has been replaced by Shamarh Brooks in West Indies’ T20 World Cup 2022 squad. Hetmyer scored 127 runs in five matches during the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. His best of 81* came off 54 balls in a match against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi.
#4 Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa)
Key South African batter Rassie van der Dussen has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022. He broke his left index finger while fielding during the second Test against England at Old Trafford in August. Van der Dussen, 33, has played 41 T20Is for South Africa, scoring 1044 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 128.72.
The right-handed batter was Proteas’ leading run-getter during the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. In five matches, he scored 177 runs at an average of 59 and a strike rate of 116.44.
His best of 94* came off 60 balls in the Super 12 match against England in Sharjah. While South Africa won the match by 10 runs, they failed to progress to the semi-finals of the ICC event.
#5 Jason Roy (England)
Experienced England opener Jason Roy has been dropped from the team's T20 World Cup 2022 squad owing to loss of form. The 32-year-old has a highest score of 27 in his last seven T20I innings. He also registered three ducks in four innings during The Hundred for the Oval Invincibles. According to reports, Roy is set to lose his England central contract as well.
The aggressive opener scored 123 runs in five matches at an average of 30.75 and a strike rate of 138.20 during England’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. His highest of 61 came off 38 balls in a match against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi.
Roy was ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup 2021 with a calf injury he suffered during England’s final Super 12 match against South Africa in Sharjah.
#6 Jonny Bairstow (England)
England were dealt a massive blow when in-form batter Jonny Bairstow was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2022 due to a freak injury he suffered on a golf course in September.
As per the latest development, the England batter will be out of action until 2023 after having undergone surgery on a broken leg and dislocated ankle.
Before getting injured, the right-handed batter smashed hundreds in both innings of the rescheduled Test against India in Birmingham. He scored 63 in the first ODI against South Africa and 90 off 53 balls in the first T20I against the Proteas.
Bairstow had a forgettable T20 World Cup campaign in the UAE last year, scoring only 47 runs in six games. He would have been confident of performing much better in Australia. Unfortunately, he is not going to get that shot at redemption.
(Note: All teams have until October 9 to make changes to their squads, after which they'll need to have any squad changes sanctioned by the ICC.)
Also Read: Rishabh Pant birthday: 5 impressive records held by Team India’s keeper-batter
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