2017 CPL: 5 players who can make a comeback to T20Is

Eight matches have already been played at the 2017 Caribbean Premier League with the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots the only teams who have been unbeaten in the tournament while St. Lucia Zouks and the Guyana Amazon Warriors are yet to register a win in the competition.

Many players who are out of favour with their national teams always look for a domestic league to pave their way back in, and quite a few players will be looking to make a comeback to T20Is by performing well in the CPL.

Here are 5 players who could make a comeback to T20 internationals provided they perform well in the CPL.

#5. Mohammad Sami

The 36-year old pacer had become a very reliable bowling partner for Shoaib Akhtar following the retirements of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. However, poor form led him to be dropped from the Pakistan team and he has made sporadic appearances for the Pakistan side over the last decade.

Sami last featured for Pakistan during the 2016 World T20 where he played three matches for Pakistan, picking up four wickets at an average of 23.25 and at a very high economy rate of 9.3. His spell of 0/53 against Australia resulted in his dropping from the Pakistan side.

However, Sami has performed fairly well in the domestic T20 tournaments over the past 9 months that include an economy rate of only 5.88 in his 9 matches at the Bangladesh Premier League which was followed by being the joint 3rd highest wicket-taker at the Pakistan Premier League with 12 wickets at an economy of 6.96.

Mohammad Sami is in the Jamaica Tallawahs squad for the CPL and had a disastrous start to his tournament as he went for 48 runs from his four overs in the reigning champions’ tournament opener against Barbados Tridents.

However, he rebounded brilliantly by bowling a match-winning spell of 4/12 in the Tallawahs’ return leg against the Tridents and bowled another economical spell of 1/22 in the Jamaican franchise’s win against the Trinbago Knight Riders yesterday.

Hence, all isn’t over for Mohammad Sami as he can still find a place in Pakistan’s T20 squad if he continues to perform well in all his other matches in the Caribbean.

With age not on his side, an international comeback will not be easy but he can inspire himself by taking a page out of Ashish Nehra’s book and breaking back into the Pakistan T20 team.

#4. Andre Fletcher

Fletcher hasn't played for West Indies since last September

The St. Lucia Stars are the least successful team in the history of the Caribbean Premier League as they have always ended amongst the bottom two teams but Andre Fletcher has been one of their finest and most loyal players.

Fletcher last featured for the West Indies during their T20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates where he had a disastrous outing, finishing with only 40 runs in three matches at a disappointing average of 13.33 and an even more disappointing strike rate of 66.67.

Since then, the keeper-batsman is yet to play for the West Indies. Fletcher had been signed by Peshawar Zalmi for the Pakistan Super League earlier this year but he couldn’t get a no-objection certificate, or NOC, from the West Indies Cricket Board and hence could not participate.

Fletcher has so far scored 83 runs from three matches at the CPL at an average of 27.67. Seeing that Fletcher has played some very aggressive T20 knocks in both the domestic and international circuits, we could expect the29-year old to produce some strong performances and maybe come back to the West Indies T20 side.

#3. Dwayne Bravo

The CPL could be a golden opportunity for the 33-year old to make a comeback to the national team

One of the finest all-rounders in Twenty20 cricket last played for the West Indies during their tour to the United Arab Emirates almost a year back. Bravo scored a half-century in the first match but his knock was redundantly patient as per T20 standards.

Bravo’s performances with the ball was quite underwhelming as his economy rate throughout the series was 8.5. DJ was hence dropped from the team but following that, he put in some impressive performances at the Bangladesh Premier League where he was the top wicket-taker of the competition with 21 wickets at an economy rate of 7.55 as his team Dhaka Dynamites went on to win the tournament.

After missing the IPL due to injury, Bravo joined the Trinbago Knight Riders (his only CPL franchise) and had a good start to the CPL by bowling a spell of 2/23 in the opening match of the competition. He took another three wickets in the next two matches and is currently the joint second highest wicket-taker of the competition with 5 wickets at an economy rate of 8. His batting on the contrary has been rather poor.

Bravo will be looking to make a comeback to the national side by putting up a strong show in the tournament and given the condition of West Indies, they dearly need an all-rounder of Bravo’s capabilities.

#2. Jesse Ryder

Ryder could still make his way back to the Kiwis

The aggressive New Zealand opener was touted as a future star of New Zealand cricket during the late 2010s. However, due to a plethora of injuries and disciplinary issues, Ryder took voluntary retirement from the sport in 2012.

In 2013, Ryder was involved in a bar brawl which resulted in a fractured skull and a collapsed lung which consequently led to a medical coma. However, he recovered and made his return in the national side during their ODI series against West Indies in late 2013 during which, he scored a 46-ball hundred which at the time, was the 6th fastest century in ODI cricket. He also featured in the two T20s that succeeded the ODI series, scoring 22 from 14 balls and 23 from 9 balls respectively.

Ryder’s poor performances in the ODI series against India led to his axing from both the ODI and T20 teams. However, Ryder might still have a chance to make a comeback to New Zealand’s T20 side if he performs well during the CPL where he is playing for the St. Lucia Stars. The 34-year old has not been performing well so far, scoring 18, 2, and 10. However, given the amount of power he possesses, Ryder definitely cannot be written off in T20 cricket and who knows, if he improves on his performances in the competition, he might be recalled into the national side.

#1. Darren Sammy

The two-time World T20 winning skipper is yet to play for the West Indies since last year's World T20

One of the key reasons in West Indies performing averagely in the past 10-12 months is the absence of undoubtedly the finest captain in T20 cricket, Darren Sammy. After leading West Indies to a second World T20, Sammy was dropped from the West Indies T20 side with the chairman of selectors that he did not merit a place in the T20 team.

A few months following his axing from the national team, Sammy helped Peshawar Zalmi win the Pakistan Premier League by scoring an 11-ball 28 in the final as a result of which, he was adjudged the Man of the Match.

Sammy then helped the Rajshahi Kings reach the final of the Bangladesh Premier League as he scored 276 runs with the bat at an astronomical strike rate of 174.68. Sammy is currently captaining the St. Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League and while his performance with the ball has been dismal, he has done well with the bat, particularly in yesterday’s match against the Barbados Tridents where he scored a 29-ball 60.

Hence, Sammy still has a shot on returning back to national duty and if he can continue performances similar to yesterday’s, then we might see him captaining the Windies T20 team soon.