Promising five at the World T20

SA’s Kagiso Rabada is among the most promising five to look out for when the action begins at the World T20 in India.

Mumbai – Five players to look out for during the World Twenty20 in India, which culminates with the final in Kolkata on April 3:

HARDIK PANDYA, INDIA, ALL-ROUNDER

A little more than a month into his international career, the 22-year-old seam-bowling all-rounder is being touted as India’s missing link in the shortest form of the game.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has spent years yearning for a bowler who can both fill the third seamer’s role and have the prowess to hit boundaries as soon as they come in down the order.

Pandya is a perfect fit for those requirements and his lightning-quick fielding is an added bonus.

Dhoni has used his full quota of four overs more often than not, while the right-hander has also made some key contributions with the bat for the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 side.

MOHAMMAD AMIR, PAKISTAN, FAST BOWLER

The left-arm fast bowler’s short career has already witnessed plenty of drama, from being pinpointed as Pakistan’s next great paceman to serving jail time for a spot-fixing offence.

Amir drew many admirers as a 17-year-old with his ability to swing the ball both ways, maintain superb control and generate steep bounce from unresponsive wickets in South Asia.

Then came his five-year ban and he is effectively in the second innings of his career as a 23-year-old. Since his return, Amir has hardly missed a beat and seems to be on a mission to make up for lost time.

JOS BUTTLER, ENGLAND, WICKETKEEPER-BATSMAN

While the 25-year-old has found it difficult to cut his teeth in the five-day format, there is no doubting Buttler’s pyrotechnics in limited-overs cricket.

The innovative, hard-hitting right-hander underlined his potential as one of world cricket’s most explosive batsmen by breaking his own England record for the fastest 50-over hundred against Pakistan in November.

Buttler has all the shots in the cricket manual and plenty not even listed as he showed against Pakistan with scoops, reverse-sweeps and booming drives that helped earn him an Indian Premier League contract with the Mumbai-based team.

KAGISO RABADA, SOUTH AFRICA, FAST BOWLER

The 20-year-old paceman has emerged as South Africa’s most promising young player and has earned high praise from team mate Dale Steyn, who he idolises.

A natural athlete who can touch speeds of 150km/h, Rabada can rattle any batsman in the world when in full flow.

His pinpoint accuracy and ability to bowl fast, in-swinging yorkers have made the right-arm bowler a preferred choice in the death overs.

MITCHELL MARSH, AUSTRALIA, ALL-ROUNDER

The tall all-rounder was earmarked for greater things when he captained Australia to an Under-19 World Cup victory in 2010 and did not have to wait too long before he was selected for the senior side a year later.

The son of former Australia cricketer Geoff Marsh, Mitchell can work up good pace with the ball without losing control and is also a dangerous batsman down the order.

His recent exploits with both bat and ball make Australia a more balanced side and earned him a $1 million-plus price tag in the Indian Premier League auction.

– REUTERS