With all participating teams now releasing their finalised or at least preliminary squads for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, it’s time to analyse those selected to take part in the first part of the tournament, the First Round.
Bangladesh headline Group B, arguably the weaker of the two groups, and have finalised their 15-man squad for the tournament. After landmark series wins over Australia and New Zealand earlier this year the squad has remained near-identical for the World Cup. The team will be led by Mahmudullah, who has captained the side in their recent series wins, as well as in wins over India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe over the last three years.
Who they’ve picked: Bangladesh’s strong suit in recent times has been their bowling, particularly their spinners on the slow and low pitches prepared for the matches against New Zealand and Australia. In those ten matches Nasum Ahmed took 16 wickets at an economy of less than five runs an over, Mahedi Hasan took nine wickets in nine games, while Shakib took 11 including a haul of 4/9 against Australia. Their opposing spinners also bowled well, however the performances of pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Shoriful Islam were crucial in getting them the series wins, with Rahman’s economy being particularly impressive (3.52rpo vs Australia, 7 wickets, 6.13rpo vs New Zealand, 8 wickets). Batting was difficult for all sides, however powerful players such as Liton Das, Mohammad Naim and Soumya Sarkar will enjoy the ball coming onto the bat on the faster pitches of the UAE and Oman. Young middle-order player Afif Hossain has been the star with the bat recently, and is certainly one to watch in their squad for this tournament.
Who they haven’t picked: Star opener Tamim Iqbal withdrew himself from considerations, citing that having missed recent series through injury that it would be unfair for him to be selected ahead of those who have covered his absence, such as Das, Sarkar and Naim. Mohammad Mithun fell out of favour with selectors for poor performances in Zimbabwe, and despite being included in the squad to face Australia he has not been selected for this tournament. Mushfiqur Rahim has announced he will no longer keep wickets in T20’s, meaning Liton Das and Nurul Hasan are the two keeping options in the squad. There are no notable omissions from their bowling line-up, and they will be keen to regroup and continue their strong form as a unit.
Predicted XI: Naim, Das, Shakib, Rahim, Mahmudullah (c), A. Hossain, N. Hasan (wk), Saifuddin, N. Ahmed, M. Hasan, Rahman
Prediction: My prediction for the Tigers is that they will get through this stage with flying colours. With plenty of recent T20 cricket under their belts and relatively familiar conditions (especially compared to PNG and Scotland), they should advance in first position. They do have some selection headaches, but they are good ones to have and show their strength in the format at the moment. They may look to introduce more pace to their attack through Taskin and Shorfiul, but that will depend on many factors and they have the balance to make good decisions with their XI’s throughout this stage of the tournament.
Scotland have named a strong 17-man squad boosted by inclusions from the County circuit for the World Cup. Their fast bowling battery will be their strength over the teams in this group, and could give them an edge should they qualify for the Super 12s, where they would have another chance at a big upset like their win over England in 2018. They will be skippered by Kyle Coetzer, and he has led them well so far against Zimbabwe, with his team losing narrowly in the decider of the three match series.
Who they’ve picked: Both the batsman and the bowler from the deciding over in the Hampshire vs Somerset T20 semi-final, being the victorious Josh Davey and the conquered Brad Wheal, are in the squad to strengthen their bowling options. Wheal also featured in The Hundred, so he has plenty of recent white-ball cricket under his belt. The batting line-up is fairly settled, with veterans Berrington, Calum Macleod and Kyle Coetzer joined by big hitting George Munsey and keeper-batsman Matt Cross in their likely first-choice line-up. Chris Sole is back from playing club cricket in Australia to feature in the squad, and looked sharp in his return against Zimbabwe. Incumbent quicks Safyaan Sharif and Ally Evans will also be at the forefront of the selectors’ minds for their first match against Bangladesh.
Who they haven’t picked: There are some names missing from the squad that may surprise some fans, but overall this squad contains the expected core of players for the Scottish team. Ex-captain Preston Mommsen was reportedly considered but did not make the 17-man squad. When this squad is cut to 15, fringe players such as Chris Greaves, Dylan Budge, Craig Wallace and Hamza Tahir will be on notice and will be looking to impress in their ODI and warm-up fixtures before the tournament should they be selected.
Predicted XI: Coetzer, Munsey, Hairs, Macleod, Berrington (c), Cross (wk), Leask, Davey, Sharif, Wheal, Watt
Prediction: If they adapt and play well in their matches leading up to the tournament, I think Scotland will beat Oman and PNG and qualify for the Super 12s, which would be huge for their future prospects. Coetzer, Macleod and Berrington are three very reliable batsmen for this order to lean on, giving more opportunities to hitters like Munsey and Cross, and the inclusion of Davey and Wheal should affect the squad positively as their recent form and high-level experience rubs off on the group.
Papua New Guinea have their first opportunity in a major ICC tournament with their maiden berth in the World Cup this year. The team is now being coached by former Sydney Thunder and Italy all-rounder Carl Sandri, and have recently played ODI’s against USA and Oman, their first matches under Sandri and as a team since they qualified in 2019.
Who they’ve picked: The Barramundis have selected a 16-man squad for the tournament, featuring many players who were pivotal in their qualification for the tournament. Batsman Assad Vala will captain the team, with fellow experienced batsmen in Tony Ura, Lega Siaka and Charles Amini. They are accompanied in the bowling department by incumbents Norman Vanua, Chad Soper and Nosaina Pokana, as well as new faces Jack Gardner and Kabua Vagi-Morea have earned maiden call-ups to bolster the bowling ranks of the team. Hiri Hiri and Jason Kila are expected to do the majority of the spin bowling, with Vala (off-spinner) and Amini (leg-spinner) also able to contribute handy overs of spin. Kiplin Doriga remains the incumbent wicket-keeper, while batsmen Simon Atai, Sese Bau and Gaudi Toka will fight it out for depth spots in the eventual 15-man squad for the tournament.
Who they haven’t picked: Riley Hekure, Alei Nao and John Reva are the three players missing from their last international outing, but across the board PNG have named a core squad that is to be expected with some relatively unknown players now being given a chance to shine on the world stage.
Predicted XI: Ura, Siaka, Vala (c), Amini, Bau, Doriga (wk), Hiri, Vanua, Ravu, Kila, Pokana
Prediction: PNG have struggled for form so far in their return to ODI cricket, with the USA and hosts Nepal beating them soundly in the tri-series. They will be hopeful of bouncing back against Scotland and Oman in ODI cricket in the coming weeks. Much of their success revolves around their top order, with Siaka, Ura and Vala now stalwarts of the game at international level. Overall they will hope to improve a lot on how they’ve been playing, however their draw is favourable as they face lowest ranked Oman, then Scotland, then highest ranked, so if they are to get on a roll in their warm-up games and then beat Oman, they could prove to be the dark horses of reaching the Super 12s.
Oman have named a very similar squad to the one that allowed them to reach the World Cup at the Qualifiers back in 2019, and they will again be led by all-rounder Zeeshan Maqsood in this tournament. This is Oman’s second T20 World Cup, they appeared in 2016 and upset Ireland in the group stages, but made it no further in the tournament.
Who they’ve picked: As mentioned, Oman have selected a very similar team to the one that reached the semi-finals in the 2019 qualifiers. Bilal Khan will be looking to replicate the form he showed at that tournament, where he was the highest wicket-taker with 18. He will be accompanied in the bowling ranks by the likes of Fayyaz Butt and Nestor Dhamba. Oman are currently on top of the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 tournament with 10 wins from 12 games, and will be hoping that batsman Aqib Ilyas, Jatinder Singh and all-rounder Mohammad Nadeem can replicate the strong form they have shown so far.
Who they haven’t picked: While many players from the 2019 Qualifiers have been selected, Oman will be without three players from that squad, batsmen Aamir Kadeem and Mehran Khan, as well as all-rounder Jay Odedra. Their form in the CWCL2 so far suggests that they should stick to their established playing group, and this is the case with the squad that has been announced.
Predicted XI: Ali, Singh, Ilyas, Maqsood (c), A. Khan, Kumar (wk), Goud, Nadeem, B. Khan, Dhamba, Kaleemullah
Prediction: Oman’s recent form and home advantage make them an interesting team to watch in the lead-up to the tournament. Their first match against PNG will be like a grand final for both teams, with a first up win required for either of them to challenge Scotland and even more so Bangladesh. Ilyas, Maqsood, Khawar Ali, Mohammad Nadeem and Bilal Khan make up a strong backbone of a team, so performances from other players could see them be a dangerous unit. I think they will come a close third, beating PNG thanks to home advantage and confidence from their recent winning form.
Russ Haylock Sportswriting 