South Africa, Sri Lanka, Netherlands, Nepal and Bangladesh line up in Group D of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be broadcast in full on Sky Sports throughout the month of June. Here’s everything you need to know about the teams and their prospects.
South Africa
Best result: Semi-finals (2009, 2014)
2022 result: Super 12
Coach: Rob Walter
Team: Aiden Markram (captain), Ottniel Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeze Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs. Reserves: Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi.
Big hitter
Heinrich Klaasen. The 32-year-old is an incredible hitter and was in fine form for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, where he played four half-centuries and had a strike rate of 171.07.
Wicket taker
Tabraiz Shamsi. The wrist spinner is the Proteas’ leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket with 78 in 65 matches and has plenty of experience in the West Indies thanks to stints in the Caribbean Premier League.
Keep an eye on…
This crew neck label. He continues to follow South Africa with the Proteas losing in five 50-over World Cup semi-finals – including against Australia in India last year – and two in the T20 version.
Outlook
This could This will be the year South Africa finally takes a step beyond the semi-finals and maybe even gets their hands on a trophy. The batting is full of power and the bowling attack is varied.
Bangladesh
Best result: Super 8 (2007)
2022 result: Super 8
Coach: Chandika Hathurusingha
Team: Najmul Hossain Shanto (captain), Taskin Ahmed, Litton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah Riyad, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanvir Islam, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam , Tanzim Hasan Sakib. Reserves: Afif Hossain, Hasan Mahmud.
Big hitter
Towhid Hridoy. The 23-year-old scored an unbeaten 108 from 57 balls for Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League in February as part of a strong campaign.
Towhid Hridoy is one of the main hitters of Bangladesh
Wicket taker
Shakib Al Hasan. The left arm spinner has 146 wickets in T20 internationals with an economy rate of 6.78. Shakib will also be an important player with the bat, but his bowling could be crucial if Bangladesh want to reach the Super 8s.
Keep an eye on…
Choriful Islam. The left-arm bowler, 22, has taken 46 wickets in 41 T20 internationals so far. He is one of the young people to watch in this Bangladesh team.
Outlook
Bangladesh have played in the previous eight T20 World Cups, but they are yet to reach the knockout stages. They certainly have the experience in the team to qualify for the Super 8s this time.
Sri Lanka
Best result: Champions (2014)
2022 result: Super 8
Coach: Chris Silverwood
Team: Wanindu Hasaranga (captain), Charith Asalanka (vice-captain), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Ensure, Matheesha Pathirana , and Dilshan Madushanka. Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage.
Big hitter
Angelo Mathews. The 36-year-old – the first batter in international cricket to be stopped during a match against Bangladesh in last year’s 50-over World Cup – is the only player still in the squad after their victory in 2014 in this tournament. He has over 1,300 T20I runs with a best of 81 not out.
Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews is a T20I veteran
Wicket taker
Wanindu Hasaranga. The captain is only the second Sri Lankan, after the great Lasith Malinga, to take 100 T20I wickets. The leg-spinner, who is just three behind Malinga’s mark of 107, will be key if Sri Lanka are to advance past the first round.
Keep an eye on…
Matheesha Pathirana. The right-arm fast bowler is one of the best in the T20 circuit. Pathirana heads into the tournament having played six matches in this year’s IPL and picking up 13 wickets for Chennai Super Kings while bowling at over 90 mph.
Outlook
Sri Lanka have talented bowlers but perhaps lack batting depth, often relying on their skipper Hasaranga to score runs. Will likely be in contention with Bangladesh to join South Africa in Super 8s.
The Netherlands
Best result: Super 12 (2022)
2022 result: Super 12
Coach: Ryan Cook
Team: Scott Edwards (captain), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Saqib Zulfiqar, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi.
Big hitter
Sybrand Engelbrecht. The all-rounder has a strike rate of 153 and a high score of 75 in eight T20Is that he has played for the Netherlands. The 35-year-old retired from all forms of cricket in 2016, but later joined the Dutch team in 2023.
Wicket taker
Aryan Dutt. In a warm-up match against Sri Lanka, the 21-year-old took three wickets to help his team beat Sri Lanka. Alongside seamer Logan van Beek, his bowling will be key for the Netherlands.
Keep an eye on Dutch off-spinner Aryan Dutt
Keep an eye on…
Lower Leede. This all-rounder has plenty of white ball experience and can play with both bat and ball. He will be an integral part of the Dutch line-up if they want to get out of the group stage. The 24-year-old has four T20I half-centuries and averages 18 with the ball.
Outlook
Netherlands beat South Africa in the 50-over World Cup last year and in the T20 edition in 2022, which should give them confidence. They enter the competition weakened by the absence of experienced Colin Ackermann and Roelof van der Merwe, but this will give other players the opportunity to take over.
Nepal
Best result: First round (2014)
2022 result: N / A
Coach: Monty Desai
Team: Rohit Paudel (captain), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee .
Big hitter
Last month, Aasif Sheikh became the fourth Nepali player to score 1,000 runs in T20Is. He has a strike rate of 119 in the format and five half-centuries. Sheikh also scored a fifty against India in the 50-over Asia Cup last year.
Nepal’s Aasif Sheikh celebrates his fiftieth in Asia Cup against India last year
Wicket taker
Abinash Bohara. The right-arm pacer has 74 wickets in T20I cricket at an average of 19 and became the first Nepali player to take six wickets last year.
Keep an eye on…
Dipendra Singh Airee. He smashed six sixes in addition in April, against Qatar, becoming the third man to achieve this feat in a T20 match, after India’s Yuvraj Singh and West Indies’ Kieron Pollard.
Outlook
This is the first tournament to be held in Nepal in a decade. When they participated in the 2014 edition, they won two of their three matches and they should take confidence from that. The potential for surprise is definitely there.
Watch every ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match in the Caribbean and USA live on Sky Sports Cricket.
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