Top cricketers eyeing last shot at T20 World Cup glory
For some of the players, it could become the last chance to have a shot at winning the title.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
NEW DELHI: The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is the pinnacle prize for any international cricketer in the shortest format of the game. MS Dhoni, Daren Sammy, Aaron Finch and Jos Buttler, along with the likes of Younis Khan and Lasith Malinga have all had the honour of captaining their respective teams to the T20 World Cup title.
Starting from June 1, 20 teams will be battling for the entire month to conclude the winner the prestigious Men's T20 World Cup silverware. For some players, this could be their last chance to win the title.
Here's looking at some cricketers who could potentially be playing their last Men's T20 World Cup:
Rohit Sharma (India) -
The Indian captain, 37, has been a part of the T20s since 2007 and played handy knocks in India’s title-winning run in South Africa. After having taken India to a runners-up finish in the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup, Rohit may be wanting to go a step further in the upcoming T20I showpiece.
But Rohit’s form in the second half of IPL 2024 has been a matter of concern - a season where he will not be captaining Mumbai Indians henceforth. In his last seven innings this season, Sharma has been out of sorts and has amassed only 88 runs at a strike rate of 104.8 with an average of 12.6.
With India's emerging batting talents who may soon join the big stage, Rohit might treat this World Cup as his last, with hopes to claim a white-ball silverware by leading India to glory in the Caribbean and USA.
Virat Kohli (India) -
If there is one player in the Indian team who is desperate to win a global title, it’s the talismanic Virat Kohli. Despite his ownership of the winners medals from the 2011 Men's ODI World Cup and the 2013 Champions Trophy, Kohli might be aiming to win the T20 World Cup in order to complete his set of medals in white-ball cricket.
Kohli, 35, is in stellar form in the ongoing IPL 2024 season and is leading the run-making charts in the tournament. He has an average of 81.5 in T20 World Cups and has obtained two Player of the Tournament awards, making his chances brighter to do the bulk of the scoring for India in upcoming World Cup.
Despite his strike rate and scoring effectiveness against spin being a major point of discussion, Kohli showed through, scoring 92 against Punjab Kings by adding shots like slog-sweep, which is a massive news for India.
David Warner (Australia) -
The aggressive left-handed opening batter has been one of the biggest players for Australia since 2009. From there, Warner has two ODI World Cup winners medals, as well as one each from T20 World Cup and World Test Championship. Warner right now is on the swansong of his cricketing career, after retiring from Tests and ODIs earlier this year.
Though he hasn’t been in greatest of form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2024 and has missed a lot of games due to injury, Warner, 37, would be itching to sign off from international cricket on a high with the T20 World Cup silverware.
Moeen Ali (England) -
An explosive left-handed batter who can bat anywhere in the line-up and doubles up as a handy off-spin bowler, Moeen has had a wealth of experience in T20 cricket, mainly as a floater. He won the 2022 T20 World Cup and has a runner-up finish against his name in 2016.
Moeen, 36, had gone back into Test cricket retirement following last year's Ashes and was also rumoured to quit the ODIs for prolonging his T20 career. With many younger players coming through the ranks in England, the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup could be his final global appearance in the shorter format.
Quinton de Kock (South Africa) -
This left-handed wicketkeeper-batter had retired from Tests at the end of 2021 and signed off from the ODI format after the 2023 World Cup in India, where he struck four centuries for South Africa in their semifinal finish.
De Kock has not been in best form in the T20s, having had a run in the BBL and SA20. There has however been some improvement in the ongoing IPL 2024. If South Africa, the perennial underachievers, were to win a global trophy in the upcoming T20 World Cup, Quinton will have to play a crucial role in the game if he later signs off from international cricket.
