The T20 World Cup is just two days away. Everything is just about set for the big stage. Warm up games have and are ongoing. Every squad has been finalised. I will go through the squads I didn't cover in part 1 (https://www.nicklieberthal.com/blog/t20-world-cup-squads-part-1). I will also discuss the controversy sorrounding the selection.
There were no major surprises in Bangladesh’s 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup, with young quick Tanzim Hasan Sakib earning selection after two appearances against Zimbabwe. The selectors also chose left-arm quick, Shoriful Islam, after the 22-year-old was rested for the final two matches against Zimbabwe.
On the sselection, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chair of National Selection Panel of BCB, said that the team had waited until the Zimbabwe series to take a call on Saifuddin.
“We had kept Saifuddin in the squad that we submitted to the ICC on April 30," Hossain said. "We wanted to observe and analyse his performance in the Zimbabwe series. But when we considered what the team needs at the moment, Tanzim (Hasan Sakib) was ahead of Saifuddin.
"It was a close call between the two. We saw Tanzim against Sri Lanka. His dedication and hunger kept him ahead. He is also a very good fielder. Saifuddin was the only player who was changed from the squad we had submitted to ICC earlier."
I would reckon that Bangladesh have a good squad. It's filled with experience and youth. As mentioned above, the inclusion of Shakib Al Hasan is excellent. He brings a lot to the team. This includes his playing abilities. leadership and tons of experience from playing T20 cricket from around the world.
Bangladesh Squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c); 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.
Travelling reserves: Afif Hossain & Hasan Mahmud.
Ireland's squad bares no surprises, to me, at least. It will be led by experienced all-arounder, Paul Stirling. They hold a strong batting stock with: Harry Tector; Lorcan Tucker; Ross Adair & Curtis Campher. Their bowling attack will be led by up and coming bowler, Josh Little. Mark Adair will also lead the pace attack. Graham Hume, Curtis Campher, Barry McCarthy and Craig Young are the other fast-bowling options.
Impressive leg-spinner, Ben White and all-rounder, Gareth Delany, will be the Irish tweakers for the T20 World Cup.
The Irish have picked an excellent squad. It's filled with experience. Every player selected has had a taste on the big stage. By this, there won't be any stage fright by any player selected. Everyone will be filled with confidence.
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling (c); Mark Adair; Ross Adair; Andrew Balbirnie; Curtis Campher; Gareth Delany; George Dockrell; Graham Hume; Josh Little; Barry McCarthy; Neil Rock; Harry Tector; Lorcan Tucker; Ben White & Craig Young.
Namibia have announced a very experienced squad, which includes ex-South Africa star, David Wiese. Gerhard Erasmus will lead an experienced group that qualified for the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup courtesy of an unbeaten run at last year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier on home soil.
Twelve of the 15 players that featured in that impressive run during qualifying have once again won selection in Namibia's 15-player squad, with all-rounder, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, the biggest omission alongside veteran, Pikky Ya France and young batter, Shawn Fouche.
Inexperienced seamer, Dylan Leicher, left-arm quick, Ruben Trumpelmann and teenage pacer, Jack Brassell, who featured in the ICC Men's U19 Cricket World Cup earlier this year, are the players promoted to the squad that didn't feature in the qualifier tournament.
I feel I have no real reason to comment as I haven't watched much of Namibia playing cricket. All I can say is that picking an experienced squad is a good choice to make.
Namibia Squad: Gerhard Erasmus (c); Zane Green; Michael Van Lingen; Dylan Leicher; Ruben Trumpelmann; Jack Brassell; Ben Shikongo; Tangeni Lungameni; Niko Davin; JJ Smit; Jan Frylinck; JP Kotze; David Wiese; Bernard Scholtz; Malan Kruger & PD Blignaut.
The Netherlands have been rocked by injuries. Fred Klaassen and Daniel Doram, originally included in the Netherlands' Men’s T20 World Cup squad announced on May 13, were ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.
Kyle Klein, initially named as a travelling reserve, and Saqib Zulfiqar have been added to the 15-member squad. Kyle’s brother, Ryan Klein, has now been designated as the first reserve. On the other hand, Saqib is returning to T20i cricket after nearly five years. This come from having last played the format in August 2019. Despite his hiatus from T20is, he has been active in the ODI setup and was part of the Netherlands squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
The only thing I can say is that I'm surprised by the omission of Roelof Van Der Merwe. He would've been a brilliant addition to the squad. As it has been seen in the World Cup, The Dutch players are very talented and have the capacity to beat anyone on any given day.
Netherlands Squad: Scott Edwards (c); Aryan Dutt; Bas de Leede; Kyle Klein; Logan van Beek; Max O’Dowd; Michael Levitt; Paul van Meekeren; Ryan Klein; Saqib Zulfiqar; Sybrand Engelbrecht; Teja Nidamanuru; Tim Pringle; Vikram Singh; Viv Kingma & Wesley Barresi.
Travelling Reserve: Ryan Klein.
As he did at the 2021 edition of the tournament, Assad Vala leads the Barramundis, who sealed their spot for this year’s competition via the East Asia-Pacific regional final in July 2023.
Vala is one of 10 players from their 2021 campaign, with 2021 reserve member Jack Gardner this time picked in the 15-player group.
The skipper admits the side are more prepared for this year's tilt after dealing with Covid complication in 2021 and has high hopes this time around in the Caribbean.
"The energy has been great within the team. For some of the boys who went to the last T20 World Cup, it’s a different feeling now with a lot of the training because the last time was during Covid, and the preparation wasn’t as good as what we’re going through now. I am looking forward to this event because I know we are going to do well.”
I can't comment as I haven't seen much of Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea Squad: Assadollah Vala (c); CJ Amini; Alei Nao; Chad Soper; Hila Vare; Hiri Hiri; Jack Gardner; John Kariko; Kabua Vagi Morea; Kipling Doriga; Lega Siaka; Norman Vanua; Sema Kamea; Sese Bau & Tony Ura.
Pakistan hit the jackpot with their squad. This is because star fast bowler, Haris Rauf. He has recently recovered from injury. He last represented Pakistan in January. The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) said on the selection on the squad, "This is an extremely talented and balanced side that has a mixture of youth and experience." These players have been playing together for some time and look well-prepared and settled for next month’s event."
Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan will make their maiden appearance in a T20 World Cup, but Hasan Ali was the prominent absentee.
Pakistan have a very impressive squad. It's filled with explosive hitters such as Babar Azam and destructive bowlers such as Mohammad Amir & Shaheen Shah Afridi. Pakistan should be strong favourites. They can't be underestimated for any reason. They are strong in all three formats especially the T20 format.
Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam (c); Abrar Ahmed; Azam Khan; Fakhar Zaman; Haris Rauf; Iftikhar Ahmed; Imad Wasim; Mohammad Abbas Afridi; Mohammad Amir; Mohammad Rizwan; Naseem Shah; Saim Ayub; Shadab Khan; Shaheen Shah Afridi & Usman Khan.
Top-order batter, Michael Jones and fast bowler, Brad Wheal, both make a return to Scotland's T20i squad for the upcoming mega event in West Indies and USA. Richie Berrington will captain the side that will hope to better their performances from 2022, when they famously registered a big win over the West Indies.
Scotland head coach, Doug Watson, said, "To have Michael Jones and Brad Wheal available, their experience from previous T20 World Cups is crucial for the group. I’m looking forward to meeting them both, getting to know them and seeing their skills up close. The bulk of the squad have been together for a while now and did a fantastic job last summer at both the 50-over Qualifier and the T20 Qualifier. It’s nice to have a bit of continuity along the way, although they haven’t played a lot of cricket since. Hopefully we can see the same level from these players, if not higher, when we get to the Caribbean."
I can't comment as I haven't seen much of Scotland play.
Scotland Squad: Richie Berrington (c); Matthew Cross; Brad Currie; Chris Greaves; Oli Hairs; Jack Jarvis; Michael Jones; Michael Leask; Brandon McMullen; George Munsey; Safyaan Sharif; Chris Sole; Charlie Tear; Mark Watt & Brad Wheal.
Wanindu Hasaranga, who was named as the Sri Lanka T20i captain in December last year, will lead the team in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024. Sri Lanka have banked on the experience of veteran, Angelo Mathews, who returned to the T20I setup earlier this year in January after an absence of nearly three years. This will be Mathews' sixth T20 World Cup appearance, as he was part of Sri Lanka's victorious campaign in 2014.
There will be leadership experience aplenty in the Sri Lanka setup, with former limited overs skipper Dasun Shanaka also in the mix along with Kusal Mendis (current ODI captain) and Dhananjaya de Silva (current Test captain).
With an emphasis on balance, Sri Lanka have picked multiple all-round options in their squad. Skipper Hasaranga himself is among the spin-bowling all-rounders, along with Dunith Wellalage, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kamindu Mendis. Mathews and Shanaka are the two dependable pace-bowling all-round options in the squad.
Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara, with their slinging bowling action reminiscent of Lasith Malinga, brings the X-factor to Sri Lanka's pace attack spearheaded by Dushmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka.
Sri Lanka's squad is a good one. I believe the selectors made a good decision in their selections. They have selected a very balanced squad. Additionally, I believe it's a brilliant idea to include a lot of leaders. The ideas and methods of play can be unique and mysterious as a result.
Sri Lanka Squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c); Charith Asalanka; Kusal Mendis; Pathum Nissanka; Kamindu Mendis; Sadeera Samarawickramal; Angelo Mathews; Dasun Shanaka; Dhananjaya De Silva; Maheesh Theekshana; Dunith Wellalage; Dushmantha Chameera; Nuwan Thushara; Matheesha Pathirana & Dilshan Madushanka
Traveling Reserves: Asitha Fernando; Vijayakanth Viyaskanth; Bhanuka Rajapaks &Janith Liyanage.
Brian Masaba joins several Ugandans with over a decade’s experience in international cricket, underlined by 43-year-old Frank Nsubuga, who will be one of the oldest players in the tournament. A cult hero in emerging cricket circles, Nsubuga’s squad selection caps off a life’s devotion to the game. He first represented Uganda in ICC events as a 17-year-old in the 1997 ICC Trophy, a pathway event on the road to Cricket World Cup 1999.
Fast-forward 25 years, Nsubuga made headlines, taking a sprawling catch approaching the boundary in a Cricket World Cup Challenge League match against Kenya in 2022.
He’s not the only Ugandan player to turn heads in recent times, with spin-bowling all-rounder Alpesh Ramjani ready to continue in the same form that led to his nomination for 2023 ICC Men’s T20I cricketer of the Year.
One of several notable all-rounders in the squad, Ramjani claimed the most T20I wickets in men’s cricket last year, 55 of them at an economy of under five an over. Fellow left-arm orthodox spinner and squad member Henry Ssenyondo also comes off a strong 2023, taking 49 wickets in the same period.
I can't say anything but well done to Brian Masaba for everything he's achieved.
Uganda Squad: Brian Masaba (c); Simon Ssesazi; Roger Mukasa; Cosmas Kyewuta; Dinesh Nakrani; Fred Achelam; Kenneth Waiswa; Alpesh Ramjani; Frank Nsubuga; Henry Ssenyondo; Bilal Hassun; Robinson Obuya; Riazat Ali Shah; Juma Miyaji & Ronak Patel.
Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze & Ronald Lutaaya.
It's been reported that with the squad selection, South Africa hasn't met the transformation targets that resulted in the board's admission that "various initiatives that have been pursued over the years have not yielded the desired results, especially in terms of producing Black African cricketers at the highest levels".
This will not, according to a board spokesperson, extend to interference in selection. The 15-player provisional squad includes six players of colour, of which just one - Kagiso Rabada - is A black African. CSA's current target requires the national squad to field - on average over the course of a season - six players of colour in an XI, of which at least two must be black African. They will have the opportunity to improve on the average over the 2024-25 summer but even if Reeza Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rabada and Ottniel Baartman play every game, South Africa will still miss the target of two black African players at the T20 World Cup, which has caused concern in some quarters.
It's very sad that cricket in South Africa has resulted in this situation. The transformational targets should always be kept in mind when it comes to squad selection. Keeping an equal balance of race in squads is vital for future development.
All the squads selections are interesting in their own right. Some seek balance and some experience. Their reasoning is diverse. Only time will tell which selection choice is the best. It's too early to tell which one is correct at this time.
Source Material
International Cricket Council (ICC)