ICC T20: All-rounders to watch out for

Some of the best all-rounders from top-cricketing nations are set to unleash their potential in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup Super 12 stage.

Let’s look at a few of the illustrious names.

Hafeez

Despite being the oldest of the bunch, Mohammad Hafeez is still a destructive top-order batsman and lethal spinner.

Just when the world thought Hafeez is done and dusted with his bowling, he showed in Pakistan’s last series against West Indies that he can still contain the best batters around the world with his spin.

Hafeez has been brilliant against left-handed batsmen for ages.

He is likely to bat for Pakistan at No. 4 and he doesn’t need a lot of time to settle on the wicket.

He has a knack for going for boundaries from the get-go, something that the Men in Green will desperately need at the top of the order in their tournament opener against arch-rivals India on Sunday.

Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is coming off a dream IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On two-paced tracks in the UAE, Maxwell also showcased how brilliantly he can bowl in the powerplay.

He doesn’t spin the ball much, but focuses on the drift which will be useful on the wickets in the T20 World Cup.

All Maxwell needs to do is carry on with his red-hot form with which he helped the Bangalore side make it big this season.

His contribution with the bat in the death overs will be a huge help for Australia.

Pandya

Hardik Pandya is no less than a T20 royalty for Virat Kohli’s side.

As said by Dale Steyn, he can solely be selected for the national team based on his batting.

He can double his stocks if he can manage his workload and get to work with the ball as well, but that seems highly unlikely.

India’s vice-captain Rohit Sharma has already revealed that Hardik hasn’t yet bowled a single ball in the nets.

This means that Kohli is still looking to get the most out of Hardik with the bat.

Hardik has been in sublime touch in the shortest format of the game.

He did not get a lot of opportunities with Mumbai Indians this season, but his form in India’s warm-up game showed that he is still brimming with confidence.

Marsh

Mitchell Marsh was Australia’s highest run-getter in the away series held in Bangladesh.

Though Mathew Wade-led unit lost to the Tigers, but Marsh got to book his ticket to the UAE and Oman for the mega even with top performances.

Glenn Maxwell has already warned the teams that he has found Marsh middling the ball better than any batsmen on the team.

Marsh’s exploits with the ball are already known to everyone.

His middle overs can help Australia restrict the oppositions to small totals.

Marsh’s variations will help him keep a tight economy in the mega event.

Jadeja

Apart from being the best fielder in international cricket, Ravi Jadeja can run riot with the bat and ball.

Even his skipper Kohli has admitted that Jadeja is at his peak at the moment.

The left-handed batter has a habit of scoring brilliant cameos for India in final overs.

He hasn’t yet scored his maiden T20 fifty, but he has played 50 T20Is for India which makes him an experienced campaigner of the format.