Cricket World Cups have always had a habit of springing a few surprises on the viewer. Kapil’s Devils in 1983, Imran Khan’s “Cornered Tigers” in 1992, Aravinda de Silva’s swaggering talent for Sri Lanka in 1996, Kenya’s fairytale run to the semi-finals in 2003 and West Indies’ triumph amidst player turmoil in the 2012 World Twenty20 serve as pleasant reminders to cricket lovers about the glorious uncertainties of the gentleman’s game.
The World Twenty20 itself has had its fair share of surprise packages. The most prominent example that comes to mind is the versatile Sri Lankan all-rounder, Angelo Davis Mathews. Mathews might be the current Sri Lankan captain and lynchpin in this tournament but back in the second edition in 2009, he was a relative unknown who grabbed his chance by the throat.
West Indies having won the toss, opted to field first and Sri Lanka made a modest 158 for 5 at the Kennington Oval in the semi-finals, Tillakaratne Dilshan top scoring with 96 and Matthews coming in at the end, remaining unbeaten with a quick-fire 12 off 4 balls.
What followed next was a masterstroke by captain Kumar Sangakkara as he tossed the ball for the first over to new boy Mathews. By the end of the first over, West Indies were tottering at 1 for 3 at the end of the first over and Matthews had claimed the scalps of Xavier Marshall, Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Bravo, all bowled and Sri Lanka duly romped away to victory.
Will the 2016 edition herald another superstar? Here’s a look at five players who might be hitting the headlines as the tournament goes on.
1. Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies)
Carlos Brathwaite (pictured above) at 27 may not be an upcoming player by normal cricketing standards but then Brathwaite’s career has been anything but normal. Brathwaite made his first-class debut at 23, impressing in his debut season picking up 26 scalps in eight first-class games.
Brathwaite was then selected for the Bangladesh tour but was then dropped, not to be picked up till the tour of South Africa in January 2015. His batting on the away tour to Australia last year won him many admirers, and his performances at number eight were rewarded with a Rs 4.2 crore deal from Delhi Daredevils in the 2016 Indian Premier League auctions.
The all-rounder will be looking to come into his own during this World Twenty20 and with the West Indies being a major T20 force, Brathwaite may be the X-factor in the 2012 champions going all the way this time around.
2. Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh)
Bangladesh’s new number three is a throwback to batsman of older generations, with quick thinking and good hand-eye coordination among the attributes immediately visible from the Barisal-born right hander’s batsmanship.
He came to the fore with his performances in the recently concluded Asia Cup, and finished as the second-highest run scorer with an average of 44. The knock that really stood out was his whirlwind 54-ball 80 against Sri Lanka which came with his team at 26 for 3.
With the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan to follow him in the line-up, a license to the 24-year old to take off could prove to be invaluable to Bangladesh’s hopes of progressing to the latter stages.
3. Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka)
Madagamagamage Dasun Shanaka is the second all-rounder on this list and a hard-hitting one at that. Though known to be a prolific run getter in the domestic circuit, Shanaka has not had the smoothest of starts to life at the international level.
Shanaka, 24, however did surprise hosts India in the first of three T20s played last month by picking up three wickets on a green Pune pitch. The Sinhalese Sports Club captain set the Sri Lankan domestic tournament alight by tonking scores of 131 (off 48 balls) and 123 (46 balls), the latter of which saw him hitting 16 sixes.
He finished above senior team player Tillakaratne Dilshan as the tournament’s highest run getter and although Shanaka may struggle for game time in this tournament, there is no doubt about the quality that he adds to the team.
4. Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Unlike Shanaka, 22-year Bumrah has had a dream start to his T20 international career. Along with the veteran Nehra, they have lent a long-sought stability to India’s death bowling. The fact that Bumrah has been preferred over Mohammad Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav or Varun Aaron, is a testament to the youngster’s rapid progression.
With an average of just above 15 and a miserly economy rate, Bumrah will look to take his fine form and his unusual action into the tournament and hope to aid the home team’s quest of winning a first World Twenty20 title since 2007.
5. Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
The last two and a half months of Rashid Khan’s cricketing career would be considered highly surprising if he were not playing for an Associate nation.
The fact that Rashid played ODIs for the Afghanistan senior team, then went on to star with the bat and the ball for their U19 team at the recently concluded World Cup in Bangladesh and took to the field against Sri Lanka in their opening World Twenty20 encounter is a reflection of the arduous paths that highly-talented 17 year olds must tread in a developing cricket nation.
Although Rashid finished with figures of 1 for 27, he seemed up to the task against the defending champions and his confidence shone through. Rashid won praises for his brave bowling and the only way for the promising leggie from Nangarhar is up.