Sixteen T20 World Cup guns you might not know but will by the end of the tournament

You know the names: Virat Kohli, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan.

It’s hard not to get excited.

But it’s the hidden treasures that make T20 cricket the game’s most unpredictable format.

There’s the Indian batter boasting the highest strike rate in the world. Players in their early 20s from England and New Zealand expected to take the tournament by storm. An Australian captaining the Netherlands. And of course, yet another West Indian all-rounder set to launch long bombs.

Here, we take a look at 16 players you might not know yet, but will by the end of the tournament.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

828 T20I runs at 25.87 with a strike rate of 138.46
2413 T20 runs at 26.22 with a strike rate of 153.01

Afghanistan’s spinners are pack leaders in T20 cricket but what could set the side up for a big tournament is the rise of Gurbaz. An aggressive wicketkeeper-batter, Gurbaz has already become a valued commodity on the T20 circuit, picking up Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League contracts. He recently helped himself to two half-centuries in the CPL, including a 26-ball 52. He was among the Asian Cup’s best performers, taking a particular liking to eventual champions Sri Lanka with scores of 40 off 18 and 84 off 45.

Australia: Tim David

632 T20I runs at 39.50 with a strike rate of 158.00
2799 T20 runs at 31.10 with a strike rate of 162.92

It’s a name you may have missed over the footy season, but David has been taking up column inches around the world. Born in Singapore and raised in WA, David reignited a stuttering career by playing for his country of birth in 2019-20. Things have only gone one way since: up. Among the most powerful finishers in the world, David has tormented BBL attacks with the Hurricanes for the past two seasons and collected a cool $1.53m in this year’s IPL. A 27-ball 54 in his third match for Australia against an all-star Indian attack hints the best may still be to come.

Bangladesh: Afif Hossain

844 T20I runs at 21.64 with a strike rate of 121.78.
2368 T20 runs at 22.99 with a strike rate of 124.76.

With Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal retired, and Mahmudullah dropped, all that remains of Bangladesh’s old guard is Shakib Al Hasan. Bangladesh will need new heroes to step up at this tournament. One man who has been able to thrive under pressure is 23-year-old Hossain. Last August, Hossain came in with Bangladesh in trouble at 4-59 in the chase against Australia and scored a clutch 37* to take the Tigers home. He backed that up this year in an unbeaten 174-run seventh-wicket stand that saved Bangladesh from humiliation at 6-45 in an ODI win over Afghanistan. Most recently, his unbeaten 77 carried Bangladesh to victory over the UAE.

England: Harry Brook

303 T20I runs at 43.28 with a strike rate of 151.50
2363 T20 runs at 36.35 with a strike rate of 150.60

England has found one in 23-year-old Brook. With light feet and quick hands, Brook was comfortable on the front and backfoot on England’s recent tour of Pakistan, where he averaged close to 80 with a strike rate above 163, cementing selection for the World Cup. He notched his maiden T20I 50 while he was over there in an innings that featured drives through and over the covers and the bowler’s head, as well as a delightful ramp shot. A young man with all the shots.

India: Suryakumar Yadav

1045 T20I runs at 38.70 with a strike rate of 176.81
5268 T20 runs at 32.51 with a strike rate of 146.70

They call him SKY but it remains to be seen just where his limit is. India’s batting order features Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but its most important member could be Yadav. Boasting the highest strike rate of any T20I batter to have faced at least 250 balls, he has been key to India adopting a more aggressive approach this past year. As sweet of a striker of the ball as you’ll see, and with the timing and wrist work expected of India’s best batters, Yadav is able to hit the same ball to multiple places on the field. A 360 degree player through and through, he currently sits second on the T20I batting rankings.

Ireland: Josh Little

51 T20I wickets at 25.17 with an economy of 7.76
94 T20 wickets at 20.85 with an economy of 7.38

Six years on from debuting as a teenager, Little has established himself as the main man in Ireland’s attack. The seamer comes into this tournament in hot form and with plenty of confidence. Despite only playing five matches, he finished fourth on the wicket-taker’s list in the Hundred (13 at 8, economy of 7.42). The highlight of that campaign was a five-wicket haul built on a short ball that should serve him well down under. In his best year to date in T20I cricket, he’s collected 28 T20I wickets at 19.60, including a four-for against New Zealand.

Namibia: David Wiese

387 T20I runs at 21.50 with a strike rate of 121.69. 38 wickets at 24.23 with an economy of 7.52.
3600 T20 runs at 23.68 with a strike rate of 144.05. 248 T20 wickets at 26.1 with an economy of 8.37

In and out of the South African team for three years, Wiese departed for county cricket in 2016 before re-entering the international game with Namibia in 2021. He’s been only rivalled by captain Gerhard Erasmus in terms of influence to the side since. The all-rounder was pivotal to Namibia reaching the Super 10 stage of last year’s World Cup, and made his presence felt when they were there with an unbeaten 43 against Pakistan. A regular in the IPL, CPL, PSL and the Hundred, Wiese is one of the best going around on the T20 circuit right now.

Netherlands: Scott Edwards

523 T20I runs at 22.73 with a strike rate of 129.77
524 T20 runs at 22.78 with a strike rate of 129.70

Born in Tonga, raised in Australia, captaining and keeping for the Netherlands. Edwards, 26, has spent the past four years representing the Dutch and in June took over as captain from the retiring Pieter Seelaar. A neat and tidy wicketkeeper, Edwards can play the role of the aggressor when the time is right, having carved out a role in the middle-order for himself. His best performances have predominantly come in the ODI arena, where he has averaged 47.61 in 2022 with series against Afghanistan, New Zealand, West Indies, England and Pakistan. New Zealand was the one opponent he failed to notch a 50 against.

New Zealand: Finn Allen

334 T20I runs at 25.69 with a strike rate of 169.54
1905 T20 runs at 29.76 with a strike rate of 173.81

An ultra-aggressive opener, 23-year-old Allen faces competition for selection but if he plays is must watch viewing. Excitement around the young gun started to grow in the 2020-21 season when he finished with the most runs (512) and highest strike rate (193.93) of any batter to face more than 30 balls in New Zealand’s Super Smash season. An international debut came quickly and the then 21-year-old was knocked over for a golden duck. In his next two innings he got off the mark with the reverse sweep both times, going on to belt a 29-ball 71 in his third outing. In a word: Fearless.

Pakistan: Asif Ali

510 T20I runs at 15.45 with a strike rate of 136.
4107 T20 runs at 23.33 with a strike rate of 147.94

The batting equivalent of dynamite, the entirety of Ali’s role is trying to hit as many sixes as he can in as little time as possible. It’s a high risk strategy and of late it hasn’t been particularly successful – he’s averaging fewer than nine this year. But when it works, Ali is as effective and entertaining a batter as there is. At last year’s tournament he smacked 27 off 12 against New Zealand. Feeling that was too pedestrian, he followed it up with 25 off seven against Afghanistan, hitting four sixes. To put him in context, Ali hits a six every 11 balls in T20I cricket. Yadav, with the highest strike rate in the world, hits one every 16.

Scotland: Richard Berrington

1718 T20I runs at 31.23 with a strike rate of 128.40
2254 T20I runs at 30.87 with a strike rate of 126.84

A veteran of three World Cups (one ODI, two T20), much of Scotland’s hopes will rest on Berrington. The recently appointed captain is the most proven of the Associate nation’s players, and was its highest run-scorer last time around (177 at 29.50), scoring two half-centuries as the Scots reached the Super 10 stage. He was the first Scottish batter to hit a T20I century and it came in Scotland’s first win over a Full Member nation. Taking on Bangladesh in 2012, Berrington belted a 58-ball 100 to set up a 34-run win. He’ll need help from George Munsey and Calum MacLeod if Scotland are to reach the Super 12 stage this month.

South Africa: Rilee Rossouw

558 T20I runs at 37.20 with a strike rate of 152.87
6733 T20 runs at 31.17 with a strike rate of 142.98

It’s a name you probably know, but one you likely haven’t heard for a while. Rossouw made an acrimonious exit from South African cricket in 2017, taking up a Kolpak deal in county cricket. He’d had mixed results in international cricket to that point but had shown glimpses of what he could do with three ODI tons, including one against Australia in 2016. He’s been welcomed back into the fold this year and has excelled for the Proteas. He belted an unbeaten 96 off 55 against England in his second match back, and in his most recent innings notched an unbeaten 100 off 48 against India.

Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga

71 T20I wickets at 14.74 with an economy of 6.72
158 runs at 16.44 with an economy of 6.74

The leg-spinning all-rounder was the top wicket-taker at last year’s tournament, picking up 16 at 9.75 with an economy of better than a run-a-ball. Add in a dashing half-century against Ireland and a hat-trick against South Africa and it was quite the tournament for Hasaranga. A high energy cricketer in all three facets of the game, he has been key to Sri Lanka’s recent resurgence. He seems to enjoy the big stage, having backed up his T20 World Cup performance with player of the series honours in the Asia Cup.

United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem

650 T20I runs at 40.62. Strike rate of 152.58

Waseem has been somewhat of a revelation for the UAE since debuting in late 2021. In just his fourth T20I, the burly opener belted an unbeaten 107 off 62 against Ireland, helping UAE to its first win over a Full Member nation. He maintained the rage in the qualifying tournament for the T20 World Cup, finishing as its second highest run-scorer (241 at 48.20), notching the second ton of his career in the final – also against Ireland. Last year he made headlines with a 12-ball fifty in the Abu Dhabi T10.

West Indies: Odean Smith

21 T20I wickets at 27.14 with an economy of 10. 133 runs at 13.30 with a strike rate of 151.13
67 T20 wickets at 25.79 with an economy of 9.75. 456 runs at 17.53 with a strike rate of 142.05

Kieron Pollard (retired) and Andre Russell (dropped) aren’t here, but the days of fast-bowling Caribbean stars launching long bombs are far from over. It doesn’t always come off for Smith, but when it does he is as destructive as any player in the world. In a recent T20I against New Zealand, he collected 3-32 before smashing 27 off 12. The past year has seen him belt an eight-ball 25 in the IPL, land a six on a teammate’s car in the CPL and send a slower ball a purported 130m in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza

1040 T20I runs at 20 with a strike rate of 124.45
2814 T20 runs at 24.05 with a strike rate of 129.2

One of the elder statesmen of the Zimbabwe squad, Raza is enjoying his best year of cricket to date as a 36-year-old. A naturally aggressive batter, the right-hander has notched four half-centuries across 16 T20I innings this year and was Zimbabwe’s top run-scorer in a surprise 2-1 win over Bangladesh in July. He went on to score two tons against the same opponents in the ODI series that followed, before making a 95-ball 115 against India. If he can maintain the rage, he’ll worry every opposition attack.