Tag: ICC T20 World Cup

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka cricket team departed for the United States of America (USA) on Tuesday to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, commencing on June 1.

Sri Lanka are the first team to leave for the mega event, however, star spinner Maheesh Theekshana is not travelling with the squad, owing to his commitment to IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings.

The squad features a blend of experienced and young players and will be led by star all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

Sri Lanka opted to rely on the experience of veteran Angelo Mathews, who made his T20I comeback in January after being away from the setup for nearly three years.

Notably, this will be Mathews’ sixth T20 World Cup appearance. He was also a part of Sri Lanka’s victorious campaign in 2014.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Besides the experience, Sri Lanka emphasised on the team balance and thus picked multiple all-rounders in their squad for the T20 World Cup 2024.

Skipper Hasaranga is one of the spin-bowling all-rounders beside Dunith Wellalage, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Kamindu Mendis. Whereas, Matthews and Dasun Shanaka are the pace-bowling all-rounders.

Right-arm pacer Dushmantha Chameera will spearhead Sri Lanka’s pace bowling attack which features Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara.

Sri Lanka are placed in Group D of the T20 World Cup 2024 alongside South Africa, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Nepal.

The former champions will kick start their campaign on June 3 against South Africa in New York.

Sri Lanka squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Charith Asalanka (vc), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, and Dilshan Madushanka

Traveling Reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and Janith Liyanage.

READ: Kylian Mbappe wins award for France’s player of the year

AMSTELVEEN: The Netherlands have announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to take place in June in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

The Netherlands have left out experienced all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe and batter Colin Ackermann from their T20 World Cup squad, in favour of younger and more promising players.

Young hard-hitting batter Michael Levitt, who rose to prominence after hitting a scintillating century against Namibia in February, made it into the Dutch squad for the mega-event.

Wicketkeeper Scott Edwards will continue to lead the squad, which also features star all-rounder Bas de Leede.

“We have been able to select a well-balanced team which we are confident will be able to perform in the conditions against the opposition we face in the US and West Indies,” Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook said.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“All of the players have been training well and have been involved in the recent ProSeries with some exciting performances showing the growing depth and quality in Netherlands cricket.

“We have managed to perform admirably in the last two World Cups we have participated in and will be determined to rise to the challenges we face ahead to reach the next round of the tournament.”

The Dutch team is placed in Group D with South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. They will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against Nepal on June 4 against Nepal at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

Netherlands squad for T20 World Cup

Scott Edwards (c, wk), Aryan Dutt, Bas de Leede, Daniel Doram, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Logan van Beek, Max O’Dowd, Michael Levitt, Paul van Meekeren, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Teja Nidamanuru, ⁠⁠Tim Pringle, Vikram Singh, Viv Kingma, Wesley Barresi

READ: Shahid Afridi lauds Pakistan batters’ strike rates in second Ireland T20I

Former Pakistani captain and renowned commentator Ramiz Raja has warned that the United States of America (USA) could pose a challenge to the national team during the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Raja expressed thoughts in a video on his official YouTube channel after Pakistan suffered a shocking loss against Ireland in the first T20I of the three-match series.

The former captain questioned Pakistan’s performance in the match against Ireland and their preparation for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in the USA and West Indies.

“You can’t defend losing against Ireland. The body language looks weak, you have made combinations that have affected the team,” Ramiz Raja said.

“The team was doing well, but the captaincy was changed and then the new captain was replaced with the previous one. In a World Cup year, the team has fallen to seventh position in the T20I rankings and this shows the actual condition of the team,” he added.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

He further raised concerns over Pakistan’s chances to win the World Cup, citing the team’s recent performances.

“How will Pakistan win the World Cup, you don’t have a combination, the opening pair is not set, the set batters lose their wickets and the middle order doesn’t function well. In the current situation, how will Pakistan go to the semi-finals?” Raja questioned.

The former PCB chairman also warned that co-hosts USA, who are set to play their first-ever T20 World Cup, might prove to be a difficult opposition for Pakistan due to the presence of expats from India and Pakistan in their squad.

“I think the USA might give tough time to Pakistan because they also have some expats from India and Pakistan playing for them,” he added.

Notably, Pakistan will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on 6 June in Dallas.

READ: Pakistan women’s team to depart for Northampton today

Papua New Guinea (PNG) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

This will be their second appearance in the T20 World Cup, having debuted in the 2021 edition held in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

36-year-old Assadollah Vala, who led the team in the 2021 edition, will continue as captain, while all-rounder Charles Amini will serve as his deputy in the Carribean.

PNG squad features as many as ten players from the previous campaign, as well as 23-year-old Jack Gardner, who was a reserve player in the 2021 edition.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“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,” said captain Assadollah Vala.

“I am looking forward to this event because I know we are going to do well.”

PNG are placed in Group C alongside co-hosts West Indies, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Uganda. They will play their opening game in the T20 World Cup against West Indies on June 2.

Papua New Guinea squad for T20 World Cup

Assadollah Vala (c), CJ Amini (vc), 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

READ: Pakistan squad reaches Ireland for T20I series

Uganda have announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

The African country has booked their place in the competition for the first time and will be among 20 teams at the tournament, starting from June 1.

Brian Masaba will lead Uganda in their first-ever T20 World Cup campaign, kicking off on June 3 against Afghanistan in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Pakistan-born all-rounder Riazat Ali Shah will serve as the vice-captain.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

The squad also features 43-year-old all-rounder, Frank Nsubuga, who will be the oldest player in the T20 World Cup 2024.

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.

Uganda are placed in Group C alongside co-hosts West Indies, New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea.

Uganda squad for T20 World Cup

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 (vc), Juma Miyaji, Ronak Patel.

Travelling Reserves: Innocent Mwebaze, Ronald Lutaaya

READ: Babar Azam responds to criticism over Hasan Ali’s selection

LAHORE: Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has announced that each player in the national squad will receive a prize money of $100,000 in the event of Pakistan’s victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Naqvi met the players at Gaddafi Stadium after the training session for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, in a build-up to the mega-event.

Team selectors Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, assistant coach Azhar Mehmood and director of international cricket Usman Wahla were also present in the meeting.

Chairman PCB also hosted a lunch in honour of the players and the team management after which he talked to players and encouraged them for the upcoming tours as well as the T20 World Cup 2024, starting from June 1 in the United States and West Indies.

He announced the cash prize for each player and motivated them to give their best and lead Pakistan to victory in the World Cup.

“I hope that you [players] will raise the Pakistani flag high and lead the team to success,” said Mohsin Naqvi.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

“You should not care about anything, but to play and give your best for Pakistan. Just demonstrate teamwork and the victory will be yours.”

Chairman PCB also presented special green shirts to Mohammad Rizwan for completing 3000 runs in T20 matches, and Naseem Shah for taking 100 wickets in international cricket.

It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan men’s cricket team is currently participating in a three-match training session here ahead of their three-match T20I series against Ireland.

All three matches will be held at Clontarf in Dublin on 10, 12 and 14 May 2024 and will start at 3 PM local time.

The three-match away series, followed by four T20Is in England, will serve as a stepping stone for the Green Shirts to boast their preparations for this year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England T20Is

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Khan.

READ: ICC unveils schedule for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024

Canada have announced a 15-member squad under the leadership of all-rounder Saad Bin Zafar for their maiden ICC T20 World Cup campaign.

The squad comprises only three players aged under 30 – all-rounders Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, and Dilpreet Bajwa.

30-year-old Kanwarpal Tathgur, who has featured in eight only List A games and is yet to play an official T20 match, is also selected for the mega-event.

Guyana-born seamer Jeremy Gordon, who had made his debut for Canada in 2012, earned a recall into the Canada line-up along with 39-year-old all-rounder Junaid Siddiqui.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Siddiqui last represented Canada in February 2022, meanwhile, batter Ravinderpal Singh, who also last played in 2022, is back in the side.

Canada will kick off their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against co-hosts United States of America (USA) in the tournament opener in Dallas.

Canada squad for T20 World Cup

Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur (wk), Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan and Shreyas Movva (wk)

Reserve players: Tajinder Singh (travelling), Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu and Parveen Kumar

READ: Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

Oman have announced a 14-member squad and a new captain for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Aqib Ilyas has been appointed as the captain for the mega-event, replacing 36-year-old Zeeshan Maqsood, who was the captain since the 2016 T20 World Cup.

“I am truly honoured to be entrusted with the captaincy. It’s a huge responsibility, and I aim to lead the team to many victories,” stated Ilyas.

“We are preparing rigorously for the World Cup, and the recent ACC Premier Cup has provided us with invaluable preparation.”

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Notably, Oman will participate in the T20 World Cup for the second time during the upcoming edition, having featured in the 2021 edition by virtue of being coo-hosts along with UAE.

They are placed in Group B alongside Australia, England, Namibia and Scotland. They will kick off their campaign against Namibia on June 2 in Barbados.

Oman squad for T20 World Cup

Aqib Ilyas (c), Zeeshan Maqsood, Kashyap Prajapati, Pratik Athavale (wk), Ayaan Khan, Shoaib Khan, Mohammad Nadeem, Naseem Khushi (wk), Mehran Khan, Bilal Khan, Rafiullah, Kaleemullah, Fayyaz Butt, and Shakeel Ahmad.

Reserve players: Jatinder Singh, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Jay Odedra

READ: Salman, Hasan, Haris named in Pakistan squad for Ireland, England tour

Nepal on Wednesday named their squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 with Rohit Paudel as captain and boasting the power-hitting of Dipendra Singh Airee.

The 21-year-old Paudel has been among the runs in an ongoing unofficial T20 series against the West Indies A as he led the team in the opening win with a 54-ball 112.

Meanwhile, Airee recently became the third male batter to hit six sixes in an over in T20Is during the ACC Men’s Premier Cup game against Qatar.

He joined India’s Yuvraj Singh, who made his runs off England’s Stuart Broad in Durban in the 2007 T20 World Cup, and West Indian slugger Kieron Pollard who hammered Sri Lanka’s Akila Dananjaya in Antigua in 2021.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

For the unversed, Dipendra Singh Airee also holds the record for scoring the fastest half-century in the history of T20 cricket in a record-breaking Asian Games match between Nepal and Mongolia.

Nepal, who will be making their second appearance in the T20 World Cup after their debut in 2014, lost the next two matches to trail the five-match series 2-1.

Aarif Sheikh, Bibek Yadav and Aakash Chand miss out on the 15-man World Cup squad.

Nepal will play their World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Dallas on June 4. They will also play group games against South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Nepal squad for T20 World Cup

Rohit Paudel (c), Aasif Sheikh, Anil Kumar Sah, Kushal Bhurtel, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Lalit Rajbanshi, Karan KC, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Pratis GC, Sundeep Jora, Abinash Bohara, Sagar Dhakal, Kamal Singh Airee

READ: Babar closes gap with top-ranked Suryakumar in ICC T20I Batting Rankings

Former captain Steve Smith and rising talent Jake Fraser-McGurk were notable omissions as Australia named their squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be co-hosted in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA).

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain the side, while veteran opening batsman David Warner has been picked for what is shaping as his final international tournament.

“Mitchell has been an exemplary player and leader within the group for a long period of time,” said Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird.

Test skipper Pat Cummins, paceman Mitchell Starc and explosive batting all-rounder Glenn Maxwell are among the experienced players in the 15-man squad, with 11 having taken part in the 2021 T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Selector George Bailey said there had been “long conversations” about whether to include talismanic batsman Smith in the side, following a dip in his limited-overs form.

Bailey said selectors would be keeping a close eye on the 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk, who has been in rampant batting form for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

“Ultimately the balance of the final 15 needs to provide the best chance of being successful in this campaign,” Bailey said.

Australia squad for T20 World Cup

Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

READ: Rashid Khan to lead as Afghanistan announce squad for T20 World Cup