Shane Watson picks his top five T20I players; names two Pakistan cricketers
Former Australian cricketer Shane Watson has named his top five players to feature in a World T20 XI in Australia. The two-time World Cup winner has notably included two Pakistani players in his list and has chosen only one bowler.
Speaking on the latest episode of the ICC Review, the Queensland native began by choosing Pakistan skipper Babar Azam as he is the number one T20I batter in the world and expects him to thrive in Australian conditions.
Shane Watson said:
"First one I’d pick would be Babar Azam. He’s the No.1 T20I batsman in the world, and he just knows how to dominate. It’s like he’s not even taking any risks, and he scores incredibly quickly against the best bowlers in the world. He’s going to do very well in Australian conditions as well, as his technique is very much built for Australian conditions."
Babar Azam is the new No.1 batter on the @MRFWorldwide ICC Men’s T20I rankings, while Wanindu Hasaranga has claimed top spot on the bowling rankings for the first time 👏
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The former all-rounder proceeded to pick the second-ranked batter in the ICC T20 rankings, Suryakumar Yadav, courtesy of his recent form. He also mentioned how he expects Team India batter KL Rahul to come into his own during the T20 World Cup.
Watson said:
"Second one is Suryakumar Yadav. He’s batting incredibly well, and he would be my No.2 pick. But I wouldn’t be surprised at all if KL Rahul explodes in the T20 World Cup in Australia, because he’s got the game to dominate in these conditions in Australia."
At number three, Watson chose his former opening partner David Warner. He mentioned how Warner earned the Player of the Tournament award in the previous edition and felt he would be hungry to make a mark at home later this year. The right-handed batter opined:
"No.3 is David Warner. He won the Player of the Tournament in the last men’s T20 World Cup, with the Aussies winning, and has scored some great runs for the Delhi Capitals as well. He’s going to have plenty of fire in his belly to make his mark in a T20 World Cup at home, so he’s going to be ready to go."
Warner came into the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE terribly out of form. However, the southpaw rediscovered his touch as the tournament progressed. He went on to amass 289 runs in seven games at a strike rate of 146.70.
"He can hit wherever he wants off the best bowlers in the world" - Shane Watson on England star
Shane Watson, one of the most renowned all-rounders, chose England skipper Jos Buttler as his fifth pick. He recalled Buttler's exploits during IPL 2022 and believes he could be impossible to dismiss when on song, especially on Australian pitches. The Queensland native said:
"No.4 for me is going to be Jos Buttler. During the IPL, well a lot of times anyway, no one could get him out. Four hundreds has only been done once before in an IPL, with Virat Kohli doing that."
"When he’s in form, and he has been in form, he’s just about impossible in T20 cricket to get out. He can hit wherever he wants off the best bowlers in the world."
We finally have our first century of the #T20WorldCup 2021 🤩
And it belongs to Jos Buttler 👏
A maiden T20I hundred for him!
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Lastly, Watson included Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi due to his wicket-taking ability with the new ball. While the former all-rounder feels the Australian pitches should suit the left-arm pacer, he thinks the youngster can taper off if he doesn't strike with the new ball. He continued:
"And the last one is Shaheen Afridi. His wicket-taking ability is something special. We saw in the last men’s T20 World Cup his ability to be able to get the best batsmen out with that brand new ball."
"I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t really dominate in Australian conditions, with the ball swinging around and fast, bouncy wickets. My only little concern with him is, if he doesn’t take wickets to start with, then he can tail off a little bit."
Afridi, who made an immediate impact in the 2021 T20 World Cup, will miss two of Pakistan's upcoming assignments - the Asia Cup and T20 series against England - due to a knee injury. He is likely to be fit for the T20 World Cup.