The much-awaited T20 World Cup 2022 is around the corner. The T20 extravaganza is being held in Australia which is considered a happy hunting ground for the pacers. However, the role of the spinners at the marquee event cannot be ignored.
Spinners provide balance to a bowling attack. They are entrusted to contain the flow of runs and also provide crucial wickets, especially in the middle overs. All the teams have some high-quality spinners at their disposal but sides who have a well-rounded spin attack will only hold the edge. Let us look at the-
Spin combinations of the top 8 teams ahead of T20 World Cup 2022
8. New Zealand (Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell) - 7/10
The spin pair Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner have carried the mantle of the New Zealand spin attack for the last couple of years. Generally, Santner is tasked to dry out runs from one end while Sodhi plays the role of an attacking bowler pushing for wickets.
At the last year’s T20 World Cup, the duo played their roles perfectly and were instrumental in New Zealand reaching the finals. Santner in seven games gave away runs at just an economy of 6.77 whereas the ace leg-spinner took nine scalps for the Blackcaps.
Besides the veteran spinners, New Zealand will also have the services of Micheal Bracewell at the upcoming marquee event. He has been quite impressive for the Blackcaps in the shortest format. The 31-year-old has picked 15 wickets in 12 games at an economy of 5.49. The off-spinner would be playing his first World Cup and would look to make a mark with his performances.
7. South Africa (Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram) - 7.5/10
Tabraiz Shamsi has been a proven performer for South Africa in the shortest format. He has been a strike force for Temba Bavuma & Co. in the middle overs. The 32-year-old has played 57 T20Is and has taken 69 wickets at an economy of 7.15. The Johannesburg cricketer was also quite sensational at the T20 World Cup 2021 which saw him take eight wickets in five games at an economy of 6.36.
Keshav Maharaj has been a great foil to Shamsi. He being a left-arm off-spinner turns the ball in the opposite direction to his compatriot. Maharaj is simply impeccable with his lines and lengths and has proven to be a tricky customer to be taken to the cleaners.
In the recently culminated T20I series against India, he took four wickets in three games at an economy of 7.09 which is amazing as other bowlers leaked runs at an alarming rate. South Africa also has the option of Aiden Markram who has proven to be quite handy with his off-spin. Skipper Bavuma can give him the ball in case of a favourable matchup.
6. Bangladesh (Shakib Al Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz) - 7.5 /10
Shakib Al Hasan will be Bangladesh’s leader of the spin attack. The veteran all-rounder has been a giant of the game in the shortest format and has taken the most number of wickets in T20I cricket. He has taken 122 wickets in 104 games at an economy of 6.7.
Shakib has the ability to bowl at any phase of the game and has been the go-to man for Bangladesh in crunch situations. The 35-year-old will be supported by Nasum Ahmed and Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the spin department. Nasum has been a consistent performer for the Bangla tigers in the shortest format. He has played 27 games and bagged 31 wickets at an economy of 7.24.
Talking about Mehidy, the off-spinner has been quite sensational with the ball in 50-over cricket and has picked 75 wickets in 64 ODIs. Though his numbers in the T20 circuit are not that great having taken eight wickets in 18 games, he has been an ever-improving bowler and his numbers are expected to get better with more game time.
5. Australia (Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, Glenn Maxwell) - 8/10
Adam Zampa has been Australia’s premier spinner in the white-ball circuit. He has proven to be tough to tackle with his subtle changes in pace and variations. Zampa was instrumental in Australia’s maiden T20 World Cup victory in 2021 bagging 13 scalps from seven games at an economy of 5.81.
The Aussies also have the likes of Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell on the spin-bowling front. Agar is known for his consistency and rarely errs in his lines and lengths. The left-arm orthodox spinner has played 46 T20Is and has taken 47 wickets at an economy of 6.48
Coming to Maxwell, the veteran all-rounder has been a smart operator with the ball and has provided breakthroughs to his side on many occasions. He has taken 36 wickets in T20Is at an economy of 7.46. The upcoming T20 extravaganza being in Australia makes the spin-trio more lethal and eyes will be on them as Aaron Finch & Co. looks to defend their crown.
4. England (Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone) - 8/10
England's spin department will be handled by the old war-horses Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. Rashid has featured in 85 T20Is and picked 89 wickets at an economy of 7.52 while Moeen has played 64 T20Is and taken 40 scalps at an economy of 8.40.
The duo has been a great foil for each other with Rashid turning the ball away from the right-hander and Moeen turning the ball into the right-hander. They were simply outstanding in the T20 World Cup conducted last year and took a total of 16 wickets at an economy of 6.01.
The Three Lions also have Liam Livingstone in the spin arsenal. The 29-year-old has taken 12 wickets in 23 games for his national side in the shortest format. The batting all-rounder has a unique skill set to bowl both off-spin and leg-spin. This provides skipper Jos Buttler flexibility to use him in different situations.
3. Pakistan (Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir) - 8.5/10
Pakistan have the trio of Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Usman Qadir at their disposal. Shadab brings a wealth of experience in the spin attack and will be the leader of the pack. He has played 76 T20Is and bagged 86 wickets at an economy of 7.09. The 24-year-old was also pretty sensational in the 2021 World Cup taking nine wickets in six games at an economy of just 6.00.
Coming to Nawaz, the 28-year-old has been top-form with the ball this calendar year. In total, he has played 47 T20Is for Pakistan, taking 43 wickets. He has been the go-to man for Pakistan to partner Shadab with the ball and would look to carry the good work at the global tournament.
Last but not the least, Pakistan have leg-spinner Usman Qadir who has been impressive in the 23 T20 games for his side and bagged 29 wickets at an economy of 8.13. With ace spinners Shadab and Nawaz being ahead in pecking order, Qadir is expected to be a backup option heading into the T20 World Cup. Skipper Babar Azam might even turn to Ifthikhar Ahmad for his handy off-spin in case of a favourable matchup.
2. India (Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel) - 9 /10
Rohit Sharma & Co. have the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Axar Patel in their ranks to bamboozle opposition batters with spin. Chahal has been India's premier spinner in the white-ball circuit. He has been a match-winner with the ball and has delivered for the Men in Blue time and again.
Chahal has featured in 69 T20Is and has taken 85 wickets at an economy of 8.12. He will have a capable bowling partner in Ashwin. The veteran off-spinner has been superb in stemming the flow of runs and creating pressure on the opposition. This is evident from the fact that he has just given away runs at an economy of 6.84 in eight T20Is played this year and also took five wickets.
Axar has been a great addition to the Indian spin bowling setup. He is known to strangle batters with his variations and his main weapon is the arm ball which does not turn. He has played 32 T20Is and bagged 31 wickets at an economy of 7.33.
1. Afghanistan (Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman) - 9.5/10
Afghanistan's spin combination is the best at the T20 World Cup 2022. They have world-class spinners in Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi who can dismantle any batting lineup on their day. Mujeeb has been a wreaker-in-chief for the Afghan side with the new ball. He has featured in 33 T20Is and taken a total of 45 wickets at a splendid economy of 6.11.
Coming to Rashid, the 24-year-old has been among the best in business in the T20 circuit. He has been brought into the attack whenever there has been a need for wickets and the ace-spinner has delivered more often than not. He has taken an insane number of 118 wickets in just 71 games at an incredibly low rate of 6.24.
While Mujeeb and Rashid are aggressive bowlers constantly looking for wickets, Nabi plays a vital role to keep the run rate in check. He also has 83 wickets to his name in 101 T20I games. Afghanistan's campaign at the T20 World Cup will hinge on the performance of their spin troika.
from CricTracker https://ift.tt/VbpW1F6
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