T20 World Cup 2024: 10 Players to watch out for in USA & West Indies

Here are 10 World Cup debutants who could light up this year’s T20 World Cup.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion in the Indian team ahead of regulars like Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer is no longer a surprise.  | Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR

The T20 World Cup has consistently been a platform for emerging talents to announce themselves on the global stage. Over the years, it has seen the rise of stars like Rohit Sharma, Carlos Brathwaite and Sam Curran. As we look forward to the 2024 edition, here are 10 World Cup debutants who could light up this year’s tournament.

Shamar Joseph

Shamar Joseph bowled 12 overs straight in the Brisbane Test, taking 7/68 to help the West Indies secure its first Test win Down Under since 1997.  | Photo Credit: AFP

Shamar Joseph’s exploits in his debut series against Australia catapulted him to fame. The 24-year-old Guyanese bowled 12 overs straight in the Brisbane Test, taking 7/68 to help the West Indies secure its first Test win Down Under since 1997. Joseph’s clean bowling action and precision in the ‘right channel’ have been assets in the longer format. However, with only three T20 matches under his belt, he has yet to prove his worth in the shorter format. Lucknow Super Giants named Joseph as the replacement for Mark Wood in the Indian Premier League 2024, where he played just one game, conceding 11.75 runs per over. He remains wicketless in T20s and has yet to make his T20I debut, but playing in familiar Caribbean conditions, his prospects appear promising.

Will Jacks

At 25, Jacks has already played 165 T20 matches, amassing over 4000 runs at an impressive strike rate of 160. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Will Jacks brings an X-factor to the English squad. At 25, Jacks has already played 165 T20 matches, amassing over 4000 runs at an impressive strike rate of 160. He has four centuries and 31 fifties in the shortest format. An aggressive top-order batter, Jacks is also a handy off-spinner, having taken 6/199 on his Test debut against Pakistan. Jacks has played in the SA20 and Bangladesh Premier League before featuring in IPL 2024, scoring centuries in all three leagues within three months. In 11 T20Is, he has 181 runs while striking at 150 with a highest score of 40. With England boasting top-order options like skipper Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Jonny Bairstow, and Harry Brook, the inclusion of Jacks could add even more flamboyance to the 2022 T20 World Cup winners.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion in the Indian team ahead of regulars like Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, and Shreyas Iyer is no longer a surprise. Meeting the demands of modern T20 batting standards, Jaiswal was already in the reckoning for the 2022 T20 World Cup. This time, pairing up with Rohit Sharma, a partner with whom he flourishes in the Indian jersey, the left-right combination could prove to be highly beneficial for India’s cause. Jaiswal was the gold medal-winning team member at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. He has amassed 2670 runs in 95 T20s and has scored three hundreds, including a century, against Nepal in 2023. Although the flashy left-hander did not have a standout campaign in IPL 2024, his pedigree with the bat remains undeniable.

Ryan Rickelton

Ryan Rickelton’s stance, shots, role, and position all evoke comparisons to Quinton de Kock. As a left-handed opener who also keeps wickets, Rickelton appears to be an ideal successor to de Kock, who is in the later stages of his international career .Rickelton is among a handful of players set to partake in the T20 World Cup 2024 without any T20 international experience. His exceptional form in domestic T20 championships in South Africa earned him this opportunity, where he was the leading run-scorer in the SA20 and second in the CSA T20 Challenge, which led to his national call-up in the T20Is. He has played four Tests and two ODIs for SA. Despite his team, MI Cape Town, finishing at the bottom in the SA20, Rickelton scored 530 runs in 10 innings, with five fifties, at a strike rate of over 170. With a middle order featuring some of the world’s fiercest hitters — Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks, and Tristan Stubbs — pairing Rickelton with de Kock at the top of the order seems like a perfect match for South Africa.

Michael Bracewell

The New Zealand spin-bowling all-rounder missed out on the ODI World Cup 2023 in India due to a ruptured right Achilles sustained while playing for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast.  | Photo Credit: AP

Michael Bracewell is not a youngster; rather, he is a late bloomer, though cricket runs in his blood. Michael, the nephew of Brendon Bracewell and John Bracewell and cousin of Doug Bracewell, comes from a cricketing family. Making his international debut in 2022 at the age of 31, Michael quickly established himself as a three-format player on the international circuit. Named the 2023 New Zealand Men’s ODI Player of the Year, he scored a remarkable 140 off 78 balls against India in the Hyderabad ODI, nearly overshadowing Shubman Gill’s double century. The New Zealand spin-bowling all-rounder missed out on the ODI World Cup 2023 in India due to a ruptured right Achilles sustained while playing for Worcestershire in the T20 Blast. In T20Is, Bracewell has taken 24 wickets in 21 matches and scored 167 runs at a strike rate of 125. Recently, he led New Zealand in a five-match T20I series against Pakistan.

Matheesha Pathirana

Having played only six games for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, Pathirana managed 13 scalps, averaging only 13.00. | Photo Credit: AFP

Matheesha Pathirana is a true new-age pacer. Part of the new crop of fast bowlers inspired by Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga, Pathirana, too, has a slingy action, which makes it awkward for the batters. Pathirana, who has a knack for picking wickets, has a combined haul of 28 wickets in 12 ODIs and six T20Is. Having played only six games for the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024, Pathirana managed 13 scalps, averaging only 13.00. His overall average in the shortest format is also under 20. Pathirana’s recent form bodes well for Sri Lanka, as he has not gone wicketless in his last 10 T20 matches, totalling 20 scalps. At just 21, he forms a formidable pace trio with fellow youngsters, Nuwan Thushara and Dilshan Madushanka, for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup.

Shivam Dube

 With little to no foot movement, Dube modified his stance and bat flow to offset this aspect of his game. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY

Shivam Dube has emerged as one of the most improved cricketers recently. A powerful striker, he can serve as a floater for India in the World Cup, with his strong game against spinners well-suited to the conditions expected during the tournament. With little to no foot movement, Dube modified his stance and bat flow to offset this aspect of his game. He showed glimpses of his new approach during the Afghanistan T20I series in January, hitting two consecutive unbeaten half-centuries. His impressive IPL campaign, where the 30-year-old was the second-highest run-getter for Chennai Super Kings after Ruturaj Gaikwad with 396 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of over 160, also adds to his reputation as a key player in the middle order.

Gerald Coetzee

The 23-year-old had a hot-and-cold IPL debut season, taking 13 wickets in 10 games but conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.17.  | Photo Credit: K. R. DEEPAK

Gerald Coetzee is another exciting young talent regarded by many as the “next big thing” from South Africa. Known for his toe-crushing yorkers and death bowling, Coetzee stood out in the ODI World Cup 2023, where he was South Africa’s highest wicket-taker with 20 scalps in eight games. Despite his impressive ODI World Cup performance, Coetzee has only 21 matches of experience across all three formats and is still finding his footing in international cricket. The 23-year-old had a hot-and-cold IPL debut season, taking 13 wickets in 10 games but conceding runs at an economy rate of 10.17. His economy in T20 internationals also exceeds 10 RPO, though he often proves to be a reliable wicket-taker. Coetzee, alongside Kagiso Rabada, will spearhead the South African pace attack, which also includes Marco Jansen and debutant Ottniel Baartman.

Rohit Paudel

Born in 2002, Rohit Paudel will lead Nepal in its second T20 World Cup at the age of just 21.

Paudel made his international debut in 2018, becoming the sixth-youngest player in history to debut in ODIs at 15 years and 335 days.

At 20 years and 73 days, he became the youngest captain after Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to lead his country in ODIs.

In T20Is, Paudel boasts six half-centuries in 47 innings, accumulating 1108 runs at an average of 29.15. He is a specialised top-order batter who can also bowl right-arm off-break.

During a recent West Indies A tour of Nepal, Paudel impressed with 265 runs in four unofficial T20Is, including two fifties and a hundred.

Nepal, which is making a comeback in the T20 World Cup after a decade, would fancy a showdown from its captain in the West Indies and Americas.

Noor Ahmad

With the expected slow decks in the Caribbean, Noor’s skills will be crucial for Afghanistan’s success in the upcoming T20 World Cup. | Photo Credit: AFP

In late 2019, Noor Ahmad gained attention by becoming the youngest cricketer to enter the IPL auction at just 14.

The Afghan left-arm leg-break bowler, a rarity in the sport, has an action resembling that of his compatriot and Gujarat Titans teammate Rashid Khan, whose footsteps he has followed.

Having played only seven T20 internationals thus far, Noor has pocketed six wickets, including a four-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in his debut series in 2022.

Despite his limited international experience, Noor compensates by playing in T20 leagues worldwide, where he has claimed 96 wickets in 93 matches, with the best figures of 5/11.

With the expected slow decks in the Caribbean, Noor’s skills will be crucial for Afghanistan’s success in the upcoming T20 World Cup.