The following are five bowlers to watch at the Twenty20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates and Oman:
TABRAIZ SHAMSI (SOUTH AFRICA)
No player has taken more T20 international wickets this year than Shamsi, with his 28 scalps catapulting him to the top of the International Cricket Council bowling rankings.
Playing for a team who usually never pick more than one specialist spinner, the 31-year-old had to be patient while Imran Tahir was the team’s main slow bowler but he has made the most of his opportunity.
JASPRIT BUMRAH (INDIA)
Once the world’s premier white-ball bowler, Bumrah has dropped down the rankings but the 27-year-old still strikes fear into the hearts of batsmen with his unorthodox sling-shot action and ability to pick up wickets in the death overs.
The Mumbai Indians had a season to forget in their defence of the Indian Premier League (IPL) title but Bumrah carried on his sublime Test form to finish the campaign with 21 wickets, 15 taken in the part of the tournament played in the UAE.
RASHID KHAN (AFGHANISTAN)
Having made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2015, leg-spinner Rashid has come a long way and become the face of Afghanistan cricket as the war-torn country seeks to establish itself among the elite.
Rashid made headlines when he stepped down as captain in protest at the World Cup squad selection but he comes into the tournament with 18 wickets in the IPL and a joint-high 12 wickets in England’s new Hundred competition.
ADIL RASHID (ENGLAND)
Although Rashid is a spinner with a rich mix of leg-breaks and googlies in his repertoire, Eoin Morgan has been tempted to use him in the powerplay and even open the bowling to take wickets and stem the flow of runs.
The strategy worked and England now have a backup option they can rely on in the first six overs, especially on slow tracks in the UAE where Rashid — England’s leading spinner with the most wickets in both shorter formats — can be lethal.
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN (BANGLADESH)
A master of mixing things up in the death overs, the ever-calm and composed Mustafizur has often flummoxed even well set batsmen with his many variations.
No bowler has claimed more wickets (63) in the death overs since 2019 and the Bangladesh pace bowler is also capable of swinging the new ball.
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