ICC confirms squad for World Twent20 Tournament
Dubai: International Cricket Council confirmed 15 of the 16 men’s squads for next month’s ICC World Twenty20 to be held in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh will square off against Afghanistan in the tournament opener in Mirpur on March 16, while former champions India and Pakistan will go head to head in the first match of the Super 10 stage at the same venue on March 21.
India has retained three players who were members of the side that defeated Pakistan by five runs in the inaugural event in Johannesburg in 2007. These players are captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh. However, six players from the 2012 event will return to Bangladesh as India aims to reclaim the title, namely Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj.
Host Bangladesh could be the most experienced side going into the tournament as it includes as many as six players who also played in the first event in South Africa almost seven years ago. These players are captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.
George Bailey will lead Australia’s charge to become only the third country after India and the West Indies to win all the three ICC majors. The squad includes eight players from the 2012 tournament (Bailey, Daniel Christian, Brad Hogg, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson and Cameron White), while five of them (Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Warner, Watson and White) featured in the final in Barbados in 2010.
Ireland has retained 13 players from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013, which it won after defeating Afghanistan by 68 runs at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. The only two changes are Andrew Poynter and Craig Young replacing John Mooney and the retired Trent Johnston.
