Cricket T20 World Cup: Players to watch

With the 2024 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup being played on Long Island, here are the top players to watch at Eisenhower Park in June.

Rohit Sharma, India

The 37-year-old Sharma is one of the greatest players to ever take the cricket oval and will be the team captain. He will headline the top of Team India’s batting order and has 151 career T20 International (T20I) matches of experience. His 89.00 career batting average (runs scored per innings batted) in this level of competition outpaces the field. He is known to make the most of his opportunities with the bat, as he has tallied five career centuries (100 runs in a single innings) and 29 career half-centuries (50 runs in a single innings) during his T20I career.

Virat Kohli, India

As India’s former captain, Kohli is in the same elite company as Sharma. Regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Kohli is the highest run scorer in T20I history with a team-best 51.75 batting average. His 37 half-centuries are the most on Team India, and he has eclipsed 100 runs in an innings once.

Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka

Hasaranga, 26, is Team Sri Lanka captain. He is routinely tough on opposing batters, as he owns a squad-best 15.56 career bowling average over 63 innings in T20I play. He also has posted a career 6.84 economy rate (runs conceded per overs bowled) while bowling for Sri Lanka in T20I competition.

Aaron Johnson, Canada

Johnson has played in just 16 T20I matches in his career, but he owns a 50.92 batting average and a 166.58 strike rate. He already has tallied two centuries and five half-centuries in his time with Team Canada, topping out at 121 runs in one innings.

Steven Taylor, USA

Taylor is one of the best batsmen in U.S. cricket history. He has competed in 24 T20I matches for Team USA in his career and has scored 711 runs on a 41.82 batting average, both of which are the best on the current squad’s roster. He is also the only USA national team player to bat a century in T20I play. As a bowler, Taylor’s 17.45 career bowling average in T20I competition is the second best on the team’s roster among players with at least 10 career innings bowled.

Dilon Heyliger, Canada

Heyliger is also one of the most productive batsmen in this tournament, evidenced by his 42.57 batting average and 180.60 strike rate over 22 innings batted.

Aiden Markram, South Africa

This team captain has become arguably the best batsman on South Africa’s national team. Since bursting onto the T20I scene in 2019, Markram leads South Africa with a 38.55 batting average in 35 career innings batted.

Babar Azam, Pakistan

Azam, the captain of Pakistan's national team, also will lead them in the T20 World Cup and has had an illustrious career, especially in T20I play. Across 110 career innings batted in T20I play,  Azam paces Team Pakistan’s lineup with a 41.29 batting average, three centuries and 36 half-centuries. 

Mohammad Rizwam, Pakistan

Serving as Azam’s vice captain, Rizwam flirts with a half-century every time he picks up the bat. His 50.47 lifetime batting average is the best on Team Pakistan. He has eclipsed 100 runs once and 50 runs 28 times on this stage.

By Mike Anderson

michael.anderson@newsday.com

Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.