The men’s ICC T20 World Cup is quickly approaching, as teams are gearing up for their first major competition since Covid-19. Australia and New Zealand have named their squads, among others. The mega event was supposed to take place in Australia last year, but it had to be postponed owing to the coronavirus pandemic, and it will now take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman from October 17 to November 14, 2021.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released the full schedule for the forthcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 on Tuesday. The qualifications begin on October 17, while the tournament proper begins six days later, on October 23, in Abu Dhabi, with Australia taking against South Africa.
All cricket fans hold a particular place in their hearts for the ICC T20 World Cup. The reason for this is because the competition has had many memorable moments. No one will ever forget MS Dhoni’s Team India’s victory against Pakistan to win the inaugural T20 World Championship. Similarly, all Pakistani supporters would recall how their team won the tournament’s second edition.
1. Yuvraj Singh
For the first time in his career, Yuvraj Singh will not play in the ICC T20 World Cup. Yuvi has retired from international cricket in all formats. In the first WT20 competition, he is most known for smashing six sixes in an over bowled by Stuart Broad. Yuvraj sustained an injury during the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup. Manish Pandey was brought in as a replacement, however, he did not appear in any of Team India’s games throughout the tournament.
2. Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has announced his retirement from T20I cricket. Afridi has not represented Pakistan in this version of the game since 2018, and it is extremely improbable that he will do so again. Afridi represented Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016. In the year 2009, he won the award for the first time.
3. MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the first skipper to win the ICC T20 World Cup trophy, has officially retired from all forms of international cricket. Dhoni will participate in the IPL 2021 in the United Arab Emirates, but he will not play in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Dhoni had led the Indian cricket team to victory in every previous edition of the world’s largest T20 tournament. Later this year, Virat Kohli will skipper the Men in Blue for the first time in the tournament.
4. Shane Watson
Shane Watson of Australia is another outstanding all-rounder who will miss the T20 World Cup for the first time. He has already said that this will be his final World Cup for Australia in 2016. Unfortunately, the Australians were unable to give him a befitting send-off, since they were eliminated from the tournament in the group stage. Australia was eliminated from the competition after a brilliant inning by Virat Kohli.
5. Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s seasoned batsman, has yet to retire from international cricket. However, he was overlooked by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the T20 World Cup, which will be held in the Middle East. Taylor has competed in every prior edition of this tournament with the Blackcaps. Because he has the necessary experience, the right-handed hitter may be called upon to fill in for an injured player.
