T20 World Cup 2022: 4 Players who might retire from T20Is
The T20 World Cup 2022 is over with England taking down Pakistan in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia, defending champions and the tournament’s host, failed to progress to the semi-final round as rivals New Zealand and England proved a little lucky with a better net run rate from Group 1. India and Pakistan secured qualification on a dramatic final day of the league stage. With the tournament being over, few cricketers are likely to hang their boots. So, let’s take a look at four players who might retire from T20Is after T20 World Cup 2022.
- Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
The veteran Kiwi opener was heavily involved in the starting eleven for the T20I and ODI games this year. But he was restricted to only one game in the T20I Tri-Series involving Pakistan and Bangladesh which clearly suggested that management is looking for other options. Guptill failed to make an appearance in the group-stage fixtures and also in the knock-out game.
- Ravichandran Ashwin (India)
The 36-year-old spin all-rounder remains a crucial part of India’s bowling unit across formats. But he is likely to focus more on red-ball cricket after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup tournament. He enjoyed a good tournament with six wickets from six games, including three against Zimbabwe in the last league game.
3. Steven Smith (Australia)
Compared to other players on the list, Smith is only age of 33 and in his prime, but he is not a regular starter in the T20I games and his latest numbers are not helpful as well. Smith featured against Afghanistan in the last group-stage fixture but managed to score only four runs.
4. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Shakib, 35, was named Bangladesh’s T20I captain for the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup after a dip in form of former captain Mahmadullah. Shakib has taken 128 wickets in T20I cricket, only one behind Tim Southee, and has scored 2243 runs. He ranks first in the current T20I and ODI all-rounders chart but is likely to focus more on franchise cricket. Shakib missed Bangladesh’s last T20I tour to UAE to play in the Caribbean Premier League 2022 season and also went through some rifts with Bangladesh Cricket Board this year.
