Five bowlers to watch at the 2024 T20 World Cup

Here, SABC Sport looks at five bowlers who could go against the grain at the T20 World Cup.

Mitchell Starc (Australia)

Big players perform on big occasions and Mitchell Starc has certainly shown over the years that he stands up when it counts.

The left-arm quick has won just about every accolade with the Australia team and has now added the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) title with Kolkata Knight Riders.

Starc has often gone under the radar in the group stages of global events but then explodes in the knockout rounds. targeting the opposition's best batter, to take the Aussies over the line.

Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Arguably the best fast bowler across all three formats of the game, it is critical for India that Jasprit Bumrah remains fit and on song if they are to win the trophy.

The 30-year-old already has the most deadly yorker in the game and can also swing the new ball making it difficult for batters to make a flying start.

Bumrah's class was again on show in this season's IPL, where he finished third in the wicket-taking charts with 20 scalps in 13 matches despite playing in a struggling Mumbai Indians outfit.

Jofra Archer (England)

The gunslinger Jofra Archer is back in the England team after a lengthy and frustrating period on the sidelines with all sorts of injuries.

The fast bowler is the point of difference in the English attack as he is the only player who could hit speeds in excess of 145kph.

Archer's absence was heavily felt in last year's 50-year World Cup where England had nobody to break the game open but he is back and raring to get back to the top.

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)

The leading wicket-taker at the past two T20 World Cups should be in the reckoning to make it a treble if he is anywhere near full fitness after an injury to his left foot which meant he skipped the IPL. 

A leg-spinner with variations aplenty, how Hasaranga fares could determine how deep Sri Lanka go although three of four matches being in the USA brings a step into the unknown. 

Nevertheless, the Sri Lanka captain, who has combined figures of 12-0-42-8 in three T20s in the Caribbean, has the ability to transcend conditions.

Gudakesh Motie (West Indies)

An arsenal of six-hitters will look to restore some respectability on the global scene for co-hosts the West Indies, who have endured humiliating early exits in the last two T20 World Cups while they did not even qualify for last year's 50-over equivalent. 

Their not-so-secret weapon on pitches expected to turn could be Motie, who tied England in knots alongside fellow left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in December. 

While Motie has just five T20 caps to his name, he proved himself a match-winner against England with three for 24 in the series decider in Trinidad and could take centre stage in the absence of Sunil Narine.

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