Some players to watch at the Twenty20 World Cup starting on Sunday with an eight-team first round. Four teams from Round 1 will advance to join the top eight teams in the main Super 12 stage from Oct. 23: JASPRIT BUMRAH (India) The paceman with the unorthodox bowling action is back to spearhead India’s T20 attack for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak and is likely to become the country’s leading wicket-taker in the format during the World Cup. Five wickets would take him above Yuzvendra Chahal’s record of 63 for India. Bumrah, on the back of a strong test series in England, came out of the IPL as one of competition’s leading wicket takers with 21 for Mumbai Indians at an average of 19.52. He continues to be prolific in all formats with his express pace and consistency off a short run-up. Few pacemen are better at yorkers that could prove to be his best source of wickets on the UAE’s spin-friendly pitches. DEVON CONWAY (New Zealand) The left-handed batter has taken international cricket by storm in all formats, underlining not just his talent but his versatility and ability to thrive in different conditions. There was the double-hundred against England at Lord’s on his test debut in June, the 126 against Bangladesh in his third and most recent ODI in March, and then an unbeaten 99 off 59 balls against Australia in one of his 11 innings for New Zealand in Twenty20s. Conway averages 59.12 in T20s and stands out in a way because he is not the kind of explosive power-hitter typically synonymous with the shorter format, rather a thinker and a gap-finder with a clean shot-making ability either as an opener or in the middle order. Born and raised in South Africa, Conway moved to New Zealand in 2017 and — at the age of 30 — has had to be patient for his chance at international level. Having helped the Black Caps to become world test champions, Conway could be the player to lead the team to a first ICC white-ball world title. LIAM LIVINGSTONE (England) Livingstone’s two-year plan has paid off. In a bid to get into England’s squad for this World Cup, he decided in 2019 to do a global tour of the T20 franchises so he could experience a variety of conditions and broaden his experience. He is now a regular in England’s T20 team and one of the most thrilling batters in the world. He’s also one of the biggest hitters, as shown in smashing a 42-ball hundred against Pakistan in July — the quickest ever scored by an England player. He was also the top scorer in the inaugural season of The Hundred, the new English domestic competition, in which he hit more sixes than anyone. Livingstone has struggled for runs in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals over the past month, an indication he might not be suited to the slower wickets in the United Arab Emirates. But he is clearly a potential game-changer and match-winner and, in that way, an ideal replacement for the absent Ben Stokes in the England team. DAVID WARNER (Australia) Once the best all-format opener in the game, Warner comes into the World Cup with no form and is perhaps emblematic of Australia’s preparations for the competition. He was dropped as captain by Sunrisers Hyderabad before this year’s Indian Premier League was paused for coronavirus-related reasons in April, then dropped from the team entirely after a three-ball duck and a three-ball 2 upon the competition’s resumption last month. Warner also hasn’t played for Australia in the T20 format since September last year, missing recent series against the West Indies and Bangladesh so he could be fresh for the IPL and the World Cup. Australia captain Aaron Finch has said Warner, one of the world’s most explosive batters on his day, will start in the T20 World Cup but is under pressure as his country looks to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2012 and win it for the first time. TABRAIZ SHAMSI (South Africa) The spinner is the top-ranked bowler in T20 internationals, which may come as a surprise to some considering the Proteas’ long-established reliance on fast bowling to get the job done. But Shamsi, a left-arm wrist spinner with plenty of variation, is now crucial to the South Africa team and reflects a trend in the short format where slow bowlers are proving to be invaluable. While Shamsi’s wicket-taking ability has never been in doubt, he once struggled to limit the runs and was considered a risky selection. The 31-year-old Shamsi has made major improvements in that department, although his strength will always be as an attacking spinner. He wanted to be a magician before his cricket career took off and is still keenly interested in the art. And that’s fitting for a bowler renowned for having a good selection of tricks up his sleeve.

New Zealand completed a 3-0 sweep of the three-match series against Bangladesh Friday after winning the third ODI by 164 runs. Maiden centuries of Devon Conway and all-rounder Daryl Mitchell lifted New Zealand to the victory. The Kiwis won the toss and chose to bat first. They made 318 runs as Conway scored 126, and shared a 159-run partnership with all-rounder Mitchell. Also read: Ross Taylor to play the final ODI vs Bangladesh The all-rounder, whose previous highest ODI score was 12 runs, took 17 runs from the 50th over to complete his 100 in 92 balls. In reply, Bangladesh were bundled out for 154 despite an unbeaten 73-ball 76 of Mahmudullah Riyad. Matt Henry ripped through the Bangladesh top order, taking 3-13 from his first four overs. Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal departed early while chasing a huge target, forcing the visitors to go for a defensive game plan. But it proved to be a bad idea for them as Soumya Sarkar and Liton Das also fell to Henry in quick succession. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mohammad Mithun played 69 balls together, Bangladesh's biggest partnership in terms of facing most balls, but failed to put any pressure on the hosts' bowling lineup. The Tigers lost seven wickets before posting 100 runs on the board. But Mahmudullah put his best foot forward to offer some resistance which lasted till the removal of Mustafizur Rahman as the last wicket from a fine delivery off James Neesham. Also read: Sloppy fielding costs Bangladesh series to New Zealand Neesham registered returned his career-best ODI figure of 5-27 for New Zealand. Henry took four wickets conceding 27 runs in 10 overs and the remaining wicket went to Kyle Jamieson. Earlier, the visitors failed to find a good rhythm in bowling as Mustafizur struggled throughout the innings to get some movement or swing. The other bowlers also remained clueless in one of the biggest cricket grounds of New Zealand. Mustafizur gave away 87 runs in 10 overs – taking only one wicket – his second-worst bowling in ODIs. Bangladesh got the first breakthrough when Taskin Ahmed removed Henry Nicholls for 18. Next, Rubel Hossain dismissed Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor in quick succession. But New Zealand captain Tom Latham and Conway added 63 runs in the fourth wicket stand and repaired the early damage. Soumya Sarkar broke the partnership by removing Latham.  The visitors were in control of the game as the hosts lost four wickets for 120 runs. But Conway and Mitchell added 159 runs in the fifth wicket stand, enabling New Zealand to pass the 300-run mark. In the last 10 overs, New Zealand added 107 runs, and Mustafizur conceded 43 of those runs. He gave away 21 runs in the last overs.   Eventually, Bangladesh failed to chase down a huge target of 319 and lost the game by 164 runs, which is their first defeat by a margin of 150 runs or more after 2017. Bangladesh's last defeat by a margin of 150 runs or more before this game came against South Africa in 2017. With a clean sweep over the Tigers, the hosts grabbed a full 30 points in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Super League series. Earlier, they had registered two convincing victories in the first two games in Dunedin and Christchurch. The Tigers will now face the hosts in a three-match T20 series – slated to start on March 28 in Hamilton. The last two games of the series will be played on March 30 and April 1 in Napier and Auckland. Also read: Bangladesh vs New Zealand T20 Series 2021: Who can replace Tamim in the opening slot?