The spinner was impressive in the India-England Test series and is set to be selected for the T20 World Cup 2024 now.
The T20 World Cup will be played in about two months time and the teams have already started preparing for the tournament. While most of the world’s top players are preparing themselves by playing in the IPL, the selectors have a big headache regarding the squad selection.
Defending champions England will be under pressure this time. England were superb in the last tournament played in Australia and won the title by defeating India and Pakistan in the semifinal and final respectively. The Three Lions had a poor outing in the ODI World Cup 2023 and will look to be back on track with an improved performance.
In a shocking development, England left-arm spinner Tom Hartley is in contention to be picked for the upcoming T20 World Cup. According to The Telegraph, it is believed that the spin-friendly surfaces in West Indies are a main reason behind the decision.
While Adil Rashid remains England’s first-choice spinner for the tournament, they are looking for a second spinner as well, given the slow and turning surfaces in West Indies. Legspinner Rehan Ahmed is another option for England but Hartley provides variety into the attack with his left-arm spin.
Hartley is tall and has the ability to turn the ball as he showed recently in the Test series against India, where he ended up being England’s highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets in 5 Tests. The 24-year-old is also a handy batter down the order.
The left-arm spinner is yet to play a T20I for England and could be a surprise package if he gets selected. He has played 82 T20s in his career with 68 wickets to his name at an average of 26.47. On the other hand, Rehan Ahmed has played 7 T20Is with 9 wickets to his name.
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Veteran Moeen Ali too provides them with a handy all-round package. He has an excellent record in the shortest format and is in constant touch with the team management, which might force England to pick two specialist spinners and the other one might travel with the squad as a reserve.
Left-arm spinners have an excellent record in West Indies which could give Hartley an edge. It is possible that both Hartley and Rehan Ahmed get selected in the squad. The team is likely to be led by Jos Buttler, who led them to the title in 2022.
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