The 50-over World Cup in 2019 was the last limited-overs ICC tournament for high-profile teams. Since then, teams have fought in the World Test Championship, but that was in the five-day format. The upcoming T20 World Cup will see the nations clash again. UAE and Oman will host the event that will start on October 17th. A few stars, who were part of the ICC event in 2019 will not take part at the upcoming T20 WC. In this article, we take a look at five popular players who played in the 2019 WC but will be missed in 2021 WT20, which will start in October.
1) MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni is one of the popular players who played in the 2019 WC but will be missed in 2021 WT20. Dhoni last played an international game in the 2019 event. On August 15th, 2020, MS Dhoni announced that he would retire from international cricket.
Having been part of all the previous editions of the T20 World Cup, MSD will be a huge miss at the upcoming event. That said, although not as a player, Dhoni will be seen in the blue jersey as the mentor of Team India.
2) Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga enjoys a great record in T20 World Cups. In 31 games so far, Malinga has collected 38 wickets and is second on the list of the highest wicket-takers in the event. However, he recently announced his retirement from the game. Hence, he will not be part of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Malinga had a decent run in the 2019 World Cup with 13 scalps. His last T20 game was way back in March 2020. Since then, injuries have not allowed him to regain full fitness. This was one of the reasons which prompted him to take retirement.
3) Faf du Plessis
Arguably the best batsman from the country at the moment, it was shocking that South Africa did not include Faf du Plessis in the 2021 T20 World Cup squad. He has been scoring runs across domestic leagues but will, unfortunately, miss the main event.
In nine games at the 2019 World Cup, Faf scored 387 runs and was the highest run-scorer for his nation. He was also the captain of the side for the event. Despite the experience that he possesses, South Africa has taken a risk of going ahead with a relatively new squad for T20 WC.
4) Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes was the star in the final of the 2019 World Cup. He helped his side win the game with a stunning knock in the final. However, the all-rounder will not be part of the T20 World Cup.
Stokes is currently on a break from the game and has announced that he won’t be part of the event. Hence, he was not included in the English squad. In the 2016 edition of the T20 WC, Stokes is remembered for the last over in the final in which he conceded a series of sixes to West Indies, which made England lose the chance of winning the trophy.
5) Ross Taylor
Ross Taylor is also one of the players who played in the 2019 WC but will be missed in 2021 WT20. The Kiwi had a crucial role in helping his nation reach the finals in the event. However, he will not be a part of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Having last played a T20I in November last year, Taylor has, so far, played 28 games in T20 World Cups. He is the second-highest run-scorer in the event for the Kiwis below Brendon McCullum.
