Cricket may be a game of uncertainties, glorious or not. But chances are some of these names will provide the fireworks on Thursday.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 has had its fair share of thrills, controversies, close finishes, big knocks, and great spells from star players. As we enter the last stage of the tournament, the three teams standing are England, India and the winners of the first semifinal - Pakistan.
Pakistan comprehensively defeated New Zealand by seven wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground whereas the second semifinal will see India take on England at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
India and England feature some of T20's biggest stars. As the two powerhouse cricketing nations go head-to-head at the Adelaide Oval, we list down the top five players to watch out from either sides that can hit top gear on their given day.
1) Virat Kohli (India):
Well, where do we begin? Virat Kohli tops the run-scoring chart in the T20 World Cup 2022, with his heroic knock against Pakistan in Melbourne still fresh in the minds of many cricket fans. He also has an enduring love affair with the Adelaide pitch, where he has scored five centuries and three 50s across all formats.
"This (Adelaide Oval) makes me feel at home," he said. With the English bowlers in their prime, it sets up a grand contest between 'King Kohli' and the English bowling unit on Thursday.
2) Ben Stokes (England):
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has not hit the heights yet in the T20 World Cup 2022. With five wickets and 58 runs in four matches played, Stokes has had an under-whelming tournament so far. However, on his given day, his blistering batting could give any opposition bowling a run for their money. If England want to win their second T20 World Cup title, they would require Stokes' all-round ability to come to the fore.
3) Suryakumar Yadav (India):
If there is another Indian name, Kohli aside, that features on the run-scoring chart, it is none other than Suryakumar Yadav. 'SKY' has had an eventful 2022, when he became the world's number one batter in T20 Internationals, overtaking Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan. Yadav has amassed 225 runs in five innings so far at the T20 World Cup and would look to add more to his tally. His '360-style' batting has won plaudits from the opposition as well and with a century against England in July at Trent Bridge still fresh in minds, the English opposition has a lot to worry about when they face-off at the Adelaide Oval.
4) Arshdeep Singh (India)
With 10 wickets at an average of 14.10, India's Arshdeep Singh has come a long way from his disappointment and trolling at the Asia Cup. The left-arm quickie has been on target from the start and his swinging deliveries have upstaged the likes of Babar Azam at the top of the order. Arshdeep’s in-swinging deliveries will be quite a challenge for Jos Buttler and Co. as they look to thwart the Indian attack.
5) Sam Curran (England):
Another pacer who has been on the wickets list is none other than England's Sam Curran. His 5-fer against Afghanistan was no fluke as he followed it up with some notable performances against New Zealand as well. Curran’s power hitting could also come in handy for England, as he possesses a career strike rate of 130.58.