The T20 World Cup 2021 is set to take place in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 17 to November 14. As the mega event is approaching, cricket pundits have started picking batters who will shine in the global competition. Following the trend, former South Africa international Herschelle Gibbs has named the best T20 batters in this day and age.
Gibbs picked the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam and Jos Buttler as the best batters in the shortest format. The former Proteas batter admitted that West Indies have many power-hitters and finishers, but at this stage, he finds Kohli, Azam, Buttler and Steve Smith as better batsmen. Gibbs also mentioned that former South Africa captain AB de Villiers would also fit in the list, but he has retired.
“There is [Virat] Kohli, Babar Azam, Jos Buttler. There are just so many good batsmen. Some from West Indies as well. You have power hitters and finishers. At this stage, Kohli, Babar Azam, Steve Smith, obviously AB de Villiers retired, then there is Jos Buttler, and on and on,” said Gibbs as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Gibbs also explained why he went with the above-mentioned batters. The 47-year-old reckoned that these batsmen could perform on any type of pitch. Gibbs felt that they are highly skillful, and that’s their biggest characteristic which also separates them from the rest.
Gibbs was of the opinion that players like Kohli, Azam, Smith, Buttler are special because they have a hunger for runs and don’t give their wickets easily.
“You can say five or six batsmen are good because they can play on all types of surfaces and not only flat decks, which are good for batting. They are very skillful, and that is what makes them really good while separating them from the rest,” the Cape Town cricketer added.
“The hunger that they have and play with the game after game is what makes them great. They never give their wickets away easily. That is what makes them special,” Gibbs added further.
