6 famous pairs of brothers to have played T20 internationals

Krunal Pandya has finally broken into the Indian T20I team. The senior Pandya will replace the injured Washington Sundar. Krunal will join hands with his younger brother Hardik in the Indian side. The Pandya brothers have played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and have been highly successful too. But playing for your country, with your brother, is something really special. The Pandya brothers must have dreamt of this day right from their childhood. If Krunal gets a game against England, they will become the second pair of brothers to play a T20 international for India.

It might be only the second instance for Indian cricket, but there have been some instances in international cricket where two brothers have gotten the opportunity to play together.

Fans like to see brothers playing together as they are excited to watch the similarities in their playing style, notice their chemistry and how they perform in tandem at the international level. We look at 6 of the most famous pairs of brothers to have played in T20 Internationals.

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#6 Akmal Brothers

Akmal brothers were an integral part of the Pakistan side

Some years ago, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal were regulars in the Pakistan cricket team across all formats. Kamran, the wicket-keeper batsman, made his debut way back in 2002 and enjoyed a long run in the Pakistan team. His younger brother, Umar, was considered to be one of the most promising talents going around the country.

Umar, who occasionally kept wickets as well, played some sparkling innings in his career, but lacked consistency. However, he is just 28 and can still make a comeback in the national side. They have another brother, Adnan Akmal, who played 20 Tests and 5 ODIs for Pakistan but never featured in the T20 side.

#5 Marsh brothers

Marsh brothers are in contention for next year's World Cup

Shaun Marsh and Mitchell Marsh is the latest pair of brothers to play for Australia. Shaun, who is a batsman, made his debut way back in 2008. After a good start to his international career, Marsh went through a lean phase and after being given many opportunities, was eventually dropped from the side.

His younger brother, Mitchell, captained the victorious Australian Under 19 side in 2010. Mitchell made his international debut in 2011. Both the brothers have been in and out of the Australian side but made a terrific comeback in the Ashes. The Marsh brothers are in the reckoning for next year's World Cup too.

#4 McCullum Brothers

Nathan McCullum played under his younger brother Brendon

Brendon McCullum is one of the all-time greats of New Zealand cricket. The flamboyant batsman is known for his aggressive style of cricket and played some stunning innings in his international career. However, very few people know that his elder brother, Nathan McCullum was a highly effective limited-overs cricketer. Nathan, who is just a year older than Brendon, was a regular in the ODI and T20I sides. The all-rounder played 84 ODIs and 63 T20Is for the Kiwis. Both the McCullum brothers played their last international match in 2016.

#3 Morkel Brothers

Albie and Morne played a lot of limited-overs cricket for South Africa

Albie Morkel and Morne Morkel are a pair of brothers who were polar opposites when it came to their roles in the South African team. While Albie was a limited-overs cricketer, Morne was predominantly a Test cricketer.

Albie was known for his hard-hitting abilities. He also bowled some good spells with the ball in hand. The all-rounder has played in different T20 leagues across the globe and has been quite successful too.

Morne was a vital part of South Africa's strong pace battery and was a key member of the squad. Both Morkel brothers have retired from international cricket now.

#2 Pathan Brothers

Pathan brothers were the first pair of brothers to play for India in T20Is

Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan are one of the most celebrated pairs of brothers in India. Coming from a humble background, the Pathan brothers achieved a lot in Indian cricket. Irfan, the younger of the Pathans, made his debut in 2003 and shot into prominence because of his ability to swing the ball.

He also showed promise with the bat and was considered to be the next big thing in Indian cricket. Yusuf made his debut in 2007 in the World T20, a tournament that India eventually won. Yusuf is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball in the country and played some match-winning innings for India.

But both the brothers couldn't live up to the expectations and faded away from international cricket. While Yusuf still plays in the IPL, Irfan has turned his focus towards commentary.

#1 Hussey Brothers

Both David and Michael were highly effective T20 players

Michael Hussey and David Hussey are two late bloomers of Australian cricket. Both the Hussey brothers made their debut in their late twenties. While Michael Hussey was a regular in the Australian side in all formats, David Hussey was preferred in ODIs and T20Is.

Interestingly, on many occasions, David Hussey was selected in the T20 side over his elder brother. David was also a more than handy off-spinner and played a lot of matches as an all-rounder. They played a lot of matches together for Australia before retiring from International cricket. The Hussey brothers also played for different franchises in T20 cricket around the world.