The T20 World Cup 2022 came to a close as England trumped Pakistan in the summit clash by five wickets to be crowned T20 World champions for the second time. The Three Lions etched their names in history books by becoming the first team to hold both the white-ball World Cup trophies at the same time.
The T20 extravaganza in Australia was one of the closely contested tournaments where even the most formidable sides felt the heat, courtesy of which, fans witnessed some absolute nail-biters. Further, there were a few players who set the stage ablaze with their exceptional performances and made the marquee tournament their own.
Here’s the Best XI of the T20 World Cup 2022:
1. Alex Hales
Alex Hales has been a giant of a player in the T20 circuit. The 33-year-old has featured in 373 games in the shortest format and amassed an insane tally of 10553 runs at a strike rate of 147.52. The flamboyant batter was at his destructive best in the T20 extravaganza in Australia.
In a must-win game against New Zealand, Hales struck 52 runs in 40 deliveries to give his side a brisk start. Courtesy of the platform the ace batter provided, Jos Buttler & Co went on to post a formidable total of 179 runs on the board, which proved to be a match-winning one. Again when England locked horns with Sri Lanka, he took the opposition to the cleaners and smashed 47 runs in just 30 deliveries, including seven fours and a six.
Hales was in his elements in the semi-final clash against India as well. Chasing 170, he knocked the winds out of the Indian bowling attack and scored 86* runs off 47 balls, which comprised four boundaries and seven maximums. The Middlesex-born scored a total of 212 runs in six games at the marquee event and at a strike rate of 147.22.
2. Jos Buttler (wk)
Jos Buttler is one of the best white-ball cricketers in world cricket at the moment. In the T20Is, he has been the linchpin of the batting lineup for over a decade. However, the England skipper did not have a great start to the T20 World Cup, scoring mere 18 runs in the first two games.
In a do-or-die game against New Zealand, Buttler rose to the occasion and showed why he is so highly rated in the T20 circuit. The 32-year-old thrashed bowlers all-round the park and scored 73 runs off 47 deliveries, which included seven fours and two sixes. He was again on song at the semi-final match against the Men in Blue and struck 80* runs in 49 balls to take his team across the line.
In the final showdown against the Men in Green, chasing 138, Buttler provided England with a quick start and scored a crucial 26 runs off 17 balls. The 32-year-old ended up being the highest run-getter for the Three Lions scoring 225 runs in six games at a strike rate of 144.23.
3. Virat Kohli
At the T20 World Cup 2022, Virat Kohli showed the cricket fraternity why he is one of the best in business. In India’s opening game of the tournament against Pakistan, Kohli played an innings of the ages to take his team across the line. His knock of 82* runs came in 53 balls and comprised six fours and four maximums.
After playing an epic innings against the eternal rivals, the 34-year-old continued on his red-hot form and piled on runs for fun. Kohli accumulated 296 runs in six games at a strike rate of 136.40, which included four majestic half-centuries. He steadied the ship when the Men in Blue were in trouble and shepherd the innings beautifully.
Amid Kohli’s stellar run in the marquee event, he broke many records. The ace batter surpassed his compatriot Rohit Sharma to become the leading run-getter in the T20Is. The former Indian skipper presently stands at 4008 runs in 115 games. Moreover, he became the leading run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup by overtaking Mahela Jayawardane’s record tally of 1016 runs.
4. Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav has taken international cricket by storm from the time he made his debut. The 32-year-old has taken the attack to the opposition right from the get-go and put on an exhibition of his 360-degree strokeplay. He has featured in 40 T20Is and aggregated 1284 runs at a staggering strike rate of 179.07.
The swashbuckling batter stamped his authority at the grandest stage as he hammered top-drawer bowling line-ups for fun. Suryakumar smashed 239 runs in six games and that too at an amazing strike rate of 189.68, with three half-centuries. He was India’s X-factor in the competition and was instrumental in the Men in Blue reaching the semi-finals.
Among the glorious knocks Suryakumar played at the World Cup, the one that stood out was his half-century against South Africa in Perth. On a pace-rich surface where other batters struggled for runs, the ace batter stuck to his natural game and played a brilliant counter-attacking knock of 68 runs off 40 deliveries.
5. Glenn Phillips
Glenn Phillips has been a proven performer for New Zealand in the shortest format of the game. He has featured in 54 T20Is and has scored 1295 runs at a strike rate of 147.32. The 25-year-old entered the tournament in pristine touch, having scored 130 runs in five T20Is at a strike rate of 180.55 in the Tri-Series against Pakistan and Bangladesh, and he replicated that form in the T20 carnival.
When New Zealand faced Sri Lanka, the Blackcaps were in a spot of bother at 8 for 2. Phillips came into bat and hammered the Lankan bowling line-up all around the park. He smashed 104 runs off 64 balls to take his team to a competitive total. The swashbuckling batter’s blistering knock comprised ten fours and four sixes.
Phillips featured in five games at the high-profile tournament and notched up 201 runs at a stunning strike rate of 163.86. He gave much-needed impetus to New Zealand’s innings and ensured his team reaches a competitive total. He has become an integral part of the Kiwi batting setup and the team management would hope he plays more match-winning knocks going forward.
6. Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza was one of the shining stars of the T20 carnival in Australia. He was the go-to man for Zimbabwe in crunch situations, with both bat and ball, and was pivotal to Zimbabwe’s sensational showings at the global tournament.
Raza featured in eight games at the marquee event and scored 219 runs at a strike rate of 147.97. In the first-round game against Ireland, he played a jaw-dropping knock of 82 runs off mere 48 deliveries to help his team post 174 runs. Again when the Chevrons and Scotland collided, the ace all-rounder scored 40 runs off 23 deliveries to help his team chase down133 and storm into the Super 12 stage.
On the bowling front, Raza strangled batters with his variations and bagged 10 wickets at an impeccable economy of 6.50. His most notable bowling display came against the Men in Green where he struck thrice to dent Pakistan’s progress to set up a historic win for Zimbabwe.
7. Shadab Khan
Shadab Khan has been a vital cog in Pakistan’s limited-overs setup. The 24-year-old brings balance to the side with his all-round prowess and has given many match-winning contributions for his team. In the T20Is, he has scored 456 runs in 83 games at a strike rate of 143.84 and picked 97 wickets at an economy of 7.06.
Shadab was simply outstanding at the T20 extravaganza, especially with the ball. The ace all-rounder was the major strike force in the middle phases of the innings and provided breakthroughs whenever called upon. He bagged a total of 11 wickets in the seven games at the marquee tournament at a superb economy of 6.34.
In a crunch game against South Africa, Shadab brought his A-game onto play and delivered the goods with both bat and ball. He took the fiery Proteas pace attack to the cleaners and hit 52 runs off 22 balls to help his team post a daunting total of 185. Then on the bowling front, he dented the opposition’s progress with two crucial wickets in his very first over to put his team ahead in the game.
Shadab was at his consistent best in the World Cup final against England and picked a wicket while conceding just 20 runs in his full quota of overs. He also contributed with that bat scoring 20 runs off 14 deliveries. However, his effort did not prove to be enough to take his side all the way.
8. Sam Curran
Sam Curran has been an important member of England’s T20 setup. The 24-year-old has the ability to bowl at any phase of the game and can provide crucial knocks for the side slotting in at the lower order. He bagged 38 wickets in 34 T20Is at an economy of 7.88 and scored 158 runs at a strike rate of 130.57.
Curran set the marquee tournament on fire with his astonishing bowling performances. He featured in six games and picked 13 wickets at an economy of 6.52. In England’s first World Cup game, he wreaked havoc with the ball, picking five wickets while conceding mere 10 runs in 3.4 overs. With this magnificent showing, he became the first England bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is.
Also, in the crunch game against New Zealand, the left-arm pacer foxed batters with his variations and picked two big wickets, one of Finn Allen and the other of Glenn Phillips, while conceding just 26 runs in four overs. When England faced Pakistan in a high-voltage final, Curran was simply exceptional with the ball and finished the game with superb figures of 4-0-12-3. He was adjudged the Player of the Match for his impeccable bowling display in the final. Further, he was the Player of the Tournament for his consistent performances throughout the campaign.
9. Wanindu Hasaranga
Wanindu Hasaranga has been Sri Lanka’s mainstay with the ball in the shortest format of the game. The 25-year-old has featured in 52 T20Is and bagged 86 wickets at an economy of 6.67. The spinner has also played many crucial cameos for the side and scored a total of 473 runs at a strike rate of 120.05.
The leg spinner wreaked havoc at the T20 extravaganza, bamboozling batters with his variations. Hasaranga was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament, picking 15 wickets in eight games at an economy of 6.41. In a must-win game against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he spun the web around the opposition and registered terrific figures of 4-1-8-3.
When the Lankan Lions locked horns with Afghanistan, Hasaranga broke their back with a three-wicket haul while giving just 13 runs in his four overs. He showed his class against a mighty England side too, and bagged two wickets while giving away mere 23 runs.
10. Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Afridi has carried the mantle of Pakistan’s pace attack across formats in the last couple of years. Talking about T20Is, the left-arm pacer has featured in 46 games and taken 57 wickets at an economy of 7.54. He was key to Pakistan’s success at the recently culminated T20 extravaganza.
Making a return to international cricket at the T20 World Cup 2022, Shaheen struggled to find his mojo in the first two games of the tournament and went wicketless. However, gradually he picked steam and was back at his wicket-taking best, dismantling batting line-ups with his swing. In a total of seven games, he picked 11 wickets at an economy of 6.15.
The ace pacer took a three-wicket haul conceding just 14 runs against South Africa and ended the do-or-die clash against Bangladesh with superb figures of 4-0-22-4. Further, Shaheen was instrumental in restricting New Zealand in the all-important semi-final to a par total of 152, picking two scalps for 24 runs.
11. Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje has been a consistent performer for South Africa in the white-ball circuit. In the 50-overs format, the 28-year-old has picked 28 scalps in 17 ODIs at an economy of 5.72. When it comes to T20Is, he has featured in 29 games and bagged 35 wickets at an economy of 7.11.
The express pacer proved to be too hot to handle at the global event as he rattled top-drawer batting line-ups with his searing pace and grabbed a total of 11 wickets in five games at a spectacular economy of 5.37. When South Africa took the stage alongside Bangladesh, Nortje was the wrecker-in-chief, bagging four wickets for just 10 runs to set up a clinical win for his side.
In the encounter against the Netherlands, the right-arm fast bowler was quite consistent with his lines and lengths and conceded just 10 runs in four overs and took a wicket. However, Nortje’s valiant show did not prove to be enough to take his team to the semi-finals.
0 Comments