T20 World Cup 2022: The best XI of the tournament

It was a World Cup full of twists and turns. What was most interesting was the fact that it had more upsets than probably all the other T20I World Cups put together. Namibia kicked things off with a famous win over Sri Lanka. Two-time champions West Indies were knocked out without even making it to the Super 12. Ireland then made history by beating England and almost knocking them out of the tournament. If anyone thought that was the last of the curveballs this tournament would throw, South Africa, one of the favourites, suffered a shock defeat to Netherlands to send Pakistan into the semi-finals, giving birth to a host of conspiracy theories. But now that all that is done and dusted with England lifting the cup, here’s a look at the ‘Team of the tournament’.

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2022: The tournament of upsets

Jos Buttler

Buttler was the fourth highest scorer in the tournament with 225 runs at an average of 45. He is the first one our list not as just an opening batsman, but also as the wicketkeeper and captain. Buttler led England from the front, leading them to their second T20I World Cup. His only chink in the armor was the loss to Ireland at the MCG, but he more than made up for it, beating Pakistan on the same ground in the final. England ended the tournament with the best win percentage of 83.33%.

Alex Hales

His most memorable innings of the World Cup came at the most needed moment when he scored an unbeaten 86 against India in the semi-finals. Along with Jos Buttler, he forms one half of our best opening pair. Hales was also clinical against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. He scored 212 runs at an average of 42.40 and was instrumental in England’s march to victory.

Virat Kohli

Arguably the best batsman in the tournament, Kohli showed aplomb as he silenced his critics. His gritty unbeaten 82 against Pakistan was one of the best T20I performances ever. With scores of 82*, 62*, 12, 64*, 26 and 50, Kohli top scored in the tournament with 296 runs at an average of 98.66. The tournament also saw him surpass Mahela Jayawardene to become the leading run-scorer at World Cups with 1141 runs.

Also Read: Mohali? Melbourne? Kohli's your answer

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav had already made a name for himself in the T20I circuit, but it was yet to be seen how he would perform in Australia, where he had never played before and that too in a World Cup. But whatever apprehensions people had, he soon silenced them. With 239 runs he is the only one who could have a case to challenge Kohli as the best batter in the tournament. He scored at an astonishing average of 59.75 at a strike rate just a shy lesser than 190.

Sam Curran

Curran ended the tournament with 13 wickets, just two behind Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka. Rightly adjudged the ‘Player of the tournament’, Curran was a vital figure in England’s five-wicket win over Pakistan in the final. Curran excelled where it mattered the most – the powerplay and the death. He did go for runs in the tournament, but that was only against India and Ireland. He was clinical against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Afghanistan. It was against Afghanistan, in England’s tournament opener that Curran bowled his best spell (5/10).

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Ben Stokes

After his indefatigable batting display at the 2019 ODI World Cup final, Stokes was at yet again in the 2022 T20I world Cup final against Pakistan. Although he started off slow, he was quick to shift gears towards the business end of England’s innings to hand England their second T20 World Cup. He started the tournament on  quitter side with just 16 runs in the first three matches but followed it up with an unbeaten 42 against Sri Lanka and an unbeaten 52 against Pakistan in the final (he did not bat against India). He also picked up six wickets, thus earning him a place in our ‘Team of the tournament’.

Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan is the complete T20 player. He is one of the bright new faces of Pakistan cricket and he played it to perfection at this World Cup. His 52 against South Africa was scored at a strike rate of 236. He was also instrumental in keeping the South African batters in check, picking up two wickets for just 16 runs, handing Pakistan a win, keeping their Semi-final hopes alive. He picked up a total of 11 wickets in the tournament at an average of just 7.5.

Sikandar Raza

Sikandar Raza was by far the best player from among all the associate nations. He shone with both bat and ball with 10 wickets and 219 runs. It was Raza’s all-round performance that helped Zimbabwe seal a place in the Super 12. His match-winning spell saw Zimbabwe beat Pakistan, which would have knocked Pakistan out of the tournament had South Africa not gifted them with a shock loss to Netherlands.

Shaheen Shah Afridi

Shaheen Shah Afridi may have had a slow start to the World Cup, but he peaked at the right moment. His injury in the final was the turning point in the game, that helped Ben Stokes break the shackles and go for the kill and win the game. After starting the tournament wicketless against India and picking up just the solitary wicket against Zimbabwe, he bounced back with a three-for against South Africa, which helped Pakistan keep their hopes of making the semi-final alive. His best figures were against Bangladesh (4/22). To put it simpler, every game that he bowled well, Pakistan won.

Anrich Nortje

Nortje was South Africa’s best bowler in the tournament, although Ngidi comes a close second, solely due to his performance against India. Nortje bagged two four-wicket hauls – one against Bangladesh (4/10) and the other against Pakistan (4/41), the latter ending up in a losing cause.

Arshdeep Singh

Arshdeep was India’s go-to death bowler after Bumrah’s omission from the team and he rose to the occasion. His three-for against Pakistan in India’s opener helped India restrict them to 159. His only wicketless outing was against England in the semi-final. His yorkers were spot-on and that’s why he takes the last spot in our list.

Also Read: Where Pakistan lost the plot

While Wanindu Hasaranga did end the tournament with the most wickets (15), the reason he has been excluded is because seven of them came in the group stages prior to the Super 12. Of the remaining eight, five were against Netherlands (3), Ireland (2) and Afghanistan (3).

Max O’Dawd scored 242 runs to finish second in the leaderboard for most runs scored, behind Kohli. But a bulk of his scoring came before the Super 12, and against associate nations, hence the exclusion.