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The T20 World Cup came to a close on Sunday, with England walking away worthy winners of the tournament.
We look back over the past 45 matches and select our best 11 players from across all teams, looking at those who stood up and got them job done for their countries in various positions.
Here’s our T20 World Cup XI:
Jos Buttler (England)
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Cometh the man, cometh the hour. England’s captain and wicket keeper stepped up and had an excellent T20 World Cup, leading his side all the way to glory.
After a slow start which saw Buttler come away with 18 and 0 from his first two innings, the opening batsman struck 73 from 47 against New Zealand which simultaneously propelled England to victory and kickstarted Buttler’s World Cup. From there, Buttler’s next three innings read: 28 (23), 80* (49) and 26 (17). With 225 runs total for the tournament at a strike rate of 144.23, England’s captain led from the front, literally, kickstarting each innings to give his middle order a platform.
Stand out performance had to be his 80 not out in the semifinals, where alongside Alex Hales he led England to a ten wicket win over India.
Max O’Dowd (Netherlands)
Despite not making it out of pool play, the Netherland’s Max O’Dowd deserves a place in this T20 World Cup XI.
The 28-year-old Kiwi-born Dutch player was excellent at the top of the order for his side, plundering 242 runs from his eight innings at a strike rate of 112.55. O’Dowd’s performance put him as the second highest run scorer in the tournament, and despite his modest strike rate, was a crucial fixture in his side as they qualified for the Super 12 and upset South Africa.
Best innings was a 71 not out against Sri Lanka, and also scored a half century in their win over Zimbabwe.
Virat Kohli (India)
Wind back the clock a few months, and everyone was talking about Kohli’s poor form—over 1000 days since the man had scored a century, and barely any runs in the past two years.
Chances are, Kohli will be quietly chuckling behind his tournament-topping 296 runs now. The superstar rose to the occasion, and was an absolute run machine, accruing at a healthy strike rate of at a strike rate of 136.40 as well. Starting the tournament with 82 not out against Pakistan, Kohli went on to score three more half centuries, leading India all the way to the semifinals.
Kohli ended not out three times, making his average for the tournament an incredible 98.66.
Suryakumar Yadav (India)
Speaking of run machines, Suryamukar Yadav also put on a show for India at the top of the order, churning out 239 of them. The runs Yadav scored wasn’t even close to being his biggest feature, however—it was how the man scored them. Racking them up at a strike rate of 189.68 , Yadav consistently gave India a strong start at the top of the innings.
Yadav’s strike rate was by far the highest of all batters this tournament, and his excellent performance propelled him to the No.1 T20 batter position partway through this World Cup.
Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
One of only two men to score a century this World Cup, Glenn Phillips was a bright spot in an otherwise inconsistent Black Caps batting line up.
Across his five innings, Phillips made 201 runs, striking at a healthy 158.26. He will be disappointed to have not made more than this, given half of his total came from one innings. In fact, his inability to make more than single figures in the semi-final felt like a big reason why New Zealand could only stutter their way to 152/4. However, he was still a threat every time he stepped on the field, and deserves a spot in this XI.
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
Get this man an IPL contract!
Zimbabwe’s star all rounder was the primary reason why the nation featured in the Super 12 phase of the World Cup at all—Raza scored 136 runs and took five wickets at less than a run a ball in Zimbabwe’s three qualifying matches. He went on to make 219 runs total for the tournament, and take 10 wickets as well. The all rounder showed why he’s perfect for T20 cricket, striking more sixes (11) than anyone else in the tournament.
Raza’s best performance had to be a tight 3/25 that led his side to a win over Pakistan.
Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
Shadab Khan may not have the best looking figures—98 runs and 11 wickets—but remember that Pakistan had a shocking start to this tournament.
It was Khan who helped get them out of the hole they found themselves in, with his excellent cameos as a batter, and economical middle over bowling. Not once did the all rounder go for more than 33 runs, regularly going at an economy of less than 6.00. Best performance had to be crushing a half century off 22 balls and then taking two wickets in Pakistan’s must win match against South Africa in group play.
Sam Curran (England)
With 13 wickets and an economy rate of 6.52, Sam Curran could walk into any T20 side in the world.
Once known more for his power hitting, it was Curran’s economical bowling at the death and knack for taking wickets that saw the man become an invaluable member of this English team. Bowling between overs 17 and 20, Curran had figures of 9/70 across the tournament—incredible, given the nature of T20 cricket.
Two performances stand out—his 3/12 off four overs in the final, and 5/10 against Afghanistan that were a tournament best. He deservedly won the ICC Player of the Tournament Award for his feats.
Mark Wood (England)
For a bowler that didn’t play the entire tournament, Mark Wood made a significant impact in his four games.
Taking three wicket hauls in half of his appearances, Wood claimed nine wickets at a strike rate of every 9.3 balls. He terrorised batting line ups with his 150+ km/h pace, and managed to put the breaks on several teams by taking all but one of his wickets from top six batsmen. Not only did Wood take a good number of wickets, but they were all quality batsmen, whose dismissal had an impact on the game.
Josh Little (Ireland)
Ireland had their best World Cup yet, and a lot of it was thanks to their big fast bowler Josh Little.
What’s most impressive, is the lion’s share of Little’s wickets were not taken in the qualify phase against lesser teams—the fast bowler held his own against the big guns in international cricket. Over all in the tournament he claimed 11 wickets, seven of which came in the Super 12 phase at an economy of 6.93. Key moments were spearheading Ireland’s win over England, while also taking a hat-trick against New Zealand.
Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Last but not least, while South Africa’s campaign as a whole was another disappointing one, Anrich Nortje can hold his head up high.
The fast bowler also claimed 11 wickets, striking every 9.5 balls and only giving away 5.37 runs per over. This was the best economy of bowlers who bowled more than 12 overs, and the second best strike rate. Nortje consistently got the job done for South Africa, it’s a shame that he was unsupported by many of the other bowlers, such as Kagiso Rabada who had a shocker of a tournament.
Honourable Mentions
While only 11 players could make the cut, here are a few who just missed out and get an honourable mention:
- Alex Hales, England (212 runs at a strike rate of 147.22)
- Hardik Pandya, India (128 runs and eight wickets)
- Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka (top wicket taker of the T20 World Cup 2022 with 15 wickets)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan (spearheaded Pakistan’s attack with 11 wickets, and the World Cup final could have unfolded differently had he not walked off injured)
Let us know in the comments below who you would have put in your World Cup XI.
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