After four weeks of entertaining the audiences, the 2022 T20 World Cup is nearing its end. We have our two finalists, i.e. England and Pakistan. While England had a smooth sailing in the world cup, Pakistan had a very nerve-wracking campaign. The 1992 ODI World Cup champs were the last team to qualify for the semi-finals, but due to their outstanding batting performance became the first team to qualify for the finals.
This T20 World Cup was really a special one. This World Cup saw a lot of upsets. In the Qualifier stage, Namibia beat the current Asia Cup champs; Sri Lanka. There was another huge upset in the Qualifiers stage. The 2012 & 2016 T20 World Cup champions, West Indies, got defeated by Ireland. It was a humiliating defeat for the Caribbean team.
That wasn’t all. While Ireland defeated the 2019 ODI World Cup champs England in a rain-curtailed match, Zimbabwe defeated Pakistan by the narrowest margin to bring their fans joy. After facing such a humiliating defeat, Pakistan was all but out of the tournament. But South Africa’s loss to the Netherlands gave them a new lease of life. And now they are in the final of the tournament.
Australia has always been kind to the Pakistan team. The team won the 1992 ODI World Cup in Australia under the leadership of Imran Khan. And guess what? Their opponent in that final was England. What a coincidence!!
This T20 World Cup saw a string of amazing individual performances. From Virat Kohli’s brilliant knock against Pakistan to Sam Curran’s controlled pace bowling against Afghanistan, the players have lit up this World Cup. In this article, we’ll be having a look at the best playing XI of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Alex Hales:
The England batter had a fantastic comeback to the national team. After being overlooked for many years, the right-handed batsman made a return to the national squad. And he didn’t disappoint too. The opener scored 212 runs in 6 matches at an average of 42.40and a strike rate of 147.22.
Max O’Dowd:
The Netherlands opener had a dream T20 World Cup. The right-hander scored 242 runs in 8 matches at an average of 34.57 and a strike rate of 112.56. He scored 22 boundaries, and eight balls went over the boundary ropes.
Virat Kohli:
After showing signs of form in the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli showed everyone why he is rightly called “King Kohli”. In the match against Pakistan, the batter scored 82 valuable runs in 53 balls. It was one of the greatest knocks in T20 cricket. Overall, the batter had an excellent T20 World Cup, as always!! He scored 296 runs in 6 matches at an average of 98.66 and a strike rate of 136.41.
Suryakumar Yadav:
The current world number one T20 batsman showed his consistency in the shortest format. His unorthodox shots behind the square were on full display in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The new “Mr. 360” scored 239 runs in 6 games at an average of 59.75 and a strike rate of 189.68.
Jos Buttler (C & WK):
The current white ball skipper of England had a good outing at the T20 World Cup. The three lions skipper scored 225 runs in 6 games at an average of 45.00 and a strike rate of 144.23. The way the English skipper led his team after their defeat to Ireland was really commendable. Only he could be the skipper of this team.
Glenn Philips:
The New Zealander established himself as one of the best T20 batsmen currently in the world. He became the first batsman to hit a century in the 2022 T20 World Cup. The right-handed batter scored 201 runs in 5 games at an average of 40.20 and a strike rate of 158.27.
Sikandar Raza:
The best all-rounder of the T20 World Cup, without a doubt! The Zimbabwean star scored 219 runs in 8 games and took ten wickets at an average of 15.60. His performance in the game against Pakistan was really fantabulous.
Sam Curran:
The left-arm pacer took 13 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 11.38. He is the only bowler to take a five-for in the 2022 T20 World Cup. His figures of 5-10 against Afghanistan were the best in the entire tournament.
Wanindu Hasaranga:
The Sri Lankan spinner continued his amazing form. After winning over the fans with his match-winning performances in the 2022 Asia Cup, the leg-spinner had another extraordinary campaign. With 15 wickets in just 8 games, he became the most wicket-taker in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Anrich Nortje:
The South African pace sensation left an impact on the T20 World Cup. The right-arm pacer took 11 wickets in just 5 games at an average of an astonishing 8.55. He is the only bowler to take two four-fors in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Shaheen Shah Afridi:
The Pakistani speedster had a poor start to the 2022 T20 World Cup. But he came back stronger. After being hit all over the ground in the first two games, he managed to take 11 wickets in 7 games at an average of 14.09.
