After 45 games that spanned almost a month, the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup is on the books with England crowned champions.
England became the second two-time winners of the title after beating Pakistan by five wickets at the MCG on Sunday night.
With the tournament drawing to a close, foxsports.com.au have chosen their team of the tournament… and it’s not good reading for Australia.
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ALEX HALES
212 runs at 42.40, strike rate 147.22, HS 86*
Redemption will taste sweet for Alex Hales, who has made the most of his second chance in England’s white-ball colours. With Eoin Morgan retired and Jonny Bairstow at home injured, Hales returned to the England setup. And he showed why he has long been one of the BBL’s top scorers, drawing on his wealth of experience in Australian conditions. His unbeaten 86 on 47 balls against India in the semi-final was the stuff World Cup legends are made of. It’s worth mentioning that South Africa’s Quinton de Kock is a bit stiff to get lost here. However, most of his runs came early against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh before fading in the biggest games.
JOS BUTTLER (c, wk)
225 runs at 45.00, exercise rate 144.23, SA 80*
They say he’s the best white ball batsman in England and with performances like this it’s easy to see why. There can be no better captain for this team than the player who lifted England’s second World Men’s T20 title at the MCG. Buttler led from the front, both figuratively as captain and literally with the bat. Only three players scored more runs, and one of them (Max O’Dowd) played two more innings. His best moment came in the semi-final against India when he made 80 not outs in one of the best chases the World Cup has seen. He also wears the gloves in this XI.
VIRAT KOHLI
296 runs at 98.66, strike rate 136.40, HS 82*
There was absolutely no competition for the number 3 spot, it simply had to be Kohli, the tournament’s top scorer. This was the Indian megastar at his magical best. Beginning with that innings against Pakistan; Kohli made 82 off 53 balls to lead India to a last ball victory over their bitter rivals. Rarely missing the entire tournament, he made four half-centuries in six games and finished with a whopping average near 100. If there’s any criticism, it’s that his half-century in the semi-final lacked the requisite urgency, but it was still something of a tournament. of great India.
SURYAKUMAR YADAV
239 runs at 59.75, strike rate 189.68, HS 68
Too bad it had to end on a low note, but this was an outstanding campaign from the Indian No.4. A revelation for India since his debut last year, the 32-year-old was a brute in the top order and was as consistent as his teammate Kohli. Four of his six innings were worth 30 or more runs, while his lowest score was 14. Most impressive was his assault on an Indian leader accused of being too conservative. His strike rate of 189.68 was higher than anyone who has made more than 10 runs.
GLENN PHILLIPS
201 runs at 40.20, strike rate 158.26, HS 104
The mid-level powerhouse produced one of two centuries scored in the tournament with his incredible 104 runs from 64 balls against Sri Lanka at the SCG. He then went 62 for 36 against eventual champions England to back him up in the next game. Of those who made more than 200 runs in the World Cup, only Yadav scored at a higher rate than Phillips. He surpasses Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza, who made slightly more runs (219), but with a lower average (27.37) and hit rate (147.97). Ben Stokes certainly deserves a mention here after his unbeaten 50 saw England home in a nervous final, while he took six wickets at a tidy 6.79 economy. But he only scored over one run and his average was driven by two not-out innings.
MARCUS STOINIS
126 runs at 42.00, strike rate 161.53, SA 59*
A wicket at 87.00, economy 9.66, BBI 1-6
It can be a bit tricky to pick the lower order spots in T20 cricket given the limited opportunities they have, but Marcus Stoinis squeezes it in here. He is the only Australian in the XI. His 59 runs from 18 balls against Sri Lanka was one of the best innings of the tournament, while he too had useful contributions of 35 and 25 in Australia’s last two games. Only Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shadab Khan, David Wiese and Curtis Campher made 50+ runs and hit over 150.00 while batting between No.5 and No.7. He doesn’t win selection for his bowling, but the fact that he is an extra pace option is useful for this fantasy team.
shadab khan
11 windows at 3:00 p.m., economy 6:34, BBI 3-22
98 races at 24.50, unemployment rate 168.96
The all-rounder from Pakistan earns his place in this squad after a strong performance with both bat and ball. His leg spin was a problem in the tournament as he played a key role in the middle overs. Only four bowlers took more wickets, while no spinner who only played in the Super 12 stage surpassed his total of 11 pole positions at 15:00. Shadab was also valuable with the bat in the middle order, notably smoking 52 runs off 22 balls in a crucial win against South Africa.
SAM CURRAN
13 windows at 11.38, economy 6.52, BBI 5-10
The England left-back had the ball on a string for most of the tournament when it really mattered. Buttler called Curran in tough times, including on the power play and on the kill. And he delivered in almost every game, including a best-ever 5-10 against Afghanistan and an impressive 3-12 in the final. Their 0-42 against India in the semi-final was a bit of a problem – Curran was impressive to the vast majority and was named player of the tournament.
WANINDU HASARANGA
15 windows at 13.26, economy 6.41, BBI 3-8
For the second year in a row, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga was the top winner of the World Cup. It helps when you can play in the first round as well as the Super 12, as he has done both years, but it’s hard to argue against 15 wickets at 13.26. There can be no problem with the quality of the opposition against whom he took wickets either, although his 3-8 against the United Arab Emirates is worth noting. His campaign also included 1-22 against semi-finalists New Zealand and 2-23 against winners England. In fact, the leg-spinner had only one bad night in the entire tournament when he was beaten 0-53 against Australia.
ANRIQUE NORTH
11 wickets at 8.54, economy 5.37, BBI 4-10
The fast South African was in a class of his own at the World Cup. No fast pitcher came close to replicating his power on the ball, or his economy. Nortje’s 11 wickets came in at a paltry 8.54, the third-lowest average in the tournament and the lowest of any to take more than three wickets. He took a wicket for every 9.5 balls, while his economy of 5.37 was better than anyone with more than five wickets for the tournament. His 4-10 against Bangladesh was one of the spells of the World Cup, and he was the only player to claim two four-wicket hauls.
SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI
11 wickets at 14.09, economy 6.15, BBI 4-22
The 22-year-old’s shares continue to rise after another strong performance from Pakistan. Afridi was lethal with the ball in front with his swingers from around the wicket up there with Mitchell Starc in the prime of him. He took 3-14 against South Africa and 4-22 against Bangladesh, as well as 2-24 in the semi-final against New Zealand. He could have had one more performance for the big stage in him, but his final was cut short after two overs due to injury.
BREAKDOWN
England: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran
India: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav
Pakistan: Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Australia—Marcus Stoinis
New Zealand—Glenn Phillips
Sri Lanka – Wanindu Hasaranga
South Africa—Anrich Nortje
