After 45 games that spanned nearly a month, the men’s 2022 T20 World Cup is in the books with England crowned champions.
England became only the second two-time winner of the title after beating Pakistan by five wickets at the MCG on Sunday night.
With the tournament coming to a close, foxsports.com.au has picked its team of the tournament… and it’s not pretty 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 white ball colours. With Eoin Morgan retired and Jonny Bairstow at home injured, Hales was brought back into the England set-up. And he proved why he’s long been one of the BBL’s topscorers, putting his great experience in Australian conditions to good use. His unbeaten 86 off 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 little stiff to miss out here. However, the bulk of his runs came early against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh before he faded away in the bigger games.
JOS BUTTLER (c, wk)
225 runs at 45.00, strike rate 144.23, HS 80*
They say he’s England’s greatest ever white ball batter and, with performances like this, it’s easy to see why. There can be no better captain for this side other than the player who lifted England’s second men’s T20 World title at the MCG. Buttler led from the front, both figuratively as a captain and literally with the bat. Only three players scored more runs, and one of those (Max O’Dowd) played two more innings. His greatest moment came in the semi final against India when he made 80 not out 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 No.3 spot — it simply had to be Kohli, the tournament’s topscorer. This was the Indian megastar at his magical best. Starting with that innings against Pakistan; Kohli made 82 off 53 balls to take India to a last-ball win over its bitter rivals. He rarely missed out all tournament, making four half-centuries in six games and ending with a whopping average close to 100. If there’s any criticism, it’s that his half-century in the semi final lacked the urgency required — but this was still some tournament from the India great.
SURYAKUMAR YADAV
239 runs at 59.75, strike rate 189.68, HS 68
Shame 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 just last year, the 32-year-old was a brute inside the top-order, and was just as consistent as his partner, Kohli. Four of his six innings were worth 30 or more runs, while his lowest score was 14. Most impressive was his aggression inside an Indian top-order accused of being too conservative. His strike rate of 189.68 was higher than anyone to have made more than 10 runs.
GLENN PHILLIPS
201 runs at 40.20, strike rate 158.26, HS 104
The middle-order powerhouse produced one of only two centuries scored at the tournament with his incredible 104 runs off 64 balls against Sri Lanka at the SCG. Then he made a 62 off 36 against eventual champions England to back it up the following game. Of those to have made more than 200 runs at the World Cup, only Yadav struck at a higher rate than Phillips. He edges out Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza who made slightly more runs (219) but at a lower average (27.37) and strike rate (147.97). Ben Stokes certainly deserves a mention here after his unbeaten 50 saw England home in a nervy final, while he took six wickets with a tidy economy of 6.79. But he only just scored at over a run-a-ball and his average was boosted by two not out innings.
MARCUS STOINIS
126 runs at 42.00, strike rate 161.53, HS 59*
One wicket at 87.00, economy 9.66, BBI 1-6
Can be a little tricky picking the lower-order spots in T20 cricket given the limited opportunities they have, but Marcus Stoinis pinches it here. He’s the only Australian in the XI. His 59 runs off 18 balls against Sri Lanka was one of the best innings of the tournament, while he also had handy contributions of 35 and 25 in Australia’s last two games. Only Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shadab Khan, David Wiese and Curtis Campher made more than 50 runs and struck at more than 150.00 while batting between No.5-No.7. Doesn’t earn selection for his bowling, but the fact he’s an extra pace option is handy for this fantasy team.
SHADAB KHAN
11 wickets at 15.00, economy 6.34, BBI 3-22
98 runs at 24.50, strike rate 168.96
The Pakistan all-rounder earns his spot in this side after a strong performance with both bat and ball. His leg-spin was a handful at 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 beat his total of 11 poles 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 wickets at 11.38, economy 6.52, BBI 5-10
The England left-armer had the ball on a string for most of the tournament when it really mattered. Buttler called on Curran at tricky moments, including inside the powerplay and at the death. And he delivered in just about every match, including best figures of 5-10 against Afghanistan, and a stunning 3-12 in the final. His 0-42 against India in the semi final was a small blip — Curran was impressive for the vast majority and was named as the player of the tournament.
WANINDU HASARANGA
15 wickets at 13.26, economy 6.41, BBI 3-8
For the second-year running, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga was the World Cup’s top-wicket taker. It helps when you can play in round one as well as the Super 12, as he has done in both years, but 15 wickets at 13.26 is hard to argue against. There can be no issues about the quality of opposition he took wickets against either, although it’s worth noting his 3-8 against the UAE. 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 off-night all tournament when he was hit for 0-53 against Australia.
ANRICH NORTJE
11 wickets at 8.54, economy 5.37, BBI 4-10
The South African quick was in a class of his own at the World Cup. No fast bowler came close to replicating his potency with the ball, nor his economy. Nortje’s 11 wickets came at a measly 8.54 — the third-lowest average of the tournament, and the lowest of anyone to take more than three wickets. He took a wicket 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 stocks continue to rise after another strong showing for Pakistan. Afridi was lethal with the ball upfront with his inswingers from around the wicket up there with Mitchell Starc in his prime. 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 might’ve 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
