From David Warner to Shaheen Afridi to Wanindu Hasaranga, there have been plenty of impressive performances from the world’s biggest stars in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, so here is our Man’s Life Team of the Tournament…and surprise surprise, there are NO Indians on this list!
▶ David Warner (Australia)
View this post on Instagram
After a poor showing in the 2021 IPL for SRH, David Warner proved that class truly is permanent as he enjoyed a stellar tournament with the bat for Australia. Warner finished the tournament as the second-highest run-scorer- with 289 runs at a strike rate of 146 – and played two crucial innings of 49 and 53 in the semi-final and final to help Australia win their first T20 World Cup trophy.
▶ Jos Buttler (England)
View this post on Instagram
Jos Buttler was the most dominant opener in this World Cup, smashing 269 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 151 for England. Buttler scored a superb unbeaten 71 against Australia in the Super 12 before following that up with the only century of the tournament against Sri Lanka on a slow, low wicket in Sharjah.
▶ Babar Azam (Pakistan)
View this post on Instagram
Babar Azam was supremely consistent for Pakistan at the top of the order, finishing on top of the run-scoring charts with 303 runs in six games. The Pakistan captain also hit four half-centuries in this World Cup, the most by any batter in one tournament alongside Virat Kohli and Matthew Hayden.
▶ Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
View this post on Instagram
While it felt harsh to leave out Marsh (Mitchell), we couldn’t leave out Mr. Dependable, Kane Williamson from this side. The Kiwis were a side void of superstars but as they’ve often done in recent times, rallied the troops under Kane to deliver a rock-solid performance. His majestic 85 off 48 in the final vs Australia will go down as one of the great knocks in the T20I format. Over 200 runs with impeccable consistency plus faultless leadership means he has to be a fixture in the team of the tournament.
▶ Aiden Markram (South Africa)
View this post on Instagram
Aiden Markram is a man who has reinvented himself and has adapted excellently to his role in the middle-order for South Africa, adding some power to his game to make him more of a six-hitting threat. Markram scored two stellar half-centuries off only 25 and 26 balls respectively against the 2016 finalists England and West Indies and finished the tournament with an impressive 162 runs at a strike rate of 145.
▶ Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
View this post on Instagram
Wanindu Hasaranga is one of the most exciting players to watch in world cricket at the moment, and the all-rounder had a dream tournament for Sri Lanka with both and ball. Hasaranga finished the World Cup as the highest wicket-taker with 16 scalps at an economy of 5.2 and also scored 119 runs at a healthy strike rate of nearly 150.
▶ Matthew Wade (Australia)
View this post on Instagram
The finisher for this team of the tournament has to be Matthew Wade, who played two excellent cameos in crunch games against South Africa in the Super 12 and Pakistan in the semi-final. The gloveman finished the tournament with a strike rate of 164 – the 3rd highest amongst batters who have faced 25 balls or more.
▶ Adam Zampa (Australia)
View this post on Instagram
Adam Zampa dominated the middle overs for Australia in this tournament with his leg-spin, finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the Super 12 stage with 13 scalps at an economy of only 5.81. It’s not often that your lone full-time spinner comes from outside the sub-continent, but such was the guile of Adam Zampa through this world cup.
▶ Trent Boult (New Zealand)
View this post on Instagram
Trent Boult played an important part in New Zealand’s run to the final, topping the wicket-taking charts amongst the seamers in this tournament (13) at an economy of just 6.2. Boult has excelled in all phases of the innings and stood up in the key moments for the Kiwis, picking up 3 wickets in the crunch game against India to go along with an under-appreciated spell of 2 for 18 from four overs in the final.
▶ Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
View this post on Instagram
It has been an enjoyable two months in Yellow for Josh Hazlewood in the UAE, who carried his IPL form into the World Cup for Australia. Hazlewood made key breakthroughs in the powerplay throughout the tournament for Aaron Finch and bowled an impressive spell of 3 for 16 in the final – picking up the crucial wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Williamson.
▶ Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
View this post on Instagram
Playing his first T20 World Cup, Anrich Nortje combined with the pace battery of South Africa, NEARLY took them into the knockout stages. While Rassie Van Der Duusen and Aiden Markram delivered with the bat, Nortje’s sensational pace matched with consistency induced fear in several top batsmen and was a delight to watch – and not face! He was an integral force in the Proteas’ campaign of 4 wins from 5 games and we hope that with this unit, the curse of the ICC title is broken sooner rather than later.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah