T20 World Cup 2022: Best XI from Super 12 Week 1

The first week of the Super 12 round of the T20 World Cup 2022 commenced with the Trans-Tasman rivals locking horns against each other and it ended with a washout before the oldest cricketing foes could take the stage. At the end of seven days, New Zealand are the only undefeated team in Group 1 while in the other group, India, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are the sides who have not been conquered yet. Though rain has played spoilsport on four occasions, one has witnessed some jaw-dropping performances at the marquee tournament. Let us look at the players who have been at their best in the first week of the T20 extravaganza. Here we have considered matches from October 22 to October 28. Here’s the Best XI of Super 12 Week 1: 1. Quinton de Kock (WK) Quinton de Kock has been in pristine touch in the first week of the marquee tournament. In South Africa’s encounter against Zimbabwe, the wicket-keeper batter took the bowling attack to the cleaners and smashed 47* runs off just 18 deliveries which included eight fours and one maximum. It was unfortunate that the rain halted de Kock’s progress and denied the Proteas a comprehensive victory. The 29-year-old continued his top form in the game against Bangladesh. De Kock scored 63 runs off 38 deliveries comprising seven fours and three glorious sixes and notched up a 168-run partnership with Rilee Rossouw for the second wicket to take his team to a massive total. De Kock has not let Temba Bavuma’s poor form take a toll on South Africa’s scoring rate. He has taken the responsibility to provide his side with brisk starts and has done it with perfection. The ace batter being in good nick is a great sign for Bavuma & Co. as they bid to win the global tournament for the first time. 2. Devon Conway Devon Conway has been a run-bank for New Zealand at the top of the order. He has featured in 29 T20Is and amassed 1033 runs at a strike rate of 136.10. The 31-year-old again proved his worth in the inaugural match of the T20 World Cup against the defending champions Australia. Against the top-class bowling lineup, Conway pierced gaps with ease and scored 92 runs off 58 deliveries. His innings comprised seven fours and two sixes. He played throughout the 20 overs and ensured that the Blackcaps posted a daunting total on the board. The veteran batter’s unbeaten knock proved to be a match-winning one, as in response to New Zealand's score of 200 the Aussies were bundled for just 111. The team management would hope Conway continues his stellar run in the matches to come. 3. Virat Kohli (C) India clashed with Pakistan in their World Cup opener on Sunday. Chasing 160, the Men in Blue were staring down the barrel at 31 for 4 and the chances to make a comeback were looking bleak. But Virat Kohli rose to the occasion and played an innings for the ages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The veteran batter scored 82* runs off 53 deliveries which included six fours and four majestic sixes to seal the game for India. After the herculean effort, Kohli carried his prolific run with the bat in the encounter against the Netherlands and scored yet another half-century. The 33-year-old aggregated 62* runs off 44 deliveries and stitched an unbeaten 95 run stand with Suryakumar Yadav to take India to a competitive score of 179 which proved to be too much for Scott Edwards & Co. Seeing the former Indian skipper’s form of late, one can very well state that the run-machine Kohli of the old has returned. 4. Rilee Rossouw Rossouw has been a giant of a player in the T20 circuit. He has amassed 6842 runs in 266 T20 matches at a strike rate of 143.58. He entered the T20 World Cup in a rich vein of form having scored a blistering ton in the third match of the T20I series against India and was expected to deliver the goods in the T20 extravaganza. The swashbuckling batter did not disappoint and put up a show in the encounter against Bangladesh. Rossouw arrived at the crease in the very first over when Bavuma got out and took the attack to the opposition from ball one. He went on to score yet another century to put the Proteas in a pole position. The 33-year-old notched up 109 runs in just 56 deliveries and his sensational knock consisted of seven fours and eight maximums. With the spectacular ton, Rossouw became the second player after France’s Gustav McKeon to score back-to-back centuries in T20Is. 5. Hardik Pandya Hardik Pandya is among the best all-rounders in white-ball cricket. He has shown his mettle on the international stage time and time again and the game against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was another prime example of his all-round prowess. The 29-year-old at first displayed his skills with the ball. In the 14th over of the match, he got rid of Shadab Khan and Haider Ali to put India ahead. Hardik struck again in the 16th over getting the wicket of Mohammad Nawaz to dent Pakistan’s innings further. He ended the match with figures 4-0-30-3. The veteran all-rounder was India’s crisis man with the bat. He joined hands with Kohli to stitch a 113-run stand for the fifth wicket to put India within touching distance of a win. Hardik scored 40 runs off 37 balls against the Men in Green which consisted of two sixes and a four. 6. Marcus Stoinis Marcus Stoinis is a ferocious striker of the cricket ball and provides balance to the Australian side with his all-round batting might. Though the 33-year-old was not able to make any impact when the Aussies collided with the Blackcaps, he set the stage ablaze in the game against Sri Lanka. When Stoinis arrived at the crease, the match was evenly poised with 69 runs needed off 46 deliveries with Australian skipper Aaron Finch struggling at the other end. But the veteran all-rounder made a mockery of the chase by putting up a six-hitting exhibition. Stoinis blasted 59* runs off just 18 balls to end the game in the 17th over itself. He reached the 50-mark in 17 deliveries and broke a record jointly held by David Warner and Glenn Maxwell to score the fastest half-century by an Australian player in the shortest format of the game. The flamboyant all-rounder muscled six sixes and four fours in his incredible knock. 7. Shadab Khan Shadab Khan is a vital cog in Pakistan’s T20 setup. The 24-year-old is the premier spinner of Babar Azam & Co. and is also a useful contributor with the bat. The ace all-rounder has been at his best with the ball in the ongoing T20 extravaganza in Australia. In Pakistan’s World Cup opener against the Men in Blue, Shadab stemmed the flow of runs with his flawless lines and lengths and ensured that the Indian batters did not take the game away. In the four overs, the leg-spinner conceded only 21 runs. Then in the second game of the Men in Green, Shadab strangled the Zimbabwe batters with his consistency and took three wickets while giving away runs at a superb economy of 5.80. The veteran spinner would look to carry on the good work to the second week of the tournament. 8. Sam Curran Sam Curran has simply been brilliant with the ball at the T20 carnival in Australia. The 24-year-old has been the highest wicket-taker of the first week of the competition bagging seven wickets in two games at a terrific economy of 6.15. Curran wreaked havoc with the ball when England clashed with Afghanistan picking five wickets for just 10 runs in 3.4 overs. With this splendid performance, he became the first England bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is. The ace all-rounder then went on to take two wickets in the encounter against Ireland. The left-arm pacer’s outstanding showings have enabled Jos Buttler to play an extra batter in the XI with Curran slotting in at No.8. Though the southpaw has not yet got a chance to showcase his skills with the bat, he is a capable batter, and strikes at 136.44 in the T20I circuit. Thus, his inclusion helped England extend their batting lineup. 9. Anrich Nortje Anrich Nortje has breathed fire in the first week of the marquee tournament. In the rain-curtailed game against Zimbabwe, he proved to be tough to tackle and gave away just ten runs in two overs. The speedster also bagged a wicket in this match. In South Africa’s next game when they faced Bangladesh, the 28-year-old rattled the batters with his searing pace and picked four wickets to set up a comprehensive win for the Proteas. Nortje finished the game with amazing figures 3.3-0-10-4. The seam-friendly conditions in Australia have added more venom to Nortje’s bowling. The express pacer has been sensational with the ball and he will again hold the cards for Bavuma & Co. in the encounter against the Asian heavyweights India and Pakistan in the upcoming week. 10. Arshdeep Singh The stocks of Arshdeep Singh have been on an exponential rise since he set foot in the international arena. In the 15 T20Is played so far, he has picked 24 wickets at an economy of 8.21. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the responsibility on the 23-year-old was immense but the youngster did not succumb under pressure and delivered. In Arshdeep’s very first ball of the T20 World Cup, he got rid of Babar to give the Men in Blue a perfect start. Then in his second over, he sent Pakistan’s run-machine Mohammad Rizwan back in the hut. The left-arm pacer was brought for his second spell at the death and he took the wicket of Asif Ali. His bowling figures for the game were 4-0-32-3. When India faced the Netherlands, the Punjab-born once more got his name on the wickets column picking two wickets for his side. Arshdeep’s coming of age at the biggest of stages has been quite encouraging to see and the think tank would hope he keeps up with the good work. 11. Mark Wood Mark Wood has been a strike force for England in the shortest format of the game. In the ongoing T20 World Cup as well, he has clocked over 150kmph consistently and proven to be too hot to handle on many occasions. When Buttler & Co. locked horns with Afghanistan, the 32-year-old removed the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz in his very first ball of the match and then later in the innings sent the Afghan skipper Mohammad Nabi back to the pavilion. He finished the game with figures 4-0-23-2. Coming to England’s clash against Ireland, Wood provided his side with timely breakthroughs and took a total of three scalps in his full quota of four overs at an economy of 8.50. The veteran pacer has proven to be an X-factor for the Three Lions in the T20 carnival.

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T20 World Cup 2022: Best XI from Super 12 Week 1

There are certain players who have been at their best in the first week of the T20 extravaganza

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