T20 World Cup 2022: Best XI of the tournament so far

The ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 has lived up to its billing. Each team has given their all on the cricket field courtesy of which, fans have witnessed some absolute cliffhangers. There have been no pushovers in the competition and even the most formidable sides have felt the heat. This is evident from the fact that the Super 12 round of the competition has been brought to a close and there is not a single team who has not tasted defeat. After over three weeks of exhilarating cricket, New Zealand and England have emerged as the best teams from Group 1 while the other group has been conquered by India and Pakistan. As the T20 carnival moves towards the knockout stages, let us look at the players who have set the tournament on fire with their exceptional performances. Here's the Best XI of the tournament at the end of the Super 12: 1. Kusal Mendis Kusal Mendis has been a consistent performer for Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket. Talking about the T20Is, he has featured in 49 games and scored 1059 runs at a strike rate of 129.62. The 27-year-old has the ability to pierce any part of the ground and has been a game-changer with the bat at the top of the order. Mendis has lighted the T20 extravaganza with his sensational performances. In a must-win game against the Netherlands in the first round, he put on an exhibition of some glorious strokeplay striking 79 runs off 44 balls. Courtesy of his knock, Dasun Shanaka & Co. posted a fighting total of 162 runs on the board and won the game by 16 runs. The wicketkeeper-batter also put on a show against Ireland scoring 68 runs in 43 balls which comprised five fours and three sixes. Mendis ended up being the highest run-getter for his side with 223 runs in eight games and that too at a superb strike rate of 142.94. 2. Max O'Dowd Max O'Dowd has been a run-bank for the Netherlands in the shortest format of the game. He has featured in 58 T20Is and scored 1589 runs at a strike rate of 122.13. In the ongoing global tournament, he was at his prolific best scoring a total of 242 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 112.55. In the seam-friendly conditions in Australia, handling the new ball has not been an easy task but O'Dowd rose to the occasion and gave his side solid starts. When the Netherlands faced Sri Lanka in the first round, he played a remarkable innings scoring 71* runs off 53 balls against a quality Lankan bowling attack. O'Dowd again showed his sheer class in the match against Zimbabwe scoring a gritty 52 runs off 47 balls to help his team chase a target of 118. The 28-year-old has proven his mettle at the grandest stage and the team management will hope he continues the good work going forward. 3. Virat Kohli Virat Kohli started the marquee tournament with a bang playing an incredible innings against arch-rivals Pakistan to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. His knock of 82* runs off 53 deliveries was certainly one for the ages. The veteran batter has not looked back since then and has been piling on runs for fun. The former Indian skipper has featured in five games thus far and piled on 246 runs at a strike rate of 138.98. Kohli has shepherded the innings beautifully and allowed stroke makers around him to play with freedom. He has remained unbeaten in three of those matches ensuring that the Men in Blue reach a healthy total. During Kohli’s prolific run with the bat, the 34-year-old became the highest run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup surpassing Mahela Jayawardane’s tally of 1016 runs. The star Indian batter has played like his old vintage self which is a good sign for India with the semi-finals around the corner. 4. Suryakumar Yadav Suryakumar Yadav has made international cricket his own from the time he made his debut. He has shown his ability to pierce any part of the ground and has taken even the top-quality bowling attacks to the cleaners. The flamboyant cricketer has featured in 39 T20Is and notched up 1270 runs at a stunning strike rate of 179.63. In the ongoing T20 extravaganza, Suryakumar has put on an exhibition of his 360-degree strokeplay and has taken bowling line-ups apart from ball one. The 32-year-old has smashed 225 runs in five games at a staggering strike rate of 193.96 which includes three half-centuries. The ace batter's most breathtaking knock of this tournament came in the match against South Africa. On the bouncy surface of Perth, while other batters were struggled to get going, Suryakumar hit the fiery Proteas seamers all around the park and scored 68 runs off 40 balls which consisted of six fours and three sixes. 5. Glenn Phillips Glenn Phillips is known for his swashbuckling strokeplay and has the ability to take the attack to the opposition right from the get-go. He has made 53 appearances for New Zealand in the shortest format and has scored 1289 runs at a strike rate of 147.99. Phillips has taken the T20 extravaganza by storm with his exceptional performances. He has amassed 195 runs in four games at a dazzling strike rate of 163.86. In the game against Sri Lanka, the Kiwi batter arrived at the crease with New Zealand reeling at 8 for 2. He knocked the winds out of the Lankan bowling attack and smashed 104 runs off 64 balls which includes ten fours and four sixes. The 25-year-old once more showed his batting might against England scoring a superb knock of 64 runs off 36 deliveries. Phillips has been instrumental in his side reaching the knockout stage and he will again hold the cards for New Zealand in the semi-final game against Pakistan. 6. Sikandar Raza Sikandar Raza is one of the greatest all-rounders Zimbabwe cricket has produced. In the T20Is, he has accumulated 1259 runs in 66 games at a strike rate of 128.86 and also bagged 38 wickets at an economy of 7.18. Raza’s all-round prowess was on display at the ongoing global event. With the bat, he played some jaw-dropping knocks in the tournament and amassed 219 runs in eight games at a strike rate of 147.97. On the bowling front, he strangled batters in the middle phases of the innings and bagged 10 wickets at an economy of 6.50. Raza was Zimbabwe’s crisis man this tournament and delivered most times he has been called upon, be it with bat or ball. He was one of the architects of the historic win against Pakistan denting the opposition thrice while conceding just 25 runs in his full quota of four overs. 7. Shadab Khan Shadab Khan is arguably the best all-rounder in Pakistan cricketing circles at the moment. He has scored 456 runs in 82 matches at a strike rate of 143.84 and has taken 97 wickets at an economy of 7.04. The 24-year-old displayed his all-round prowess in the ongoing T20 extravaganza. In the game against Zimbabwe, he strangled batters with his consistent lines and lengths and bagged three wickets. He carried his bowling form when the Men in Green faced the Netherlands and dented the opposition thrice conceding just 22 runs in four overs to set up a comprehensive victory. Then in the high-profile encounter against South Africa, Shabab set the stage ablaze with both bat and bowl. The Mianwali-born took the Proteas bowlers apart and hit 52 runs off 22 balls to help his team post a daunting total of 185. On the bowling front, Shadab struck twice to put his team in a pole position. In Pakistan’s final group game against the Bangla Tigers, he was again amongst the wickets with two scalps to his name. Shadab has been key to Pakistan's success thus far in the tournament and the team management will hope the ace all-rounder continues his top form in the clash against New Zealand. 8. Sam Curran Sam Curran has been a proven performer for England in the T20 circuit. The 24-year-old has featured in 33 T20Is and bagged 38 wickets at an economy of 7.78. Also, he has scored 158 runs at a strike rate of 130.57. The ace all-rounder has been quite outstanding with the ball at the T20 extravaganza in Australia. The left-arm pacer has been the go-to man for skipper Jos Buttler in crunch moments and Curran has delivered time and time again. In England’s first World Cup game against Afghanistan, he dismantled the opposition’s batting line-up and took a five-wicket haul giving away just 10 runs in 3.4 overs. In a do-or-die clash against New Zealand, Curran got rid of Finn Allen in the powerplay and then at the fag end of the innings, he took the wicket of Phillips, who was taking the game away from the Three Lions. The ace all-rounder’s spectacular death-overs skills were again on display when Buttler & Co. took on Sri Lanka. The Northampton-born has bagged a total of ten scalps in four games at an economy phenomenal of 6.40. He has been in stellar form and in England’s upcoming clash against India, Curran will again hold the cards at the slog overs. 9. Wanindu Hasaranga Wanindu Hasaranga has been Sri Lanka's premier spinner in the white-ball circuit. He has featured in 52 games and picked 86 wickets at an economy of 6.67. Also, the 25-year-old is no muck with the bat and has scored 473 runs at a strike rate of 120.05. The leg spinner was quite remarkable at the marquee event. After Sri Lanka suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Namibia in the first round, it was Hasaranga who led his team’s charge with the ball bagging three-wicket hauls in the next two games against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Netherlands. The veteran spinner bamboozled batters with his variations in the Super 12 round as well and picked eight wickets in five games. Hasaranga has been a match-winner for the Lankan Lions and Sri Lanka would hope the bowling maestro achieves greater heights in the future. 10. Anrich Nortje Anrich Nortje is one of those rare breeds of fast bowlers who can clock over 150 kmph effortlessly. He is renowned to rattle batters with his scorching pace and has been a vital member of the South African bowling setup. He has featured in 29 T20Is and bagged 35 wickets at an economy of 7.11. The speedster breathed fire in the marquee tournament and was South Africa’s strike force with the ball. He played five games in the competition and took 11 wickets at an exceptional economy of 5.37. Nortje's most impressive performance came in the encounter against Bangladesh where he ripped through the opposition’s batting line-up grabbing four wickets for just ten runs to set up a comprehensive win for his side. In the game against the Netherlands, the express pacer was at his consistent best giving away just ten runs in four overs and taking a wicket. Nortje was one of the shining stars in South Africa’s disappointing campaign at the T20 World Cup 2022. 11. Arshdeep Singh The stocks of Arshdeep Singh have been on a meteoric rise from the time he stepped into the international arena. From being a promising fast bowler in the Punjab cricketing circles to being India’s go-to bowler at the grandest stage of them all, the youngster has certainly come a long way. Arshdeep has made 18 appearances for the Men in Blue in the shortest format and bagged 29 wickets at an economy of 8.05. Talking about the ongoing T20 carnival, he has been amongst the wickets in each and every match of the competition and has bagged a total of 10 wickets in five games at an economy of 7.83. The 23-year-old has made the ball talk at the starting phases of the innings and provided regular breakthroughs to Rohit Sharma & Co. upfront. Further, Arshdeep has been impeccable in nailing yorkers at the death overs and containing the opposition batters. The rise of the left-arm pacer has not let India miss Jasprit Bumrah in the tournament.

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T20 World Cup 2022: Best XI of the tournament so far

There have been players who set the T20 extravaganza on fire with their exceptional performances down under.

6. Sikandar Raza

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