Rating all teams' performances in T20 World Cup 2021

The Seventh Edition of the T20 World Cup has finally come to an end with the winners Australia lifting their maiden T20 World Cup. This tournament has been full of a rollercoaster ride for the fans and players of the teams.

In a competing and fleeting tournament like this, it had been very hard for the teams to segregate their best playing combinations. When the teams found out their best combinations and when the plans started to work for them, it had become too late to sustain in this tough tournament.

Many teams have performed well more than their expectations but since any game comes to an end with just a single winner, the teams which have had one bad day also have been ruled out of the tournament. Meanwhile, some teams who were termed to be the favourites of the tournament such as India and West Indies did not perform up to their mark.

Ranking teams’ performances throughout T20 World Cup

12. Scotland-2/10

Scotland, the team which entered into the T20 World Cup’s qualifying stage as underdogs, created history by stepping into the Super 12 stage for the first time with a streak of winning all three games defeating and surpassing the Test-playing nation Bangladesh.

Kyle Coetzer, the captain of the Scottish team was very confident to lead the team to the super 12 stages and he and his men showed their capabilities to the cricketing fraternity through the entry into the massive stage.

But when the team stepped into the real arena, the team did struggle a lot to find a winning way. But they did put up a tough fight in the match against New Zealand but failed to win it. The team finished the tournament without winning a game in the Super 12, but would have definitely learned a lot from the senior teams in this tournament and could come back stronger in the next edition.

11. Bangladesh 2/10

Bangladesh after losing their first qualifying group match against Scotland won their remaining two matches and got qualified for the Super 12 stage.  The team had a very good all-round side with senior players like Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim, etc.

Even though the team looked good on the paper, they performed miserably and went on to lose all the 5 matches in the Super 12 stage. The group in which the team was selected was indeed a tough one, but the team had immense experienced players and that cannot be an excuse.

The team did not settle with the line-up and kept on changing it since the beginning. The team’s major downfall was because of the lack of form of elite players and the dull performance of their youngsters. The team finished last on the Super 12’s table in Group one.

10. Namibia 3/10

Nobody would have predicted that a team like Namibia would outperform the full member nation of ICC – Ireland and a well-known Associate member – Netherland and would surpass them. But the team defied the odds and qualified for the Super 12 stage.

Namibia played its first T20 World Cup and created history by getting qualified to the Super 12 stage. The team must be really proud to qualify in their maiden appearance. They started off this Super 12 stage with a win against Scotland.

But then, things started to harden for them when they had to face the top teams like Pakistan, New Zealand, and India. They lost the remaining four matches and finished the tournament with 2 points. They put up a hard fight against the Kiwis and would be really proud of the performances in this tournament and would look forward to bouncing back stronger in the next edition.

9. West Indies 3/10

The team which was praised to be the favourites of the tournament had a forgetful season this time. It was a shocker for the fraternity and fans for their poor establishment of cricket. Being the champions for the most number of times in this T20 WC, they failed to show their identities this time.

The 2-times trophy holders had one of the best line-ups in the tournament under the lights of the T20 specialists such as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, and Andre Russell. But it is still an unknown answer for their failures.

The team would have succeeded as before if at least any one of the players had fired, but they totally lost their shape in this tournament. The team managed to win only one game against Bangladesh and finished the tournament in the second last position on the points table.

8. Afghanistan-5/10

Afghanistan is the most recently conferred Test nation to play in this T20 World Cup. The team has shown a steady increase in their performances over the years. This team got qualified to the Super 12 stages directly without playing the qualifiers for the first time.

The team has to be appreciated for their growth up the ladder. Mohammad Nabi led this team to victory twice in this tournament against Scotland and Namibia. But they did put up their full potential and fought hard in all the games.

The bowling performances of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were their highlights. The team finished the tournament with four points and would definitely come back stronger for the next edition in 2022.

7. Sri Lanka-5.5/10

The Sri Lankan team once used to be one of the best teams in the world has now struggled after the retirement of their star players. They played in the qualifying group stages and won all of the three matches and entered the Super 12 stage on a high note.

The former winners of the trophy kicked off their Super 12 stage with a win against the Bangladesh team. They lost against superior teams like Australia, England, and South Africa but they never got chocked off.

The win against West Indies should have been a highlight for them in this tournament. The team was in a highly competitive group but again it is never an excuse. The team finished with 2 points in the tournament and the performances of Asalanka, Nissanka, and Hasaranga were their positive takeaways.

6. India-6.5/10

The favourites of the tournament India had to experience an early heartbreak in the tournament when they first lost against the arch-rivals Pakistan for the first time in a World Cup match and it became even more disappointing when they lost against New Zealand on a huge margin.

India was forced to bat in the match against Pakistan and New Zealand and the team succumbed to the opposition’s bowlers. Then the team couldn’t bounce back after their loss of early wickets. The two losses went on to be a single-sided game.

After their consecutive losses, the team bounced back lately against Afghanistan and they won their next few games against Scotland and Namibia with a huge margin. The lack of services of the openers and the bowlers cost the team hugely and when the opening duo Rohit and Rahul came back with scoring runs, the team wholly performed well and won the rest of it.

5. South Africa-8/10

South Africa is a team that has some extremely talented cricketers. The team made some controversial decisions in dropping some of their elite players from the squad and they commenced this tournament with a loss against Australia.

But they managed to win the rest of the matches against England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Each player fired for their team’s victory in each match and the team has seen distinct players getting Man of the Match award in different matches.

The South African team entirely performed well and it became unlucky for them as Australia was ahead in the run rate and so South Africa failed to qualify for the Semi-finals despite sharing the same points. But there are a lot of positive takeaways for the team in this tournament.

4. England-8.5/10

The 2019 World Cup winners England were hoping to lift their maiden T20 World Cup under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan. England was in a fiery form from the beginning of this tournament. They won their first 4 matches and became the first team in their group to seal a place in the Semis.

They lost for the first time in their last Super 12 match against South Africa. The team’s steady opener Jason Roy had to miss the tournament in a crucial stage because of his injury and they were forced to change their eleven. England had to bat first in the semi-final match against New Zealand and eventually lost the match and their chances of lifting their maiden title.

The team managed to perform well despite the exclusion of their premier players – Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. Jos Butler’s 101* against Sri Lanka became the only century in this edition of the T20 World Cup and Adil Rashid’s four for two against West Indies were their campaign’s highlights.

3. Pakistan-9/10

The new Pakistan team, under the captaincy of Babar Azam, did well exhibit their talent and potential on this World stage. The Pakistan team began their season on a high note after creating history by chasing down the score posed by their nemesis India without losing a wicket.

The team’s morale was really high and they were the only team to be unbeaten in the Super 12 stages. The steady opening partnerships of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan aided in their victory in a few matches. Babar Azam is the highest run-getter in this tournament and Rizwan is the third highest.

Each player has stepped in each of their matches and it is evident from their Man of the Match awards. The team, unfortunately, had a bad day in the semi-final match against Australia and the course of the match changed upside down after a dropped catch. However, there is nothing much to be blamed on this splendid campaign of their team.

2. New Zealand-9.5/10

New Zealand has been achieving some of the great feats under the captaincy of Kane Williamson. The team after some unfortunate incidents lost against England in the ICC World Cup in 2019. But they won the inaugural ICC World Test Championship against India in 2021.

These records prove the ability of the team in all three formats. The team started their campaign with a loss against Pakistan. They made a stunning comeback against India and went on to win all the other games. Kiwis became the second team in group two to qualify for the knockouts.

They were scheduled to play against the strong England side. The heroics of Dary Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham against England took the team to their maiden ICC T20 World Cup final. The team faced Australia in the finals and Williamson’s knock went in vain as they failed to lift their maiden T20 World Cup title. But the team would be proud to finish the tournament as the Runners.

1. Australia-10/10

Australia being the most successful team in the ICC 50-overs World Cup, they always had longed to prove their strength in the shortest format too, for which they needed a T20 World Cup. The Australian side started their campaign with a win against South Africa.

They won all their remaining matches except against England. They qualified ahead of the South African side based on their net run rate. The Mighty Aussies defeated Pakistan by the stellar innings of Mathew Wade and Stoinis. The team qualified for their second final appearance and didn’t want to miss this chance.

Their determined performance throughout the tournament earned the Aussies maiden T20 World Cup. No one mentioned the team as the favorites to win the Cup after their continuous T20I losses, but they proved their mightiness. David Warner was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament and Adam Zampa was the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament and indeed this has been the most successful team in the tournament.