Virat, Suryakumar in ICC's Most Valuable Team of T20 World Cup; Hardik 12th man

Nov 14, 2022

Virat, Suryakumar in ICC's Most Valuable Team of T20 World Cup; Hardik 12th man Image

Charismatic Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, two cricketers from India, have been named to the ICC's "Most Valuable Team of the Tournament," which was unveiled following England's victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Hardik Pandya, an all-around player, has been added as the 12th player.

Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, and Mark Wood are the other four England players to make the team, but all-rounder and Test skipper Ben Stokes, who was essential to England's victory on Sunday, isn't among them.

In the championship tournament, Kohli stepped up the heat, ending with 296 runs under his belt and a spectacular average of 98.66. He was the leading run-scorer. In the Super 12, he defeated Pakistan with an outstanding undefeated 82, one of his four fifty-plus scores.

Suryakumar Yadav, a middle-order hitter, delivered a performance that was on par with Kohli's. Throughout the course of the competition, Suryakumar kept everyone amused with his aggressive batting approach, scoring 239 runs at a mind-blowing strike rate of 189.68.

Despite playing lower in the order, Pandya had a fantastic tournament, taking eight wickets in six games and finishing as his team's third-highest scorer. Without his 33-ball 63, India would not have even posed a threat of achieving a respectable total against England in the semifinal.

Alex Hales, the returning opener for England, played two outstanding innings during the competition, including an unbeaten 86 from 47 deliveries in the semifinal match against India. Hales also finished the T20 World Cup as England's second-highest run-scorer. Throughout the game, the top-order batter amassed 212 runs at an exceptional average and strike rate of 42.40 and 147.22, respectively.

Although England's captain Jos Buttler took some time to get going, he ultimately contributed significantly to his team's successful season by making two game-winning hits, the first against New Zealand in the Super 12 and the second against India in the quarterfinal. Buttler scored 73 runs off 47 balls against the Kiwis before scoring an undefeated 80 runs off 49 balls against India. He finished the competition as England's top run-scorer with 225 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 144.23.

Due to his outstanding performance with both bat and ball, veteran all-rounder Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe also earned a spot in the starting lineup. With 219 runs at a strike rate of 147.97, Raza finished the tournament as Zimbabwe's leading run scorer. In addition, he took 10 wickets while bowling at a pitiful 6.50 economy rate. He batted brilliantly to advance Zimbabwe to the Super 12 round, and his three wickets contributed to the unexpected victory over Pakistan.

Most Valuable XI: Glenn Phillips (New Zealand), Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Sam Curran (England), Anrich Nortje (South Africa), Mark Wood (England), Alex Hales (England), Jos Buttler (England), Virat Kohli (India), Suryakumar Yadav (India), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan), Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe), Hardik Pandya 12th man (India).