Kohli, Yadav in ICC team
TOURNAMENT’S leading run-getter Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were on Monday (14) named in the Most Valuable Team of ICC 2022 T20 World Cup.
Indian superstar Kohli ended as the tournament’s most prolific batter with 296 runs at a stunning average of 98.66.
Kohli kickstarted his campaign with a pivotal 82 not out against arch rivals Pakistan to anchor his side to a heart-thumping finalball four-wicket victory. And further knocks of 64 not out against Bangladesh, 62 not out against the Netherlands and 50 against England in the semi-finls helped round off an individual competition to savour for one of the greatest white-ball batters of the modern era.
Fellow Indian Suryakumar finished as the tournament’s third highest run-scorer with 239 runs overall. Three half centuries – 51 not out against the Netherlands in Sydney, 68 against South Africa in Perth and 61 not out off just 25 balls against Zimbabwe in Melbourne – helped haul his side into the semifinals as he scored at a staggering strike rate of 189.68 in his six innings. Another Indian, Hardik Pandya was named as the 12th man of the side. Captain, wicketkeeper and opening batter Jos Buttler, fellow opener Alex Hales and seamer Sam Curran all made the cut for England.
New Zealand star Glenn Phillips and Zimbabwe ace Sikandar Raza occupy the No 5 and No 6 positions in the playing eleven. Phillips’ stunning century against Sri Lanka catapulted his team to a comfortable 65-run victory in Sydney. Completing the middle order is Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan, who grabbed an impressive 11 wickets at an average of just 15.00.
Sam Curran and Anrich Nortje line up at No 8 and No 9, with the former being crowned Player of the Tournament after a series of spellbinding bowling displays. The left-arm seamer claimed remarkable figures of 3 for 12 off his four overs in the final after getting his tournament underway with a similarly scintillating five for 10 against Afghanistan.
Rounding off the side at No 10 and No 11 are fellow pace bowlers Mark Wood and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who took nine and 11 wickets, respectively, for England and Pakistan. Team in batting order: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Sikandar Raza, Shadab Khan, Sam Curran, Anrich Nortje, Mark Wood, Shaheen Shah Afridi. 12th man Hardik Pandya.