T20 World Cup 2022 review
T20 World Cup 2022 came to a close on Sunday, November 13, with a grand finale at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). It is international cricket event organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
It was England who eventually came out on top in a feisty contest against Pakistan, courtesy of Ben Stokes’ brilliant batting performance in testing conditions against a lethal bowling attack.
In a tournament which lasted nearly a month, a lot of players delivered memorable performances which helped their respective teams in securing some important wins.
We are bringing you a brief review of three players out of the four semi-finalists of T20 world cup 2022 who set the world on fire with their top performances that will be remembered for a very, very long time.
Jos Buttler (England)
Jos Buttler’s first tournament as the captain of England’s white-ball teams became a memorable one as he ended up lifting the title after his players eventually managed to get the better of the spirited Pakistan side in the all-important final by five wickets at the MCG.
The achievement was an even more significant one considering that the Rajasthan Royals star wicketkeeper-batter completed his recovery from an injury just a few days before the start of the competition after missing the full seven-match T20I series in Pakistan where Moeen Ali led the side.
Captaincy-wise, Buttler emerged as the leader many expected him to be and he made some bold moves which eventually paid off the Three Lions.
Especially in the semi-finals and the all-important final, the 32-year-old used the available resources to a good effect like using Adil Rashid early against India and then using Ben Stokes for his full quota of four overs when there were overs remaining of other bowlers as well.
Furthermore, he also used left-arm pacer Sam Curran in a relatively newer role at the back end of the innings which helped the English side in getting some important wickets in the death overs.
That move also helped Curran who eventually won the Player of the Tournament award with 13 wickets to his name in just six innings at an economy-rate of 6.52.
With the bat in hand, Buttler didn’t disappoint England fans as well where he finished the competition as the fourth-highest run-getter overall — most by any player in the side — with 225 runs to his name at an average of 45 and strike-rate of 144.23.
His best performance in the middle as a batter came against India in the semis where he scored an unbeaten 80 off just 49 balls with the help of nine fours and three maximums.
Suryakumar Yadav (India)
India were knocked out of the semis of the ICC T20 World Cup after a 10-wicket thrashing by eventual champions England in Adelaide.
But despite that, many believed that the Men-in-Blue had a pretty average campaign where their only significant victory came against arch-rivals Pakistan, that too was largely down to Virat Kohli’s breathtaking innings where he single-handedly took his team over the line.
Despite all that negativity surrounding the team’s performance, one player rose to the occasion and showcased his talent unlike many and he was Suryakumar Yadav.
The 32-year-old finished the competition as the third-highest run-getter with 239 runs in six innings at an average of 59.75, which included three half-centuries as well.
The most aspiring thing from Yadav was his outstanding strike-rate of 189.68 which was the best amongst all the batters in the competition who managed to face at least 50 balls in the tournament.
His best knock in the competition came against South Africa on a bouncy Perth pitch where he smashed 68 off just 40 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s outing in the ICC T20 World Cup will be remembered, both for his never-say-die attitude and his actual performances on the field.
The left-arm pacer was clearly short of match practice when he joined the squad for the mega-event after spending months on the sidelines because of a knee injury.
In the first match against India, he finished wicketless which was the only match in the competition where there was no achievement next to his name.
From there on, he got better and better with every passing game and eventually finished with 11 wickets to his name, the joint-highest by a Pakistan bowler in the competition alongside leggie Shadab Khan.
The most impressive thing from the left-armer was his economy-rate of 6.15, which was the lowest amongst all the bowlers from the Men-in-Green in the competition.
Eventually, it was his injury in the final while taking the catch of Harry Brook on the bowling of Shadab which sealed Pakistan’s fate in the mega-event as he could not bowl 11 out of 24 legal balls allowed in the match, something that England capitalised on and won the final with an over to spare.
Overall, Shaheen will look back at the competition with fond memories, which included his best figures of 4-22 against Bangladesh in a virtual quarterfinal in Adelaide on November 06.
