Ahead of the final, we’ve picked our best XI from the ICC event so far
Travis Head (Australia)
Matches: 7 | Runs: 255 | Ave: 42.50 | SR: 158.38 | 50s: 2 | HS: 76
Australia’s laconic opener brought his dominant Indian Premier League form to the Caribbean, with his tally of 255 runs second only to Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 281, though Head’s have come at a much quicker strike-rate of 154.38. The South Australian’s Powerplay aggression was a big reason behind Australia’s five-game unbeaten run to begin the tournament.
Rohit Sharma (India)
Matches: 7 | Runs: 248 | Ave: 41.33 | SR: 155.97 | 50s: 3 | HS: 92
The veteran is unfortunate not to take the captaincy reins of this side given his team’s dominant run to the final, but his most recent pair of innings seal his spot at the top of the order. Australia will be having nightmares about the 41-ball 92 that ended their tournament in St Lucia, which was followed by an even more important 57 off 39 against England in the semi-final to put India on the brink of their first major ICC title since 2011. The right-hander also helped get his team off to a solid start in the group stage with an unbeaten 52 against Ireland.
Nicholas Pooran (West Indies) (wk)
Matches: 7 | Runs: 228 | Ave: 38 | SR: 146.15 | 50s: 1 | HS: 98
No batter cleared the rope more than Pooran, who hit 17 sixes to match style with substance in leading a formidable Windies batting unit. The Trinidadian also recorded the highest score of the tournament to date, his blazing 98 from 53 balls against Afghanistan in St Lucia, though he will have been disappointed to have not taken the co-hosts who many saw as tournament favourites into the semis.
Aaron Jones (USA)
Matches: 6 | Runs: 162 | Ave: 40.50 | SR: 135 | 50s: 1 | HS: 94no
The United States’ captain was one of the stories of the World Cup, taking his side to a shock Super Eights appearance after pulling off one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history when they beat Pakistan in Jones’ birthplace of New York. The right-hander kicked off the tournament with a stunning 94no in Dallas and while his form tapered off, his role in the USA’s historic campaign will not soon be forgotten.
Marcus Stoinis (Australia)
Matches: 7 | Runs: 169 | SR: 164.07 | 50s: 2 | HS: 67no | Wickets: 10 | Econ: 8.88 | BB: 3-19
This was Stoinis’ best performance at a World Cup as things clicked for the allrounder with both and ball. His haul of 169 runs was the most by a batter regularly batting five or below, while his strike-rate of 164 was bettered by only six others. Standout half-centuries against Oman and Scotland were important in the Aussies’ strong group-stage run, while he picked up a wicket in every game he bowled in, finishing with 10 victims at 15.10.
Hardik Pandya (India)
Matches: 7 | Runs: 139 | SR: 149.46 | 50s: 1 | HS: 50no | Wickets: 8 | Econ: 7.77 | BB: 3-27
The versatile allrounder has been able to impact the game with bat and ball this tournament and his presence has balanced India’s team nicely, allowing them to play three spinners in the Caribbean. With the bat, Hardik has scored the most runs during the death (overs 16-20), crushing 106 runs at a strike rate of 185.95, with crucial knocks against Bangladesh (50no) and Australia (27no). With the ball, he chipped in with eight wickets, most of those coming on the spicy New York decks tailor made for his zippy seamers.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) (c)
Matches: 8 | Wickets: 14 | Econ: 6.17 | Ave: 12.78 | BB: 4-17
The spirited wrist-spinner was the driving force behind Afghanistan’s first ever World Cup semi-final appearance. There was of course his 14 wickets at 12.78, making him the (equal most) prolific spinner in the tournament, as well some handy contributions – none more than the three sixes he bombed in their low-scoring thriller against Bangladesh that clinched their qualification for the final four. But it was Rashid’s sheer willpower and leadership that might have been the biggest factor in one of cricket’s most heartwarming stories of recent times.
Rishad Hossain (Bangladesh)
Matches: 7 | Wickets: 14 | Econ: 7.76 | Ave: 13.85 | BB: 3-22
A breakout campaign from the young leg-spinner whose 14 wickets left him equal with Rashid. Rishad began with a match-defining 3-22 in the win over Sri Lanka, a result that ultimately helped Bangladesh progress to the Super Eights stage. He stood up in the second round too; the 21-year-old was the Tigers’ best bowler against Australia (2-23) and took 3-26 in the heart-breaking loss to Afghanistan.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)
Matches: 8 | Wickets: 17 | Econ: 6.31 | Ave: 9.41 | BB: 5-9
One of Afghanistan’s main shortcomings at previous events was their lack of qualify fast bowlers; no longer, with the left-armer narrowly edging out fellow paceman Naveen-ul-Haq in this side after the pair formed a tremendous one-two punch with the new ball. No bowler has more wickets than Farooqi’s 17. He decimated Uganga with 5-9 – the best figures of the tournament – but also stood tall against the bigger nations with 4-17 against New Zealand and 3-33 against India.
Jasprit Bumrah (India)
Matches: 7 | Wickets: 13 | Econ: 4.12 | Ave: 8.15 | BB: 3-7
India’s pace sensation has once again been a standout performer at the T20 World Cup, further enhancing his reputation as one of the great white-ball bowlers. Burmah was close to unplayable on the New York pitch and was instrumental in the win over Pakistan, taking 3-14 from four overs. His success didn’t stop once India hit the Caribbean, with spells of 3-7 against Afghanistan, 2-13 against Bangladesh and 1-29 against Australia all a crucial factor in his side’s unbeaten run. He has the highest dot ball percentage (63.8%) and lowest economy rate (4.12) of the top 15 wicket-takers.
Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Matches: 8 | Wickets: 13 | Econ: 13.46 | Ave: 5.64 | BB: 4-7
After missing last year’s ODI World Cup with a stress fracture, Nortje has more than made up for it at this tournament as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker heading into their drought-breaking ICC men’s final. The fastest of the Proteas’ excellent pace attack, Nortje’s role is clearly defined: he doesn’t bowl in the Powerplay and is expected to strike through the middle overs, which he’s done regularly. Only three bowlers have 10 or more wickets during overs 7-15 and Nortje (10) is one of those, alongside Rashid Khan (11) and Adam Zampa (10). Nortje began the Cup with a barely believable 4-7 from four overs against Sri Lanka.
Men’s T20 World Cup finals
27 June: Semi-final 1, South Africa beat Afghanistan by nine wickets
28 June: Semi-final 2, India beat England by 68 runs
30 June: Final, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 12.30am AEST
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