England beat Pakistan by five wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Sunday, November 13. Bowling first after winning the toss, England held Pakistan to 137/8 as Sam Curran claimed 3/12, while Adil Rashid and Chris Jordan also impressed with two wickets each. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf combined to reduce England to 45/3 in the powerplay before Ben Stokes lifted England to glory yet again in a World Cup final, scoring a defiant half-century. With the T20 World Cup 2022 drawing to a close, here’s a look at the Dream XI of the tournament.
Openers: Jos Buttler (captain & wk), Alex Hales
England’s opening duo of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales would open for the T20 World Cup 2022 dream XI as well. The destructive batters were at their best in the tournament. While the England captain smashed 225 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 144.23, it was the redemption of the top order for Hales as he smacked 212 runs at an average of 42.40 and a strike rate of 147.22.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Glenn Phillips
Virat Kohli had an outstanding T20 World Cup campaign yet again. Despite not featuring in the final, he ended the tournament as the leading run-getter, hammering 296 runs at an average of 98.67 and a strike rate of 136.41. He crossed the fifty mark four times, including in the semis. However, he was also unlucky not to capture the crown this time.
Suryakumar Yadav lived up to all the 360-degree hype around him. He played some fine knocks and terrific strokes en route to scoring 239 runs at an average of 59.75 and an exceptional strike rate of 189.68. He was so good that when he failed in the semis, the Men in Blue could not recover lost ground.
New Zealand’s aggressive batter Glenn Phillips also had a memorable tournament. His hundred against Sri Lanka was a top-quality knock, arguably the standout performance of the World Cup. He followed it up with a brilliant half-century in a losing cause against England.
All-rounders: Sikandar Raza, Shadab Khan, Sam Curran
There was a temptation to go for Ben Stokes as one of the all-round options in the wake of his performances towards the end of the World Cup. But Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza was so exceptional right through the tournament he eventually edged out Stokes. Raza scored 219 runs at a strike rate of 147.97 and claimed 10 scalps while averaging 15.60.
Shadab Khan and Sam Curran were easy picks, two of the all-rounders. Shadab had a big role in Pakistan’s turnaround. His all-round effort kept them alive against South Africa. He finished with 11 wickets at an average of 15 while chipping in with crucial runs.
Curran did not need to do anything with the bat, but he was outstanding with the ball. He began the tournament with a five-fer and ended it with a three-fer. In between, he kept striking crucial blows. He foxed batters with his variations and rarely deviated from good line and lengths. The left-armer claimed 13 wickets at 11.38. He was Player of the Final as well as Player of the Tournament.
Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Arshdeep Singh, Anrich Nortje
Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi, India’s Arshdeep Singh, and South Africa’s Anrich Nortje make for a formidable pace attack. Despite not being 100 percent fit, Afridi roared with 11 wickets at an average of 14.09. Most of his wickets came in the second half of the tournament, coinciding with Pakistan’s turnaround.
Arshdeep was sensational at the start and the death. He got the ball to talk and finished with 10 wickets at an average of 15.60. Nortje was not only quick but also deadly accurate. He was unlucky to play in a team that did not perform to his potential. The Proteas speedster claimed 11 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of 5.37.