As the T20 World Cup 2021 heads into the knockout stage with the first semifinal between England and New Zealand on Wednesday, here is a look at the top performers of the Super 12 stage who would combine to make a formidable T20 outfit.
Jos Buttler
The England opener –the second-highest run-getter in the Super 12—was at his marauding best with 240 runs and a staggering strike rate of 155.84. Following an unbeaten 32-ball 71 in a match where the entire Australian side managed just 125, Buttler took apart Sri Lanka’s pacers after seeing off a difficult phase of spin en route to his 67-ball century—the only one of the tournament so far.
David Warner
After being unceremoniously dropped from his Indian Premier League (IPL) team Sunrisers Hyderabad following a couple of failures, the southpaw has silenced his critics with 187 runs at an average of 46.75 while striking at 144.96. With two half-centuries in five matches in the Super 12, Warner heads into the semifinal against Pakistan on the back of an unbeaten 89 off 56 balls against the West Indies.
Babar Azam
The Pakistan skipper’s consistency at the top of the order has seen him become the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 264 runs and four fifties in five matches. Striking at 128.15, Azam and fellow-opener Mohammad Rizwan have often taken the game away from the opposition with two century opening stands and complemented Pakistan’s stellar bowling in the team’s unbeaten run in the Super 12.
Charith Asalanka
With just three T20Is under his belt prior to the tournament, the left-hander was a revelation in the middle-order for Sri Lanka. Scoring 225 runs –the third most in the Super 12—Asalanka struck two match-winning fifties including an unbeaten 49-ball 80 in a nervy 172-run chase against Bangladesh. Striking at 153.06 in the Super 12, the 24-year-old showed his adaptability by playing both aggressor and anchor as and when the situation demanded.
Rassie van der Dussen
South Africa’s top run-scorer in the tournament, van der Dussen amassed 177 runs and powered his team to a match-winning total against favourite England with a blistering unbeaten 60-ball 94. While he struck at an unassuming 116.44 in the tournament, the Protean played a couple of gritty knocks in tough conditions in the middle-order against West Indies and Bangladesh to lift his team out of early trouble.
Moeen Ali
The quintessential T20 player who can move around in the batting order as well as deliver four quality overs of spin, Moeen has provided the much-needed balance to a dominant England side. Five of Moeen’s seven wickets in the Super 12 have come with the new ball in the Powerplay at a spectacular economy of 5.72. While he hasn’t got much of an opportunity with the bat so far, Ali’s 27-ball 37 cameo at number three against South Africa is testament to his all-round brilliance.
Asif Ali
Batting lower down the order, Ali played arguably the two most crucial innings in Pakistan’s Super 12 campaign. With the team needing 44 off 31 balls, he held his nerve against New Zealand to smash three sixes in his cameo of 27 from 12 before launching Karim Janat for four sixes in the 19th over to seal the deal against Afghanistan. He scored 57 runs in his three innings, bludgeoning seven sixes while striking at 247.82.
Wanindu Hasaranga
Sri Lanka’s hat-trick hero Hasaranga was the second highest wicket-taker in the Super 12 with 10 scalps at a frugal 5.84 runs per over. The leg spinner was a difficult customer even in the death overs, conceding just five runs an over and picking as many wickets. Hailed as a ‘superstar in the making’ by his captain Dasun Shanaka, Hasaranga also impressed with the bat during his 21-ball 34 lower down the order against England.
Anrich Nortje
With nine scalps from five matches, Nortje bowled with pace and accuracy to concede a meagre 5.37 runs an over in the tournament. Coming off a sensational run in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals, the South African speedster extracted bounce with the new ball and speared in his yorkers at the death to dominate all passages of play. He went for just 5.75 runs an over in the Powerplay and thwarted attempts at a late flourish by the batters with an economy of 7.38 at the death.
Trent Boult
The left-arm pacer swung New Zealand into the semifinal with fiery spell of three for 17 in a crunch game against Afghanistan. With a tally of 11 wickets at 5.84 per over, Boult was the leading wicket-taker amongst pacers and joint-highest overall in the Super 12. He provided early breakthroughs and claimed key wickets at the death to stifle the opposition’s charge, just as he did against India, returning figures of three for 20.
Haris Rauf
Overshadowed by the eye-grabbing flamboyance of his bowling partner Shaheen Afridi, Rauf has been Pakistan’s leading wicket-taker with eight scalps in five matches. Considering he has bowled half his overs at the death, Rauf has an impressive economy rate of 6.80. He has used the ability to vary his pace to good effect as witnessed during his match-winning performance of four for 22 against New Zealand.
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