Sports

Leading lights of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

Published

4 years ago

2021/10/12

The Sri Lankan great sits third all time in terms of runs scored (897) and also contributed to the addition of a new word to cricket’s lexicon, and a new shot to a batter’s armoury, with the ‘Dilscoop’ that he mastered in 2009. (Getty images)

The measure of great players is the ability to perform on the biggest stage and in T20 cricket, it does not come any bigger than the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Over the course of the previous six editions, there have been many stunning individual performances.

Taken as a whole though, it is no surprise that the players who have performed the most consistently since 2007 are also among the very best players the game has seen.

So, as we prepare for the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, we take a look at 10 players who have had a huge impact on the history of the tournament with their consistent excellence:

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – 39 wickets and 546 runs in 34 matches

The greatest wicket-taker in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi is one of the poster boys of the format capable of having an impact with bat and ball.

His crowning achievement came in 2009 when he inspired Pakistan to the title, earning Player of the Match honours for his performance in the eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the final.

In that game Afridi took one for 20 with a miserly spell before hammering an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls to see his side home.

His 39 wickets are the most of any player in the tournament, while he is just outside the top ten all-time runs scorers with 546, and only Tillakaratne Dilshan has played more than Afridi’s 34 matches.

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) – 567 runs and 30 wickets in 25 matches

The only player on this list who has not reached at the least the semi-finals of the competition, it is mark of Shakib Al Hasan’s achievements that he has been so successful despite playing in a struggling side.

One of just eight men who will be playing in 2021 having also featured in the inaugural tournament, Shakib has been one of the great all-rounders in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

He joins Afridi as the only players to have scored at least 500 runs and taken 30 wickets in the tournament, and if his performances in England two years ago are anything to go by, his taste for the big occasion is only increasing.

Samuel Badree (West Indies) –24 wickets in 15 matches

Not quite as prolific as some players on this list, but West Indian spinner Samuel Badree had a remarkable impact on the competition between 2012 and 2016.

In tandem with Sunil Narine for the first two of those tournaments, Badree showed just how dangerous spinners can be in T20 cricket, opening the bowling for the West Indies.

His bowling average of 13.58 is the best in the tournament’s history, while an economy rate of 5.52 is second only to Narine.

When you consider those figures, it is no surprise that West Indies enjoyed great success during that period, with Badree crucial to the triumphs in 2012 and 2016.

AB de Villiers (South Africa) – 717 runs and 30 catches in 30 matches

AB de Villiers will go down as one of, if not South Africa’s greatest player across all three formats, and he certainly shone on the global stage in ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.

His 717 runs are good enough for fifth all time and of that top five, only Chris Gayle has a better strike rate than De Villiers’ 143.4.

Of course, the Proteas superstar offered more than just his batting. Whether it was as a wicket-keeper or just an outfielder, he influenced the game like few others.

De Villiers’ 23 catches as an outfielder are eight more than anyone else in the tournament, with seven more and a pair of stumpings when he had the gloves on.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka) – 897 runs in 35 matches

The 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be the first tournament in which Tillakaratne Dilshan will not feature, having played more matches than anyone in the competition’s history.

He was outstanding in that tournament, including an unbeaten 96 in the semi-final against the West Indies as he made 317 runs to be named Player of the Tournament. The fact that Pakistan removed him for a duck is probably a big factor in why Sri Lanka lost the final.

Chris Gayle (West Indies) –920 runs in 28 matches

The man born to play T20 cricket, Chris Gayle has made the format his own and ‘The Universe Boss’ will look to make it a hat-trick of titles in the UAE and Oman.

Curiously, Gayle has scored three and four in the two finals he has played so far, but the Windies have won them both anyway.

In the other 26 matches he has played, he has racked up 913 runs, second only to Mahela Jayawardene. By the end of the 2021 tournament, Gayle will hope to have joined Jayawardene in the 1000-run club.

As destructive as they come, Gayle has smashed 60 sixes in the tournament, nearly double the next most from Yuvraj Singh with 33, and is the only player to have notched two ICC Men’s T20 World Cup centuries.

Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka) – 1016 runs in 31 matches

No-one has scored more runs at ICC Men’s T20 World Cups than Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene, the only player to have topped 1000 runs in the tournament.

He played in every competition from 2007 to 2014, bowing out in style as he helped Sri Lanka claim the title in his final appearance.

In that match he made a run-a-ball 24 as Sri Lanka chased down India’s total of 130/4 to win the tournament for the first time, becoming the first player to make it four figures in the process.

Among other highlights, he enjoyed a purple patch at the 2010 T20 World Cup when he scored 81, 100 and 98 not out in three successive innings as Sri Lanka reached the semi-finals.

Virat Kohli (India) – 777 runs in 16 matches

The list of candidates for the best player never to have won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup starts and ends with Virat Kohli. The India skipper averages an absurd 86.33 in the 16 matches he has played.

With a half-century in more than half his innings, Kohli has been as consistent a player as the tournament has seen.

He has been named Player of the Tournament in each of the last two editions of the competition, averaging more than 100 in both editions, while his lowest score in a knockout game is the 72 not out he scored against South Africa in a semi-final win in 2014.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) – 38 wickets in 31 matches

The most prolific wicket-taker in the history of T20 internationals, Lasith Malinga is second only to Shahid Afridi at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The master of the yorker, Malinga was the ultimate death bowler, capable of crushing toes and splaying wickets in the deciding moments of matches.

It is also a testament to his importance within the Sri Lankan team that Malinga was captain of the side that won the title in 2014, in a squad featuring the likes of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

And even in a match where he did not take a wicket, the way Malinga restricted India to just 11 runs from overs 18 and 20 of their innings in the final, was crucial to the eventual six-wicket success.

Kevin Pietersen (England) – 580 runs in 15 matches

In the vein of Samuel Badree, Kevin Pietersen’s influence on the tournament was relatively short, but his star shone incredibly bright.

The driving force behind England’s march to glory in 2010 in the Caribbean, Pietersen’s 580 runs in just 15 innings is a phenomenal return.

Only Kohli and Mike Hussey average more than Pietersen’s 44.61 by players with at least ten innings, and his strike-rate of 148.33 is the best of anyone in the top ten all-time run scorers.

He also has the silverware to go with it – being named Player of the Tournament as an aggressive England side powered their way to the title.

He scored 248 runs in that tournament, capping off a run of three editions in which he was England’s most devastating batter.

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Conway 178* and Latham 137 grind West Indies to dust in Mount Maunganui

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/18

Priyan

Devon Conway brought up his sixth Test century [Cricinfo]

The Bay of Plenty lived up to its name but only for New Zealand. Devon Conway and Tom Latham harvested a century each and by that time they were having so much fun they would barely let anybody else play.

West Indies could argue that was a bit rude. They were in Mount Maunganui looking for rich bounty as well. A first Test win on these shores for 30 years, which if secured would hand them a share of this series’ spoils. All of that cast them in the role of a protagonist at the start of the day. But as time wore on and records – both trivial and tumultuous – came to pass, Roston Chase and his men faded into the background.

Each of the five previous Test matches at this ground have yielded a wicket in its first session. This one didn’t. Kane Williamson, so used to an early start at the office, had to wait the longest he ever has to clock in. So restless had he grown that at the start of the final session, he was seen wearing all his gear barring the helmet practicing a rapid-fire series of leaves and blocks. There will be reels. Split-screens with Latham and Conway facing real cricket balls out in the middle and this guy just pretending to do so with a caption of who did it better. The answer is actually Terry Jarvis and Glenn Turner.

Latham had a big part in the history he helped make. Over 25 home Tests, dating all the way back to March 2012, New Zealand have only ever chosen to bowl after winning the toss. Here, he had a hunch about putting runs on the board. Outside of that one bold move, everything else he did was basic. Playing close to the body. Knowing exactly where his off stump was. Frustrating the bowlers to target his pads. Manufacturing easy put-aways. Latham’s 15th Test century – where he went past 6000 runs as an opener – was proof that fairy tales aren’t the only things that can come to life. Textbooks do too. It took all the way to 6.30pm for Latham to fall on 137. Test cricket was so close to having a fifth opening pair lasting the entire first day.

Conway played himself into form. Twenty-six of his last 39 innings were cut short at or below the 30-run mark, which isn’t ideal considering his role at the top of the order is to set the whole team up. Given he was walking out onto a pitch with an unusual amount of grass – 13mm, normally it’s around 7-10mm – there was cause for concern. He put them all to bed, weathering an initial period where West Indies were willing to give up only 11 runs in eight overs. He instigated the first period of New Zealand dominance, the six overs to morning drinks where they scored a-run-a-ball. He went on to bat for longer than he has ever done since his double-century on debut at Lord’s four years ago.

The only way any of this could have been worse for West Indies was if they had brought it all on themselves, and only the finest line separated that from what actually happened. Because they got what they wanted at the toss. First use of a surface that looked like it had been left in the care of a kindergartener with a green crayon. The bowlers, though, didn’t make the best use of it.

Their third seamer Anderson Phillip, started with a spell of 3-0-25-0, and as hard as he tried to improve – creating a rare wicket-taking opportunity when Latham nicked one behind to the keeper on 104 and was dropped – he still went to stumps with 14-2-71-0. It was symptomatic of a bowling attack that still produced jaffas – and might feel aggrieved none of them yielded any joy – but didn’t have it in them to back it up; to hit the good length spot consistently, test the batter’s discipline and search for vulnerability.

Indeed, at the start of the second session, New Zealand had a harder time not scoring boundaries, five of them coming their way in the space of 12 balls. A small spell of rain offered West Indies the chance to regroup and they appeared willing to take it, Jayden Seales adopting the method of local hero Neil Wagner and going short for a concerted period of time. Conway wore one on the left hand, needed medical attention, and at the start of the 52nd over, he was overheard on the stump mic asking the umpire about the time for tea. He was in need of reprieve. Seconds later, Chase lobbed up a long hop that he pulled away for four. West Indies kept undoing their own good work. Often immediately.

This was no batting paradise. Nor was it ever a fast bowler’s dream. Spinners took two-thirds of the wickets in the mostrecent first class game in Mount Maunganui. It is with that in mind that New Zealand brought Ajaz Patel into the XI and backed themselves to put up a big total.

Conway has led them there – batting through cramp, batting one-handed and eventually hitting that rarefied place where he was just batting on instinct, reacting perfectly even to things like extra and low bounce – but things could have been so different if West Indies had shown a little more discipline. Now their batters have to pick up the slack.

Brief scores: [Day 1 stumps]
New Zealand 334 for 1 in 90 overs (Tom Latham 137, Devon Conway, 178*; Kemar Roach 1-63) vs West Indies

[Cricinfo]

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Australia have the urn in their sights as England self-destruct again

Published

7 hours ago

2025/12/18

Priyan

Pat Cummins celebrates the wicket of Joe Root - for the 12th time [Cricinfo]

Australia have not yet officially retained the Ashes, but it already seems a matter of “when” not “if” after England’s challenge wilted in the heat on day two in Adelaide. Ben Stokes battled defiantly, facing 151 balls and batting for more than four hours for his unbeaten 45, but the captain found few allies on the burning deck as England were left staring at a hefty first-innings deficit amid ever-diminishing hopes of keeping the series alive until Christmas.

Stokes had asked for his players to ‘show a bit of dog’ in their bid to make an improbable comeback from 2-0 down, but England were all too easily brought to heel by an Australia side with more than enough pedigree, despite the absence of Steven Smith and Josh Hazlewood. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon both made an immediate impact on their return to the XI – Cummins taking 3 for 54 in his first competitive outing since July’s tour of the Caribbean – as England were rounded up without much fuss on what looked like the perfect day for batting.

Their one minor victory came in keeping Mitchell Starc wicketless for the first time in the series; though, as he had started off proceedings by thumping a flurry of fours to bring up his second half-century in as many games, with Australia merrily adding 45 runs to their overnight 326 for 8, that could only be claimed as a partial success.

There was more Snicko aggro, too, with both sides making their frustrations with the technology clear. England were aggrieved at Chris Gaffaney, the third umpire, giving Jamie Smith out caught behind off Cummins on the evidence from Real-Time Snickometer, following the controversy around Alex Carey’s non-dismissal on day one. Smith had survived moments before in bizarre circumstances, with Gaffaney determining the ball had come off his helmet, despite TV pictures suggesting contact with the glove, as Australia argued (although whether the ball had carried to Usman Khawaja at slip or not was a different matter).

Joe Root was also reprieved, with Gaffaney unconvinced that an inside edge on to pad had reached Carey’s gloves on the full. None of which detracted from the fact that England had seemingly torpedoed their own hopes once again with another flaccid batting display as temperatures approached 40C in Adelaide.

A sloppy start with the ball, which led to a heated exchange between Stokes and Joffra Archer even as the latter was on his way to securing a first Test five-for since 2019, was compounded by England losing their top three in the space of 15 balls before lunch. Root was then dismissed for the 12th time in Tests by Cummins – nobody has had more success against England’s key batter – and the innings fell away after a 56-run stand for the fifth wicket between Stokes and Harry Brook.

Archer did manage to stick around alongside Stokes to the close, putting on the second-longest partnership of the innings, though Australia’s lead was still above 150 and England faced the prospect of batting last on a surface that’s expected to break up in the heat.

The suspicion at the end of day one was that Australia had left plenty of runs on the table, despite Carey’s maiden Ashes hundred taking them beyond 300. England needed to make good on the promise of runs, that anticipation only sharpened by Starc striking five boundaries in 12 balls as Australia’s tail wagged to good effect. Archer was leaky but removed both Starc and Lyon on the way to a third five-wicket haul against Australia.

England’s openers made a solid enough start, though Ben Duckett rode his luck early on. Already Australia were showing a greater propensity to bowl with the discipline required on a baking morning, and Cummins made the breakthrough with a fine delivery that straightened and bounced to graze the shoulder of Zak Crawley’s bat through to Carey.

Much had been said about Lyon’s absence in Brisbane after he had only bowled two overs in the victory at Perth. He came into this game one wicket behind Glenn McGrath’s tally of 563 for Australia, having sat there since July when he was also omitted for the Jamaica Test against West Indies. But within the space of six balls, he had drawn level with and then overtaken McGrath to go second on the all-time list for Australia.

Ollie Pope’s dismal record against Australia only got worse as he chipped tamely to midwicket, before Duckett was removed by a jaffa that pitched on middle and turned past a defensive prod to hit the top of off.

At 42 for 3, England were already feeling the glare of the southern sun. Australia thought they had got Root early, too, when reviewing for a caught-behind of Scott Boland. But although replays confirmed he had edged the ball through to Carey via his pads, Gaffaney concluded that the ball had bounced on its way into the gloves.

Root did not last long after lunch, however, as Cummins lured him into poking at one defensively in the channel. Brook was more measured, after his “shocking” dismissals in the first two Tests, but showed flashes of aggression – skipping down to lamp Boland all the way for six over cover, and thrashing Starc to deep backward point to bring up the fifty stand with Stokes.

He survived being given out caught behind off Lyon on 44, technology this time backing up his belief that he hadn’t hit the ball – but only added one to his score before being dislodged by Cameron Green’s second legitimate delivery, another pearler that reversed just enough to catch the outside edge.

Stokes had buckled down at the other end, facing 35 balls before scoring his first boundary and adding only two more in an innings of monk-like self-abnegation that at least saw England fight to the close. He scowled furiously from beneath his helmet peak when Smith was told to go, despite more uncertainty surrounding the synching of Real-Time Snickometer, his mood only darkening as Boland removed Will Jacks and Brydon Carse in quick succession. Stokes has produced his fair share of miracles in an England shirt; it may need another to keep this Ashes campaign alive.

Brief scores:
England 213 for 8 in 68 overs (Ben Stokes 45*, Harry Brook 45, Jofra Archer 30*; Pat Cummins 3-54, Scott Boland 2-31, Nathan Lyon 2-51) trail Australia 371 in 91.2 overs (Usman Khawaja 82, Alex Carey 106, Mitchell Starc 54; Jofra Archer 5-53, Brydon Carse 2-89, Will Jacks 2-105 ) by 158 runs

[Cricinfo]

Sports

FIFA World Cup 2026 winners’ prize money doubles to $50m

Published

15 hours ago

2025/12/18

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, appears with US President Donald Trump during the draw for the 2026 football World Cup on December 5, 2025, in Washington, DC [Aljazeera]

The winner of the FIFA World Cup 2026 will receive a record jackpot of $50m, football’s global governing body says.

That figure is up from $42m in 2022 and $38m in 2018. But it is still less than half of what was on offer at the much less hyped FIFA Club World Cup earlier this year.

FIFA said the total prize fund for next year’s World Cup – to be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico – is $655m, a 50 percent increase on the previous edition in Qatar.

By comparison, the FIFA Club World Cup, which was controversially expanded from seven teams to 32 and shoehorned into the football calendar, had a total prize fund of $1bn. The prize for the winning team was worth up to $125m for a tournament that faced fierce resistance from players and leagues and drew sparse crowds for some matches.

The Club World Cup, also staged in the US, was won by Chelsea.

FIFA has a different distribution model for the two tournaments. The disparity in prize money reflects factors such as clubs overseeing much higher costs through wages than national teams.

Beyond the prize money, further funds are put towards the development of football globally.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the World Cup would be “groundbreaking in terms of its financial contribution to the global football community”.

FIFA approved the prize money for every stage of the World Cup at a meeting of its council in Doha.

The runner-up will receive $33m with $29m and $27m going to the third- and fourth-placed teams, respectively. The lowest prize money will be $9m and all 48 participating nations will get $1.5m to cover what FIFA described as “preparation costs”.

FIFA said, in all, $727m would be distributed to the football federations participating.

It is not known how each nation will distribute the money, but at the last World Cup, French sports daily L’Equipe reported France’s players were in line for a bonus of $586,000 by their federation if they won the trophy. France was ultimately beaten by Argentina in the final.

[Aljazeera]