Sports

Leading lights of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

Published

5 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.

All News Advertisement

Latest News

Canada score late to beat South Africa and reach last 16 at World Cup 2026

Published

57 seconds ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

Canada's Stephen Eustaquio, centre, celebrates after scoring [Aljazeera]

Canada beat South Africa 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time strike by Stephen ⁠Eustaquio from distance to reach the FIFA World Cup last 16 for the first time in their history.

Eustaquio received the ball on the edge of the ⁠South Africa penalty area and hammered it past diving goalkeeper Ronwen Williams in a thrilling conclusion to the first knockout-round match of the tournament on Sunday.

South Africa, who had seemed ⁠content to play for extra time and a possible penalty shootout, made a few furious but unsuccessful attempts to level before the final whistle as the sun broke through the clouds at Los Angeles Stadium.

Canada will next face either the Netherlands or Morocco on July ‌4 in Houston for a place in the quarterfinals.

“It’s about the two years we’ve been together,” Canada coach Jesse Marsch told the team in a huddle after the final whistle.

“Think about how we talked about sticking to the plan – you guys showing your character. You guys are Canadian heroes here.”

Chances were scarce in a cagey first half, with little to separate the sides, who were both playing ⁠in the knockout rounds for the first time.

Canada’s best opening ⁠came just before half-time when a corner sparked a scramble in the South Africa box. Moise Bombito sent a header goal-wards, which was cleared off the line by Aubrey Modiba, before Tajon Buchanan’s close-range effort struck ⁠Williams in the chest.

Moments later, Richie Laryea went down in the area, prompting Canadian appeals for a penalty, but the decision ⁠not to award a spot kick stood after a ⁠VAR review, prompting loud boos from Canada’s red-clad army of supporters dominating the stands.

Marsch continued to protest as the teams left the field at half-time, with Bombito appearing to urge him away from the referee.

Frustration ‌for Canada only grew early in the second half, as South Africa appeared in no rush to press the issue.

Canada had another chance just before the second-half hydration ‌break, ‌when Tani Oluwaseyi’s shot hit the keeper, and Jonathan David was unable to head the ricochet home, thanks to an excellent defensive effort by Mbekezeli Mbokazi to clear the ball.

Eustaquio dedicated the win to “all Canadians” when he spoke to reporters after the match.

“I think it was an amazing goal. When I shot, I thought everyone shot with me. Everyone added a little power to it when it went into the back of the net.

” It started when we came out of group stage. Belief is a big part of it. We will now get either Netherlands or Morocco. Anything can happen. If we keep working like we are doing, we might even win it.”

[Aljazeera]

Latest News

Tector and Moondra headline Ireland’s historic series sweep against India

Published

3 hours ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

Ireland celebrate a historic 2-0 series sweep against India [Cricinfo]

So nice they had to do it twice. Ireland have swept the T20 World Champions 2-0. That meant India’s unbeaten run which spanned 16 series and nearly three years has been irrevocably broken. The stars of this supreme result were Harry Tector, who scored a determined half-century to help put 154 on the board, and Jai Mondra, who picked up three wickets in the blink of an eye.

Tector, playing his 100th T20I, was brought to the crease in the second over. His first runs were off the inside edge. The rest were both timely and thought out. He held the innings together for Ireland and in doing so highlighted just why he is a valued member of this side. Tector absorbed the pressure at one end, willing to countenance risk only when the odds were in his favour, like when Suryansh Shedge, in the middle of leaking 22 runs in a over bowled a free hit ball that was full toss. That went for six. Ben Calitz, at the other end, was a little more willing to go for his shots. Their 65-run partnership, off 44 balls, formed the backbone of a total of 154. At that point, Cricinfo’s forecaster only gave Ireland an 18% chance of victory.

Shivam Dube picked up two wickets in two balls and broke the partnership that was the biggest threat to India. He had Calitz caught at deep point, a wicket created by good process. Dube led the batter to the square boundary which was a lot bigger than the straight one. He also made it harder for Calitz to access his power by bowing wide of off stump and making him reach out. Gareth Delany came out at the fall of that wicket and was undone by a wobble seam delivery that nipped back in and crashed into his stumps. It could’ve been the ball of the series were it not for what Moondra did in the chase.

Picked in place of Prasidh Krishna, and making his T20I debut, Prince picked up three wickets and went for less than run a ball. He was able to do so because he had threat whether he went short and into the pitch or full and into the blockhole. His final two wickets came in the last over of the innings, which he was given ahead of the more established Harshit Rana. One was back of a length to dismiss Tector. The other was a slower ball to topple Liam McCarthy. This varied skillset that he has, on top of the pace he can produce, might just have marked him out as a very real prospect for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

That was a sign in the crowd and it had plenty of airtime as Moondra dismissed Sanju Samson with the first ball of the chase – a venomous inswinger – and added Abhishek Sharma before that over was out. It was only the fourth time in the entire history of T20Is that both openers had fallen for golden ducks.

A modest target might have been helping India hold their nerve with the scoreboard reading 1 for 2 but Moondra kept making it difficult. The left-arm quick highlighted the slowness of the pitch when he had Shreyas Iyer dragging a wide ball back onto his stumps and then was part of an incident that revealed just how much this series has got under the opposition’s skin. He delivered the ball that led to Ishan Kishan’s run-out – off a direct hit by Ross Adair – and the batter left the field wringing his hands at Tilak Varma. India were 35 for 4. Their composure had been shattered.

India went 48 deliveries without a boundary off the bat, between the fifth and 13th overs. This was a function of both the conditions and their sorry state. The Belfast pitch was loathe to let the ball come onto the bat. Also, it was covered with enough grass that any scrambled/wobble seam delivery was getting purchase. Tilak and Axar appreciated the situation they were in and tried to take the game deep. The 12th over though wasn’t that. Matt Hollard dismissed Axar with a bit of extra bounce. Dube came out and even he, who scores a majority of his runs in boundaries, could only find two.

Ireland were brave to pair him up with a left-arm spinner in the death. Matt Humprheys knowing he was at the unfavorable end of the match-up did the only thing he could. He denied the short straight hit. A deliberate ball halfway down the pitch ended up in deep square leg’s hands – the long boundary was used perfectly – and broke India’s chase. Tilak fell seven balls later for 55 off 46 and soon that was that.

Scores:
Ireland 154 for 8 in 20 overs (Ross Adair 16, Harry Tector 53, Lorcan Tucker 15, Benn Calitz 37, George Dockrell 19; Arshdeep Singh 2-35, Harshit Rana 1-17, Prince Yadav 3-22, Shivam Dube 2-25) beat India 153 for 9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 12, Shreyas Iyer 10, Tilak Varma 55, Axar Patel 14, Shivam Dube 20, Harshit Rana 21; Matt Hollard 3-26, Jai Moondra 3-32, Mathtthew Humpreys 1-28, Harry Tector 1-40) by one run

[Cricinfo]

Latest News

Roach’s 300th wicket headlines West Indies’ innings win over Sri Lanka

Published

3 hours ago

2026/06/29

Priyan

Kemar Roach starred with four wickets [Cricinfo]

Kemar Roach rampaged his way to his 300th Test wicket, Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph all bowled menacing spells, and West Indies blasted Sri Lanka out for 101, completing a behemoth innings-and-217-run victory.

Gaining significantly more movement in the air and off the surface than Sri Lanka’s quicks had, West Indies’ fast bowlers threatened to take wickets right through day four’s 27.2 overs. It was Roach that was getting the ball to hoop most, however, finding massive inswing into the right-hander, often late in the ball’s trajectory, to threaten the pads and stumps of the right-handers he bowled to, and the outside edges of the left-handers.

Roach’s 300th wicket was the ninth of Sri Lanka’s innings, Asitha Fernando’s stumps being clattered by a full one speared in from wide of the crease. He was mobbed by adoring team-mates who seemed to take even more delight in his milestone than him, and was later presented a West Indies Test shirt with the number 300 on it to commemorate the occasion. He is the first West Indies bowler since Curtly Ambrose to the milestone. Among fast bowlers, only Courtney Walsh, Ambrose, and Malcolm Marshall have more wickets for West Indies than him.

Sri Lanka were woeful with the bat, and played like a team fatigued from 160.5 overs in the field on days two and three. Dinesh Chandimal was the only batter who managed even some semblance of resistance, batting out 60 balls for his 43. No other batter in the top six managed a double figure score. Some were pinged in front by balls that jagged in. Others nicked off against deliveries that moved away. Two – Kamindu Mendis and Kusal Mendis – had the tops of their off stumps pinged after they had left the ball. West Indies bowled exquisite lines, and rarely bowled a bad ball. Even Sri Lanka’s exceedingly rare boundaries tended to come from full deliveries when the bowlers had gone looking for swing.

After Roach opened the day’s wicket-taking in the first over, swinging a ball into Nishan Madushka’s pads, Seales struck in his own first over, getting nightwatcher Kasun Rajitha to edge to the cordon. Soon after, Shamar Joseph struck twice, pinging Kamindu’s off stump as he shouldered arms, before pinging Dhananjaya de Silva’s front pad to catch him lbw. Late in the session, Alzarri got himself a wicket too, in similar fashion. Having got a ball to leave Kusal, he had the next one jag back into Kusal, who had also let the ball hit his off stump uninterrupted.

Sri Lanka went to lunch at 81 for 6 and it only took West Indies 6.1 further overs to remove the remaining batters. Roach struck twice in two overs to get to his 300th, and after some strong words exchanged with Lahiru Kumara and Sonal Dinusha, Seales took the final wicket to complete a stunning victory.

West Indies, essentially, have dominated this Test from start to finish. And they were so spectacularly dominant in days three and four, they crushed an opponent that had been expected to compete.

Scores:
West Indies 626 for 9 dec in 160.5 overs (Amir Jangoo 233, Roston Chase 194; Milan Rathnayaka 5-124) beat Sri Lanka 308 in 71.5 overs (Dhananjaya De Silva 120, Dinesh Chandimal 54; Justin Greaves 3-39) & 101 in 31.2 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 43; Kemar Roach 4-51, Jayden Seales 3-14, Shamar Joseph 2-19) by an innings and 217 runs

[Cricinfo]