5 Players Who Took the World By Storm With Their Performance In ICC T20 World Cup 2021

The 2021 T20 World Cup ended last night with Australia registering a comprehensive 8-wicket win over New Zealand to win their maiden ICC title in the shortest format. Both New Zealand and Australia had never won an ICC T20 World Cup title before. Both the teams fought hard in a quest to win their maiden title and it was Australia who had the last laugh.

Kane Williamson’s sensational 85-run knock off 48 balls went in vain as Australia chased down a 172-run target in 18.5 overs. Australian batsmen, David Warner and Mitchell Marsh were brilliant on the night of the final. Warner played yet another valuable knock of 53 runs off 38 balls, while Mitchell Marsh played an unbeaten 77-run knock off 50 deliveries.

The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 witnessed sensational individual performances both with the bat and the ball. Over the course of close to a month, the fans got to see gigantic sixes, heart-warming hat-tricks, special knocks under pressure, and a lot more. In this article, we look at five players who showcased outstanding performances in the tournament.

5 Players Who Took the World By Storm With Their Performance In ICC T20 World Cup 2021

1. Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler might have not finished as the highest run-scorer in the tournament but he, arguably, made the biggest impact with the bat. Amongst all the top five run-scorers, he has the highest average and strike rate of 89.67 and 151.12 respectively. Buttler looked in superlative form right from England’s first match of the tournament.

His unbeaten century against Sri Lanka was arguably the best knock in the tournament. On a slow and sluggish track of Sharjah where the ball wasn’t coming on nice on the bat, Buttler paced his innings brilliantly. Despite wickets falling at one end, he hung in there and launched the attack at the right time. He, unfortunately, got out cheaply in the semi-final match against New Zealand and England went on to lose that game. Overall, the English opener scored 269 runs in 6 matches at an average of 89.67.

2. David Warner

David Warner came into the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on the back of poor performances in IPL 2021. He wasn’t able to score freely and got out cheaply of almost all occasions. A lot of cricket experts had, in fact, written him off and reckoned that he wasn’t the batsman he used to be.

The southpaw, however, looked a completely different batsman while donning the Australian jersey in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He blew hot and cold in the first few matches but wreaked havoc during the business end of the tournament. His last three innings’ scores read: 89(56), 49 (30), and 53 (38). His outstanding contribution was pivotal to Australia’s success in the tournament.

Chasing a 172-run total in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup, Australia needed a good start and David Warner ensured them of the same. He played till the 13^th over and took Australia to a winning position. As a result of these contributions, David Warner was adjudged as the Player of the Tournament. The Australian opener finished the tournament with 289 runs in 7 matches at an average of 48.17.

3. Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga is currently the number one bowler in T20 international. The Sri Lanka spinner bowled like one in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He was outstanding throughout the tournament. Hasaranga proved to be one of the most efficient bowlers in the tournament.

It wasn’t easy to take him on, given his ability to bowl disciplined line and lengths. Hasaranga gave away runs at less than 6 runs an over and picked 16 wickets in 8 matches at an average of less than 10. He finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker. Hasaranga’s best performance came against South Africa, in which he picked his maiden hat-trick and finished with figures of 3 for 20 in 4 overs.

4. Babar Azam

Former Pakistan cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar was unhappy for not giving the Player of the Tournament to Babar Azam. He criticized the decision as Babar Azam scored the most runs in the tournament.

The Pakistan skipper was one of the most consistent batsmen in the tournament, having managed to score 303 runs in 6 matches at an average of 60.60. He was the only batsman to have scored more than 300 runs in the tournament. Having said that, the Pakistan captain would be disappointed to not have led the team to a title win.

5. Adam Zampa

Amongst all the world-class bowlers in the Australian bowling attack, it was Adam Zampa who stood out with the ball. There wasn’t a single occasion when he endured a bad outing with the ball. Zampa bowled remarkably well throughout the tournament.

He picked 13 wickets in 7 matches and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker. It won’t be wrong to say that Adam Zampa is one of the most under-rated bowlers in white-ball cricket at the moment. Amongst all the notable performances by the Australians, Adam Zampa deserves a special mention.