Win Projections to be updated soon
Associate teams can defeat the best teams on any given day since T20 is an unpredictable format. It is less likely to occur in Test matches or the ODI World Cup. A major development in the sport was the introduction of the T20 extravaganza. Since since, the competition has produced a number of stars. Their outstanding performances have helped to define the competition. Many of them helped their team win the T20 World Cup.
The following 10 players rank among the greatest in T20 World Cup history:
1. Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
From 2007 to 2014, Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga was outstanding in the last overs. Sri Lanka made it to the finals in 2009 and 2012 thanks in large part to the unconventional pacer. In 2014, the champion was able to help his team win a championship after suffering heartbreaks. He led the team admirably when things got tight, yet he was still excellent with the ball.
Sri Lanka was dealt some severe blows during the 2014 T20 World Cup. Midway through the competition, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were both out of form, and the former had to be taken off as captain. Lanka was lifted to greatness by a relatively inexperienced Malinga. His best death bowling performance benefited his squad in the last match against India.
2. Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Prior to 2012, Ajantha Mendis was perhaps the best spinner in the T20 World Cup. The unidentified spinner has the second-highest number of wickets taken in 2009 and the top wicket-taker in 2012. During his prime, Mendis was challenging to play. Few people read his variants. Mendis finished as the runner-up in both 2009 and 2012 before winning the title in 2014.
In 2009, during the second iteration of the competition held in England, Mendis took 12 wickets in 7 matches with a bowling average of 11.91, an economy rate of 5.50, and a bowling strike rate of 13.00. During the 2012 T20 World Cup, the unconventional spinner amassed 15 wickets with a 9.80 bowling average, a 6.12 economy rate, and a 9.60 bowling strike rate.
3. Umar Gul (Pakistan)
Similar to Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul will be recognised for his role during Pakistan’s participation in the 2007 and 2009 T20 World Cup. Gul led all wicket-takers in both versions. The bowler that bowled most of the middle overs and death overs was the right-arm pacer, who was possibly the best at the end. He had complete control over Yorkers.
At a bowling average of 11.92, an economy rate of 5.60, and a bowling SR of 12.76 in 7 matches in 2007, Gul claimed 13 wickets. 2009 saw Umar emerge as Pakistan’s top wicket-taker. With an economy rate of 6.44, bowling average of 12.15, and bowling strike rate of 11.30, the right-arm pacer claimed 13 wickets in 7 matches.
4. Darren Sammy (West Indies)
In the T20 World Cup, Darren Sammy stands out as the best captain. His captaincy is shown in the fact that he was able to win two World Cups despite facing challenges in managing a squad as difficult as the West Indies and players’ protests against the boards. He is regarded by many as an excellent captain. But he was also a skilled player.
He led the West Indies in wicket-taking during the 2010 T20 World Cup. In five innings, the medium pacer took six wickets at a bowling average of 12,000, an economy rate of 5.26, and a bowling strike rate of 13.66. He had an incredible batting SR of 224.44 in 2014, scoring 101 runs in 5 innings at a batting average of 101.00, including a game-winning blow against Australia.
5. Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Against South Africa in their own land, Chris Gayle struck a century to kick off the T20 World Cup on an outrageous note. SA easily overtook his 117, so he was ultimately unsuccessful. Nevertheless, the Universe Boss imprinted his mark on the competition from the very beginning. His performance as an opener in the competition has improved ever since.
Over most of their campaigns, particularly in the 2012 and 2016 seasons that they won, the Caribbean behemoth was outstanding for the West Indies. He was the most aggressive hitter for them in both competitions and led them to scorching beginnings. He could easily finish out an opposition team in a few overs when the surface was slow.
6. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)
As an all-rounder in the league, Shahid Afridi was outstanding. He played well for Pakistan in the last few games as a lower-middle order hitter. He was a stingy bowler who delivered long deliveries as a spinner. In the tournament’s first two years, Afridi excelled, finishing in the top half of all wicket-takers.
The great athlete’s performance at the 2009 T20 World Cup will live on in memory. He was named the tournament’s player of the tournament during Pakistan’s championship campaign. At a batting average of 35.20 and a batting SR of 140.80, Afridi scored 176 runs. He took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 5.32 and a bowling average of 13.54 with the ball.
Also read: Last Over Cricket Finishes: Top 5 Thrilling Moments
7. Michael Hussey (Australia)
Michael Hussey stands as one of the best finishers in tournament history. One of the most memorable knocks in the history of the T20 World Cup could have been his against Pakistan in the semifinals. The batters in the event were not that good, yet he averaged over 94 and had an SR of over 175.
In 2010, his effort made Australia’s first-ever T20 World Cup final. Hussey excelled for Australia in the 2012 event, which was held in Sri Lanka with even tougher pitches for batting. The Southpaw amassed a batting average of over 77 and scored over fifty runs, totaling 155 runs.
8. Kevin Pietersen (England)
T20 cricket’s dynamics were altered by Kevin Pietersen. In T20 cricket, an SR of 130 was deemed good until 2012–2013, when pitches were primarily sluggish. Pietersen was an aggressive middle-order hitter, but he was also incredibly consistent. He batted in a fashion that was very innovative and ahead of time at the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Pietersen scared the bowlers because of his unconventional methods of scoring runs. In the 2010 T20 World Cup, his aggressive batting earned him the title of Player of the Tournament. He played a crucial role in England’s triumph and achievement. He performed well and became one of the top middle-order hitters in the competition even in past seasons.
9. Jos Buttler (England)
In the T20 World Cup, Jos Buttler has been an underappreciated performer. For England, he has shown versatility and completed the task at hand. He performed effectively as a wicketkeeper and was an England finisher in the T20 World Cups in 2014 and 2016. Lower down the order in the 2016 T20 World Cup, he played several solid knocks.
He was an opening player for England following the pandemic. Against some of the world’s top bowlers, the ace hitter had a fantastic World Cup in 2021, performing at his most lethal. His greatest legacy as a batter was cemented in the T20 World Cup 2022, where he led England to victory as captain and produced brilliant knocks against both India and Pakistan.
10. Virat Kohli (India)
In the tournament’s history, Virat Kohli has scored the most runs. Apart from 2021, the star player has led India in runs scored in every event since his debut. In the competition, he has made some incredible hits, including 82 against Australia in 2016 and 2022 against Pakistan.
His victories in the league’s knockout stages over the West Indies, South Africa, and Sri Lanka demonstrate why he is regarded as one of its greatest legends. Being the first player to win Player of the Tournament twice, the 35-year-old took home the trophy in 2014 and 2016.
India
