Two Indians feature in Wisden’s T20 World Cup XI

The Men’s ICC T20 World Cup will return to international cricket after 5 years. In 2016, West Indies won the title defeating England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Due to the COVID Pandemic, the tournament was postponed which was originally scheduled in Australia. But, one month before the World Cup, the Australian minister said that the national borders would be closed until 2021. This was the reason that the World Cup 2022 will be played in Australia.

The 2021 World Cup will be played in Australia around October- November. Now, the situation in India is also getting stabilized and it is expected that the tournament can proceed smoothly. In April- May, the Indian Premier League will be organized which will give the authorities room to improve the services before the T20 World cup starts later in the year.

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Wisden announces All-time Men’s T20 World Cup XI

Wisden has announced the T20 World cup XI based on the player’s performance in the previous six editions.

Chris Gayle: The player with the most runs in the T20 format has got his place due to his knock in 2012 against Australia, and 48-ball 100 against England in 2016. His contribution to the bowling department has also been impressive.
T20 World Cup stats: 28 matches, 920 runs @ 40, SR: 146.73 | 9 wickets @ 28.66, ER: 7.44

Mahela Jayawardene- The only player to hit 1000 World T20 runs will be at the top-order for the T20 World Cup XI team. In the 2010 and 2012 editions, he averaged more than 50.
T20 World Cup stats: 31 matches, 1,016 runs @ 39.07, SR: 134.74

Virat Kohli- The best batsmen of the decade has not yet got a chance to lift the T20 World Cup. But, his knock of 51-ball 82 against Australia at Mohali has been imprinted on the minds of the people.
T20 World Cup stats: 16 matches, 777 runs @ 86.33, SR: 133.04

Kevin Pietersen- The player who had a knack for playing switch-hit has been one of the best T20 batsmen for the England team. In 2010, he was named as the player of the tournament and helped England to lift the trophy.
T20 World Cup stats: 15 matches, 580 runs @ 44.61, SR: 148.33

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Marlon Samuels- The middle-order batsman has been one of the consistent batsmen in the limited-overs for West Indies. In 2016 final, he scored 56-ball 78 to rescue the team from a difficult position that helped the team to win the match.
T20 World Cup stats: 20 matches, 530 runs @ 31.17, SR: 115.72

Mike Hussey- Often called Mr. Cricket, he is the only Australian player on the list due to his knock of 24 ball 60 against Pakistan in the 2009 World Cup.
T20 World Cup stats: 21 matches, 437 runs @ 54.62, SR: 139.61

MS Dhoni- The former captain of the Indian team has surely been an inspiring captain for India. His leadership quality helped India to win the 2007 World Cup. His best knock of 18 balls 36 came against Australia in the 2007 semi-final.
T20 World Cup stats: 33 matches, 529 runs @ 35.26, SR: 123.88

Shahid Afridi- The Pakistan all-rounder has been one of the best players in the T20 format due to his effective bowling and fantastic finishing abilities. In the 2009 season, he scored back-to-back centuries and picked 11 wickets to help the team win the trophy.
T20 World Cup stats: 34 matches, 39 wickets @ 23.25, ER: 6.71 | 546 runs @ 18.82, SR: 154.23

Lasith Malinga- The yorker specialist has been the start-player for the Sri Lanka team as well as the Mumbai Indians team. He picked up 12 wickets in the 2009 season and captained the side in the 2014 campaign.
T20 World Cup stats: 31 matches, 38 wickets @ 20.07, ER: 7.43

Umar Gul- The Pakistan pacer had been very successful in the early seasons of the T20 World Cup. His best performance came against New Zealand where he picked 5 wickets for just 6 runs in 2009.
T20 World Cup stats: 24 matches, 35 wickets @ 17.25, ER: 7.30

Saeed Ajmal- The mystery spinner was ranked as the no.1 bowler during his prime time. Three consecutive four-wicket-hauls helped the team to win the final in the 2009 World Cup.
T20 World Cup stats: 23 matches, 36 wickets @ 16.86, ER: 6.79

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