The Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup has just ended, and the four teams to have qualified for the semifinals are New Zealand, England, India, and Pakistan. While hosts Australia paid the price for their heavy defeat against New Zealand in their opening match, South Africa lived up to their dubious distinction of coming a cropper in important matches by losing to the Netherlands.
However, in this article, we will focus on the five best individual performers in the super 12 stage.
Let’s get on with the list, in no particular order:
#1 Suryakumar Yadav (India)
If any bowler in world cricket is asked to disclose his most dreaded task at the moment, it might be the one of bowling to Suryakumar in the shortest format of the game. Not only the 32-year-old Indian batter has already surpassed 1000 calendar-year runs in 2022, and he has also scored them at a breathtaking pace.
He is the second-highest run-scorer in this year’s World Cup with 225 runs and has regularly maintained a strike over 160-170. He scored a brilliant 68 out of his team’s total of 130-odd on a difficult surface in Perth against the strong bowling attack of the South Africans and then again put the Zimbabwean bowling attack to the sword with a swashbuckling 61 off 25 deliveries.
Yadav is solid on the leg side, and some of the sweeps he played off the pacers over the fine-leg boundary have been incredible.
However, it does not mean that he cannot play his strokes on the offside and is likely to punish anything full outside the line of off-stump. Now, the only thing a bowler can do is bowl a back-of-length delivery just outside the off-stump line and leave the rest to the almighty.
#2 Virat Kohli (India)
Kohli is yet another Indian who cannot escape any such list. He has been sublime in the tournament and leads the list of top run-scorers with 246 runs. The 34-year-old played a mind-numbingly good knock of 82 not out in India’s nail-biting win against Pakistan in their opening match that set the ball rolling for them.
Kohli has perfectly complemented Surya with his cautious approach and scoring runs by playing conventional shots through the gaps between fielders. However, he has also cleared the ropes with ease regularly and has been particularly impressed with his lofted shots down the ground.
Kohli’s form has reduced the worries of his skipper, and being a big-match player, it will not be shocking if he comes up with yet another good knock in the semis and then again in the final, should he get a chance.
#3 Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
The 25-year-old Phillips has been the most impressive youngster in the tournament and has already totaled 195 runs. In this context, we have to remember that he did not play in the first two matches of New Zealand, and it makes his feat even more commendable.
Phillips played shots all around the park to score a fantastic ton against Sri Lanka and then again scored a brilliant half-century against England. Had he been on the wicket for a bit longer, the Kiwis would probably have been able to beat the English. Phillips is firm on the leg side and hits monstrous sixes over the long-on and mid-wicket boundaries.
However, with the surface in Sydney slowing down and expected to help the spinners, Phillips might find it a bit challenging to clear the ropes against the spin of Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Iftikhar Ahmed in the middle overs. He will be able to prove his mettle by going through that challenge on Wednesday.
#4 Sam Curran (England)
England had a challenge of sorts before the start of the tournament as regards their bowling. They had plenty of options, having a team full of bowling all-rounders in the team, but they also needed someone to step up.
Curran has been the one to do it, having taken 10 wickets in the tournament so far and looking good to get more. His return of 5/10 against Afghanistan is the best by any English bowler ever, and he has surprised the English supporters pleasantly by mixing up his speed and altering his length judiciously.
He has bowled the slower deliveries well and tempted the batters to risk playing big shots on big Australian grounds. He has also bowled the wide yorkers well and has not gone for too many runs in any of the matches. If England is to do well against India, Curran will again have to bowl at his best against the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up.
#5 Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
If there has been a consistent all-round performer in this World Cup, it is Shadab Khan. He has been a regular player for Pakistan in white-ball cricket for quite a few years now but seems to have stepped up with an improved performance with both bat and ball in this tournament.
Shadab has picked up 10 wickets so far with his intelligent leg-break bowling and has not gone for too many runs. He has been a partnership-breaker for Pakistan in the middle overs and has not bowled too full for the most part.
He has also mixed his googlies nicely to take the batters by surprise and has often finished his spell in one go. With the pitch in Sydney likely to help the spinners, Shadab will again play a vital role against the New Zealanders, who are not very adept at playing spin.
Moreover, Shadab scored 78 runs in the tournament, including a breezy half-century against South Africa, to reaffirm his status as an all-rounder. He got dismissed by playing rash shots against India and Zimbabwe but seemed to have gotten his act together with the bat after that. The Pakistani supporters, therefore, will hope that Shadab’s good form continues till the end of the World Cup.
Read Now: 3 Big Stars Who Flopped Big Time in T20 World Cup 2022
