The ICC T20 World Cup has concluded, with India claiming their third title in 10 editions.
There have been some outstanding individual performances in this tournament.
Is it time to reveal our Team of the World Cup?
1. sANJU sAMSON(IND)
The man who rescued India from a possible exit in the Super Eight Stage.
Following a heavy loss to South Africa in the first match, the last game against the West Indies was effectively a quarter-final.
After Shai Hope’s side posted a highly competitive 195-4 on the board, India needed someone to play the anchor role and help lay the foundation for the others to chase it down.
Samson responded brilliantly with an unbeaten 95 off 50 balls.
He backed it up with an 89 off 42 against England in the semis, and then another 89 off 46 in the Final against New Zealand.
This made him the Player Of The Tournament with 321 runs, and he finished third in the top run scorers, behind Sahibzada Farhan, who scored 383, and Tim Seifert(NZL), who scored 326.
Before the tournament started, there was no doubting Samson’s talent as a batter, but it was a question of whether he could produce these kinds of innings when it mattered.
Boy, did he respond, and who knows? If he converts this form into the 50-Over format, we could even see him at the 2027 World Cup.
2. iSHAN kISHAN(IND)
The Left-Hander is another player who has performed so well for India at this tournament.
317 runs at a strike rate of 192, with a magnificent 77 against arch rivals Pakistan.
Kishan also scored a 54 and produced a 98-run opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma, who finally showed his potential, with 52 off 21 in the final.
He also took a brilliant catch to dismiss Rachin Ravindra in the Powerplay.
He is a pocket dynamite for India and could be an important player in the future.
3. SAHIBZADA FARHAN(PAK)
The standout player for Pakistan in this tournament.
The highest run scorer, unfortunately, did not make it into the semis, due to a poor run rate, as they only beat Sri Lanka by five runs in their final Super 8 match.
His overall stats read: 383 runs in seven matches, at a strike rate of 160.25.
His best innings was the century against Sri Lanka, which he made in 60 balls.
A young talent for Pakistan, who could be a vital asset for them in the future.
4. HARRY BROOK(ENG) (C)
The England captain is at number four and is the captain of this team. Even though England did not win this tournament, he, along with Jacob Bethell, was one of the two standout performers for the country with the bat.
However, you need someone to captain the side, and Brook did a pretty good job.
There were certain aspects of his captaincy that were questionable, e.g., bowling changes and bringing Adil Rashid into the attack slightly late against India, especially when Samson was already set.
However, his performance with the bat was sublime, with 235 runs in eight matches, at a strike rate of 160.
Let’s also not forget that this is his first tournament in his tenure as England’s white-ball Captain, so to put in a performance like this was outstanding.
His best performance came against Pakistan in the Super Eight Stage, where England were chasing 164 to win.
He scored a century in 52 balls, and it wasn’t easy, as England were losing wickets around him.
He didn’t get them over the line, but he got them ever so close, and despite a flurry of late wickets, England managed to scrape through by two wickets.
How will he do in the 50-Over World Cup next year?
5. rACHIN rAVINDRA(NZL)
The Left-Handed Kiwi All-rounder is in at number five. Ravindra has been a consistent performer for New Zealand at ICC tournaments.
He proved this yet again, with 12 wickets in nine matches, with his best performance coming against Sri Lanka, where he took 4-27.
Cricket analysts have given him a rating of 7.5/10 for the tournament and pointed out that his bowling performance bettered his batting.
A complete contrast to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, where it was his bat that did the talking, as he was the highest run scorer in that tournament.
If he can find some consistency in both assets of his game, he has the potential to be the next Daniel Vetorri/Mitchell Santner.
What does the future have in store for the 26-year-old?
6. WILL JACKS(ENG)
At number six, we have the big hitting Jacks, who has been another shining light for England.
Picked in the side as a finisher, Jacks certainly lived up to expectations with the bat, especially in his innings of 53 against Italy in the Group Stage match in Kolkata.
He also took 3-22 in the Super Eight game against Sri Lanka, which included the crucial wicket of Kusal Mendis.
He also won four Player Of The Match awards, equalling Australia’s Shane Watson, who achieved this feat in 2012.
Will we see him at the 50-Over World Cup?
7 JASON HOLDER (WI)
The West Indies also had a good World Cup, where they were within one game of reaching the semi final.
The tall Jamaican all-rounder was one of their standout performers, with contributions with bat and ball.
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He scored a critical 49 against South Africa in the Super Eight clash in Ahmedabad.
His stats for the tournament as a whole were 141 runs at a strike rate of 174.07, and 10 wickets at an average of 20.4.
He is really turning out to be a real match-winner for the West Indies in this format.
8. ADIL RASHID(ENG)
The canny Leg Spinner from England is in at number eight. 13 wickets at an average of 14.55, and economy of 7.84.
His best performance was against Scotland in Kolkata, where he picked up three wickets for 36 runs.
He also got 2-16 against the West Indies in Mumbai, a spell that included the wickets of Roston Chase and Rovman Powell.
He did take 2-41 in the semi-final against India, but it was in a losing cause.
But all in all, a decent tournament for England’s premier spinner.
9. BLESSING MUZARABANI(Zim)
What a tournament the Zimbabweans had, and the 29-year-old speedster was a big reason for it.
13 wickets in six games, at an average of 14.46, and an economy rate of 7.88.
His best performance came against Australia in the Group Stage, when he picked up 4-17, the best figures by a Zimbabwean at the T20 World Cup.
He backed it up with 2-38 against Sri Lanka, which included two big wickets of Kusal Perera and Dasun Shanaka in Colombo.
If he stays fit and Zimbabwe can find a batch of bowlers to back him up, they will certainly be a real force in the future.
10. JASPRIT BUMRAH(Ind)
India’s ace bowler proved exactly why he is the number one bowler in the world, with 14 wickets at an economy rate of 6.21 in the tournament.
It made him the joint highest wicket taker in the tournament alongside Varun Chakravarthy.
He was also the player of the Final with match figures of 4-15, including the wickets of Rachin Ravindra and Mitchell Santner.
The 4-15 is also the best ever spell in a T20 World Cup Final.
He also reached the 500 international wickets landmark, which only Dale Steyn, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath and James Anderson managed to achieve.
What a bowler he has been across all formats for India, and long may he continue to be so.
11. Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA)
Though the USA did not advance past the Group Stages of the T20 World Cup, they still recorded notable wins against the Netherlands and Namibia.
Amongst their best performers, Van Schalkwyk impressed most, with 13 wickets in four matches at an average of 7.76.
His best performance came in the opening game against India in Mumbai, where he picked up 4-25, including the wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.
He backed it up with another 4-25 in the next match against Pakistan. It made him the second bowler after Shahid Afridi(Pak) to claim back-to-back four-wicket hauls at the T20 World Cup.
He certainly looks a fine prospect for the USA, it’s just a matter of him keeping fit and developing his skills as a fast bowler.
So this was World In Sport’s Team of the T20 World Cup.
Let us know yours.