Tanzim only Tiger in Rohit-led T20 World Cup team of the tournament

The ninth edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has just come to an end after 29 days of highly competitive cricketing action. While the tournament was not a high-scoring one, it featured a lot of quality cricket with more than half of the matches going down the wire.

The Business Standard (TBS), after a lot of deliberation, has selected their team of the tournament, giving importance to the impact of the players’ performances on results, strike rates and economy rates in specific positions and phases.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (281 runs @35.1, Strike rate: 124.3)

Phil Salt’s fireworks kept him out of the Kolkata Knight Riders XI for the most part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz had an outstanding T20 World Cup. Gurbaz set the tone with 76 and 80 against Uganda and New Zealand respectively and his measured approach on slow and low pitches was one of the reasons behind Afghanistan’s unprecedented World Cup success.

Rohit Sharma (capt) (257 runs @36.7, Strike rate: 156.7)

India were guilty of being too conservative in batting in the previous ICC events but this time around, captain and opener Rohit Sharma took the matter in his own hands and went hard at the top to ensure India had flying starts. India benefited big time from Rohit’s aggressive batting in last year’s 50-over World Cup too and at the age of 37, he finally found the perfect T20 template to keep himself relevant. 

Nicholas Pooran (wk) (228 runs @38, Strike rate: 146.15)

The then skipper Nicholas Pooran’s horror form with the bat was one of the factors influencing the West Indies’ early exit from the last T20 World Cup. Two years later, he was their best player in the home World Cup, carrying his flamboyant batting form from the IPL. The aggressive batter was Lucknow Super Giants’ standout performer in that tournament and flexed his batting muscles in the World Cup as well.

Suryakumar Yadav (199 runs @28.4, Strike rate: 135.3)

On most of the pitches in the India games in the T20 World Cup, batting became a little bit difficult as the ball turned older and softer and that’s why Suryakumar Yadav’s unorthodox batting helped India big time. Lovingly called SKY, Suryakumar was not at his flamboyant best because of the nature of the pitches but his pyrotechnics were mighty effective especially in crunch games like the semifinal against England where power-hitting was not the easiest thing to do.

Marcus Stoinis (169 runs, Strike rate: 164.1, 10 wickets, Economy rate: 8.9)

He may not be part of Australia’s central contracts anymore, but Marcus Stoinis proved in the T20 World Cup why he is still one of their go-to players in the format. Stoinis was one of the most valuable players in the tournament with his big-hitting and slower cutters with the ball. His quick-fire 59 against Scotland and 67 not out against Oman rescued Australia from tricky situations. 

Roston Chase (94 runs, Strike rate: 130.5, 7 wickets, Economy rate: 5.3)

The tall, lanky all-rounder is a late bloomer in T20s but of late, he has been one of the form players in this format. Chase was the home side’s one of the most impactful players in the T20 World Cup with his calculative batting in the middle overs and canny off-breaks with the ball. Chase hit a half-century and took three wickets in their virtual quarterfinal against South Africa but the West Indies narrowly fell short in the last-over thriller.

Hardik Pandya (144 runs, Strike rate: 151.6, 11 wickets, Economy rate: 7.6)

Hardik Pandya was subject to a lot of hate and backlash during the IPL earlier this year after he was abruptly made the Mumbai Indians captain with Rohit still part of the team. His performance as a captain and as a player was massively under par in that tournament, but he became a different player in India colours. Hardik successfully buried the IPL ghosts with his power-packed batting and effective bowling, giving India an edge over the other teams.

Rashid Khan (14 wickets, Economy rate: 6.2, 57 runs, Strike rate: 123.9)

After returning from an injury, Rashid Khan was not at his best in the IPL 2024 but he roared back in the T20 World Cup for Afghanistan. Their talismanic skipper led them to the semifinals for the first time and was one of their most significant performers. His four wickets and a cameo of 19 not out against Bangladesh helped Afghanistan get a narrow win over Bangladesh and reach the semis.

Tanzim Hasan Sakib (11 wickets @13.5, Economy rate: 6.2)

Fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib’s inclusion came as a bit of a surprise as his pace was preferred over Mohammad Saifuddin’s all-round skills by Bangladesh. Tanzim’s aggression and ability to hurry the batters caught the eyes of one and all and his spells against South Africa, Nepal and India will be remembered for a long time by Bangladesh cricket fans. He got rid of batters like Quinton de Kock, Tristan Stubbs, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in the tournament. 

Jasprit Bumrah (15 wickets @8.3, Economy rate: 4.2)

The numbers may not show you the real picture but Jasprit Bumrah was close to unplayable in the T20 World Cup. He almost singlehandedly won India the important match against Pakistan and followed it up by impeccable performances throughout the tournament. His average and economy rate were lower than any other bowler with a minimum of ten wickets in the competition. 

Fazalhaq Farooqi (17 wickets @9.41, Economy rate: 6.3)

The only fast bowler to have a five-wicket haul in the tournament, Fazalhaq Farooqi was by far the best new-ball bowler of the T20 World Cup 2024. The left-arm seamer swung the ball prodigiously up front and the early threat posed by him was difficult to negotiate for every team. Farooqi finished the tournament with 17 scalps, the most by anyone in a single edition of the tournament. 

12th man: Quinton de Kock

Honourable mentions: Naveen-ul-Haq, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav, Travis Head