With the group stage over and done with, cricket.com.au has selected its World T20 Team of the Tournament
World T20: Team of the Tournament
The Super 10 phase is complete, the semi-finalists are set and it's now time to pick the best XI from what's been an exhilarating 2016 ICC World T20.
Only Super 10 phase matches were considered in contests that pitted the best of the best against each other, ruling out Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal, who despite being the tournament's leading run-scorer, scored a majority of his runs in the Qualifying stage.
That said, there was plenty to choose from in a tournament that's seen some breathtaking performances with the bat, ball and in the field.
1. Chris Gayle (West Indies)
Image Id: ~/media/2E61801BE5B84841B1A754B7A8745C67Matches: 3 | Runs: 104 | Average: 104 | Strike Rate: 208 | HS: 100no
If there was any doubt as to who was the most destructive batsman in the world prior to the tournament, Christopher Henry Gayle made it clear he still comfortably owns the title. Set 183 to win by England in their opening match, the brutal left-hander did it in a canter, clocking 11 sixes to finish unbeaten on 100 from only 48 deliveries as the Windies reached the target with 11 balls to spare. Gayle is the only player to hit two World T20 centuries, and continues to be an imposing figure at the top of the order for the 2012 champions.
2. Martin Guptill (New Zealand)
Image Id: ~/media/70EAE2C0A02A453CAD0E8A18494432CBMatches: 3 | Runs: 125 | Average: 41.66 | Strike Rate: 162.33 | HS: 80
New Zealand are the only side through to the semis undefeated and they can thank Martin Guptill for the rapid starts he's been providing at the top of the order. His tournament started with a bang and a bust – hitting Ravi Ashwin's first ball of the Super 10 phase for six before he was trapped lbw next ball. An early onslaught against the Australians in Dharamshala paved the way for a tense eight-wicket victory, and then he hit his straps against Pakistan with 80 from 48 balls. The 29-year-old has found pacing his innings in Test cricket difficult in recent times, but has played with freedom and clarity in the shortest format of the game.
3. Virat Kohli (India)
Image Id: ~/media/8DD7FB6220B147D38C414457520706E8Matches: 4 | Runs: 184 | Average: 92| Strike Rate: 132.37 | HS: 82no
While Gayle might be the most destructive T20 batsman, Virat Kohli is the most clinical, the most fearless, and arguably the best. Two innings exemplify his ability to absorb pressure and use it as fuel to motor to victory. Against arch-rivals Pakistan on a pitch that was spinning square from ball one, Kohli was calculated in compiling a match-winning 55 from 37 deliveries. He one-upped himself in the virtual quarter-final against Australia, timing his run to perfection, hitting nine fours and two sixes and sprinting between the wickets like a thief who just burgled an extra run. Batting second in T20 cricket, Kohli averages an incredible 92 and has guided his side to victory in nine out of 19 innings. That record is starting to sway opposition captains from batting first when they win the toss.
4. Joe Root (England)
Image Id: ~/media/3B3CDE5140D84BD580A1248DA1B26FDDMatches: 4 | Runs: 168 | Average: 42 | Strike Rate: 150 | HS: 83
One of the four brightest young batsmen in the world (alongside Kohli, Kane Williamson and Steve Smith), Joe Root has a game that can adapt to all formats, all conditions and all scenarios. Root's 48 against the West Indies was to no avail after the Gayle Force hit, but the knock he will be most remembered for this campaign is his stunning 83 from 44 balls in England's successful pursuit of South Africa's 4-229. Entering at 2-71 in only the fifth over, the asking run rate was still more than 10 runs an over. Undaunted, Root set about his business, scoring off nine of his first 10 legitimate balls with no boundaries to speak of. He then went 6,6,1,1,4 in his next five deliveries to get his mojo flowing, and continued to up the ante as his innings progressed. Root's last 10 balls reaped 25 runs before he was out in the penultimate over, but by that stage the damage had been done and the unthinkable win was practically won.
5. Jos Buttler (England)
Image Id: ~/media/3F4804917C6B4959AF7EE2ABEC6FEA48Matches: 4 | Runs: 123 | Average: 41 | Strike Rate: 151.85 | HS: 66no
Another player who relishes the freedom T20 cricket offers, Jos Buttler has been a consistent run-getter for England in their fruitful campaign. With handy contributions – 30 and 21 both at a strike rate of 150 – against the Windies and Proteas, respectively, Buttler was primed for a breakout knock and he delivered against Sri Lanka. Needing a win to guarantee a spot in the semi-finals, the dashing right-hander blasted a whirlwind 66 from 37 balls with eight fours and two sixes. It was enough to propel England to 4-171 – a total too grand for the gallant Sri Lankans. Tidy behind the stumps, it's Buttler's heroics with the bat that have seen him selected.
6. Shane Watson (Australia)
Image Id: ~/media/9CAA2558EAD94FC3A40A79261640BF6CMatches: 4 |Runs: 96 | Average: 48 | Strike Rate: 150 | HS: 44no
Wickets: 5 | Average: 20.60 | Strike Rate: 16.8 | Economy: 7.35 | BB: 2-23
In his final tournament in international cricket, Shane Watson left it all out on the field and exited the game at the highest level with his head held high. Initially opening the batting, Watson's move down the order paid dividends as he posted a polished and powerful 44 from just 21 balls against Pakistan to lift Australia to an insurmountable 4-193. Heading into the winner-takes-all clash against India in Mohali, Watson was well aware it might have been his last match in the green and gold (and black), delivering a sterling performance. On a tricky track to bat on, Watson's 18no was more than handy, but it's with the ball where he really shined, taking 2-23, including the big wickets of Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. Unfortunately for the veteran allrounder, it wasn't enough, but he bowed out as Australia's mightiest T20 player with a myriad of well-wishers.
7. MS Dhoni (c, wk, India)
Image Id: ~/media/28249226DB31471F9F9E9E0FE079A371Matches: 4 | Runs: 74 | Average: 74 | Strike Rate: 121.31 | HS: 30
Catches: 4 | Stumpings: 4
It's been another fantastic competition for MS Dhoni, who has taken a back seat to his heir apparent Kohli. While his contributions appear miniscule in terms of pure numbers, he's had limited opportunities to impose himself. Against New Zealand he was fighting a lone cause after the rest of his team was suffocated by Black Caps spin. He iced the cake against Pakistan and Australia, hitting the winning runs on both occasions. And against Bangladesh, Dhoni added 13 off 12 balls, but more importantly, affected two crucial stumpings and the run out from the final ball to secure a team hat-trick and the unlikeliest of wins. His captaincy has again been exemplary and is a big reason why India can go all the way.
8. Mitchell Santner (New Zealand)
Image Id: ~/media/6C8B6A30DFEF48B6ACE2EF751FEF8AE0Matches: 4 | Wickets: 9 | Average: 9.55 | Strike Rate: 10 | Economy: 5.73 | BB: 4-11
The left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner has been a revelation for the Black Caps. Part of a one-two punch with leggie Ish Sodhi, Santner has been accurate, effective and almost unplayable on pitches that have spun, and just as difficult on those wickets that haven't. Bowling fast and into the wicket, Santner spun a web around India's batsmen, whom are considered the best players of the turning ball in the world, to help deliver one of the tournament's biggest upsets. He carried that form into the contest with trans-Tasman rivals Australia and got one to grip and fizz past the outside edge of Steve Smith's bat to find the skipper comprehensively stumped.
9. Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)
Image Id: ~/media/16371F62D68F48998A9E6B629CE04267Matches: 4 | Wickets: 8 | Average: 9.75 | Strike Rate: 11.7 | Economy: 4.97 | BB: 3-18
To concede less than five runs per over in T20 cricket is remarkable, and that's what the remarkable Ish Sodhi has managed in the World T20 to date. Santner's partner in crime, leg-spinner Sodhi has baffled and bamboozled opposing batsman with drift, drop and a well-disguised wrong 'un. The feather in his cap is the wicket of Kohli in Nagpur – drawing the batsman forward to lurch at a flighted leg-break which gripped, ripped and found the outside edge of the master batsman's blade through to the 'keeper. His partnership with Santner is a major reason why the Black Caps went through the Super 10 phase undefeated, and they did it with the pressure to perform with star seam-bowling pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult sitting on the sidelines.
10. Samuel Badree (West Indies)
Image Id: ~/media/7214038B5A2444CBA7A15536DC837941Matches: 4 |Wickets: 6 | Average: 13.66 | Strike Rate: 15 | Economy: 5.46 | BB: 3-12
Another leg-spinner in the line-up, Samuel Badree just pipped fellow wrist-spinner Imran Tahir of South Africa. While their statistics are almost identical, what got Badree across the line was that he has opened the bowling in every match of the Windies campaign, taking the new ball with only two men allowed to patrol the boundary. Not a huge turner of the ball, his guile has been his biggest weapon against top-order batsman reluctant to advance or play across the line. The former No.1 T20 bowler in the world will face a stern test against India in Mumbai on Thursday.
11. Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh)
Image Id: ~/media/2CD76A1DDD084204A1B409BE73BEA855Matches: 3 | Wickets: 9| Average: 9.55 | Strike Rate: 8 | Economy: 7.16 | BB: 5-22
The only genuine fast bowler in the XI, Mustafizur Rahman has been the breakthrough bowler in the tournament. The left-armer has bowled with good pace and clever variation, and has left more than one batsman looking foolish. Bowling second-change in each match, Rahman was fantastic against Australia in his first game, crashing a speedy yorker into Steve Smith's stumps. He backed it up with two more wickets against powerhouse India before taking 5-fa against the Black Caps, with four of his victims bowled. At only 20, Rahman has a bright future at the highest level.