The super-12 stages of the ICC T20 World Cup have concluded, with 4 teams proceeding to the semi-finals. All the contests in the two groups were filled with great thrill and excitement.
A few players stood out amongst the rest due to their consistent performances in this round. Based on SportiScore’s formula of points, we have brought to you the 5 top performers of the super-12 stages. These players have set the cricket stage on fire in this year’s World Cup.
So, are you excited to read about them and their performances? If yes, then keep reading.
1) Suryakumar Yadav
The majority of cricket experts predicted SKY to be the highest run-scorer in the World T20 2022. He is currently third on the list, but there’s every chance he finishes right on top to continue his rapid rise. However, the highlight is not the number of runs for SKY, but the dominating way he scores them.
His World Cup campaign didn’t start on a high as he was dismissed for just 15(10) in India’s World Cup opener. He faced 10 deliveries there, but it was evident he was in fine touch. It proved perfectly right when he smashed 51*(25) in the next game against the Netherlands. But, the best of Surya was yet to come.
In the next game against Proteas, India were reeling at 48 for 5 on a spicy Perth track. SKY carried them single-handedly to 133. That innings was certainly one of the best in the tournament. His World Cup kept getting better as he scored 30(16) against Bangladesh and 61*(25) against Zimbabwe.
In his 5 innings at the World Cup, he has accumulated 225 runs at an extraordinary average of 75 and a super impressive strike rate of 193.97. Due to his consistency and high SR, he tops the SportiScore’s performers list with 208.67 points.
2) Shadab Khan
What’s the biggest reason for Pakistan’s semi-final dream turning into reality? Luck or Shadab Khan? I will definitely go for Shadab because he has turned games in Pakistan’s favour on multiple occasions. That’s why he is second on the list with a massive number of 202.65 SportiScores.
In his first World Cup game, he bowled a brilliant spell of bowling, giving away just 21 runs in 4 overs. But he was dismissed for just 5 runs. His batting stats didn’t improve in the next match as his lose shot while batting at 17 costed Pakistan the game. Although he was brilliant with the ball again (4 overs, 23 for 3) but that loss made him cry in the dressing room, and then we all witnessed Shadab’s redemption.
He was Player of the Match in the following game against the Netherlands for his spell of 3 for 22 in 4 overs. His second consecutive Player of the Match award came against South Africa as he ruled the proteas. He arrived at the crease when Pakistan were in a spot to bother at 95 for 5 in 13 overs. His 20-ball 50 took Pakistan to 185, but Bavuma and Markram dragged SA past the par score at the end of 7 overs.
But the man with the golden arm – Shadab Khan – came with the ball in hand to send both of them back to the pavilion in his first over. That over meant SA were asked to chase 73 runs in their last 5 overs, which Pakistan defended easily. Against Bangladesh, Shadab changed the game yet again by two wickets in two balls when Bangladesh had lost just one wicket for 73 runs.
His contributions with the bat and ball motivated Pakistan to get to the final 4 stages when everybody had written them off.
3) Anrich Nortje
Nortje’s World Cup started with a fine spell of 10 for 1 in 2 overs against Zimbabwe. But he had saved the best of him for the next two games. Against Bangladesh at SCG, Nortje picked up 4 scalps for just 10 runs in 3.3 overs. Then, on a fast Perth wicket, he bowled an economical spell (4 overs, 23 for 1) to help SA reduce India to 133.
He also started brilliantly against Pakistan, as he got 2 wickets in his first 2 overs. But, Shadab took him to the cleaners at the death to ruin his figures. He still picked up 4 wickets but went for 41 in 4 overs. In his last outing, he bowled the most economical spell of the competition, conceding only 10 runs in 4 overs and picking up a wicket.
In the super 12 round, he bagged 11 wickets in just 5 games at an economy rate of just 5.37. Hence, he has 178.78 SportiScores against his name and is 3rd highest on the list.
4) Mustafizur Rahman
Bangladesh ended their World Cup campaign in the second-last position in Group 2’s points table. That’s why many fans didn’t realize that Fizz was back to his best and had an excellent tournament. His 173.87 SportiScores have resulted due to the 3 wickets he has picked in 5 games at an economy rate of only 5.6.
He was wicketless in his first two games against the Netherlands and South Africa but gave away just 20 and 25 runs in these two games, respectively. His best performance of the competition came against Zimbabwe, where his spell of 15 for 2 in 4 overs made Bangladesh victorious.
His outing against India wasn’t a great one, as he went wicketless again while conceding 31 runs in 4 overs. But, his WC journey ended on a positive note as he went for just 21 runs against Pakistan and grabbed one wicket. He didn’t get many wickets in the tournament, but his economy rate made him one of the best bowlers in the event.
5) Paul van Meekeren
You may be surprised to see this name here, but he has bowled exceptionally well in the super 12 round of the ICC T20 World Cup. In his first two games against Bangladesh and India, Meekeren’s bowling figures were 2 for 21 and 1 for 31, respectively. He got even better in the following two matches as he took 1 for 19 and 3 for 29 against Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
He was quite expensive in the final game as he went for 33 runs in 3 overs while getting the solitary wicket against South Africa. But, overall, his economy rate in the tournament was just 6.39, and he bagged 8 wickets in 5 games.
Due to these impressive stats, he was awarded 155.17 SportiScores and ended up being 5th on the list of top performers in the super-12 round.
