T20 World Cup 2021: Best Playing XI from Super 12 round
The Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is done and dusted now. Favorites India have been eliminated before the semifinals, while Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia and England have qualified for the knockout stage.
Pakistan surprised the cricket universe by topping the Group 2 standings in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. They beat India, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia to emerge as the only undefeated team from the Super 12 stage. The Blackcaps finished second in Group 2 by winning four of their five matches.
England and Australia, meanwhile, won four matches each in Group 1. The Eoin Morgan-led outfit finished number one because of their superior net run rate. South Africa also won four matches in Group 1, but they exited before the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 semifinals because of their inferior net run rate.
There were some excellent performances from players of all 12 teams in the Super 12 stage. Let's take a look at the best playing XI from the Super 12 games.
Openers - Babar Azam (c) and Jos Buttler (wk)
Pakistan captain Babar Azam will lead this team. The right-handed batter is currently the leading run-scorer in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, with 264 runs in five innings and an incredible batting average of 66.
England's wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler will open the innings with Babar Azam. Buttler is the only player to score a century in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 so far. He has aggregated a total of 240 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 155.84.
Middle Order - Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram and Asif Ali
Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram played an important role in South Africa's success at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. The two middle-order batters scored consistently for the Proteas. While Van der Dussen scored 177 runs at an average of 59, Markram aggregated 162 runs at a strike rate of 145.94.
Pakistan's Asif Ali completes the middle-order. He played only three innings in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 stage but was not dismissed even once. Ali scored 57 runs, and his cameos against New Zealand and Afghanistan played a vital role in Pakistan's journey to the semifinals.
Click here to see who has taken the highest wickets in T20 World Cup 2021.
All Rounders - Ravindra Jadeja, David Wiese and Wanindu Hasaranga
Ravindra Jadeja is the only Indian cricketer in this team. The southpaw scored 39 runs at an average of 39 and picked up seven wickets at an average of 14.42 in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Jadeja won two Man of the Match awards in the Super 12s as well.
David Wiese was one of the top performers for Namibia. The all-rounder scored 127 runs and scalped three wickets in the Super 12s.
Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga will lead the team's spin attack alongside Jadeja. Hasaranga scalped 10 wickets and scored 48 runs in the Super 12s. He also took a hat-trick against South Africa.
Bowlers - Trent Boult, Josh Hazlewood and Anrich Nortje
Trent Boult was the most successful fast bowler in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 round. The Kiwi speedster bagged 11 wickets in five matches at an economy rate of less than six runs per over. Boult won the Man of the Match award in New Zealand's virtual eliminator match against Afghanistan.
South Africa's Anrich Nortje and Australia's Josh Hazlewood will support Boult in the pace attack. The two right-arm pacers were the most successful fast bowlers from their respective teams. Nortje accounted for nine wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 5.37, while Hazlewood took eight wickets in five games, including a four-wicket haul in a crucial match against the West Indies.
Best Playing XI from ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 matches
Babar Azam (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Asif Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, David Wiese, Wanindu Hasaranga, Trent Boult, Josh Hazlewood and Anrich Nortje.