Top 5 cricketers of the week - January 23 to January 28
It was largely a good week for visiting teams. Four matches were played during this week. In the first T20I between India and England, the visitors thumped India at Kanpur by 7 wickets in a one-sided match of sorts.
Sri Lanka pulled off a stunning heist in the penultimate ball of the third T20I against South Africa at Cape Town to register a come-from-behind series win in T20s after being handed a thorough beating in the Tests. At least, they won’t return home empty-handed, even though their defeat in the first ODI against South Africa would be particularly deflating.
Pakistan succumbed to a fourth consecutive ODI loss against Australia at the Adelaide Oval to lose the series 1-4.
As usual, there were some sensational performances. Eoin Morgan, Imran Tahir, Babar Azam and Travis Head miss out despite turning in sublime performances. Here are the top 5 players of the week:
#5 Moeen Ali – 2/21 v India, Kanpur
In a Player of the Match performance, Moeen Ali’s innocuous off-spin helped England stifle and suffocate India as they managed to post only 147 in the first T20I. Ali picked up the big wickets of Virat Kohli and later, Manish Pandey, ending the evening as the only bowler to go at less than 6 per over from either side.
Chasing the modest target, England romped home in just 18.1 overs, with Eoin Morgan consolidating his return to form with a blistering 38-ball 51 that included four sixes. Yuzvendra Chahal also registered fine figures of 2-27 in his 4fourovers, although that couldn’t help India’s cause, no thanks to their expensive fast bowlers.