England captain Jos Buttler on Saturday picked his Player of the Tournament in the T20 World Cup. ICC shortlisted nine players as nominees for the title of the 2022 edition of the World Cup.
There are three players from England, two each from Pakistan and India, and one each from Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Following is the list of nominees for the player of the tournament title:
- Virat Kohli (India)
- Suryakumar Yadav (India)
- Shadab Khan (Pakistan)
- Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
- Sam Curran (England)
- Jos Buttler (England)
- Alex Hales (England)
- Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
- Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
Buttler chose to go with India's Suryakumar Yadav, who made a massive impact for India in the showpiece with his consistency, coupled with a high strike rate.
Surya has played some brilliant knocks for India in the mega event. He has scored 239 runs in six matches including three half-centuries. And had a sensational strike rate of 189.68. Yadav truly announced his arrival on the big stage, while also becoming the No.1 batter in the T20I Player Rankings.
"I think Suryakumar Yadav for me has been someone who's played with extreme freedom. He's been incredibly eye-catching to watch in such a star-studded line-up. To stand out the way he has is amazing," Buttler said.
Virat Kohli is the other Indian to feature in the list for his magnificent form in the tournament.
Virat Kohli has smashed four half-centuries in the six matches that he played and has smashed 296 runs at an average of 98.66. He is the highest run-scorer in the 2022 edition of the tournament.
Buttler, however, highlighted the role of two England players who stood out in the tournament and didn't forget to mention that they had another opportunity to be strong contenders for the award.
"Of course there's a couple of our guys on that sheet as well - Sam Curran and Alex Hales. If they put in a great performance in the final, they can be the Player of the Tournament for me," he was quoted as saying in the tournament's official website, t20worldcup.com.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam differed from Buttler and picked Shadab Khan, whose all-around contributions have been pivotal in his team's late surge in the tournament.
"I think it should be Shadab Khan for the way he is playing," Babar said.
"While his bowling has been outstanding, his batting also improved quite a bit. His dominating performances in the last three games along with his outstanding fielding make him a prime contender for the Player of the Tournament."
