NUMBERS don’t lie.
So it is with Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza’s fairy-tale after the cricketer was named in the International Cricket Council’s Most Valuable Team of the Tournament following his scintillating performances at the just-ended ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
The 36-year-old all-rounder was named among the 12 best performers at the cricket jamboree in Australia on the basis of his fine statistics and the influence he had on Zimbabwe’s performance at the tournament. Raza won many admirers across the globe after leading Zimbabwe beyond the first round of the competition for the first time in six T20 World Cup appearances.
He was also in the running for the big Player of the Tournament, which was eventually scooped by England’s Sam Curran, mainly for the role the left-armer played in helping England clinch their second title in the final against Pakistan on Sunday.
Zimbabwe got nowhere near the final as they crashed out in the Super 12s. But Raza’s outstanding performances were enough to get him a place in the team of the tournament, whose line-up features some of the best players currently in global cricket.
He even made it ahead of players from powerhouses like Australia and Sri Lanka who have none on the shortlist.
The veteran all-rounder delivered a brilliant show with both bat and ball and finished as Zimbabwe’s highest run-scorer in the tournament, with 219 runs to his name at a strike rate of 147.97. Raza also picked up 10 wickets while operating at a mean economy rate of 6.50. He was outstanding with the bat to get Zimbabwe into the Super 12 stage, and his three-wicket salvo helped set up the shock win over Pakistan.
He had a remarkable tournament, winning three Man-of-the-Match awards in the eight games that he played for Zimbabwe during the competition. Raza also provided the best entertainment with the bat at the tournament as he finished with the highest number of sixes. He sat at the top of the table with 11 sixes and was followed by Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis and England’s semi-final hero Alex Hales with 10 apiece. England, who emerged champions in Sunday’s final victory over Pakistan at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, have four players in the Most Valuable Team of the Tournament.
Interestingly, former Zimbabwe youth international Curran, who was born in England in 1998 and spent part of his childhood in the African country, was voted Player of the Tournament.
Curran, son of the late former Zimbabwe cricketer and coach Kevin Curran, played for Zimbabwe Under-13s before deciding to go for England at senior level.
A combination of a panel of experts and an online fan vote saw Curran win the Player of the Tournament award ahead of a number of other high performers from the tournament.
Curran’s compatriots Jos Buttler and Alex Hales, plus Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Raza and Wanindu Hasaranga were the other players nominated to the shortlist for the awards. The left-armer was superb throughout the World Cup, particularly in the death overs, and finished with a stunning return of 3/12 in four overs against Pakistan. He took 13 wickets in the tournament and had a great economy rate of 6.52. His teammates Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Mark Wood were voted into the Team of the Tournament. India’s Virat Kohli, who was the tournament’s highest scorer with 296 runs, was also included in the World Cup team along with compatriot Suryakumar Yadav. England were the biggest winners after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in the final and will receive a whopping US$1.6 million for lifting their second T20 World Cup title.
Runners-up Pakistan will receive exactly half the amount that England got (US$800 000) while the two losing semi-finalists — India and New Zealand — will collect US$400 000 apiece. The eight teams that exited at the Super 12 stage will receive US$70 000 each. This would mean that the Chevrons will pocket in the regions of US$200 000 in total.
With each win paying US$40 000 bonus from the first round, Zimbabwe were assured of at least US$120 000 in bonuses following their wins over Ireland and Scotland in the first round and the stunning on-run win over Pakistan in the Super-12s.
The other games against South Africa ended in a share of the spoils following rain disruptions. A total prize pool of US$5.6 million was at stake during the 16-team team tournament.
Upstox Most Valuable Team of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 (in batting order):
Alex Hales (England) – 212 runs at 42.40
Jos Buttler (captain/wicketkeeper) (England) – 225 runs at 45.00 and nine dismissals
Virat Kohli (India) – 296 runs at 98.66
Suryakumar Yadav (India) – 239 runs at 59.75
Glenn Phillips (New Zealand) – 201 runs at 40.20
Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe) – 219 runs at 27.37 and 10 wickets at 15.60
Shadab Khan (Pakistan) – 98 runs at 24.50 and 11 wickets at 15.00
Sam Curran (England) – 13 wickets at 11.38
Anrich Nortje (South Africa) – 11 wickets at 8.54
Mark Wood (England) – nine wickets at 12.00
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan) – 11 wickets at – The Herald
