World T20: A look at all Man of the Tournament awardees so far in the mega event: The sixth edition of the ICC World T20 hosted by India has begun with ample enthusiasm and excitement revolving around the shortest format of the game. All the five previous editions of the event witnessed and presented some of the finest individual efforts in the departments of batting, bowling and fielding. While some of those acts were detrimental in deciding the fortunes of the respective teams, others have simply withered away for they were not as impactful and effective for the teams in the long run. In this feature, we throw a glance the names of five cricketers who not only have fascinated the cricketing world with their startling performances but have also contributed to their teams’ success stories. Let us take a look at the recipients of the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award in the years gone by.
- SHAHID AFRIDI (2007)
Pakistan’s fortunes in 2007 were topsy-turvy. After suffering an early exit at the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, Pakistan’s progress in international cricket was in a shambles. Moreover, the mysterious death of their erstwhile coach Bob Woolmer during the course of the ICC CWC threatened to propel their opulence into jeopardy. It was not until the commencement of the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 that a bunch of scoffed individuals began to break out of their individual cocoons and set the arena on fire in a format which aptly suits their style of play. They reached the final with unparalleled affluence, thrashing and whipping opponents en route to the final against arch rivals India at Johannesburg; an opposition against whom they had lost their sole outing in the tournament, which went down to a bowl out contest after the game was tied. Even though they couldn’t cross the finish line in the final, their display was duly recognised by all and the man who steered the team into the final was their talismanic all-rounder Shahid Afridi. Thus, it didn’t come as a surprise that he was adjudged the Man of the Tournament for his 91 runs and 12 wickets. He failed to create any significant impact in the final where he scored a golden duck and went wicketless. While many would have anticipated Yuvraj Singh to clinch the award, Afridi’s all-round show and a bulk of scalps in the wicket’s column did the trick for him. Afridi is the sole player in T20Is to have the distinction of scoring over 1000 runs and scalping more than 50 wickets.
- TILEKARATNE DILSHAN (2009)
The 2009 ICC World T20 was the platform where Dilshan V 2.0 took over from Dilshan V 1.0. Until the second edition of the tournament got underway in England, the flashy Lankan batsman had been merely looked upon as a pinch hitter who could hit the occasional big scores if he had enough time to convert his starts into big ones.
He hit a crisp 46 (off 39 balls) in Sri Lanka’s Group F fixture against Pakistan at LORD’S, followed it with a sublime 48 (off 37 balls) against New Zealand at the Trent Bridge and further strengthened his cause at the top of the order with an effusive 96* (off 57 balls) in the Quarter Finals against West Indies at the Oval.
Although Sri Lanka got thumped by Pakistan in the final at LORD’S, Dilshan’s metamorphosis was evidently one of the bright spots in their campaign.
He tally accounted for 317 runs from 7 matches with 3 half centuries in that edition. He eventually got the taste of World Cup glory in 2014 when he was a part of the triumphant Lankan team which won the ICC World T20 in Bangladesh that year.
The 2016 ICC World T20 is his sixth World T20 event and the 39 year old veteran will leave no stone unturned to make his final World T20 appearance a memorable one.
- KEVIN PIETERSEN (2010)
He may now have become an isolated figure in the realms of English cricket but England owes its only World Championship title to this individual. Who else could have fetched the Three Lions’ their maiden World T20 trophy? The Caribbean islands of Guyana and Barbados were mesmerised by his astonishing display of stroke play. He made subtle contributions all the way through with notable knocks coming against South Africa (53 off 33 balls), and Pakistan (73* off 52 balls) in the Super Eight Stage. In the semi-final against Sri Lanka in St. Lucia, he scored a blistering 42* (off just 26 balls), and made the below par target of 129 look like a mundane walk in the park. His red hot form remained intact in the final also as he plundered 47 valiant runs against a fuming Aussie line-up, yet again making a mockery of the humble target of 148 set by his Aussie counterparts. KP splendid run in the 2010 ICC World T20 produced 248 runs at an average of 62 and a strike rate of 137.8 owing to which he ended up being the second highest run getter in that edition.
With Pietersen not being around in the England changing room for the 2016 edition of the World T20, the enthusiasts of the game will be deprived of the presence of an unpretentious match winner who delivers the goods in the most sanguine manner whenever he is pushed up against the wall. As half of England’s Group 1 fixtures will take place in Mumbai; King Pieter’s favourite hunting ground in India, the likes of Joe Root and Alex Hales will have to play out of their skins to fill the massive void left by him.
- SHANE WATSON (2012)
Shane-sational. Australia has always had a romantic association with the name Shane as is evident from the names of the late Shane Leslie to the modern day Shane Harwood. However, the most efficacious Shanes of all Shanes are two individuals who have made it to the summit of the Cricketing Mount in their respective careers. Warne and Watson. While the apparent brashness of Warne stayed with him right through his cricketing career, Watson has mellowed down considerably, wisely realising and responding to the added responsibilities on his shoulders. Australia’s premier seam bowling all-rounder made his intentions clear from the outset of the tournament as he put up a terrific all-round display by scoring 51 runs (off 30 balls) and scalping 3 wickets in Australia’s first match against Ireland in Colombo. He once again etched his name on the score-sheet by scoring 41* (off 24 balls) in Australia’s Group B encounter against the eventual champions West Indies. The bat and the ball showed enough courtesy to obey Dr. Watson’s orders as he battered the Indians almost single-handedly in the Super Eight stage with 72 runs (off 42 deliveries) and 3 wickets.
He followed it up by caressing a sumptuous 70 (off 47 balls) against an extremely sturdy South African unit. Watson’s heroics with the bat faded away towards the business end of the tournament and Australia too was flogged at the hands of West Indies in the semi-final in Colombo. Despite the fact that the Aussies couldn’t qualify for the final, Watson’s astounding form throughout the tournament made him the most deserved candidate for the glittering ‘Man of the Tournament’ award for his tally of 249 runs at an average of 49.80 and 11 wickets. The number one ranked all-rounder in T20Is (according to the latest ICC rankings) is the only player in the history of the game to win four consecutive awards in an ICC Cricket World Cup competition (in 2011) and the lone cricketer to have have been adjudged the Player of the Tournament in the IPL twice (2008 and 2013). It’s sheer joy to see Watto collapse his back knee and hit the fuller balls for fluent square drives or lifted lofted shots into the stands with unmatched zeal.
- VIRAT KOHLI (2014)
A batsman of an exalted rank in whose game mingles aggression and watchfulness in equal proportions. That’s Virat Kohli in one line for you. By the beginning of 2014, Kohli had already broken several records in international cricket (including feats such as becoming the second fastest batsman to reach 6,000 ODI runs, fastest Indian to score an ODI century and the fastest Indian to reach 15 ODI centuries). Hence, the responsibility of steering India to victories in the 2014 ICC Cricket World T20 lay on his shoulders. He did not dishearten a billion supporters of India either. Since the fifth edition of the World T20 was being played on Bangladeshi soil, the expectations of Kohli grew manifold owing to his spectacular track record in Bangladesh. No wonder why they call the grounds in Bangladesh his favourite combat zone. India was placed in Group 2 along with the likes of Pakistan, West Indies, Australia and Bangladesh (who had qualified into the Super Ten after having topped their group in the qualifiers). Kohli began to exhibit dazzling form from the outset of the tournament as he top scored with 36* to ensure a seven wicket victory over arch rivals Pakistan in the tournament opener at Mirpur. He bettered it with an elegant 54 (off 41 balls) in the next game against West Indies and remained unbeaten on 57 (from 50 balls) against hosts Bangladesh in the third game. Both his knocks came in winning causes as they helped India complete two consecutive successful run chases. Although, his willow didn’t yield any substantial score against Australia, he returned to his usual best in a crunch semi-final when he made an unbeaten 72 (off 44 balls) to help India attain the target of 173 set by South Africa.
Speaking to Harsha Bhogle in the post-match presentation, Kohli himself declared the innings as his ‘’best T20 innings ever’’.
To the dismay of the Indian supporters, the Indian juggernaut was blocked by Sri Lanka in the final who clinched their maiden World T20 trophy (it was their third shot at the trophy) as they completed an easy five wicket victory after having restricted the Indians to a below par score of 130/4 in the first innings. Kohli was the top scorer in the final too with 77 runs (from 58 balls) which went in vain for a lethargic batting display from Yuvraj Singh (11 off 21 balls) and lack of support from the other end.
Overall, Kohli had amassed 319 runs from 6 matches in that tournament at an average of 106.33 which is a record for most runs by an individual batsman in a single World T20 edition. Hence palpably, there was no alternative candidate for the Man of the Tournament award.
Four out of the five aforementioned players are participating in the grand event this year. Are we going to see a new champion on the podium this time around or will the award return to one of its former holders? You will have to wait till April 3 to decipher that..