England captain Jos Buttler picked Indian striker Suryakumar Yadav as the player of the tournament for the T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Buttler opted to go with Suryakumar, who made a huge impact for India in the centerpiece with his consistency coupled with a high strike rate.
Suryakumar is the tournament’s third top scorer with 239 points with a tournament-best 189.68 completion rate.
Nine players have been shortlisted for the ICC Player of the Tournament award, with those from England and Pakistan dominating the list.
There are three players from England, two from Pakistan and two from India and one from Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. “I think Suryakumar Yadav for me was someone who played with extreme freedom. He was incredibly eye-catching to watch in such a star-studded line-up. To stand out like he did is incredible,’ Buttler said ahead of his team’s top clash against Pakistan here on Sunday.
Virat Kohli is the other Indian to make the list for his magnificent form in the tournament.
Kohli leads the points standings for India ahead of Suryakumar with 296 points in six games with a staggering average of 98.66 and a strike rate of 136.40. He also hit four half-centuries in the tournament. Buttler, however, highlighted 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 prize.
“Of course there are a couple of our guys on that sheet too – 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 said. he stated on the tournament’s official website, t20worldcup.com.
Pakistani captain Babar Azam was different from Buttler and picked Shadab Khan, whose all-around contributions were instrumental in his side’s late push into the tournament.
“I think it should be Shadab Khan for the way he plays,” Babar said.
”While his bowling has been exceptional, his batting has also improved a lot. His dominant performances over the past three games along with his outstanding roster make him a prime candidate for player of the tournament. ”
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