The eight-person shortlist for the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, which was revealed by the ICC, included Sanju Samson, the in-form opener for India.
All-rounder Will Jacks of England, opener Sahibzada Farhan of Pakistan, pacer Lungi Ngidi and captain Aiden Markram of South Africa, all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and batsman Tim Seifert of New Zealand, and US spinner Shadley van Schalkwyk are the other nominees.
Samson lit up the T20 World Cup with back-to-back player-of-the-match performances despite not playing in the early stages of the competition.
The opener was the hero of India’s seven-run victory on Thursday, as he hit a 42-ball 89 against England in the quarterfinals. Prior to that, the defending champions defeated the West Indies by five wickets in a virtual quarterfinal thanks to his 50-ball 97. In his four tournament games, the wicketkeeper-batter has amassed 232 runs at an average of 77.33 and a strike rate of 201.73.
Six of his team’s eight T20 World Cup victories have been attributed to Jacks. In eight games, he has amassed 226 runs and claimed nine wickets, winning four player-of-the-match awards.
Farhan set a record for the most runs scored in a single T20 World Cup by scoring 383 in six innings. In addition, he struck 100 against Namibia and Sri Lanka, making history as the first player to register two hundreds in a single tournament.
Ngidi was South Africa’s most reliable fast bowler and the key component of their pace battery, taking 12 wickets from seven games at an economy rate of 7.19.
Proteas’ performances at this T20 World Cup were mostly attributed to South Africa captain Markram, a right-hander who scored three half-centuries in eight games, amassed 286 runs, and claimed a wicket.
With 128 runs and 11 wickets from eight games, New Zealand all-rounder Ravindra has shown value for his team with both bat and ball.
Van Schalkwyk established the standard for bowlers in this T20 World Cup, despite the USA’s elimination after the first group round. The American bowler took 13 wickets at a decent economy rate of 6.80 in just four games.
With eight half-centuries and 274 runs in eight games, wicketkeeper-batter Seifert has contributed significantly to New Zealand’s journey to the T20 World Cup final.
Sunday’s summit clash between India and New Zealand will take place in Ahmedabad.
