Here’s Our Overall T20 World Cup XI

The 2022 T20 World Cup came to a conclusion as England won the title for the second time in history as Jos Buttler’s men beat Pakistan by 5 wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The 2022 T20 World Cup saw some sensational performances from world-class players as they lit up the stadiums with both the bat and the ball in hand. The likes of Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi along with other superstars were at the top of their game as they gave their all to bring glory to their nations.

England became only the second team in history to win the T20 World Cup title on more than one occasion. In eight editions of the tournament, only West Indies and England have won the title on two occasions while Pakistan, India, Australia, and Sri Lanka have won T20 World Cup once.

Over the years, the T20 World Cup has seen some marvelous performances from international superstars as they helped their sides become World Champions.

Let’s have a look at the best performers in T20 World Cup history as we build our overall T20 World Cup XI:

Chris Gayle

The Universe Boss was a cut above the rest in T20 World Cups. Chris Gayle holds the record for most sixes in the tournament’s history, having smashed 63 in 31 innings in the mega-events.

Gayle scored 965 runs at an average of 34.46 and a strike rate of 142.75 in the seven tournaments he took part in. Gayle was instrumental for West Indies as they won the tournament in 2012 and 2016.

Jos Buttler (wk)

England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain, Jos Buttler, has had a marvelous run in the competition over the past two years. Buttler has been sensational in both tournaments and has been the most successful batter across the two editions.

Buttler has scored 799 runs at an average of 42.05 and a strike rate of 144.48 in the 27 innings he has played in tournament history.

Buttler will open the innings alongside Gayle in this XI and will also be the designated wicket-keeper in the side.

Virat Kohli

The most successful batter in T20 World Cup history, Virat Kohli, is a sure shot in this team. Kohli is the highest run-scorer across all editions, having scored 1,141 runs at an astonishing average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30.

Kohli is unlucky to have not won the T20 World Cup yet as he was not part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2007. However, his record in the mega-events speaks for itself.

Mahela Jayawardene

Sri Lanka’s 2012 T20 World Cup winner was the highest run-scorer in the tournament before Kohli overtook him in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Jayawardene was magnificent in the shortest format throughout his career but he brought his best in mega-events.

Jayawardene scored 1,016 runs at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 134.74 in 31 innings in the tournament. His sensational record helps him slot into the fourth spot in our T20 World Cup XI.

Marlon Samuels

West Indies T20 World Cup hero, Marlon Samuels, might not have the best record in T20 World Cups, but his match-winning performances in two finals warrant him a place in this line-up.

Samuels was in top form in both the 2012 and 2016 World Cup finals as he scored marvelous half-centuries in both matches. He scored 78 off 56 balls in 2012 final and 85 off 66 balls in 2016 as West Indies became the first side to win the title on two occasions.

Overall, Samuels scored 560 runs at an average of 31.17 and a strike rate of 115.72 in the 19 innings he played in T20 World Cups.

Shahid Afridi

Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup hero, Shahid Afridi, was a force to be reckoned with in the shortest format of the game. Afridi was sensational, both with the bat and the ball, as he helped Pakistan lift the title in 2009.

Overall, Afridi scored 546 runs at an average of 18.82 and a strike rate of 154.23 in 32 innings in T20 World Cups. His best moments with the bat came in the semi-final and the final of the 2009 T20 World Cup as he scored half-centuries after being promoted to the third spot in the batting order.

Afridi is also the second-highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history. He picked 39 wickets at an average of 23.25 and an economy rate of 6.71 in 34 matches. He slots into the team as a genuine all-rounder.

Daren Sammy (c)

The only captain to win multiple T20 World Cup titles, Daren Sammy, comes into the side due to his incredible record as captain of the West Indies.

Sammy’s overall T20 World Cup record might not be as good as the rest of the side, but his expertise in T20 as a captain makes him a must addition to this side.

Sammy scored 215 runs at an average of 17.91 and a strike rate of 164.12 while he picked up 11 wickets at an average of 28.00 and an economy rate of 6.89 in 25 matches he played in the mega-events.

His performance in the 2012 T20 World Cup final was crucial for his side as he struck 26 off 15 at the death while he picked up 2 wickets for 6 runs with the ball.

Umar Gul

Arguably the greatest fast bowler in the shortest format of the game, Umar Gul, always brought his best to the T20 World Cups. Gul was sensational in the first two editions of the tournament as he finished as the highest wicket-taker in both tournaments, picking up 13 wickets each.

Gul’s performances with the ball were one of the major reasons that Pakistan made it to the finals of the first two editions. Overall, Gul picked up 35 wickets at an average of 17.25 and an economy rate of 7.30 in the 24 matches he played in the tournaments.

Gul’s expertise as a death bowler makes him one of the first names on the team sheet of the T20 World Cup XI.

Dale Steyn

Steyn Gun is only the second player on this side to have not won the T20 World Cup. His performances throughout his career make him one of the best fast bowlers of this generation and his exceptional displays in the shortest format of the game made him a threat to any batter in the world.

Steyn picked up 30 wickets at an average of 19.30 and an economy rate of 6.96 in 23 matches across five editions of the tournament. He will take the new ball in our T20 World Cup XI.

Lasith Malinga

Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup-winning captain and the most successful fast bowler in the tournament’s history, Lasith Malinga is a must-have on this side.

His exceptional record as a pacer in the shortest format of the game is a dream for any captain in the world. Malinga picked up 38 wickets at an average of 20.07 and an economy rate of 7.43 in 31 matches in the tournament. He will partner with Steyn with the new ball and use his accurate yorkers at the backend of the innings.

Saeed Ajmal

‘The Magician’ was on top of his game in the shortest format of the game. There was not a single spinner in the world who left batters clueless as Ajmal did.

Ajmal finished his career as the fourth-highest wicket-taker in T20 World Cup history. He picked up 36 wickets at an average of 16.86 and an economy rate of 6.79 in 23 matches he played in the tournament.

Unfortunately, despite his sensational performances, Ajmal will always be remembered for the 2010 T20 World Cup debacle as Michael Hussey smashed him for three sixes to help Australia chase down an improbable target in the semi-final.

Honorable Mentions

There are a few players who were unfortunate not to make the cut in our overall T20 World Cup XI. The likes of Kumar Sangakkara, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Samuel Badree, Shakib Al Hasan, Michael Hussey, David Warner, and Dwayne Bravo were all worthy contenders to be included in the line-up but were unable to make the cut.

Here’s how the overall T20 World Cup team stacks up:

Player	Country
Chris Gayle	West Indies
Jos Buttler (wk)	England
Virat Kohli	India
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka
Marlon Samuels	West Indies
Shahid Afridi	Pakistan
Daren Sammy (c)	West Indies
Umar Gul	Pakistan
Dale Steyn	South Africa
Lasith Malinga	Sri Lanka
Saeed Ajmal	Pakistan