Three Afghan cricket players have made the ICC’s T20 World Cup 2024 team of the tournament list. 

This year’s selection panel, which was made up of commentators Harsha Bhogle, Ian Bishop and Kass Naidoo and ICC General Manager of Cricket Wasim Khan, announced their selection on Sunday, which included Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Six players from World Cup winners India make the cut including skipper Rohit Sharma and Player of the Tournament Jasprit Bumrah.

The team of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 (in batting order) is:

Rohit Sharma (captain) – India

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper) – Afghanistan

Nicholas Pooran – West Indies

Suryakumar Yadav – India

Marcus Stoinis – Australia

Hardik Pandya – India

Axar Patel – India

Rashid Khan – Afghanistan

Jasprit Bumrah – India

Arshdeep Singha – India

Fazalhaq Farooqi – Afghanistan

Anrich Nortje – South Africa

Rohit Sharma will captain the team of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 after leading India to their second victory in the competition.

Sharma finished as the second top run-scorer in the competition, scoring 257 runs in eight innings. The pick of his performances came in the win over Australia, when he smashed 92, before adding 57 in the semi-final success against Australia.

He is joined at the top of the order by Afghanistan wicket-keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the only man to outscore the Indian opener.

Rahmanullah made 281 runs as Afghanistan progressed to the semi-finals for the first time in their history, making half-centuries in three matches. His 60 against Australia proved pivotal as Afghanistan progressed from the Super 8s.

In at No.3 is Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies wicket-keeper batter, who scored 228 runs at an average of 38, including a 53-ball 98 in victory over Afghanistan.

The second Indian player in the XI is Suryakumar Yadav, the hard-hitting batter rewarded for some crucial innings, notably in the semi-final against England, 47, and the Super 8s win over Afghanistan when he smashed 53 off just 28 balls.

At No.5 is the sole Australian in the team, with Marcus Stoinis included after a stellar tournament. Stoinis contributed with bat and ball, scoring his 169 runs at an average of over 40, and a strike rate in excess of 160. He also chipped in with 10 wickets across the tournament.

The next all-rounder comes from India, Hardik Pandya scoring 144 runs at an average of 48, while also picking up 11 wickets with the ball, and bowling the all-important final over to seal victory.

His teammate Axar Patel was similarly influential with bat and ball. The left-armer was promoted up the order in the final, scoring an invaluable 47, while his three for 23 helped secure victory over England in the semi-final.

Rashid Khan comes in at No.8, the Afghanistan all-rounder excelling in the Caribbean with 14 wickets at an average of 12.78 and an economy rate just over six.

He is followed by Jasprit Bumrah, the standout performer across the entire tournament. It was his spell that swung the final back India’s way, and he finished with 15 wickets at an average of just 8.26, with a remarkable economy rate of 4.17.

The final Indian player in the XI is Arshdeep Singh, who was outstanding in his second World Cup. His 17 wickets were the joint most of any player, including a crucial two for 20 in the final.

The only man to match Arshdeep’s wicket tally was Fazalhaq Farooqi, of Afghanistan, the final player in the XI. His four for 17 helped beat New Zealand in the group stages, as Afghanistan progressed ahead of the Black Caps.

Runners-up South Africa provide the 12th man in the team, with Anrich Nortje having been outstanding for the Proteas. He took 15 wickets at an average of 13.40 and an economy rate under six.

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Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20 cricket after lifting the Man of the Match trophy on Saturday night following India’s victory against South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup.

For India it had been a 17-year wait for the T20 World Cup trophy, which they lifted after beating South Africa by only seven runs.

“This was my last T20 World Cup, and this is what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel you can’t get a run, and then things happen.

“God is great, and I got the job done for the team on the day it mattered. Now or never, the last T20 for India wanted to make the most of it. Wanted to lift the cup, and respect the situation rather than force it.

“This was an open secret, it’s time for the next generation to take over, some amazing players will take the team forward and keep the flag waving high”, said Kohli in the post-match presentation.

It was India’s second T20 World Cup victory after they had won it in 2007 under the legendary MS Dhoni in South Africa, and first since winning the Champions Trophy in 2013.

The former Indian captain and two time world cup winner, Dhoni, expressed his gratitude in an Instagram post after Saturday’s win and said: “WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS 2024. My heart rate was up, well done on being calm, having the self-belief and doing what you guys did. From all the Indians back home and everywhere in the world, a big thank you for bringing the World Cup home. CONGRATULATIONS. Arreeee, thanks for the priceless birthday gift.”

This victory not only secured India’s place in cricket history but also provided a fitting farewell to head coach Rahul Dravid, capping off a memorable performance that will be celebrated for years to come.

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Left-arm spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel took three wickets apiece as India thrashed defending champions England by 68 runs in Guyana on Thursday to set up a T20 World Cup final against South Africa.

England, set a challenging target of 172, slumped to 103 all out inside 17 overs, wrist spinner Kuldeep finishing with figures of 3-19 and the orthodox Patel 3-23.

India, bidding for their first major title since the 2013 Champions Trophy, will now play South Africa — also unbeaten at this tournament after a nine-wicket hammering of Afghanistan in their semi-final — in Saturday’s final in Barbados.

The Kensington Oval clash will also be India’s second appearance in successive global showpiece games after they lost on home soil to Australia in last year’s 50-over World Cup final.

“It’s very satisfying to win this game,” said India skipper Rohit Sharma after his team gained revenge for a humiliating 10-wicket loss to England in the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup.

“We worked really hard as a unit. To win like that was a great effort from everybody.”

Rohit laid the foundations by top-scoring with 57 in a total of 171-7 after his side were somewhat surprisingly sent into bat by England skipper Jos Buttler.

It was the opener’s third fifty of the tournament and second in as many games following his blistering 92 against Australia.

– ‘India outplayed us’ –

India were 40-2 in the powerplay after Virat Kohli (nine) and Rishabh Pant (four) both fell cheaply.

But a third-wicket stand of 73 between Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav (47), spanning a rain delay of over an hour, turned the tide.

Patel, the player of the match, said: “I knew that the wicket was stopping and had something for the bowlers…Our batters told us the pitch wasn’t easy to hit the ball. We felt it (171) was a good total.”

Defeat meant the only Test side that England had beaten at this event were co-hosts the West Indies, with the title-holders also losing to Australia and South Africa.

“India outplayed us, certainly,” said Buttler. “We let them maybe get 20-25 too many (runs) on a challenging surface that they played well on. They fully deserved to win.

“They’ve got some fantastic spinners. Our two (Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone) bowled well but in hindsight, probably should’ve bowled Moeen (Ali) in our innings with the way spin was playing.

“But with a good score and their brilliant bowling attack, it was always going to be a tough chase.

Buttler launched England’s reply with a brisk 23. When he attempted to reverse sweep Patel’s first ball, however, he clipped a gentle catch off the toe-end of the bat to wicketkeeper Pant.

Fellow opener Phil Salt was then clean bowled by Jasprit Bumrah’s well-disguised slower ball.

England then saw 34-2 become 35-3 when Patel bowled dangerman Jonny Bairstow for a duck.

Moeen was then stumped by Pant and when Sam Curran was lbw to Kuldeep, England were in dire straits at 49-5 in the ninth over.

Wickets continued to tumble and when Livingstone, the last of England’s specialist batsmen, was run out for 11 after a dreadful mix-up with Jofra Archer, England were all but beaten at 86-8.

Archer struck a couple of defiant sixes but Bumrah ended the match when he had the England paceman lbw for 21 with a low full toss.

(AFP)