Advertisement
Batsmen do not have the luxury to take it easy with T20 matches or the T20 World Cup. They have to get in the groove from the beginning. Batsmen tend to play a critical role in setting the tone and showcasing the probability of the team to win the match in the 1st or 2nd innings. Many batsmen have given excellent performances in the past in T20 matches and gained the title of the Man of the Series.
Let’s give a look at the list of the T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament title winners in the last few years.
Shahid Afridi (Man of the Series in 2007)
Advertisement
Shahid Afridi, the all-rounder and hero of the Pakistan team won the title of the Man of the Series in 2007. Pakistan and India played the final match and India won the series and the T20 World Cup. Afridi performed very well during the entire series and showed best of his performance. The award was well-deserved.
Tillakaratne Dilshan (Man of the Series in 2009)
Tillakaratne Dilshan is another all-rounder who played on the Sri Lankan team. In 2009, Pakistan and Sri Lanka played the final match of the World Cup. Even though Sri Lanka lost the match, Dilshan was awarded Man of the Series for scoring 317 runs and leading the team into several other victories beforehand. The contributions of Dilshan were not unnoticed and gave confidence to the team as a whole.
Kevin Pietersen (Player of the Series in 2010)
In 2010, Kevin Peitersen from England was awarded Man of the Series for his role in the T20 World Cup. England had played with Australia in the final match of the series and won comfortably by 17 runs. The contribution of Kevin in winning of the match and the series for England was very high and without his skills, the team could not have won the finals or bagged the title.
Shane Watson (Man of the Series in 2012)
Even though Australia was unable to reach the finals in the T20 World Cup of 2012, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was given the Man of the Series award for his exceptional performance and skill. He made the maximum number of runs in the Series and his strike rate was 150.00. He was also the player to take the second highest number of wickets.
Virat Kohli (Man of the Series in 2014)
In 2014, Virat Kohli was given the Man of the Series award. Sri Lanka won the T20 World Cup of 2014 but the performance of Kohli was so exceptional that he was given the award without any doubt. He made 319 runs, and his strike rate was over 123. He gave the team an edge over the others by scoring 10 sixes and 24 fours in the entire series. It was the contribution of Kohli after which India reached the finals.
Virat Kohli (Man of the Series in 2016)
Virat Kohli was again given the award of the Man of the Series in T20 World Cup 2016. West Indies beat India in the semi-finals and the team could not make it to the Finals. But Kohli’s performance was out of the ordinary and he was given the title for his skill and incredible drive to play in the toughest of situations.
David Warner (Player of the Series 2021)
In 2021, David Warner got the Player of the Series award. This Australian opener took the responsibility of winning the T20 World Cup for his country in the finals against New Zealand in 2021. The batting combination of Warner and Marsh got Australia the long-wished title for the first time and got Warner an award for his skills and perfection.
It is yet to be seen on who gets the award for the Man of the Series in 2022. Know more about the Most Wickets Taken in T20 World Cup.
