ICC World T20 2016: Team of the Week

The 2016 ICC World T20 has seen the conclusion of the first phase of matches and each team has played at least two games each. After the first week of matches, the big winners are New Zealand, who have won all three of their matches and West Indies who have won two out of two.Those two results mean that pre-tournament favourites, India have only won one of two matches, as have England, Australia and South Africa. Pakistan on the other hand have won one out of three and will have to hope other results go their way if they are to make it to the next round.Despite being played on completely different conditions from city to city, the first week saw some memorable performances from quite a few players.Here is the Team of the Week comprising of those players:

#1 Chris Gayle

The Gayle-storm was unleashed on England

Chris Gayle might not have had an opportunity to bat in front of his home crowd in Bengaluru but his first innings of the tournament was so destructive that it has guaranteed his inclusion into this side. With West Indies needing a stiff target in their game against England, Gayle did what he does best and blew the opposition out of the water.

His century, which made him the only man to have scored two T20I tons, also broke a slew of other records, including fastest World T20 hundred and helped him equal Brendon McCullum as the player with the most fifty plus scores in T20Is.

#2 Martin Guptill

Guptill has given the Kiwis the start they have been looking for

Despite hitting a six first ball, Martin Guptill failed to make much of a contribution in the rest of their opener against India but in the two games that have followed it, he has shown that he is still in form and that his first outing was an aberration rather than the norm.

In the second match against Australia, it was Guptill who got the Kiwis off to a good start and although he couldn’t continue on and score a fifty, it was stil enough for them to post a decent total and defend it. Against Pakistan, he was unlucky not to have got his hundred as he looked in sublime touch, smoking the ball to all corners of the ground.

#3 Quinton de Kock

Quinton has handled the responsibility of opening exceptionally well

Quinton de Kock continues to prove that India is his favourite huntng ground as he has continued his impressive record in the country in the ongoing World T20. Being given the license to go for the kill at the top of the order. the wicketkeeper batsman has flourished so far.

Not only does he have a fifty from the game against England and a near half-century from the clash against Afghanistan but he has also provided the Proteas with the start they have been looking for. While some may have predicted AB to be opening the innings, de Kock has been doing a more than good of getting them off quickly and ensuring a platform is set for the big-hitters that follow.

#4 Joe Root

Root has shown great determination and courage

England may now have a lot more big-hitters than they have ever had but it is a classical batsman who goes by the coaching manual that is the reason why they are still in the tournament. Joe Root may not be as flashy as his teammates but his impact on both of England’s games so far cannot be questioned.

England might have lost to West Indies but it was Root’s 48 that steadied the ship even there and it was his 83 against South Africa that ensured England weren’t on the brink of elimination going into the game against Afghanistan on Wednesday. If England are to advance far into the competition, then they need Root firing on all cylinders.

#5 Virat Kohli

Kohli has continued to shine under pressure

Wjole 230 is being chased and teams are scoring 200 for fun, it is certainly surprising that wherever India have played raging turners have followed them. On pitches where batting isn’t easy, Virat Kohli has shown just why he is regarded as one of the best batsmen in he world by producing knocks of quality under difficult circumstances.

India surprisingly lost to New Zealand in their opener, but on a pitch where everyone else struggled, it was Kohli who looked at ease. Although he got out before he saw India home in that chase, in the crucial clash against Pakistan, he ensured that India got off the mark in their World T20 campaign with an unbeaten fifty on a pitch that was proving to be even more difficult to bat on, as compared to the opening game of the tournament.

#6 Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib has been impressive with both bat and ball

Bangladesh might have lost both their matches but it hasn’t been because of their star all-rounder. Shakib Al Hasan has had a great start to the Super-10 stage as he has done well with the bat in both games and almost spun the game in his side’s favour with the ball against Australia in the second game.

If his unbeaten fifty was somehow inconsequential in the first game against Pakistan, where he went for quite a few runs, his all-round effort in the second game was much better in that regard. Although it was Mahmudullah who gave the innings the final flourish, it was Shakib who laid the platform. With the ball, he almost single-handedly turned the game on its head and if it weren’t for dropped catches, then who knows what the result of the game might have been.

#7 Mitchell Santner

Santner’s 8 wickets have come at an economy rate of under 6

Before the start of the World T20, the expectations on Mitchell Santner weren’t massive. While he had proven himself to be a useful all-rounder who can rotate strike and be economical with the ball, he hadn’t uprooted many trees in the process with his performances.

But this World T20 has changed all of that. Despite only playing three matches, he is already the second-leading wicket taker in the tournament (including the qualifiers) and has picked up at least two wickets in each game so far, an incredible record for someone who isn’t a massive turner of the ball.

His 8 wickets have come at an economy rate of 5.83 and an average of 8.75. His four overs across all three games have give the Kiwis control and the fact that he is so accurate, especially on turning tracks has made him unplayable at times.

#8 Imran Tahir

While his teammates have gone for plenty, Tahir has kept things quiet

Two wickets in three matches don't make for great figures for anyone, especially a leg spinner, who is supposed to be hard to pick and score off. But when you consider that South Africa have played on two roads so far that have had absolutely nothing for the bowlers, then Imran Tahir’s tally doesn’t start to look so bad.

Even more so, when you consider that he has an economy rate of just 6.50. While those are impressive numbers for a leg spinner by themselves, the fact that the rest of the bowling attack is going at nearly 10 an over, the fact that a leggie, who is supposed to be more expensive, is going for just 6.50 is something that is even more impressive.

#9 Ish Sodhi

The leggie has an economy of under 5 in the tournament so far

Mitchell Santner might have got the Man of the Match against India and picked up more wickets than anyone else in the Super-10 stage but the more incredible role has been performed by Ish Sodhi, who has shown remarkable control and guile for a leg spinner who is still learning his trade.

While it is common knowledge that being a leg spinner isn’t easy, Sodhi has managed to do the one thing that makes the job so difficult, pick up wickets while also not going for too many runs. While 5 wickets in three matches might not seem like a lot, for the second spinner in the side, those numbers are certainly impressive, especially when you consider that his economy rate is under 5.

#10 Mohammad Sami

Sami has been more impressive than Amir so far

All the talk leading into the tournament was about Mohammad Amir and about how he has comeback to the national side with a bang. But another player, who also made his comeback recently has been much better than Amir in the tournament so far.

Mohammad Sami has every right to be disappointed that more people haven’t spoken about his impressive control in the two games that he has played. After he was dropped for the first game against Bangladesh, he came back with a vengeance and bowled brilliantly against India in Kolkata.

In his second game, he continued to showcase his control, albeit, ultimately in a losing cause against New Zealand. But his four wickets have come at an economy rate of 6.6 and even at the age of 35, he is consistently bowling at speeds well in excess of 140 kmph, which is an impressive feat in itself.

#11 Kyle Abbott

Abbott has picked up wickets on featherbeds

Being a bowler isn’t easy. Especially if you are playing on featherbeds in a format that is designed to ensure that you get very little out of it. But Kyle Abbott has managed to overcome all these odds and remain successful so far in the World T20.

Both matches that the Proteas have played on, have been batting paradises. Still, at the end of those two games, along with Quinton de Kock, it was Kyle Abbott, who proved to be most consistent. His 5 wickets might have come at an economy rate in excess of 10 but that was a product of the pitch that he was playing on.

The fact that he managed to get five batsmen out on a pitch that was offering nothing for the bowler speaks about how he has managed to adapt and trick the batsmen with his variety and control.