It’s been 10 days since the conclusion of the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, however, the buzz for the tournament is as fresh as a lily. Before the final one thing was sure that the fans were going to witness a new T20 champion as New Zealand and Australia locked horns with each other and they both hadn’t won the tournament in the previous editions.

Australia lifted the coveted trophy in 2021 as they registered an 8-wicket win over the Kiwis by playing a dominating brand of cricket in the summit clash with Mitchell Marsh, David Warner, and Josh Hazlewood playing a crucial role in the game. In T20 World Cup 2021, the fans got to see hat-tricks, some monstrous sixes of more than 100m in distance, outstanding knocks at crunch situations, and a special century from the English opener, Jos Buttler. 

Several players managed to churn out outstanding performances in the tournament. Recently, Kevin Pietersen, who is the brand ambassador of Betway, picked his XI of the tournament which was hosted by India but played in UAE due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Before the tournament had started, no one in Pakistan and Australia can lift the trophy, not even the bookmakers. Australia had never won the T20 World Cup and when Aaron Finch and his men arrived in the UAE, they lacked the formidable attitude which is usually associated with an Australian cricket team. A dominating defeat against India in a warm-up game dented their morale even further. A loss against England in a Super-12 stage immensely exposed the vulnerability of the Aussies.

It doesn’t happen often that when the best XI of a World Cup is picked, none of the Indian players feature in it. However, the dismissal performance of the men in blue in this edition has made it possible. Interestingly, Kevin Pietersen has picked a spinner and a batter from the Sri Lankan team. He also picked a bowler and a batter from the South African team as well. 

Here is the Xi picked by Kevin Pietersen for the T20 World Cup 2021:

Openers

Mohammad Rizwan (281 runs) and Jos Buttler (269 runs)

Mohammad Rizwan has been one of the most consistent run-getters for the Pakistan team. He did a phenomenal job when he battled his illness and played an outstanding knock of 67 against Australia in the semi-final. On the other hand, Jos Buttler played some dominating knocks in the super-12 stage, but one of the most eye-catching ones was the magnificent century against Sri Lanka.

Middle-order

Babar Azam (303 runs), Charith Aslanka (303 runs), and Aiden Markram (162 runs)

In the last couple of years or so, Babar Azam has emerged as one of the most consistent and best T20 batters in the world. On the other hand, Chairth Aslanaka was one of several exciting young cricketers from Sri Lanka and he must be looking to take part in next year’s T20 World Cup.

The South African team failed to reach the knockouts, but Aiden Markram was the pick of the players as apart from his batting, he bowled some useful overs with the new ball.

All-rounders 

Moeen Ali (92 runs, 7 wickets) and Wanindu Hasaranga (119 runs, 16 wickets)

Moeen Ali has always been a very versatile player for the brits and nothing was different in the T2-World Cup 2021 as well, as he is impressed with bat and ball. On the other hand, Wanindu Hasranga was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament as he troubled a lot of batters with his devilish leg-spin, and showed his potential with the bat as well. 

Spinner

Adam Zampa (13 wickets)

Adam Zampa has the unique ability to take wickets at regular intervals especially in the middle overs and that has been one of the crucial reasons why Australia won the tournament.

Fast Bowlers 

Trent Boult (13 wickets) Anrich Nortje (9 wickets), and Shaheen Afridi (7 wickets)

Trent Boult was the crucial bowler for the Kiwis in the tournament as he has the habit of taking wickets at important junctures. Apart from him, Anrich Nortje has emerged as the leader of South Africa’s bowling attack, especially after taking more wickets in the tournament than all the other bowlers of the team combined. 

Shaheen Afridi was just phenomenal for Pakistan with the new ball in the tournament, as he bowled some brilliant spells in the game against India and Australia. 

Kevin Pietersen’s XI of the Tournament  For T20 World Cup

Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan), Jos Buttler (England), Babar Azam (Pakistan), Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka), Aiden Makram (South Africa), Moeen Ali (England), Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka), Adam Zampa (Australia), Trent Boult (New Zealand), Anrich Nortje (South Africa), Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)

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