How the Big names fared in the World T20

The World T20 is one of the most watched events each time. One of the main reasons people watches it is simply due to the fact that all the big names in T20 cricket are a definite feature. The big names have always been crowd-pullers and especially names like Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. Though a few came up with extraordinary performance, however, others weren’t up to the mark on many occasions. That said, we take a look at the big names and how they fared in the context of the World T20. Chris Gayle – Decent Mumbai, INDIA – MARCH 16 : Chris Gayle of the West Indies celebrates his century during the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 match between West Indies and England at the Wankhede stadium on March 16, 2016 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) The 36-year old Jamaican came into the tournament as perhaps the most destructive batsman in this form of cricket. Gayle performed as expected in the first match of the tournament against England. As he had done in the 2007 World T20, Gayle smashed a valiant century. While he was just another West Indies opener last time around, this time, he was a fan favorite. His heroics and the innings of an unbeaten century saw the Windies pick up an easy win. Gayle took the guard in his following match at Bangalore. While the crowd clamored “We want Gayle”, it was the small yet authoritative figure of Ian Gould that stood in his way as he attempted to go out to bat on several occasions. In spite of an apology to the Bangalore fans, Gould became an icon, one in the infamous category. Surprisingly, Gayle’s World T20 campaign went haywire from that point. He was dismissed for 4 against the Proteas before being dropped in the loss against Afghanistan. His following two innings came in the semifinal and the final where he made absolutely no impact. However, thankfully for Gayle, the Windies did win the World T20 with Gayle having a decent tournament. Virat Kohli – Excellent Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Getty Images) All the words in the world could not explain what Virat Kohli did in the World T20. What impressed people following that was the fact that Kohli picked up the ball in the semifinal and picked up the wicket of Johnson Charles. In spite of a rare failure in the first match, Kohli got his at together to make amends in the second. Playing on a horrific Eden Gardens turf made it all the more difficult to bat. However, Kohli was in a world of his own, smashing the ball to all parts of the ground. His running between the wickets was something of a novelty as Indian batsmen are usually not associated with such fitness. The final painting on the canvas came at the Wankhede Stadium where he slammed an unbeaten 89 in a losing cause. Enough said? Well, he won the player of the tournament courtesy of smashing 273 runs at an average of 136. This is the second time in World T20s he has achieved all of that. CricTracker picked the Best XI of the WT20 – Best XI of the World T20 2016 Shahid Afridi – Average Shahid Afridi, captain of Pakistan looks on during the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 Super 10s Group 2 match between New Zealand and Pakistan at the IS Bindra Stadium on March 22, 2016 in Mohali, India. (Photo by Jan Kruger-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) Those who have grown up watching Shahid Afridi would have fallen in love with him. And at first sight as well. He is a strange character, someone who is willing to put his reputation on the line each time. The World T20 2016 saw him do the exact same thing. But what sort of reputation does Afridi carry? He is a big hitter, no doubt about that, but under the surface lies a talented leg-spinner and a fierce competitor. This World T20, Afridi was perhaps the one-man army of sorts. Doubts about his leadership skills? A case can certainly be made for that. However, as far as most of us are concerned, the way he bats makes him a quintessential entertainer. He promoted himself up the order on a few occasions, succeeding in just the one. Despite the fact that the Pakistanis had a horrible tournament, Afridi gave the fans something to cheer with some vintage big hitting. AB de Villiers – Poor Mumbai, INDIA – MARCH 20 : AB de Villiers of South Africa bats during the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 match between South Africa and Afghanistan at the Wankhede stadium on March 20, 2016 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) In European football, it is fairly common for a player, irrespective of the position he plays to find it difficult to perform at the same level internationally despite being a club star. The same is the case with South African batsman AB de Villiers. But, in the context of the two different sports, cricket remains pretty much the same in any league apart from the change in format. Each time de Villiers wields his bat that brings smiles on the faces of players in the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, AB de Villiers cannot do the same in the green and gold of the ‘Protea fire’. And what’s worse, is the fact that he performs well in the longer formats for South Africa. In the recently concluded World T20, de Villiers had a rather poor outing, making little impact in the South African cause. Who were the big players who failed? – 7 High profile players who failed in the World T20 MS Dhoni – Good MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Getty Images) The start of the World T20 saw a lot of speculation on MS Dhoni. However, the 34-year old proved that age is just a number with some impressive performances with the bat in the duration of the tournament. Dhoni, who boasts of undoubted captaincy skills and impeccable glove work, chipped in with the bat whenever he was required to do so. What was most impressive about MS Dhoni was his ability to churn out the runs with his deputy Virat Kohli. He pounded each and every one of those 34 years on his body to run those quick twos with Kohli. All in all, a decent World T20 for the Indian skipper despite not making it all the way. Glenn Maxwell – Poor Glenn Maxwell of Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Glenn Maxwell’s poor outing in this edition of the World T20 is something unbecoming of a player of his class. In the IPL, Maxwell can be seen clearing the ropes without much effort. Even a gentle roll of the wrists seems to fly straight out of the ground. However, this edition of the World T20 has been ordinary for Maxwell without much to boast of. He amassed 109 runs for the Aussies having played all the four matches. James Faulkner – Average India’s Virat Kohli(L)shakes hands as he celebrates after victory with Australia’s James Faulkner in the World T20 cricket tournament match between India and Australia at The Punjab Cricket Stadium Association Stadium in Mohali on March 27, 2016. / AFP / MONEY SHARMA (Photo credit should read MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images) James Faulkner is usually a vital cog in the Australian wheel when it comes to playing the role of the finisher. Despite being predominantly a bowler, Faulkner rose to fame following his exploits with the bat. However, this time, in the World T20, Faulkner failed miserably with the bat. There were no fireworks as he failed to acclimatize himself to the conditions. However, Faulkner made amends with a stellar performance with the ball. Apart from being Australia’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 8 wickets, Faulkner also boasted of the best figures by an Aussie in T20 internationals. His 5/27 against Pakistan ensured that the World T20 for Faulkner didn’t go all that badly. How did the Australian players perform in the WT20? – World T20 2016: Australia Player Ratings Dale Steyn – Poor Dale Steyn. (Photo by Graham Crouch-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) Prior to the start of the World T20, there was some talk regarding the retirement of 32-year old Dale Steyn. He was even left out in the first encounter against the West Indies. Having been brought back for the match against England, Steyn stood no chance as he was plundered for runs on a flat Wankhede surface. He played just the one more game against Sri Lanka where he impressed with his pace. Having picked up just the one wicket in the two matches played, Steyn had a poor outing in the World T20. Martin Guptill – Decent Martin Guptill. (Photo Source: Twitter) Despite going unsold in the IPL auction, no one strikes the ball as well as Martin Guptill. Initially, Guptill failed in the first match with the bat despite the New Zealand win. However, his major innings came against Pakistan, where he slammed a blistering 80. It probably would have been at this point where the IPL franchise owners would have been scratching their heads as to why they passed up the chance to sign Guptill. He concluded the tournament as the highest run-scorer for the Kiwis with 140 runs to his name in the 4 innings that he featured in. All the stats that you need to know about the WT20s – Statstical analysis of all editions of the World T20

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