T20 World Cup 2021: Rating the captains from Super 12 stage

The T20 World Cup finally came into the cricket calendar after a long gap of five years. With the teams being divided into two groups, “Group A” was being seen as the “Group of death”. This is because of the more established teams in the group.

South Africa received a lot of praise as they managed to win four games out of five. But, unfortunately, they were short on net run rate. In the first group, England and Australia managed to sneak into the semifinals.

In the second group, there was a huge shock as India lost to Pakistan and subsequently, after their loss against New Zealand, they were virtually out of the tournament. But, Kane Williamson’s team defeated the Afghanistan to ensure a semi-final spot. So, who was spot on with his captaincy? 

12. Mahmudullah: Bangladesh: 3/10

Bangladesh has been the rising force in world cricket for quite some time. On their home turf, they have been competitive. In the last few years, they have managed to beat England in Test matches and giants like New Zealand and Australia in T20s.

So, the expectations were high from the South Asian country. But things went horribly wrong in Super 12 for Bangladesh as they were unable to win a single game. They lost by a huge margin and the man in the middle is their captain Mahmudullah.

He failed as a batsman and a captain. With a young team, he was supposed to lead from the front. But, the inability to beat the bigger teams meant that they were out of the tournament after a few matches. A net run rate of -2.383 shows how poorly they played in this T20 World Cup.

11. Kyle Coetzer: 3/10

Scotland was one of the teams that dominated the Round one stage. They also have one of the best jerseys of this T20 World Cup. Coming to their captain Kyle Coetzer, he has been a decent captain for them, but when it came to the real competition, they failed as a unit.

Being an associate member, people were not expecting them to qualify for the semis. But, Coetzer’s captaincy during the First Round drew some attention towards the Scottish side. Failed starts, and poor bowling changes affected them.

They did well against the Kiwis but they lost from a decent position. Against India and Pakistan, they were outclassed in every department. Hence, Coetzer did let down some Scottish fans by his captaincy and selection.

10. Gerhard Erasmus: 4/10

Namibia came into the Super 12 after a successful campaign in the first round. They were spot on against weaker sides. But, they have a long way to go as more opportunities will only mean that they get the scope to improve as a team.

In the Super 12, they managed to beat Scotland by 4 wickets. However, Afghanistan were too hot to handle as they witnessed a batting collapse against a world-class spin bowling lineup. But, their captain Gerhard Erasmus was inspirational.

He was excellent in the field and used his resources well. They lost the game against New Zealand, but apart from the death bowling failure, everything went as per plan for the captain. Hence, they were a far better team than some well-known names in the Super 12.

9. Kieron Pollard: 4/10

Just before this T20 World Cup, West Indies were the favorites to go through the semi-finals of the tournament. But, their campaign is a clear example of why a team needs smooth transition and unfit players should be benched. This campaign was one of the worst ones in recent times.

With a power-packed batting line-up, Kieron Pollard had the arsenal which could destroy any lineup. But, the difficult conditions in the UAE meant that the batsmen struggled to find any rhythm. Adding on, apart from Hetmyer and Pooran, no batsman showed consistency.

Players like Jason Holder were benched and were called in after Obed McCoy was injured. Hence, it was a poor choice of team. Apart from that, Pollard struggled in every game. Therefore, he had a poor outing during this edition of the T20 World Cup.

8. Mohammad Nabi: 5/10

Afghanistan came into this T20 World Cup with a lot of buzzes. As the conditions back home are as turbulent as they can be, they had to put up a decent show in the T20 World Cup. For the first time, they were into the Super 12s without playing the first round.

The credit for the rise of Afghan cricket somehow goes to Mohammad Nabi. He has been influential in the rise of Rashid Khan as well. But, this time, he was a decent captain for his team.

Apart from his contributions with the bat, he managed his players well. Under his captaincy, Afghanistan almost defeated Pakistan. But, Asif Ali had some different ideas. Apart from those two matches against India and New Zealand, his captaincy was good.

7. Dasun Shanaka:5/10

Sri Lanka was in the darkest phase of its cricketing history. However, after the series victory over India earlier this year, this has become better.

They were able to qualify for the Super 12 stage and they managed to beat Bangladesh in their first game. Dasun Shanaka was excellent during those two games against West Indies and Bangladesh. Even though they lost against the big teams, they had the spark.

With another T20 World Cup coming up, Sri Lanka can improve as a team. Shanaka has been a great leader for them. And with limited resources, he has been a great skipper for the side. They should play more overseas cricket in order to strengthen their team.

6. Virat Kohli: 6/10

The 2021 T20 World Cup was the last time Virat Kohli took the charge of captaincy in the shortest format of the game. All eyes were on Team India as they were the favorites to lift the trophy. But, their disastrous campaign is a clear example of why the workload needs to be reduced for the players.

Team India lost their first two games against Pakistan and New Zealand. And they were finally eliminated after the Kiwis defeated the Afghans. However, during the first match, Kohli was the only player who looked in fine touch.

During the game against New Zealand, he lacked the timing. Hence, a batting collapse on the other end meant things went haywire for India. But, the team bounced back quickly against Afghanistan, Scotland and Namibia.

5. Aaron Finch: 8/10

The UAE conditions are not too favorable for a team like Australia. But, with a terrific pace attack, they have managed to pressurize teams. Thanks to excellent captaincy by Aaron Finch, they have managed to qualify for the semi-finals.

They have a decent batting lineup, and with Warner slowly coming back into form, they are becoming stronger with every passing day. Adding on, Adam Zampa has been a responsible bowler and has bowled with a lot of guts.

To be fair, this is not the strongest Australian lineup. But, the tactical skills and pace bowling powerhouse have ensured that they manage to finish in the Top Four. The credit for this excellent performance goes to Aaron Finch.

4. Temba Bavuma: 8.5/10

Just before the World up, everyone had stated that Group A was the “Group of death”. The group was filled with Test-playing nations and hence it will be a tight call by the end of the Super 12 stage. Unfortunately for the South Africans, the NRR played a decisive role.

South Africans were never the favorites to win the trophy. Adding on, no one had expected them to win four games out of five, but, they did thanks to the brilliant captaincy of Temba Bavuma. Not only that, he handled the racism situation excellently as well.

With lesser-known faces, he formed a formidable side. Even during the absence of Quinton de Kock, he managed to form a lineup that won games for him. He rotated bowlers excellently as well.

3. Eoin Morgan: 8.5/10

England were favorite to win the trophy this time. Apart from their loss to South Africa, they have been destructive in every department. As always, Eoin Morgan was the man who is lucky to have such a strong white-ball team with him.

They had every department covered. Even after Jason Roy’s injury, they have plenty of options to fill in the spot. Overall, Morgan has been a decent captain. 

In the Super 12, he played one good knock and rotated his bowlers quite well. As he did not face any unfavorable situations, his captaincy was so far above average. But he could not take his team in the semi-finals.

2. Kane Williamson: 9/10

For the last six years, New Zealand has been the most consistent team in the sport. They have managed to reach the finals of the World Cup twice, and have won the World Test Championship as well. And the man leading a group of inspired people is Kane Williamson.

There is no doubt that he has been able to make a team that has the ability to dominate world cricket. His team lost their first match against Pakistan. But, since then, they have been disciplined in every aspect.

He has used his bowlers excellently and has been smart enough to rotate his pace bowlers as well. The spin duo of Santner and Sodhi has outclassed every other spin bowling lineup in the tournament during the Super 12. Therefore, Williamson’s captaincy has been the talking point of this World Cup.

1. Babar Azam: 9/10 

There has been a talk around the circuit that Pakistan has been the most consistent team in the tournament. They have been able to excel in every field and have dominated strong teams. Their victory over India is a clear example of the fact that when it comes to T20, Pakistan is a dangerous side.

The credit for the rise of Pakistan in the tournament goes to the management and Babar Azam. The number one ranked batsman has managed to bring together an inspired group of people. The team comprises a healthy mixture of youth and experience and hence when one fails, the other covers up for them.

Babar’s batting has been top class as well. He, along with Mohammad Rizwan, has provided the ideal starts for the team. Now, with the knockout stages coming up, all eyes will be on Babar’s captaincy.