Suryakumar and Shadab are chosen by Buttler and Babar as “Player of the Tournament”

• Jos Buttler and Babar Azam selected Suryakumar Yadav and Shadab Khan as their respective “Players of the Tournament”
• Suryakumar significantly impacted India’s performance in the T20 World Cup
• Shadab Khan all-around contributions to Pakistan

Jos Buttler, the captain of England, and Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, selected Suryakumar Yadav and Shadab Khan as their respective “Players of the Tournament” on Saturday, ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 championship match.

With his consistency and above-average strike rate, Suryakumar significantly impacted India’s performance in the T20 World Cup. With 239 runs scored with the best strike rate in the competition—189.68—he enters the championship game as the third-highest run scorer overall.

Buttler, who went with Suryakumar, also emphasised the contributions of two England players who shone out in the competition and didn’t fail to point out that they had another chance to be serious contenders for the prize.

“I think Suryakumar Yadav. For me, he has been someone who’s played with extreme freedom. He’s been incredibly eye-catching to watch in such a star-studded line-up. To stand out the way he has is amazing,” Prior to the championship game, the ICC created a film featuring the England skipper.

“Of course, there’s a couple of our guys on that sheet as well — Sam Curran and Alex Hales. If they put in a great performance in the final, they can be the Player of the Tournament for me,” he added

When the Pakistani captain was presented with the same dilemma, he chose Shadab Khan without hesitating because of his all-around contributions to Pakistan’s late run to the championship game.

“I think it should be Shadab Khan for the way he is playing,” Babar said.

“While his bowling has been outstanding, his batting also improved quite a bit. His dominating performances in the last three games along with his outstanding fielding makes him a prime contender for the Player of the Tournament,” he added.

Nine shortlisted candidates for the Player of the Tournament award 👀

Jos Buttler and Babar Azam make their picks 😯 #T20WorldCuphttps://t.co/CKJhG629KR

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— ICC (@ICC) November 12, 2022

The ICC has selected nine players for the Player of the Tournament shortlist, with players from Pakistan and England predominating.

There are two players each from Pakistan and India, three from England, one from Sri Lanka, and two from Zimbabwe. The winner will be selected via fan vote.

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