ICC World T20 2014: Top 5 batsmen

Tags: ICC World Twenty20, 2013-14, batting, Virat Kohli, Rohit Gurunath Sharma, Stephanus Johannes Myburgh, Tom Lexley William Cooper, Jean-Paul Duminy

Published on: Apr 08, 2014

The ICC World T20 2014 saw some excellent performances with the bat, some on expected lines, and other rather surprising ones

The ICC World T20 2014 saw some excellent performances with the bat, some on expected lines, and other rather surprising ones. Here’s a look at the top five run scorers in the event.


Virat Kohli: The Indian number three batsman was by far the best in the tournament. In six matches, he totalled 319 runs at an average of well over 100 with four wonderful half-centuries. Kohli did not register a single failure in the series. He began with an unbeaten 36 against Pakistan, and went on to register half-centuries against West Indies and Bangladesh. After failing to convert a start against Australia, Kohli reserved his best for the two big games. In the semi-finals, he blasted a wonderful 72 not out to take India to the final in the tense chase. Although India lost the final, Kohli was at his supreme best in that match as well, slamming 77 from 58 balls in a score of 130.


Tom Cooper: Netherlands were one of the impressive sides in the event, and Cooper was one of their star performers. In 7 matches, he finished with 231 runs averaging 57.7 with one half-century. Cooper made an unbeaten 34 against the UAE and also grabbed 2/18. His best knock came against the Zimbabweans, the match in which he made an unbeaten 72 from 58 balls albeit in a losing cause. Cooper continued his good run for the remainder of the tournament, contributing 45 against Ireland and an unbeaten 40 against New Zealand. Cooper is definitely a talent to watch out for in international cricket.


Stephan Myburgh: Another Dutch played who made a serious impression in the tournament. Myburgh finished with 224 runs from 7 games averaging 32 with three fifties. Myburgh began the series with a wonderful 55 against the UAE, and after registering a duck against Zimbabwe, he smashed 63 from 23 balls against Ireland to oust the fancied opponents, and take Dutch into the main round of the event. The Netherlands opener then gave South Africa a major scare with his 28-ball 51. He ended the series with 39 against England in a winning cause.


Rohit Sharma: The Indian opener had a mixed run, but he still ended up with 200 runs from six games with two fifties averaging 40. Sharma began with 24 against Pakistan, and then followed it up with an unbeaten 62 against West Indies and 56 against Bangladesh. He couldn’t capitalise on his form though, failing for 5 against Australia and making 24 and 29 in the semis and finals respectively.


JP Duminy: The South African middle-order bat finished the event with 187 runs from 5 games averaging 62 with one fifty. After warming up with 39 against Sri Lanka, he blasted an unbeaten 86 against New Zealand in a close game. After failing against Netherlands and England, he made a crucial contribution in the semi-finals with an unbeaten 45 from 40 balls, but it wasn’t enough for the Proteas to progress to the finals.


--By A Cricket Analyst

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