One of India or South Africa will break their trophy lull as the two teams lock horns in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday at Kensington Oval in Barbados. (Full Coverage | Cricket News)
The tournament has given some really exciting cricket with different kinds of tracks bringing bowlers into play. Batters have struggled but there are a few who have stood out. In a good tournament for bowlers, there are some who have just made it impossible to score runs. All this will be on the minds of the officials before they hand out the Player of the Tournament prize to one of these players.
Here we take a look at five top contenders to lift the Player of the Tournament award for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
1. Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah is the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 wickets. While that is impressive, what is just mind boggling is that his economy in the competition is 4.12!
4.12 would be considered unbelievable even in an ODI tournament and here Jasprit Bumrah is borderline unhittable in a T20 World Cup in 2024. He is the front-runner for the Player of the Tournament trophy.
2. Rohit Sharma
Back-to-back half centuries against two strong teams, England and Australia, has pushed Rohit Sharma to the third spot in the list of highest run-scorers in this World Cup with 248 runs. The Indian skipper has shrugged off a dull start to the tournament and now looks like a menace for opposition bowlers.
A win for India in the final and another strong performance will lock the Player of the Tournament trophy for the Indian skipper.
3. Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock found it tough during the initial phase of the tournament in New York but as soon as he left the city, he struck form. South Africa's highest run-scorer with 204 runs, de Kock played crucial knocks in the first two Super 8 matches for Proteas against USA and England.
If he can continue on his good run and light up the Kensington Oval in the final against India, he could very well be among the top choices for the Player of the Tournament trophy.
4. Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje is South Africa's top wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup 2024 with 13 scalps, joint-fourth highest in the competition. His economy of 5.64 is only bettered by Bumrah for bowlers who have taken more than 10 wickets in this tournament.
A match-winning performance in the final to lead South Africa to their first ICC trophy will definitely put him in line for the Player of the Tournament accolade.
5. Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Afghanistan have some star bowlers in their ranks, but they needed a reliable batting unit for a wholesome performance. In this T20 World Cup they got reliability in their batting line-up thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Gurbaz has adapted beautifully to the conditions and amassed 281 runs, the highest till now in the tournament. He is among the biggest reasons why Afghanistan made it to their maiden World Cup semifinal. He could be the dark horse for the best player's prize for this T20 World Cup.
