T20 World Cup: Which team has used its squad best so far? | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: The continued ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia has now entered the business side of the Super 12 phase. And the exciting part of this intensely fought tournament is that all four semi-final spots are still vacant with just one game each left for the teams.
Four teams each are still in the reckoning for the knockout stage in both groups – New Zealand, England, Australia and Sri Lanka in Group 1, and India, South Africa, Pakistan and Bangladesh in Group 2. The final round of matches will not not only determines the teams in the last four stages, but also who plays against whom in them.
The teams entered the tournament with a set of 15 members, in some cases with little assistance, with the aim of getting the best out of them and progressing further in the tournament, and ultimately trying to lift the coveted trophy.
Here, TimesofIndia.com examine how the teams have utilized their respective squads so far and how their players have fared in the Super 12 phase:
(All statistics in this article are updated until the end of the game on November 3rd)
INDIA
The only team with three wins so far in the Super 12, India, are on the verge of booking their place in the knockout stages of the tournament. The 2007 champions used 12 players in four matches, giving one game to Deepak Hooda in place of Axar Patel against South Africa. They mostly stick to a set XI – five batsmen, three all-rounders (Hardik, Ashwin and Axar) and three specialist fast bowlers. This has provided India with depth in both the departments – batting and bowling.

AFP photo
Top performers
Bat:
Virat Kohli – M 4 | i 4 | R 220 | HS 82* | Av 220.00 | SR 144.73 | 19x4s | 7x6s
Suryakumar Yadav – M 4 | i 4 | R 164 | HS 68 | Average 54.66 | SR 180.21 | 19x4s | 4x6s
Bowling:
Arshdeep Singh – M 4 | i 4 | W 9 | BBI 3/32 | Av 14.66 | Econ 8.25 | SR 10.6
Hardik Pandya – M 4 | i 4 | W 6 | BBI 3/30 | Av 16:00 | Econ 8.00 | SR 12.0
Unused players so far: Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper-batsman), Yuzvendra Chahal (spinner) and Harshal Patel (pacer)
Full team: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami.
AUSTRALIA
However, to secure a place in the next round, Australia are in a tough spot ahead of the final round of matches as they have an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR) of -0.304 compared to their immediate rivals New Zealand and England. Like the other top teams, reigning champions Australia are also sticking to a set playing XI, with 12 players so far in the tournament. They also have a similar balance to India, playing with five batsmen, three all-rounders and three bowlers.

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Top performers
Bat:
Aaron Finch – M 3 | i 3 | R 107 | HS 63 | Average 53.50 | SR 110.30 | 6x4s | 5x6s
Marcus Stoinis – M 3 | i 3 | R 101 | HS 59* | Avg. 50.50 | SR 177.19 | 7x4s | 7x6s
Bowling:
Glenn Maxwell – M 3 | i 2 | W 3 | BBI 2/14 | Av 6.33 | Econ 6.00 | SR 6.3
Adam Zampa – M 2 | i 2 | W 3 | BBI 2/19 | Av 19.33 | Econ 7.25 | SR 16.0
Unused Players: Cameron Green (all), Kane Richardson (pacer) and Steven Smith (top-order batsman)
Full team: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
ENGLAND
England remain one of the most formidable teams in the tournament with probably the most balanced playing eleven. They are still looking for a place in the semi-finals with a big win against Sri Lanka in their last game on Saturday. They have fielded an unchanged side in all their matches so far, featuring as many as five all-rounders. They have tremendous depth in both the batting and bowling departments — batsmen up to No. 9 and seven bowling options.

AFP photo
Top performers
Bat:
Jos Buttler – M 3 | i 3 | R 91 | HS 73 | Av 30.33 | SR 135.82 | 10x4s | 2x6s
Alex Hales – M 3 | i 3 | R 78 | HS 52 | Av 26.00 | SR 120.00 | 8x4s | 2x6s
Bowling ball:
Sam Curran – M 3 | i 3 | W 9 | BBI 5/10 | Average 7.44 | Econ 6.28 | SR 7.1
Mark Wood – M 3 | i 3 | W 6 | BBI 3/34 | Av 13.66 | Econ 7.45 | SR 11.0
Unused Players: Chris Jordan (pacer), Phil Salt (wicket-batsman), Tymal Mills (pacer) and David Willey (singles batsman)
Full team: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Alex Hales.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand started their campaign on a high, beating hosts Australia by a massive 89 runs. This has held them in good stead so far as they have the best NRR of 2.233 among the four teams competing for the two semi-final spots of Group 1. As seen with other teams too, the Kiwis play with a set bunch of players, using only 12 of the 15 group so far. They go with five batsmen, two all-rounders and four bowlers in the playing XI.

AFP photo
Top performers
Bat:
Glenn Phillips – M 3 | i 3 | R 178 | HS 104 | Average 59.33 | SR 161.81 | 16x4s | 7x6s
Devon Conway – M 3 | i 3 | R 96 | HS 92* | Av 48.00 | SR 135.21 | 7x4s | 2x6s
Bowling:
Trent Boult – M 3 | i 3 | W 6 | BBI 4/13 | Av 12.83 | Econ 6.41 | SR 12.0
Mitchell Santner – M 3 | i 3 | W 6 | BBI 3/31 | Av 12.83 | Econ 6.41 | SR 12.0
Unused Players: Adam Milne (pacer), Martin Guptill (top-order batsman) and Michael Bracewell (all-rounder)
Full team: Kane Williamson (c), Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Lachlan Ferguson, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Trent Boult, Finn Allen.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan kept their semi-final hopes alive with a win against South Africa in their last match, although their fate still hangs in the balance and will require many different results. They have made more than a few changes to their playing XIs so far, giving opportunity to 14 players in the tournament, the most among the top teams. They also mostly operate with five batsmen, three all-rounders and three bowlers, a preferred combination so far among the teams.

AFP photo
Top performers
Bat:
Iftikhar Ahmed – M 4 | i 4 | R 113 | HS 51 | Average 37.66 | SR 134.52 | 6x4s | 6x6s
Shan Masood – M 4 | i 4 | R 110 | HS 52* | Average 36.66 | SR 107.84 | 8x4s | 0x6s
Bowling:
Shadab Khan – M 4 | i 4 | W 8 | BBI 3/22 | Av 10.25 | Econ 5.85 | SR 10.5
Mohammad Wasim – M 3 | i 3 | W 7 | BBI 4/24 | Average 7.42 | Econ 5.77 | SR 7.7
Unused Players: Khushdil Shah (middle-order batsman) and Mohammad Hasnain (pacer)
Full team: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman (replaced by Mohammad Haris), Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood.