The Top Twenty of Twenty20

The top 20 players from the twenty20 world cup

20. Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan - Not even in the original squad, Razzaq was one of the catalysts for Pakistan’s run of form to the title and took 3 key wickets to restrict the Sri Lankans in the final.

19. Niall O’Brien, Ireland - An aggressive presence who always seems to perform when his country upset the major powers. 6 dismissals and 81 runs including an excellent 40 in beating Bangladesh.

18. Kevin Petersen, England - The only English batsman that appeared to truly grasp the nature of twenty20 at this level. His side’s top scorer in their two victories and not present in their humbling defeat to the Dutch.

17. Dale Steyn, South Africa - Took wickets in every game (9 in total) and, along with Wayne Parnell, formed a formidable and slightly moody opening pairing for the Proteas.

16.Yuvraj Singh, India - Hit the most sixes (9) and furthered his reputation as one of crickets most fearsome hitters but couldn’t quite match his feats from the last World Cup and fire the 2007 champions to another final. Stuart Broad can probably sleep easy now.

15. Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lanka - He may not be quite as terrifying as the Murali of old but even at the age of 37 managed to take 9 wickets at an economy rate of 5.85. Something about form being temporary but class...

14. Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka - Unfortunate to be on the losing side after such a strong, mature innings in the final (64 off 52 when his team were floundering) but captained his side well throughout and had 9 dismissals.

13. Roelof Van der Merwe, South Africa - 10 wickets at under a run a ball combined with some great catches for the burly spinner.

12.Wayne Parnell, South Africa - Given a large level of responsibility at the tender age of 19 and returned the faith shown with 9 wickets at a rate of under 6 an over. Surely a star of the future.

11. Younis Khan, Pakistan - Retired immediately after the tournament citing being ‘too old for this kind of cricket.’ Held together numerous innings throughout and, with a few exceptions, did a stellar job of captaining a team that appears unmanageable at times.

10. Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka - ‘The Slingers’ lethal combination of yorker, bouncer and particularly his slower ball made fools of opposing hitters and brought him 12 wickets.

9. AB de Villiers, South Africa - A wonderfully gifted player who exemplifies the modern game. Dynamic with the bat (strike rate of 155 lead all players who scored more than 60 runs) and in the field (5 catches), he puts virtually every opposition bowler and batsmen under duress.

8. Chris Gayle, West Indies - 151 runs came in just two innings, the West Indies first and last of the tournament, but there is arguably no more likely a match winner in world cricket. Oh yeah, and he can hit the ball really, really hard.

7. Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan - The off-spinner is a late arrival to the international scene but looked anything but out of place as he accrued 12 wickets with an economy rate of 5.82. Along with Afridi, held the key to the middle-over pressure created by Pakistan.

6. Dwayne Bravo, West Indies - The energy of the team. 154 runs, 66 not out off just 36 balls in their victory over India, and 10 wickets. Another who seems at home in the twenty20 format.

5. Jacques Kallis, South Africa - 2nd highest run scorer (238 runs at an average of 59.5) and kept his team in their semi-final against Pakistan. Chipped in with 3 wickets and appears to be getting back to his best after a poor 2008.

4. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka - A real find over the past year. His deliveries were seemingly impossible to read, backed up by an economy rate of 5.5 and 12 wickets at an average of 11.91.

3.Umar Gul - Bowler of the tournament. Took the most wickets (13) for the second straight World Cup, including a record 5 for 6 against New Zealand, and was incredibly consistent in the high-pressure late innings.

2. Dilshan Tillakaratne, Sri Lanka - Lead the competition with 317 runs including a tournament best 96 not out in their semi-final victory over the West Indies. All this and still able to ‘invent’ a new shot - The Dilshan (although its just an incarnation of ‘the ramp’ if you ask me). Should be remembered for everything but his duck in the final.

1. Shahid Afridi, Pakistan - Batsman, bowler, talisman, fairytale hero. This version of the game seems tailor made for ’Boom Boom’ and, with 11 wickets at a miserly 5.32 economy rate, 176 runs and match-winning performances in both the semi-final and final, unquestionably the man of the tournament.