Dubai, March 6 (IANS) As T20 World Cup nears conclusion with India and New Zealand will lock horns in the summit clash on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the ICC has unveiled the best performers from the ongoing mega event who have made the Player of the Tournament shortlist.

India’s Sanju Samson is among the eight nominees which includes, Will Jacks (England), Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan), Lungi Ngidi (South Africa), Aiden Markram (South Africa), Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand), Shadley van Schalkwyk (USA), Tim Seifert (New Zealand).

Samson is getting better with every showing at the T20 World Cup, with the right-hander having delivered back-to-back Player of the Match performances in India’s last two fixtures at the tournament.

He smashed an unbeaten 97* from just 50 deliveries in a a crucial Super Eights victory over the West Indies and then delivered for his country once gain in the knockout semi-final when scoring a brisk 89 from 42 balls.

In the four matches, the wicketkeeper batter scored 232 runs at an average of 77.33 and 201.73 strike rate.

England’s Jacks won four Player of the Match honours, including in the crucial Super Eight clashes against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Having dropped down the batting order, he played the role of finisher to perfection. He scored 226 runs, at a strike rate of 176.56, giving his team the much-needed acceleration at the end. His best performance with the bat was against Italy, when he led England’s recovery from 105/5 to 202/7. With the help of three fours and four sixes, Jacks scored an unbeaten 53 off just 22 balls.

An effective off-spinner, Jacks also given his team timely breakthroughs. Against Sri Lanka, he ran through the middle-order, claiming 3/22 in four overs, his best figures of the tournament, following a handy 21 with the bat. Jacks came up with another all-round display against New Zealand, claiming 2/23 and scoring an unbeaten 32 to guide his team to a four-wicket win.

Farhan provided the silver lining in another mercurial Pakistan campaign. The opening batter scored 383 runs in six innings to record the most runs scored in a single edition of a Men’s T20 World Cup. He also became the first player to score two centuries at an single edition of the Men’s T20 World Cup as he scored a hundred against Sri Lanka and Namibia.

Lungi Ngidi is a vital cog in South Africa’s pace battery and was their most consistent fast bowler at the ongoing T20 World Cup. He began the tournament with a four-wicket haul against Canada, and followed it up with a 3/26 against Afghanistan in the epic that was decided by two Super Overs. Ngidi also claimed three wickets against West Indies in the Super Eights.

Aiden Markram was central to Proteas’ assured performances at this T20 World Cup, with the right-hander compiling three half-centuries across eight matches. Slotting himself at the top of the batting order, Markram’s best performances came in run-chases against New Zealand in the opening group stage and against the West Indies in the Super Eights.

He scored an unbeaten 86 against the Black Caps to help South Africa chase down 176 in 17.1 overs, Markram carried his bat in the match against West Indies as well, with an unbeaten 86 as his team overhauled a target of 177 in the 16.1 overs.

A big-hitting batter, Rachin Ravindra has proved valuable to his side with the ball as well at this T20 World Cup. After their opening Super Eight clash against Pakistan was washed out, the left-arm spinner gave New Zealand the edge in the clash against Sri Lanka. He scored 32 runs and returned to claim 4/27 to help restrict the co-hosts to 107/8. In the next match against England, he finished with 3/19 in a losing effort.

Van Schalkwyk began T20 World Cup 2026 with a four-wicket haul against India on February 7. He varied his pace to perfection to help reduce India to 77/6 at one point, though the co-hosts found a way out. In the next match against Pakistan, the pacer returned with identical figures of 4/25.

Seifert has played a major part in New Zealand’s run to the T20 World Cup decider, with the right-hander having amassed 274 runs across eight matches with a total of eight half-centuries.

Seifert started the tournament in style with fifties against Afghanistan and the UAE, but it was his 58 against South Africa in the semi-finals that was his most important knock of the event thus far.

The opener combined with Finn Allen for a partnership of 117 at the top of the order as the Black Caps successfully chased down the victory target of 170 inside 30 overs.

–IANS

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