T20 World Cup player ratings: Candice slaps down David Warner claims
Candice Warner had some choice words for her husband’s critics after Australia won its maiden Men’s T20 World Cup title on Monday.
Australia defied the odds to secure its maiden Men’s T20 World Cup on Monday morning, trumping trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by eight wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Some members of the Australian squad had not played professional cricket for several months leading into the tournament, but the talented outfit found a way to overcome the lack of match practice and return home as world champions.
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Their campaign was anything but smooth sailing, with a heavy defeat against England in the Super 12 stage a lowlight.
There were plenty of standouts — but not everyone in the Australian squad pulled their weight during the tournament.
Here is our ranking for every Australian player, out of 10.
Aaron Finch — 5
135 runs at 19.28, strike rate of 116.37
With the bat, it was a fairly underwhelming campaign for the Australian captain.
Finch failed to reach fifty in eight knocks, with his top score of 44 coming against England at less than a run per ball.
His only notable performance came in a one-sided encounter against Bangladesh, when Australia was tasked with chasing 74 for victory. An explosive 40 off 20 balls helped boost Australia’s net run rate enough to qualify for the semi-final ahead of South Africa.
Although Finch didn’t contribute much with the bat, his captaincy in the field was impeccable. With only four strike bowlers at his disposal for most of the tournament, Finch expertly rotated his quicks and spinners throughout the middle overs.
He joins an illustrious list of Australian captains to lift a World Cup trophy.
David Warner – 9
289 runs at 48.16, strike rate of 146.70
Warner’s form was cause for concern leading into the tournament, and understandably so.
The left-hander had been axed from his Indian Premier League franchise, and his scores leading into the T20 World Cup were 0, 2, 0 and 1.
Warner defiantly told reporters he wasn’t out of form, he was simply out of runs — and he quickly validated those comments.
After mustering a classy half-century during Australia’s victory over Sri Lanka, the 35-year-old smacked an unbeaten 89 against the West Indies, equalling his highest score in T20 internationals.
Warner’s crucial 49 in the semi-final against Pakistan also flew under the radar due to the heroics of Matthew Wade — and his sparkling 53 off 38 balls in Monday’s final proved he could still deliver when Australia needed him most.
He finished the T20 World Cup as Australia’s highest run-scorer and was subsequently named Player of the Tournament.
Warner’s wife Candice had some choice words for his critics after the final, slapping down claims the cricketer’s best days were over.
“Out of form!!” she tweeted with an embarrassed and laughing face emoji, alongside a graphic announcing Warner as player of the tournament.
“Out of form, too old and slow!” she added in another post, with those same emojis. “Congratulations @davidwarner31.”
Candice also posted a graphic to her Instagram story highlighting Warner’s last three innings — where he scored 188 runs — with a line that read: “Finished, they said.”
Mitchell Marsh — 8
185 runs at 61.66, strike rate of 146.82
Marsh was the only Australian batter to impress national selectors during winter tours of Bangladesh and the West Indies, and as a result forced his way into the coveted No. 3 spot.
But after registering scores of 0 and 11 against India (warm-up game) and South Africa, he was dropped for Australia’s match against England in favour of a fifth bowling option.
However, Marsh was at his destructive best after being recalled into the starting XI. He scored a classy half-century against the West Indies before top-scoring for Australia in the final against New Zealand with a career-defining 77 not out.
During the T20 World Cup, the Perth larrikin also broke the all-time Australian record for most T20Is in a calendar year.
Marsh’s heroics in the decider have spurred several pundits to speculate he may be in the running for an Ashes berth.
Glenn Maxwell — 4
64 runs at 16.00, strike rate of 100.00
2 wickets at 50.00, economy rate of 7.14
It was assumed by many leading into the tournament that Australia would have no chance of qualifying for the final if Maxwell didn’t fire with the bat. That certainly wasn’t the case.
Before the final against New Zealand, there were no signs of the swashbuckling Victorian that smacked half-centuries with ease during the second leg of the Indian Premier League.
Maxwell only reached double figures once in the Super 12 stage, and he copped some criticism for his cheap dismissal in the semi-final against Pakistan.
He claimed important wickets against South African and Bangladesh, but the “Big Show” was more of a “No Show” in the UAE.
However, Maxwell rediscovered his mojo at just the right time, guiding the Aussies home in the final and hitting the winning runs.
Steve Smith – 3
69 runs at 23.00, strike rate of 97.18
National selectors will need to start seriously considering whether there is still a place for Smith in the Australian T20 side.
The 32-year-old was tasked with resurrecting Australia’s innings when wickets fell early, a task he fulfilled against South Africa and Sri Lanka.
But the fact Smith could not muster a single six during the entire tournament is worrying to say the least.
Put simply, a tournament strike rate of 97.18 is not good enough for a player of his calibre.
Marcus Stoinis – 8
80 runs at 80.00, strike rate of 137.93
Since his unforgettable century against New Zealand in 2017, national selectors have persisted with Stoinis as a finisher in the game’s shortest formats.
But far too often he hasn’t lived up to expectations — most notably during the 2019 World Cup.
However, Stoinis rewarded the selectors’ faith with a career-defining knock of 40 not out in the semi-final against Pakistan.
The all-rounder also starred in the low-scoring affair against South Africa, holding his nerve to guide the Aussies towards a nailbiting victory.
Stoinis dominated the Big Bash League for several years as an opening batter, but the Melbourne Stars stalwart has now proven he can terrorise bowlers in the middle-order as well.
Matthew Wade – 8
74 runs at 74.00, strike rate of 164.44
With the talented Josh Inglis patiently waiting on the sidelines, Matthew Wade’s spot in the starting XI was in jeopardy throughout the T20 World Cup.
The wicketkeeper genuinely believed leading up to the semi-final against Pakistan that the must-win match would be his last in Australian colours.
But Wade quickly became a national hero after smacking three consecutive sixes in the penultimate over of the thrilling run chase in Dubai.
Meanwhile, the Tasmanian’s wicketkeeping has unjustly gone under the radar — with the exception of a couple of minor blunders, Wade has never performed better with the gloves at international level.
Pat Cummins – 6
5 wickets at 35.40, economy rate of 7.37
Cummins had not played professional cricket for five months leading into the T20 World Cup, and that lack of match practice was glaringly obvious.
The Australian vice-captain claimed just five wickets for the tournament, comfortably the lowest aggregate of the team’s strike bowlers.
Cummins leaked runs in the semi-final against Pakistan with some wayward bowling, while his best performance came against South Africa with an economical spell of 1/17 off four overs.
But with the likes of Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson waiting in the wings, it’s unclear whether national selectors will continue persisting with Cummins in T20 cricket over the coming years.
Mitchell Starc – 5
9 wickets at 27.55, economy rate of 9.18
Mitchell Starc was regularly tasked with bowling at the death throughout the World Cup and he rarely let the Aussies down.
The tall left-armer’s yorkers proved a dangerous weapon, and he had a wonderful knack of snaring wickets just when Australia needed a breakthrough.
However, a nightmare performance in the final against New Zealand exposed how vulnerable Starc can be when the ball isn’t swinging.
His figures of 0/60 are statistically the worst bowling performance by an Australian in T20 internationals.
Josh Hazlewood – 8
11 wickets at 15.90, economy rate of 7.29
Australian cricket fans will forever question the decision to omit Hazlewood from the 2019 Cricket World Cup campaign.
The Bendemeer Bullet, who was not selected for any T20 internationals between April 2016 and August 2020, frustrated rival batters with his persistent length bowling.
After taking 4/39 against the West Indies, Hazlewood became just the second Australian to take 4-plus wickets in a T20 international on two occasions, joining Ashton Agar.
Meanwhile, his 2/19 against South Africa was arguably Australia’s best bowling performance of the tournament.
Hazlewood was particularly damaging during the powerplay, where he claimed seven wickets — the most of any bowler in the tournament.
He may not boast the tricks and variations of his comrades, but Hazlewood has proven you can still dominate in T20 cricket with the old-fashioned strategy of consistent line and length.
Adam Zampa — 9
13 wickets at 12.07, economy rate of 5.81
Zampa was Australia’s best player of the T20 World Cup. Period.
The talented leg-spinner was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament’s Super 12 stage with 11 scalps, but his ability to create chances while simultaneously maintaining a low economy rate was his most impressive attribute.
He only conceded more than 24 runs in a match twice in the campaign — against England and New Zealand — and played a pivotal role in Australia’s high-scoring semi-final against Pakistan.
And the cherry on top — Zampa claimed career-best figures of 5/19 against Bangladesh to become just the third Australian to take a five-wicket haul in T20 internationals.
Finch told reporters after the final he believed Zampa should have been awarded Player of the Series.
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