MUMBAI (Reuters) – Paceman Lasith Malinga was the only member of Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20-winning side to earn a place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) team of the tournament, as vanquished Indian players dominated the selection.
Sri Lanka broke a finals-losing jinx to lift a maiden World Twenty20 title on Sunday with a comfortable six-wicket victory over 2007 champions India.
However, only the blond-mopped Malinga, who led the side after Dinesh Chandimal opted to keep himself out of the starting lineup, made the ICC team named on Monday.
Four Indian players made the side, captained by wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with two from South Africa and West Indies, and one representative each from Australia and the Netherlands besides champions Sri Lanka.
It was a very difficult task for the panel to pick a team of 11 from the exciting players who featured in this tournament, former Australia batsman David Boon, the chairman of the ICC selection panel, said in a statement.
As the selection criteria for the team of the tournament are the performances of players in the conditions during the ICC World Twenty20 2014, some of the best players in world cricket had to be left out of the team.
Bowlers, in particular, performed strongly throughout this tournament and the side we have selected includes three of the most impressive bowlers in Dale Steyn, Samuel Badree and Lasith Malinga.
Team: Rohit Sharma (India), Stephan Myburgh (Netherlands), Virat Kohli (India), JP Duminy (South Africa), Glenn Maxwell (Australia), MS Dhoni (India – captain), Darren Sammy (West Indies), Ravichandran Ashwin (India), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Samuel Badree (West Indies), Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka).
12th player: Krishmar Santokie (West Indies)
(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by John O’Brien)
