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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has voiced his displeasure over Australian opener David Warner being named as 'Player of the Tournament' following the T20 World Cup 2021 final between Australia and New Zealand on Sunday. In seven matches including the final, Warner scored 289 runs at an excellent average of 48.16 and a strike rate of 146.70. However, Akhtar believes his countrymen and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam should have received the ‘Player of the tournament’ award instead of Warner.
“Was really looking forward to see @babarazam258 becoming Man of the Tournament. Unfair decision for sure,” Akhtar tweeted after the award ceremony.
Babar ended his campaign as the highest run-getter in the T20 World Cup 2021 edition, scoring 303 runs on an average of 60.60 in six matches, but his strike rate (126.25) was substantially lower than the Australian opener.
Warner is also the second player from the winning team to receive 'Player of the Tournament' award, following Kevin Pietersen in the 2010 edition. In every other case, the prize was handed to the losing team's player.
Azam became the fourth batter to score 300 or more runs in a single edition of T20 World Cup after Virat Kohli, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene. With 303 runs, he is now third on the list of most runs in a single edition. On the other hand, Warner is fifth on the list. With 53-run knock in the final in Dubai, the veteran broke former Australian opener Matthew Hayden's 14-year-old record. Hayden scored 265 runs from six innings in the inaugural edition where Australia reached the semi-final only to be beaten by MS Dhoni-led India.
