Cricket World® Players Of The Week - Yuvraj & Misbah
Yuvraj Singh in action during the final.
©REUTERS/Mike Hutchings (SOUTH AFRICA). Picture supplied by Action Images
Cricket World® Players Of The Week - Yuvraj & Misbah
Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq
©REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko (SOUTH AFRICA). Picture supplied by Action Images
After a thrilling ICC World Twenty20 tournament was concluded with the final it deserved, and Pakistan narrowly missing out on victory, Cricket World® has this week awarded its Player Of The Week accolade jointly to India's Yuvraj Singh and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq.
Yuvraj Singh thrilled onlookers when he hit Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over as India beat England, before smashing 70 from 30 balls in the crucial semi-final victory over Australia. He didn't fire in the final, scoring 14, but was a key player throughout the tournament.
Misbah-ul-Haq emerged from Pakistan's domestic cricket to worldwide acclaim for his never-say-die attitude to batting, and twice against India in the tournament he so nearly rescued lost causes.
His 53 from 35 balls in the group game earnt his side a tie, although the subsequent bowl out was lost, and in the final, his brilliant 43 took his team to within one stroke of glory, but he was unable to apply the coup de grace. He must be wondering what he has to do to beat an Indian side, but his performances in this competition should afford him plenty of opportunity to do so in the future.
In between those two games, his 66 from 42 balls helped Pakistan overcome the Australians, the crucial win which laid the platform for their progress to the final.
There were a number of other contenders for this week's award, delayed one day to reward the outstanding cricket played in the tournament, including Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, and India's RP Singh but Yuvraj and Misbah were seen as the men who did most for their sides.
Although, as Cricket World® Managing Editor Nick Gear commented on the tournament, "Cricket was the winner."
The Cricket World® Player Of The Week is judged by the www.cricketworld.com Editorial Team, which takes into consideration matches played in the preceding week with the final decision made on Monday morning.
Users are welcome to discuss the award and put forward contenders for each week's award on our
forum.
© Cricket World 2007
