Should Babar Azam have got the Player of the Tournament award? Wasim Akram gives his verdict

Pakistan captain Babar Azam (left) was the highest scorer at the T20 World Cup. (AFP)

The award for the Player of the Tournament went to Australian opener David Warner

By Team KT

Published: Tue 16 Nov 2021, 8:30 PM

Pakistan may have lost the T20 World Cup semifinal to eventual winners Australia, but the team captain Babar Azam finished the tournament as the highest scorer with 303 runs.

The award for the Player of the Tournament, though, went to Australian opener David Warner, who scored 289 runs in the tournament, including a match-winning half century in the final against New Zealand.

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But Pakistan fans and some of their former players felt Babar should have won the MVP.

Even Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disappointment at the ICC decision.

"Was really looking forward to see @babarazam258 becoming Man of the Tournament. Unfair decision for sure," Akhtar tweeted after the final.

But the legendary Wasim Akram, who had captained Akhtar, felt the ICC made the right decision by awarding the trophy to Warner.

"It doesn't have to be most runs; they have also seen the impact," Akram said on A Sports.

"They saw which particular player during the tournament had an impact from his performances on the side and Warner won Australia matches single-handedly on most occasions. They also lifted the World Cup which was the icing on the cake."

Pakistan will now face Bangladesh in a three-match T20 series, with the first match scheduled for Friday in Dhaka.

Babar's team will also play two Test matches against Bangladesh.