The 2009 World Twenty20 Dream Team

It's been a great tournament, even after the abysmal performance by Australia. The quality of batting was awesome, and so many of the big stars (and the not so well known ones) shone on the big stage. The minnow teams played extremely well, with Ireland making the super 8's and pushing Sri Lanka and Pakistan all the way, and the bowling, although always unfairly treated by the twenty20 gods, were superb; Murali, Mendis, Botha, Ajmal and the like continued to prove that spin leads the new world order in 20 over cricket, and pacemen like Parnell, Gul and Malinga kept the art of pace bowling alive, where so many others had fallen. Fittingly, the two best bowling sides made the final, with the Pakistani's coming out on top.

This is my 20/20 dream team. I've only taken into account form in the T20 tournament, and I've only chosen players that I have seen play. Here's what I came up with (In batting order):

1) Christopher Gayle (West Indies): Don't be fooled by the Jamaican's mellow attitude, this cool cat is one of the most destructive batsman in world cricket. He played an absolute blinder (88) against the Australians, where he hit Brett Lee for a lazy 105 metre six out of the park at the oval. Along with his powerful batting, he can also send down a few overs of handy off-spin, and is one of the many candidates to captain the side.

2) Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka): If the world didn't know about Tillakaratne Dilshan before this tournament, they do now. He has a brilliant array of shots, seemingly able to hit the boundary anywhere around the ground. By far the batsman of the championship, he has carried the out-of-form Sri Lankan batting on his not so broad shoulders. Dilshan is also brilliant in the field, and was easily the first man picked in this side.

3) Jaques Kallis (South Africa): One of the finest cricketers to come from the rainbow nation, the old workhorse prooved he is playing better than ever in this year's world T20, with 238 runs and 3 wickets. Kallis is one of the most pleasant batsman to watch, and still gets plenty of zip with his medium fast bowling, so he just edges out Dwayne Bravo as the all-rounder in this side.

4) Kumar Sangakkara (wk) (c) (Sri Lanka): Just edged out Kamran Akmal with his performance in the final, Kumar Sangakkara is one of my personal favourites. He is one of the game's gentlemen, and a fine, classy cricketer on the field whether it be with the gloves or the bat. A great thinker, he has great understanding of the game, and hence is perfect for the captaincy role in this side.

5) Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (South Africa): In my opinion, AB de Villiers is the finest cricketer in the world at the moment. Brilliant in all forms, he was especially leathal coming in at number four for South Africa in the 2009 T20 tournament. He has the ability to play any role in the batting line up, from consolidating the innings early on, to hitting the ropes in the death overs. Being one of, if not the best fielder in world cricket, de Villiers was an easy choice for the dream team.

6) Younus Khan (vc) (Pakistan): Not as big hitting as some of his counterparts, this smiling assasin is a stylish and tyically sub-continental player, using his wrists to hit gaps on the on and off sides, and a brilliant player of spin. Also the vice captain of my side, he always has a huge grin on his face, lightneing the hearts of all who come to watch him play.

7) Shahid Afridi (Pakistan): In the side for his leg spin bowling more than batting, Afridi was brilliant in this tournament, taking 10 wickets at an economy rate of 5.37. To watch his bowling is worth the price of admission alone; he gets fantastic drift into the right hander and fools the very best with turn that can go both ways. His batting also hit the right gears towards the end of the tournament, making him the perfect man to come in at number seven.

8) Johan Botha (South Africa): Another one of my personal favourites, the controvesial 27 year old off-spinner is a fantastic cricketer. He is deceiving with his dart-like offies and handy with the bat late in the order. He's quick in the field, and knows the game inside out, yet another candidate to captain this side.

9) Umar Gul (Pakistan): Arguably the best 20/20 bowler in world cricket, Gul had a fantastic tournament in England, getting the best figures ever against the West Indies, with 5-6. Destructive with the ball in the death overs, he can hit the yorker length with extraordinary accuracy, and he stopped countless sides from getting away in the final overs in this year's tournament.

10) Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka): The slinger from Galle, he has taken 12 scalps in England, making him the equal highest wicket taker in the '09 championship. With his unique action, and absolutely impossible to pick slower ball, he can pick up wickets at any time in the innings, and is the captain's go-to man to break the big partnerships.

11) Wayne Parnel (South Africa): This little known about paceman from South Africa makes up the final spot in the XI. He adds plenty of variety as a left armer, he is quick, and like Umar Gul, can hit the yorker with precision accuracy. With nine wickets and best figures of 4-13 in this year's world T20, he was an easy pick as the final seamer in this side.