The 2021 T20 World Cup gave us a new champion in the format. It also reaffirmed who the bosses of the shortest format were, while also providing some new stars for the international stage. Here's ESPNcricinfo's Team of the Tournament
1. Jos Buttler (England, wicketkeeper)
Runs: 269, Average: 89.66, Strike rate: 151.12; Catches: 4, Stumpings: 1
England's most important player in their run to the semi-finals. Buttler played two of the tournament's best innings in the space of three nights and the contrast between them showed his versatility: he took Australia's attack for 71 not out off 32 balls in Dubai, nailing five sixes into the stands, then dug deep on a low Sharjah pitch to make a comparatively slow-burning 101 not out off 67 balls - his maiden T20I hundred.
2. David Warner (Australia)
Runs: 289, Average: 48.16, Strike rate: 146.70
Came into the tournament with a point to prove after the fiasco that was his IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad - and proved it emphatically. Capitalised on an early reprieve to make 65 against Sri Lanka then hammered 89 not out in a comfortable chase against West Indies to ensure Australia's progress. Seized the initiative in the semi-final, setting up a successful chase with 49 off 30 against Pakistan and then helped secure the title with a punchy 53 against New Zealand in the final.
3. Babar Azam (Pakistan, captain)
Runs: 303, Average: 60.60, Strike rate: 126.25
Nobody scored more runs than Babar in this T20 World Cup and although his safety-first approach came into sharp focus during Pakistan's semi-final defeat to Australia, there is still room for an anchor in this XI on UAE tracks. He peeled off half-centuries against India, Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland. His unbeaten 68 in Pakistan's tournament opener helped them beat India for the first time in World Cups in their 13th attempt, and set the scene for the team's unbeaten run in the Super 12s.
4. Mitchell Marsh (Australia)
Runs: 185, Average: 61.66, Strike rate: 146.82
Among the most maligned players in modern cricket, Marsh made his haters fall in love with him by delivering Australia their maiden T20 World Cup title. After being benched for Australia's first two games of the competition, he stepped up admirably in their last two games. In the semi-final against Pakistan, he made a cameo of 28 off 22 balls and then in the final against New Zealand, he played a starring role. The way he took down spin, which has been his nemesis in the past, was a sign of his evolution as a batter.
5. Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka)
Runs; 231, Average 46.20, Strike rate: 147.13
The 24-year-old had played just three T20Is before the T20 World Cup, where he emerged as the breakout star. He is fearless and can give the ball a good ol' whack, as Bangladesh found out in Sharjah and then West Indies in Abu Dhabi. He was particularly strong against spin in the competition, hitting 104 runs off 66 balls at a strike rate of 157.57.
6. Moeen Ali (England)
Runs: 92, Average: 46, Strike rate: 131.42; Wickets: 7, Average: 11, Economy: 5.50
After playing only a peripheral role in England's T20I sides in the past, Moeen became one of the main men in this competition. He fronted up to bowl tough overs in the powerplay, a phase in which he picked up five of his seven wickets at an economy rate of 5.72. Moeen also played his part with the bat. After sliding up the order to No. 3, he scored 37 off 27 balls against South Africa and followed it with an unbeaten 51 off 37 in the semi-final. England's spin-hitter took on Ish Sodhi and his presence kept Mitchell Santner away from the attack, but Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham eventually combined to best him.
7. Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka)
Runs: 119, Average: 23.80, Strike rate: 148.75; Wickets: 16, Average 9.75, Economy: 5.20
The World Cup's leading wicket-taker and Sri Lanka's new superstar, with fluorescent boots, gold chains and a rockstar persona. Hasaranga took at least one wicket in seven of his eight games and his googly - which he bowled significantly more than his legbreak - was near-impossible to pick, accounting for 15 of his 16 wickets. Took one of the tournament's three hat-tricks against South Africa in Sharjah and chipped in with the bat: he made 71 as a pinch-hitting No. 5 against Ireland, then gave England a scare from No. 7.
8. Josh Hazlewood (Australia)
Wickets: 11, Average 15.90, Economy: 7.29
Hazlewood played all of two T20Is between March 2016 and July 2021 but reinvented himself in white-ball cricket so much that he won the IPL and T20 World Cup titles in a space of four weeks, in the Emirates. He married his Test-match strengths - length-and-length bowling - with cutters into the pitch and knuckle balls to pin down batters in the powerplay. He got rid of three of New Zealand's top four, including Kane Williamson, to set up Australia's dominant victory in the final.
9. Adam Zampa (Australia)
Wickets: 13, Average 12.07, Economy: 5.81
Zampa picked up at least one wicket in each of the seven matches and conceded over six runs an over only twice. He hit unhittable lengths in the middle overs and when batters tried to upset him, he brought out his variations - wrong'un, slider and topspinner. His hauls in this tournament are made all the more remarkable by his training period immediately before when Covid-19 restrictions rendered him unable to use Cricket Australia or even New South Wales' training facilities, leaving him to bowl at teenagers in the nets near his home in Byron Bay.
10. Trent Boult (New Zealand)
Wickets: 13, Average: 13.30, Economy: 6.25
After not playing a single game in the 2016 T20 World Cup in India, Boult headlined New Zealand's progress to their first-ever final five years later in the UAE. He was not only New Zealand's highest wicket-taker, but also their most economical operator - all of this while bowling upfront and at the death. When the ball did swing, Boult was potent and when it didn't, he smartly took pace off and bowled cross-seamers to still pose questions to the batters.
11. Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Wickets: 9, Average: 11.55, Economy: 5.37
He hurried the batters with his rapid pace and bounce, skills that have served him well in the past in the IPL in the UAE. His improved control over the legcutter has now transformed him into a more versatile bowler in T20 cricket. Picked up at least one wicket in each of his six matches, adapting well to all the three venues. His economy rate of 5.37 is the only second to Jasprit Bumrah among fast bowlers who have bowled at least 15 overs in the tournament.