Devidas

I was just thinking about the dangers of needing to create content and fan engagement sometimes tying organizers in a knot. A classic case was the ICC Player of the Tournament for the T20 WC 2026. In an bid for voting and fan engagement, the ICC had already made a shortlist of 8 players, and Bumrah was not on that list, though in a tournament where bowlers went for plenty, a great case could have been made for his presence. But that is immaterial. The point was that the top 8 were not that ahead of the rest, and Bumrah's final burst easily made him a leading contender for player of the tournament, a game changing bowler in a format where bowlers were going for 250 in 20 overs. But the organizers had to pick a player from that shortlist of 8, and so gave Bumrah Player Of The Match and Samson Player of the Tournament where logically it should have been the other way round. I am not for a single moment undermining Samson's effort which was titanic, just that Bumrah probably was just as good if not a shade more impactful, and the ICC committing to a shortlist early took away the option of picking him.