As the cliché goes, however, top players are capable of top performances, even when the momentum is not going their way. Like Adam Gilchrist would do in the 2007 world cup reserving his best for the final. Here is a list of batters capable of putting their poor runs behind and playing match-winning innings in the business end of the tournament:

India’s Rohit Sharma gestures with his bat after reaching 50 runs during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and the Netherlands in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

With KL Rahul’s back-to-back half centuries, and the ferocious resurgence of Virat Kohli, the spotlight has shifted to the skipper for the lack of runs – and starts – given by India’s top order. Given their massive chasing preference, teams like to put them in to bat first, and Sharma’s low and slow totals have played a role in keeping India short in the batting powerplay.

More often than not, he has been dismissed going for his shots. Barring one 50 against Netherlands, his scores this World Cup have been: 4, 15, 2, 15. Sharma hasn’t been in especially good form either: 150 runs in his last 10 T20 innings, and his ability to score the big runs when it matters has come into question. No better way to put those questions to bed in the crunch semifinal, and possible final.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson bats during the T20 World Cup cricket match between New Zealand and Ireland in Adelaide, Australia, Friday, Nov. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/James Elsby)

Kane Williamson

The New Zealand skipper struck a 35-ball 61 against Ireland to ensure his side do not have a late slip up, but Williamson’s form is still in questionable territory. Relying on manoeuvring the crease and riskier shots than he is used to playing, Williamson’s innings came at an opportune time for the Kiwis, ahead of the semifinal.

There has been a lot of talk around him and his form over the past six-eight months, especially in T20 cricket. First he was injured, suffering from the tennis elbow issue that had once hit Sachin Tendulkar, and his batting went down. Coming off the worst IPL of his career, his strike rate in T20s has been 118 over the last two years, and he had hit just 71 runs of 76 balls prior to the blinder.

Williamson may have put up a big score against Ireland, but he will need to find the kind of form, stroke play, and calculated aggression to anchor his side against a top-notch Pakistan bowling attack. If his 48-ball 85, albeit in a losing cause, against Australia in last year’s World Cup final is any indication, he’s more than up to the task.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam plays a shot to be out caught during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Adelaide, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. (AP Photo/James Elsby)

Babar Azam

The Pakistan skipper is perhaps the most “in-form” player on this list. Given how well him and opener Mohammad Rizwan were able to set up the innings in the recent past. Their middle order, which was questioned at the start of the tournament, is on whom the side has solely relied this World Cup. Azam is in particularly poor form, having scored just 39 with the bat in the tournament, and with experts questioning his place as opener with the return of Mohammad Haris.

His scores prior to the start of the tournament, however, includes an unbeaten 79 against the very attack he takes on in the semifinal in New Zealand’s conditions. His form at the World Cup is likely nothing more than a blip, and a match-winning innings in his side’s most important games of the year should be on its way.

Ben Stokes (AP)

Ben Stokes

Ever since his eighteen-month-long layoff from T20 cricket, Stokes’ form with the bat has been in terrible shape. His highest-score prior to the World Cup had been 17 in that time, and even though he hit 36 in a warmup game, he has not quite hit the same heights.

In a must-win game against Sri Lanka, Stokes played himself back into confidence, even if it was not the destructiveness normally associated with him. Stokes played the match situation, hitting a 36-ball 42 to take his side home in the run chase. But with just one boundary, he relied on his ability to work the field and his quick running between the wickets.

It is the kind of contribution that is unlikely to turn the tide for England against a side like India. Despite his ability with the ball, if Stokes is to justify his place in the team, he needs a high-impact innings, even if it’s a quickfire finishing one.

India’s Hardik Pandya bats during the T20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Hardik Pandya

From the top order batsmen, now down to the finishers.

Pandya has more than risen to the occasion with the ball, enjoying the bouncy pitches in Australia and hitting the right lengths. His form with the bat, however, has been a different story.

He struggled to deal with the hard lengths of Pakistan’s pacers in a 37-ball 40, and got put over by spin. He has hit just two boundaries – in a dead-rubber against Zimbabwe – since. But the all-rounder is well-known to thrive under pressure, and his brilliant power and timing of the ball are more than capable of clearing the big boundaries in Australia. If a finishing contribution is required, India still rely on him, and it should be a matter of time before he delivers.

Liam Livingstone (File)

Liam Livingstone

Livingstone is probably the only player on this list through no fault of his own. He has hit just 54 runs this tournament, but England have hardly relied on him.

One of the best finishers in the game on current form, his recent performances in both franchise and international cricket have been so prolific that it has earned him a call-up to his country’s test side. At a strike rate of 152 over the past few years in T20s, England have relied on him to beef up their first innings scores.

Knowing India’s chasing preference, if early wickets are to fall, Livingstone is going to be a huge threat in the middle overs, and his contribution could prove crucial.