London, June 22: Sri Lanka lost the World Cup but walked away with the consolation of having the best player on show in their ranks. Tillakaratne Dilshan’s daredevilry with the bat fetched him the player of the tournament award in the World Twenty20 championship.

Opening the innings throughout the tournament, Dilshan scored 317 runs at a strike-rate of 144.74 and an average 52-plus. He scored three half-centuries and his unbeaten 96 in the semifinal against the West Indies was the highest individual score of the tournament.

That innings almost single-handedly took Sri Lanka to the final causing his captain Kumar Sangakkara to gush out in praise as "a pioneer stroke-maker in Twenty20".

Dilshan also hit more boundaries than any other player, his 46 fours and three sixes well clear of the 28 fours and four sixes by South Africa’s Jacques Kallis.

And his batting was talked about not only for its excellence but also for innovation, with his ability to flip fast and medium-paced bowlers past his nose and over the wicketkeeper’s head to the boundary.

Presenting the player with his award, former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd said: "Dilshan has impressed us all with his improvisation, courage out in the middle and wonderful range of shots."