The World Cup in England and Wales concluded on Sunday, 14 July with England winning the title by hitting more boundaries than New Zealand after an extraordinary final which was tied both after regulation 100 overs and a Super Over.
With this win, England lifted the World Cup for the first time in the 44-year history of the tournament. And what better place to make history that Home of Cricket itself –the hallowed Lord’s in London.
The 12th edition of the World Cup saw some record-breaking performances with individual brilliance from many cricketers. Even though only four teams made it to the knockouts after the long league stage, there were many players from other teams who made all the right choices.
With all these star cricketers at disposal, here’s a look at The Quint’s World Cup XI
Rohit Sharma (IND)
With 648 runs and record-breaking five centuries in the tournament, the Indian vice-captain is the obvious choice for one of the opening slots in the side. The highest run scorer in this edition of the competition, Rohit Sharma has been consistent at the top and his average of 81.00 after 9 matches is a testimony to that.
David Warner (AUS)
The Australian opener, with 647 runs in the competition, is the best choice to accompany Rohit Sharma at the top of the innings. The fact that the duo also occupy the top two positions on the highest run getters list in the competition validates the selection. A right and left combination at the start of the innings is always ominous for the opposition. His three centuries is just another factor which marks his successful comeback to international cricket.
Kane Williamson (NZ)
The New Zealand skipper led his side from the front with the bat as well as on the field. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take his side home in the final against England. Adjudged player of the tournament on Sunday, Williamson shouldered most of the batting for his side. With the Kiwi openers failing to give their side a good start, it was practically Williamson opening for his side in all matches. His tally of 578 runs from 9 innings made him the captain with most number of runs in a World Cup.
Williamson also marshalled his troops well against India and England in the semis and the final respectively. It was his smart captaincy and execution of plans that made it difficult for India to chase a paltry total of 240. It showed great character from Williamson to motivate his team to victory in the semis after back-to-back losses in the league stage.
Shakib Al Hasan (BAN)
The Bangladeshi all-rounder had a dream tournament as far as the World Cup is concerned. He could do nothing wrong both with the bat and the ball. Shakib finished the World Cup with 606 runs and 11 wickets in 8 innings. In the process, he became the first cricketer to take more than 10 wickets and score more than 500 runs in a single edition of the World Cup. The former Bangladeshi captain decided to promote himself to the number three position at the start of the tournament and the decision not only did wonders to his batting but also to his team’s fortune. With 2 centuries and 5 half-centuries, Shakib scores at the World Cup stand at – 75, 64, 121, 124*, 41, 51, 66 and 64.
Joe Root (ENG)
The English number three is the leading run scorer among the English batsmen in the competition. Coming into the competition, Root was one of the batsmen to look out for and he didn’t disappoint. With two centuries, the right-hand batsman amassed 556 runs in 11 innings at an average of 61.77. Part of the illustrious English batting line-up, Root has been one of the mainstays of England’s batting since the past few years.
Ben Stokes (ENG)
On Sunday, Stokes joined the illustrious list of cricketers to win the Man of the Match award in a World Cup final. Against New Zealand. He singlehandedly led the charge for England with bat. His unbeaten 84, along with his important contribution in the Super Over, were the driving force behind England’s World Cup success. Apart from this, Stokes has had a decent tournament scoring 5 half centuries for his 465 runs from 10 innings at an average of 66.42. His 8 wickets in the competition, with a best of 3/23 Bangladesh, has been more than useful for his side.
Alex Carrey (AUS)
With the second highest batting average among the Australian batters in the tournament, Carrey has been more than handy with the bat lower down the order. The little-known Australian keeper has notched up 375 runs from 10 innings, including three fifties, at an average of 62.50. Such was his impact that for the crucial semi-final against England, he was promoted to number five. Behind the wicket also Carrey has been successful with 20 dismissals (18 catches and 2 stumpings). Only New Zealand keeper Tom Lantham is ahead of Carrey with 21 dismissals.
Mitchell Starc (AUS)
The Australian pacer once again topped the wickets chart in a World Cup. After his 22-wicket haul in the last edition of the competition, for which he was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, Starc bettered himself to finish with 27 wickets this time around. In the process, he broke Australian legend Glenn McGrath’s (26) record of most number of wickets in a single World Cup. With 2 five-wicket hauls and 2 four-wicket hauls, Starc picked his wickets at an average 18.59 and economy of 5.43 to once lead the Australian bowling pack.
Jasprit Bumrah (IND)
Playing his very first 50 -over World Cup, Bumrah proved his potential for Team India. The number one ranked bowler in the format finished with 18 wickets in the tournament. Bumrah was Kohli’s go to man both at the start, at the death and almost every time India needed a wicket. He had an economy of 4.42 to boost his figures.
Jofra Archer (ENG)
The 24-year old West Indies-born had a dramatic entry into the England World Cup squad. However, he was one of the big reasons why England won the World Cup. He also had an economy of less than 5 throughout the World Cup. Moreover, he picked up 20 wickets and also bowled the Super Over. He is seen as the next big thing in England cricket and he was certainly England's find in this World Cup.
Ravindra Jadeja (IND)
Jadeja made his World Cup debut against Sri Lanka and immediately had an impact. He had figures of 1 for 40 as India produced a good bowling performance against the Lankans. Before that, he made an impact on the field for India in the field by taking an excellent catch to dismiss Jason Roy when India played against England. He then made a telling impact in the World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. After bowling a spell of 1 for 34, he then scored 59-ball 77 to almost win it for India. Though India lost the match, they found a hero in Jadeja.
12th Man: Mitchell Santner (NZ)
The left-arm spinner has nothing much to show in the tournament with only six wickets from 10 outings but Santner has been one of those few slow bowlers whom batsmen have found difficult to read in the World Cup. His economy of 4.82 has been the most stand out feature of his bowling in England and Wales. His standout performance came up against India in the semi-finals where he dismissed Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya to finish with 2/34 from his 10 overs.
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