ICC World Cup 2019 | SportsCafe's Team of the Tournament
Penning down the team of the tournament is no less than a dream come true, where you can actually imagine yourself being the chief selector and handpicking 11 players for the side. With the World Cup coming to an end yesterday, here is the combined XI from all the teams from this season.
Openers
Rohit Sharma: The leading run-scorer of the tournament, Rohit Sharma has never batted so smartly in his career. In the absence of his regular opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma soaked in the pressure and was in the form of his life in the showpiece event. He took charge and scored runs in heap at the top of the order only to become the first man on this planet to have scored five centuries in a single edition of the World Cup. One cannot imagine a combined XI of this edition without the services of hitman Rohit.
Jason Roy: The maverick English opener has been one of the key reasons behind England’s revival of fortunes in this tournament and has got brisk starts on a consistent basis. Roy and Rohit at the top are no less than a double-edged sword, which cuts both sides. When England were on the brink of a potential elimination, Roy’s return to the side not only bolstered the line-up but also brought back the aggressive approach England are known for. Though the likes of David Warner and Aaron Finch have better numbers to boast of but on an impact index, Roy will pip them easily.
Middle-order
Shakib Al Hasan: Bangladesh may not have had the desired results in this tournament but this edition will always be remembered for Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round brilliance. It’s very difficult to imagine a combined XI without the Bangladeshi all-rounder in it. Though he has some serious competitors for this spot but his consistency and wily bowling works in his favour. He is also the first man from his country to have a total of 606 runs in a single edition of a World Cup, which speaks volumes of his impact.
Kane Williamson: The Kiwi skipper has led the side from the front and has been a sensation to watch in the middle-order. The elegant stroke-player has churned out crucial runs under immense pressure and shouldered the responsibility with sheer effectiveness. Though he missed out by a whisker, Williamson is the best thing to have happened to cricket in a very long time. The Man of the Tournament for 2019 editions, Williamson is also the leader of the pack for this team. Not many gave New Zealand a chance to make it to the finals leave along giving England a fight, but Williamson’s sheer brilliance couple with astute captaincy turned a dream into a reality.
Ben Stokes: Does this man even need an introduction? England’s crisis man and the hero of a nerve-wracking final, Stokes exorcised the ghost of his past with determination and grit. One doesn’t need to speak about the effect this star English all-rounder has had. His two heroic knocks against Sri Lanka and Australia may have gone in vain but he saved his best for the final when his team needed the most. It did speak volumes of his ability and temperament to battle it out when the chips are down. Apart from his prowess with the bat, he has been more than handy with the ball and a livewire on the field.
Nicholas Pooran: It was a tough call to make in the middle-order but Nicholas Pooran showed that he has the ingredients of a star. He played some belligerent innings in the middle and helped West Indies post competitive totals at a staggering accuracy. The fact that Pooran scores his runs at a brisk rate makes him a threat in the middle-order. Not many middle-order batsmen have got going in this edition and Pooran’s average of just over 52 at run a ball strike rate earns him a spot in this line-up.
Alex Carey: The Australian wicketkeeper-batsman proved his mettle silently in the middle and earned the faith of the team which was clearly evident in the semi-final, where he was elevated in the middle-order. The southpaw has shown nerves of steel and milked crucial runs under tremendous pressure. His success with in the World Cup has caught immense eyeballs and has been included in Australia’s 25-man squad for the upcoming Ashes. A solid batsman like Carey at seven will only add depth and stability to the batting.
Bowlers
Mitchell Starc: The leading wicket-taker of the tournament, Mitchell Starc’s return to form has been mesmerising. Prior to the start of the tournament, Starc’s form was worrisome for the Australian side but the repository off selector’s faith found form at a pivotal time. Starc’s staggering form was also one of the main reasons behind Australia making it to the semi-finals. Equally effective with the new ball as well with the old one, Starc is the man for big tournaments and his record of being the highest wicket-taker in two World Cups consecutively corroborates the belief.
Jasprit Bumrah: A bowler of his calibre needs is a blessing and his irresistible rise in international cricket has been one of cricket’s favourite folklores. Bumrah belongs to that rare breed of bowlers, who are impactful at any stage of the innings. One can use him as a new ball bowler and his death bowling prowess is widely-reckoned too. Apart from this, Kohli smartly used his overs in the middle when wickets were hard to come by and Bumrah hardly disappointed. The fact that despite bowling plethora of overs Bumrah has the best economy of 4.41 in the tournament for any bowler with a minimum of seven wickets is absolutely mind-boggling.
Shaheen Afridi: The race for this spot was between Jofra Archer, Afridi and Lockie Ferguson but Afridi has weaves his magic in a handful of games he played this tournament and meant business. In five games, he has 16 wickets at a staggering average of 14.62. Talking purely about skills, Afridi is a better new ball bowler than both Ferguson and Archer, which plays in his favour. The young sensation has already set the stage on fire with sheer pace and ability to penetrate. At a tender age, Afridi has shown what he is made of and surely is the man to watch out in the time to come. His ability to exploit the conditions and pick wickets is what stands him apart from others.
Imran Tahir: There was a slight doubt of Mohammad Nabi over Imran Tahir, but then again, it was just a doubt. Well, Tahir may not have picked wickets in heap but one shouldn’t forget that English conditions hardly offered any help for the spinners. Tahir has been like a fine wine, which only got better with time. He definitely had a lot of impact in his World Cup swansong and should easily make it to most of the fantasy teams. The number of wickets may not tell the exact story, but Tahir’s record would certainly have been better had he been playing for a different side as South Africa struggled more often than not and didn’t have enough runs on the board.
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