LONDON, JULY 15,
Tournament top-scorer Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah were the only Indians named in the ICC’s World Cup XI, captained by New Zealand’s admirable skipper Kane Williamson and dominated by champions England.
Player of the Tournament Williamson leads a team that includes six players from Sunday’s dramatic final at the Lord’s. Newly-crowned world champions England are the most represented with four players in the XI while runners-up New Zealand have two in the team, named by a panel selected by the ICC to honour all those who performed well in the tournament.
The other representatives come from the losing semifinalists India and Australia, who have two each, while Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan rounds out the team. Sharma top-scored in the tournament with 648 runs while Bumrah was India’s best bowler with 18 wickets. Jason Roy got the nod at the top of the order for his tone-setting brilliance for England that saw him overcome injury during the tournament to help his side to the title. Roy had five scores of more than 50 in seven innings during the tournament, including one massive ton against Bangladesh in Cardiff and also produced the throw from the outfield that tied the Super Over and gave England the glory.
Alongside Roy, the other opening batsman is India’s Rohit Sharma. One of the easier selections in this XI, considering the Indian star was the tournament’s top run scorer and cracked a record five centuries in all. Williamson comes in at No.3. The Black Caps star scored more runs than any captain has ever done before at a World Cup and led his side with aplomb from start to finish.
Joe Root will come in at No.4 for this team after a World Cup that saw him finish as England’s top run scorer, fifth overall in the tournament, with tons against Pakistan and West Indies and three half centuries. Shakib Al Hasan scored his runs this summer batting at No.3 for Bangladesh, but for much of his career he has come in at No.5 and it is there that he appears in this team.
Shakib had a quite wonderful tournament, averaging 87 with the bat with two centuries and five half centuries, and still managed to chip in with 11 wickets as well with his left-arm spin. Fellow all-rounder Ben Stokes is also a cast-iron selection — his heroics in the final were the stuff of fairytale but he was also a picture of consistency throughout the tournament for England.
Behind the stumps, Alex Carey effected 20 dismissals this tournament, only Kiwi Tom Latham managed more, while the Australian also bludgeoned 375 runs at an average north of 60.
Alongside Carey is his compatriot, and the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 27, Mitchell Starc.
Jofra Archer — the hero of the Super Over in the final and appearing in his first World Cup — claimed 20 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 4.57 to earn his spot.
New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson finished second in the wicket charts with 21, including three in the final as well as an astonishing catch, while also going at less than five runs an over.
Last but by no means least is Bumrah, the world’s No.1 ODI bowler who lived up to that billing with 18 wickets while still only going for 4.41 runs an over — better than any other bowler on the top wicket takers list.
The side was selected by former internationals and commentators Ian Bishop, Ian Smith and Isa Guha, along with cricket writer Lawrence Booth, while ICC General Manager Cricket, Geoff Allardice, was the fifth member and convener of the committee.
