It all boiled down to the England vs New Zeland battle in the World Cup 2019 final. It couldn’t have gotten better as the contest went right down to the wire and even deeper than that. By the time the game finished, most of the fans were left with no nails. This absolute humdinger is definitely the best World Cup final ever and one of the best games of cricket the fans ever come across.
Such was the case throughout the tournament. We’ve witnessed some mind-boggling performances from the teams as well as sheer brilliance from individuals. While all of them couldn’t help their team lift the trophy, we list out those performances that you’d want to remember for a long time. Here is the best possible eleven formed by all the top performers in the tournament.
Here is the Best XI of players from the World Cup:
1. David Warner | Australia
David Warner made a dream comeback into the Australian colours with this tournament. The left-hander narrowly missed out on overtaking Rohit Sharma as the leading run-scorer as he couldn’t get a big score in the semi-final. Warner maintained commendable consistency through the majority of the 10 games that he played in the tournament.
The former Australian vice-captain was a positive influence for the team with the bat giving them strong starts and hit three centuries and three half-centuries in the tournament. However, his efforts weren’t sufficient to win his team the title.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 10
Runs: 647
Average: 71.88
S/R: 89.36
2. Rohit Sharma | India
Rohit Sharma is another player who had a dream outing in the World Cup 2019. The Indian vice-captain hardly put a foot wrong and was at his very best. He broke several records during the course of the tournament and became the first player to register five centuries in a single edition of a World Cup.
Rohit also hit one half-century and did everything to take his team to the knockouts. However, he missed out in the semi-final as he fell to a beautiful delivery that was just too good even for him and that ultimately resulted in India’s exit.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 9
Runs: 648
Average: 81
S/R: 98.33
3. Jason Roy | England
England realised the importance of Jason Roy when he was out for a few games due to a hamstring tear. He makes things look so easy and is possibly in the best form of his life at the moment. Roy might not have scored as many runs as some of the other players. But in whatever opportunities that he got, the English opener made a significant impact and often took his team off to lightning starts.
Given the combination of this team, Roy, unfortunately, can’t open the innings but could be quite effective at three as well as he is a free stroke maker.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 8
Runs: 443
Average: 63.28
S/R: 115.36
4. Joe Root | England
What was highly impressive about Joe Root in this tournament is his strike rate. He didn’t hold up things and played the perfect number three for England. While he was the anchor in the batting line-up, Root also showed signs of aggression most of the times. He played some classic cricket and even got two centuries in the tournament.
With the likes of Root and Williamson to follow in the line-up, the top-three can play some extremely aggressive cricket and subject the opposition to great pressure.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 11
Runs: 556
Average: 61.77
S/R: 89.53
5. Kane Williamson | New Zealand
Kane Williamson was one of the top run-scorers in the World Cup 2019. People might complain about his strike rates but he had to take responsibility of the whole batting unit. New Zealand was slightly over-reliant on him and he was almost opening the innings in every game as the Kiwis usually lost their first wicket very early.
Thus, Williamson had to start all over again and lay the platform for the innings. However, his role in this Best XI is slightly different. He is expected to play the aggressor and accumulate some quick runs. In case a difficult situation arises, he can also be promoted up the order.
Since he is so flexible with his batting, he is capable of doing the job at any position. Williamson also became only the second captain to win the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 10
Runs: 578
Average: 82.57
S/R: 74.96
6. Shakib Al Hasan | Bangladesh
Possibly, no other all-rounder has dominated a World Cup tournament in recent times as Shakib Al Hasan did. He was truly exceptional with the bat and won games for his team single-handedly. However, one a majority of the occasions, the veteran didn’t find much support from his teammates.
Shakib is one of those few players who crossed the 600-run mark in the tournament. He even registered 2 hundreds and 5 fifties in the tournament. Moreover, he picked up 11 wickets with the ball and was quite economical.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 8
Runs: 606
Average: 86.57
S/R: 96.03
7. Jonny Bairstow (wk) | England
Jonny Bairstow can be termed as the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the World Cup 2019. While he didn’t keep wickets for his team, Bairstow is quite clinical behind the stumps. Opening the innings for England, he had to play the second fiddle as Roy got off to fliers. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t strike the big shots.
Bairstow has shown on several occasions in the tournament how lethal a player he can be and also got two consecutive centuries when England’s knockout chances were under the cloud. He will take up the role of a finisher in this line-up.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 11
Runs: 532
Average: 48.36
S/R: 92.84
8. Mitchell Starc | Australia
Mitchell Starc entered the record books as he broke the record held by his compatriot the great Glenn McGrath to become the bowler with most wickets in a single World Cup edition. The left-arm pacer accounted for 27 scalps and was lethal most of the times. Starc nailed the yorkers, swung the ball either ways and used his variations with utmost precision.
He did a fabulous job for Australia in the final overs of the game and was spot-on most of the times. For a bowler who bowls at the start and at the death, his economy rate is quite commendable.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 10
Wickets: 27
Average: 18.59
Economy: 5.43
9. Jasprit Bumrah | India
Fans from all around the world were awestruck watching Jasprit Bumrah operate in the tournament. Possibly one of the best in the business at the moment, Jasprit executed his skill to perfection. It never seemed as if he was playing his first World Cup and it looked as if a veteran was going about his business.
Bumrah did an excellent job spearheading the Indian attack and picked extremely important wickets at crucial times. He has got just one four-wicket haul which shows how consistent he was opening the bowling as well as in the final overs. His economy rate of 4.41 is just mindblowing.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 9
Wickets: 18
Average: 20.61
Economy: 4.41
10. Jofra Archer | England
Jofra Archer was absolutely lethal in the tournament. It never seemed as if he was playing his first few games in ODI cricket and the experience of playing in various T20 leagues all around the world came quite handy. Archer bowled great pace, broke a few helmets and instilled fear in the minds of the batsmen.
The 24-year-old was on the mark more often than not and the batsmen found it extremely tough to score runs off his bowling. Archer finished as the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
His stats in the tournament-
Matches: 11
Wickets: 20
Average: 23.05
Economy: 4.57
11. Lockie Ferguson | New Zealand
Lockie Ferguson could be one of the most underrated players who made quite a lot of impact in this edition of the World Cup. Ferguson was instrumental in helping New Zealand reach the final of the tournament and get as close to the trophy as possible. Whenever his team was in trouble, Ferguson was handed over the ball and he didn’t disappoint.
He usually hits the 150 kph mark but also made extremely good use of some variations. These were good enough to outsmart some of the best batsmen in the business which eventually helped Ferguson to get amongst the leading wicket-takers. Just like Bumrah, he only picked one four-wicket haul and was consistent throughout.
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