The 2019 World Cup saw a dramatic end on Sunday, as England beat New Zealand in a thrilling final. Let's take a look at the Team of the Tournament.
It was a World Cup of fine margins, however, and even as we sat down to select the eleven best players of the tournament, it was only the margins which favored the ones who made the list.
Let’s take a look at the team of the tournament picked by IndiaTV Sports Desk:
Rohit Sharma scored five tons in the tourament.
Without a doubt, Rohit Sharma is the stand out performer with the bat in the 2019 World Cup and was one of the pillars of India’s dominating show in the group stage. With 648 runs in his account, Rohit is the first choice as the opening batsman of the 2019 World Cup team of the tournament. Team India was ousted by New Zealand in the semi-final but Rohit registered his name in the golden books of World Cup, becoming the first-ever player to slam five centuries in a single edition of the tournament.
David Warner
After completing a one-year ban from international cricket, David Warner returned to the Australian team with all guns blazing at the biggest stage of cricket. Warner was the key performer for the defending champions in their journey to semi-finals. Warner had a bad day against England in the semis at Edgbaston but his 647 runs in the tournament are enough to make him the opening partner of Rohit Sharma in the 2019 World Cup team of the tournament.
It was one of the only tournaments where Virat Kohli couldn't convert his fifties into centuries but the way he played throughout the tournament, even the tough pitches looked like flat surfaces. The modern-day legend is undoubtedly the best batsman in ODI cricket right now and deserves to be featured in the 2019 World Cup team of the tournament. In the 9 matches he played, the Indian skipper scored 453 runs at an average of 55.37. He smashed five fifties in the tournament and was happy to play second fiddle to Rohit Sharma, who was in the form of his life.
Kane Williamson (C)
Kane Williamson was the man of the series at the 2019 World Cup.
The cool, calm and composed - Kane Williamson is the perfect captain for any team to have. With the kind of approach he has towards the game, Williamson surely is a fighter who will fight for your team till his last breath. Arguably the most gifted and talented Kiwi batsman, Williamson scored 578 runs and was the one-man army for the New Zealand team. Williamson is the kind of batsman who can easily adjust his batting position from 3rd (on which he played for New Zealand) to 4th, with the kind of shots he plays.
Bangladesh might have failed to progress beyond the World Cup group stage but Shakib Al Hasan deserves all the applause for his stupendous all-round effort. Shakib was in golden touch throughout the tournament with both bat and bowl. The southpaw became the first-ever player to score 600 plus runs and pick 10 plus in a single edition of the World Cup. He might have played at number 3 for Bangladesh in the tournament but the number 5 position can also work for him, as he has the ability to accelerate his innings.
Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes played a crucial innings in the World Cup final.
Before the tournament, lot of fingers were raised on Ben Stokes regarding his form but the Englishman silenced everyone with his impressive show in the World Cup. Probably the best fast bowling all-rounder in world cricket right now, Stokes makes it to our 2019 World Cup team of the tournament over India's Hardik Pandya and New Zealand's Jimmy Neesham. Stokes scored 465 runs in 11 matches at an average of 66.42 with 5 fifties. He was also a handy bowler for England in their campaign with 7 wickets and he provided some important breakthroughs for his team.
Alex Carey (WK)
It might be a surprise inclusion for many but Alex Carey was the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the 2019 World Cup. At an average of 62.50, Carey scored 375 runs while batting lower down the order and played some crucial knocks in the tournament for the Aussies. Carey's wicket-keeping skills are not inferior to anyone else in the world. So, the Australian southpaw is the man behind the gloves in our 2019 World Cup team of the tournament.
Mitchell Starc
The Aussie pacer ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker.
In 2019 World Cup, Mitchell Starc proved why he is one of the most feared bowlers in world cricket. Starc, who gained immense popularity during the World Cup for his in-swinging yorkers, was the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 27 scalps to his name. Starc also surpassed the tally of legendary Glenn Mcgrath's 26 wickets in a single edition of a World Cup. He would be the number one choice for a fast bowler in any team and we couldn't afford to miss him.
Jofra Archer
The trump card for England in their successful 2019 World Cup campaign was Jofra Archer, who was a late inclusion in their WC squad. Archer was fast, accurate and lethal in the tournament. The right-arm pacer picked 20 wickets in the tournament and was the go-to man for skipper Eoin Morgan. Archer impressed everyone with his skills and became the second fast bowler in our 2019 World Cup team of the tournament.
The undisputed 'KING OF YORKERS' Jasprit Bumrah is the kind of bowler everyone wants in their playing XI. Bumrah is the perfect death-over specialist in the ODI cricket right now and he has proved that in the 2019 World Cup. With his toe-crushing yorkers, Bumrah picked 18 wickets in the tournament was the MVP for the Indian team in their journey to the semifinal of the tournament.
Despite an underwhelming show from South Africa in the tournament, the veteran Imran Tahir outshines the other spinners in the tournament. Tahir, who played his last ODI in the 2019 WC, picked up 11 wickets in just 8 innings with an impressive economy rate of 4.92. The Tahir-Shakib duo will be a nightmare for any middle-order batsman on a turning track.
