ICC CWC\'19: UNBEATABLE XI; Best players from the league stage of the tournament

Mumbai: The league stage of the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup came to an end on July 6 with India defeating Sri Lanka to move to the top of the table and Australia losing to South Africa to shift down to position two.

Through the various performances by the ten teams in the 45 matches we have witnessed so far, these eleven players stood out among everyone else and played key roles in the performances of their sides through the games. An unbeatable dream-team of these players could defeat any other team.

Here are the players-

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma hit five centuries and a fifty in the group stages and is even the highest run scoring player of the tournament. He stands at a staggering 647 runs in eight innings. The Indian vice captain also averages at 92.43 with a strike rate of 98.77. His runs created the base for most of India’s targets and chases.

2. David Warner

After a return to cricket following a year-long ban, Australian opener David Warner has hit runs left and right ever since. He is not far behind India’s Rohit Sharma on the total run count, but is beaten because he played one match more than Sharma. Warner has scored 638 runs in nine innings at an average of 79.75 and a strike rate of 89.48.

3. Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh messiah Shakib was one of Bangladesh’s senior players but shocked the world with his consistently good performances irrespective of the teams he faced. The all-rounder also became only the second player to score 50 runs and take five wickets in a World Cup match, after Yuvraj Singh.

He scored 606 runs in eight innings averaging at 86.57 with a strike rate of 96.03. He also took 11 wickets in those matches.

4. Kane Williamson

Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson has shown his adaptability with the bat in most of New Zea;land’s matches. He was key to New Zealand’s total runs in many matches. Williamson scored 481 runs in seven innings, averaging at 96.20 with a strike rate of 77.20.

5. Aaron Finch (C)

Australian captain Aaron Finch is ruthless with the bat and is one of the top five run scorers of the tournament. With two centuries in his nine games, the Australian scored 507 runs at an average of 56.33 with a strike rate of 102.21.

6. Jonny Bairstow (WK)

England’s Bairstow has been great behind the stumps and is the best wicket-keeper batsman in the tournament. He has also scored a good number of runs, including two centuries in his last two games. Bairstow has scored 462 runs in nine innings at an average of 51.33, with a strike rate of 97.26.

7. Ben Stokes

With four half centuries, Ben stokes has been crucial to England’s batting during important clashes. A good all-rounder, Stokes even took seven wickets and bowled economical spells. He scored 381 runs in nine innings, averaging at 54.42 with a strike rate of 95.01.

8. Hardik Pandya

Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has provided the right kind of balance between ruthless batting and consistent pace bowling. Pandya has also been great at fielding. Pandya scored 194 runs quickly in the eight innings he has played. He averages at 32.33 with a strike rate of 139.56. He even took nine wickets.

9. Mitchell Starc

Australian pacer and yorker-guru Mitchell Starc has been phenomenal with the ball so far. He leads the wicket taking charts by a margin of six from the next bowler. Taking 26 wickets so far, he has even equalled Glenn McGrath’s record of most wickets in a single world cup from 2007. Starc was also the player of the series in the last world cup taking 22 wickets.

10. Lockie Ferguson

Kiwi bowler Ferguson has maintained consistency through New Zealand’s unbeaten run in the tournament. Though four bowlers have taken 17 wickets in the tournament, Lockie has taken the least number of overs to reach the target. Taking just one four wicket haul, Ferguson has been consistent in other matches with the other 13 wickets he has taken.

11. Jasprit Bumrah

Number one international ODI bowler and India’s deadliest bowling weapon, Bumrah is by far the best death bowler of the tournament so far. Playing the main role in many of India’s victories, he has been consistent with a new match ball as well. No batsman has been able to freely score in Bumrah’s overs in the eight matches he has played in. He also took 17 wickets with an economy of just 4.48.

Also read- IND vs NZ; Head-to-Head World Cup statistics