Congratulations to India! While I had predicted a triumph for South Africa or Sri Lanka, I reckon the best team won, not only on the day but also across the whole competition. Yes, they had the odd wobble in the past six weeks, but the runs flowed right through the team and, despite not having strength in depth, the wise heads of Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh took the wickets and/or strangled the run rate when really needed. Furthermore, MS Dhoni proved to be a cool, clever captain, and his innings under pressure in the Final demonstrated his value to the team and consequently the whole cricket-mad country!
So who would make my Team of the World Cup?
It's tempting to pick the dynamic duo from India to open, but Sehwag's touch deserted him in the Final. Indeed, he never really made much impression after that devastating innings in the very first match. His colleague and all-round legend, Sachin Tendulkar has to be an automatic choice. Again, he didn't oblige us all with that hundredth international hundred, but he did finish as the tournament's second highest scorer. In fact he was beaten only by Sri Lanka's Tillekeratne Dilshan, who ended on exactly 500 runs, including two unbeaten centuries. He took some useful wickets along the way, too, and gets the nod to face the first ball of the innings.
For three, four, five and six, there are many possibilities. Gautam Gambhir staked a claim with his 97 in the final, Aussie Michael Clarke had his moments, Mahela Jayawardene produced a classic century to grace the Final and for the Netherlands, Ryan Ten Doeschate's two hundreds, including that memorable effort against England, brought him into the frame. However, I have gone for Jonathan Trott at three. he was criticised in some quarters for scoring too slowly in England's cause, especially in the quarter-final. Ridiculous! Justifiable perhaps if he scored a painstaking 20 or 30 but the man hit five half-centuries in seven innings at a strike rate of more than 80. He's the man to depend on for holding an innings together. Kumar Sangakkara beat Trott to third place in the runs league and is my captain and wicket-keeper. He played a major role in taking Sri Lanka all the way only to lose a second successive final. South African AB De Villiers could also have played as 'keeper but I cannot leave him out. He may have played in only five matches but they featured two hundreds and a fifty, compiled at a rate of more than a run a ball. I debated long and hard about the other specialist batsman. I could have gone for an extra spin bowler and maybe if the pitch demanded it, I would. However, for now, I'd pick Kiwi Ross Taylor to add some biff-bang at number four should the situation require an upping of the six quotient. He hit more than anyone else in the World Cup despite some inconsistent displays.
Amongst the all-rounders, there has to be Yuvraj Singh and Shahid Afridi. The Indian star plundered 362 runs and took 15 wickets, a superb performance. Pakistan's captain failed to provide the forecast fireworks with the bat but surprisingly ended the competition as the joint leading wicket-taker, with 21 at an average of only 13 whilst conceding fewer than four an over.
With those two and Dilshan offering spin, I've gone for three specialist pace bowlers for the remaining slots. Zaheer Khan equalled Afridi's return of 21 scalps and was always the cool head when bowling at the end of an innings as well as in the opening powerplay. Malinga and Umar Gul were often brilliant at bowling yorkers at the death but Zaheer was peerless in this tournament. Brett Lee was one of my Players of the Week and his ageless fast bowling and fielding in the deep earn him a place in my XI ahead of younger stars like Kemal Roach, Shaun Tait and Tim Southee. My final choice is Dale Steyn of South Africa. He doesn't have a remarkable ODI pedigree but he always looked dangerous in this World Cup. He took 12 wickets at only 16 apiece, with an economy rate of 4.15, pretty darned good for an out-and-out paceman. If I hadn't gone for the extra batsman, my other choice for bowler would have been the great Muttiah Muralitharan, of course. Even on one leg he looked like taking a wicket almost every ball, apart from when it mattered, in the Final!
So there you have it:
Dilshan, Tendulkar, Trott, Taylor, Sangakkara (*,+), De Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Shahid Afridi, Lee, Steyn, Zaheer Khan.
It has been a wonderful World Cup, a huge success for the organisers and the crowds in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. We had some memorable matches, including the high-scoring first and last games and that remarkable tie involving India and England. The Bangladesh team, especially Tamim Iqbal, proved the only real disappointment, while most of the world's biggest names delivered to their potential. Smith, Ponting and Vettori bowed out as ODI captains, and of course Murali retired from all international cricket. He bows out leaving spin bowling at the forefront of one-day cricket. I don't recall so many slow bowlers opening the attack! The Associate nations frustrated, annoyed and occasionally excited us, and my favourite moment has to be multi-colour coiffed Kevin O'Brien's whirlwind 113 from 63 balls for Ireland against England. The IPL may provide some spectacle and thrilling hitting but the World Cup demonstrated the enduring appeal of 50-over cricket: the tactics, Powerplays, the value of yorkers, spinning all-rounders, devastating hitting and intelligent nudges, flicks and sweeps. More, please!
