Cricket World Cup History: 5 Forgotten Heroes of the 2015 World Cup 

#1 James Faulkner (Australia)

James Faulkner was the Man of the Final in the 2015 World Cup

The cross dominant Australian was the death overs specialist for Australia, equally adept with the bat and the ball. Faulkner was capable of deceiving the batsmen towards the end, especially with his slower ball. He was also one of the best finishers along with Glenn Maxwell and Brad Haddin.

Faulkner got limited opportunities to demonstrate his capability with the bat, playing good cameos against Scotland and in the semi final against India. However, the left-arm pacer impressed one and all with his bowling. He emerged as the third highest wicket taker for Australia, with 10 scalps from 6 games.

His stand-out performance came in the all-important final clash, as he ran through the middle order of New Zealand, when their innings was in a recovery phase, getting the wickets of set batsmen Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot. He also dismissed the hard hitting Corey Anderson for a duck, thereby claiming three wickets. Faulkner was awarded the Man of the Match in the title clash for his prowess with the ball.

Fortunes have drastically changed for the Aussie all-rounder, who is no longer a regular feature in the playing XI. Faulkner last represented Australia in ODIs in 2017, and post that, his falling graph, coupled with the phenomenal rise of Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile saw him lose his spot.