World Cup 2019: Best XI of the tournament

After a number of thrilling encounters between the best sides in the world, England ended their 44-year old wait as they were crowned World Champions for the first time in their cricketing history.

The final was an edge of the seat thriller, in the truest sense, as there was very little to separate between the sides in an intense tussle. The fortunes kept changing, and some last over melodrama resulted in a tied match. This was followed by a Super Over, which ended in a tie as well. After 102 overs of riveting, fiercely competitive cricket, England were declared winners, having scored more boundaries all throughout the game.

The World Cup is the most coveted stage of cricket, on account of the fierce competition between the best of the business. The tournament has had a rich cricketing legacy, with legends across the world mastering the art of playing under pressure and winning crucial matches for their sides. In this edition too, there were scintillating performances in all the departments, with the some individuals proving to be standout performers for their sides.

Here is a look at the best XI of the 2019 World Cup.

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Openers - Rohit Sharma and David Warner

Rohit Sharma was the highest run scorer in the tournament

Rohit Sharma stamped his authority in the World Cup right from the first game, scoring a spectacular hundred against South Africa. He continued his good run in the subsequent games, and notched his highest World Cup score of 140 against arch-rivals Pakistan.

Rohit then scored three successive hundreds, one each against England, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, thereby breaking the record for the most hundreds by a player in a single edition of the World Cup.

He also equaled Sachin Tendulkar's tally of six hundreds in World Cup history and at the end of the tournament, finished as the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 648 runs in 9 innings at an average of 81.00 and a strike rate of 98.33.

David Warner recorded the highest individual score of 166 in World Cup 2019

David Warner made a scintillating comeback to the international arena, choosing the biggest stage of cricket for it. Warner made his intentions clear in the very first game, bagging the Man of the Match award against Afghanistan. He sustained his good form throughout the tournament, notching three beautiful hundreds against Pakistan, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Warner displayed a different aspect of his batting in the tournament, as he started off steadily, allowing Aaron Finch to play the aggressive strokes. However, once was well set, there was no stopping him as the southpaw went about a hitting spree.

He ended his campaign as the second highest run scorer, with 647 runs from 10 innings, at an average of 71.89, including three centuries and three half-centuries as well.

Middle Order - Kane Williamson (c), Joe Root, Shakib Al Hasan

Kane Williamson was awarded the Man of the Tournament for his exploits

Kane Williamson once again lived up to his reputation of delivering in big tournaments both with the bat and on the captaincy front. Williamson single handedly led New Zealand into the finals, and left no stone unturned for his team.

He was the highest run scorer for the Kiwis, and the fourth highest in the tournament, with 578 runs from 10 innings. The fact that makes his achievement more special is that most of his runs came under crunch situations. He scored consecutive hundreds in the games against South Africa and West Indies, successfully steering the team in two crucial encounters. The Kiwi captain also played a steady hand in the semi final against India.

Along with his exploits with the willow, Williamson was also street smart in the outfield, making shrewd bowling changes and field placements and was rightfully awarded with the 'Man of the Tournament' prize for his brilliant exploits.

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Joe Root

Joe Root was the highest run scorer for England

Joe Root was one of the star performers for England, as he steered the team to their maiden title. Root started off the World Cup in great fashion, scoring two hundreds in his first two games. He consistently scored runs for his team in the middle order, and applied his technique superbly to nudge the ball into the gaps and rotate strike.

Root scored 556 runs from 11 innings, and also picked up 2 wickets with his part time off spin. He scored two hundreds, one each against Pakistan and West Indies, and played the role of an anchor for his side.

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Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan was in the form of his life in the tournament

The World Cup turned out to be the perfect arena for ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to unleash his potential at the grandest stage. Handed an opportunity to bat at a crucial No.3 spot, Shakib made the most of the opportunity, bringing all his experience into play.

The seasoned campaigner scored consistently, and ensured that Bangladesh gave every team a run for their money. In eight innings, Shakib scored 606 runs with two hundreds. The World No.1 all-rounder also had a good outing with the ball, picking up 11 wickets.

Shakib scored an unbeaten hundred in the highest run chase of the tournament, helping Bangladesh chase down 322 with more than seven overs to spare. He also became only the second player in the history of the event to score a fifty and take five wickets in the same match, registering the feat against Afghanistan

Lower Middle Order - Alex Carey (wk), Ben Stokes, James Neesham

Alex Carey had a fantastic outing as a wicketkeeper-finisher

Alex Carey had an excellent outing in his first World Cup for the defending champions. Carey played at No.7 regularly, before being promoted to No.5 in the semi final. His temperament was on display right throughout as he did not allow the pressure of the stage to get the better of him, and thrived under challenging circumstances.

The 28-year old scored 375 runs in 9 innings, and also scored his runs at a brisk pace, with a strike rate of 104. He also had a good tournament behind the stumps, affecting 20 dismissals in 10 games. Carey played a brave knock in the semi-finals despite a bleeding chin, after being hit on the by a vicious delivery from Jofra Archer.

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Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes was presented with the Man of the Match award in the final for his match winning knock of 84*

It was Ben Stokes who set the World Cup on fire on the back of an explosive all-round performance against South Africa in the inaugural game. Once again in the final, it was Stokes who rose to the occasion in the hour of need.

The dominant all-rounder had a brilliant tournament, with 465 runs and 7 wickets to his credit. He was also a livewire on the field, with his stunning reverse cup catch in the inaugural game arguably the catch of the tournament.

Stokes was rock solid in the English middle order, and held one end in most of the close matches. While he scored at a brisk pace when required, he also played steady knocks in the games against South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka. To top it all, his heroic knock of 84* in the final helped England on their path of a title win.

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James Neesham

James Neesham did for New Zealand what Stokes did for England. He justified his credentials as a dynamic all-rounder, providing great balance to the side. He played steady knocks in the midst of crisis, and was also able to whack the ball towards the end of the innings.

Neesham was also very handy with the ball, as he did not become a soft target for the opposition, but emerged as a wicket-taking bowler. Neesham scored 232 runs and picked 15 wickets in 10 matches, finishing as one of the best all-rounders from the tournament.

Bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah

Mitchell Starc ended as the highest wicket taker of the tournament

Mitchell Starc emulated his heroics of the last edition, emerging as the highest wicket taker once again. The left-arm pacer picked 27 scalps in 10 games in this tournament, thereby breaking Glenn McGrath's record of most wickets in a single edition of the tournament (26 wickets from the 2007 World Cup).

Starc proved his credentials as a crisis man, as he responded to his captain's call for a wicket on most occasions. With one prime focus to hurl the ball at pace straight at the wickets, Starc's proficiency was one of the biggest highlights of Australia's campaign.

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Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer held his nerve brilliantly in the Super Over of the Final

Jofra Archer arrived at the the marquee event with the tag of an X-Factor for the English side and lived up to his reputation. He bowled with vicious pace and accuracy, peppering the batsmen with a decisive mix of yorkers and bouncers. He was particularly effective in his spells during the powerplay, with his aggressive bowling not only giving rise to wickets but also putting a cap on the run flow.

The 24-year old emerged as the highest wicket taker for England with 20 wickets at the end of the tournament. It was Archer who delivered the winning moment for England, as his angling ball into Guptill's pads kept the opener from going big and handed England a famous win. .

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Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowler

Jasprit Bumrah showcased his tremendous skill with the ball this tournament as he emerged as the highest wicket taker for India, with 18 wickets from nine games. The tally of wickets against his name does not do justice to the brilliance he displayed as the leader of India's pace attack.

Bumrah was the go to man for his skipper, whenever the team was in need of a wicket. He bowled at every stage of the innings, and not only did he pick scalps himself, but created pressure by applying brakes on the scoreboard, resulting in wickets for other bowlers as well. His toe crushing yorkers in the death overs were fired to precision. The World No.1 bowled 9 maiden overs in the World Cup, the most by any bowler.