The Cricket World Cup was another supreme example of just how good the One Day International format can be
Who would make the Team of the Tournament?
As the perfect mix between the action of a Twenty20 and the chess-match that is a Test, ODI cricket fans were given a festival of big hits, stunning catches and big wickets.
At the 2023 World Cup, it was Australia that outlasted every other team as they bounced back from two defeats at the start of their campaign to win nine on the bounce including the final itself.
India were stunned at their own party, while the likes of England and Pakistan were eliminated in the group stage. There were shocks aplenty while more than one player stood up to be counted.
With the dust settling on the tournament, New Betting Sites have picked out their team of the tournament below:
Openers – Quinton de Kock & Rohit Sharma
This was something of a no-brainer. Quinton de Kock’s South Africa may have fallen at the semi-final stage, but they looked like a side that have improved massively since the 2019 World Cup in England.
De Kock continually led from the front, with 594 runs at 59.40 superb. Not content with starring with the bat, de Kock’s glovework was exceptional, and he once again proved why he is one of the best in the world behind the stumps.
Alongside him is our captain for the side in Rohit Sharma. Sharma’s side may have fallen agonisingly short when it mattered most, but he continually scored runs and captained intelligently.
His 597 runs at 54.27 is incredibly impressive for an opener tasked with seeing off the new ball. Throw in the fact that neither his batting nor his captaincy was hamstrung by the other shows what an exceptional cricketer he is.
Numbers 3-7 – Virat Kohl, Daryl Mitchell, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell and Ravindra Jadeja
No World Cup team would be complete without the best batsman at the tournament. Virat Kohli topped the run scoring charts with 765 runs at just short of 100 in the tournament. His 50th ODI century in the semi-final against New Zealand was a hugely emotional moment for him and the whole stadium as the fans watched on in adoration of the batsman.
However, reaching this milestone never really seemed like it was at the forefront of his mind. Instead, his eyes were always on scoring for the team and doing whatever he could to ensure the home side secured the trophy in the end. While India fell agonisingly short, Kohli can hold his head up high as the best batsman at the tournament.
Daryl Mitchell was one of those players that just kept scoring runs and turning up when it mattered most. His exceptional figures of 552 runs at 69 don’t actually do him justice. He was able to continually knit New Zealand’s innings together with lusty blows for six or intelligent rotation of the strike. His 134 from 119 in the semi-final against India kept the Black Caps in the game as he gave his teammates and nation hope even when defeat was creeping in all around them.
Travis Head may have only scored 329 runs at 54.83 across the tournament, but we simply could not leave the player of the match in the final out. Head notched a sparkling 137 from 120 to lead his side to World Cup glory. When even the great David Warner and Steve Smith were falling for low scores, Head got himself in and then stayed at the crease. While he was not the player to score the winning runs, he won them that final with the bat. While there may be others that excelled across the whole tournament, Head was the man that will be remembered as winning the final for the Aussies with willow in hand.
Glenn Maxwell can often be very much all or nothing. Against South Africa in the semi-final, Maxwell came out with the Aussies battling to a target of 213 and tried to play the big shot only to see his stumps shattered by Tabraiz Shamsi.
This disappointing way to lose a wicket followed on from his last performance in which he smashed arguably the greatest ODI innings, dragging Australia to a win over Afghanistan in a pressure match with a score of 201 not out.
The fact he managed this basically batting on one-leg shows just how good he was. While 201 of his 400 runs came in one innings, Maxwell was still able to chip in with six wickets as he added danger with his spin bowling when the Aussies were in the field.
Ravindra Jadeja comes in for us at number seven after making contributions with both bat and ball. The Indian spinner took 16 wickets and notched 120 runs at the tournament, and was a constant threat whether batting, bowling or in the field. While he could not make an impact with the ball in the final, he was still tidy with the ball, ending with the miserly figures of 10 overs bowled and 43 runs conceded at 4.30.
The Bowlers – Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa, Jasprit Bumrah and Dilshan Madushanka
Generally, you can tell a lot about how bowlers have fared just looking at the wicket taking charts, with our four all topping that metric.
First off, Mohammed Shami. Despite only playing in seven matches, Shami still ended with the most wickets as he snared 24 victims at 10.70. His pace and control of the ball put everyone he played against under huge pressure.
While Shami may not be trusted in the same way Jasprit Bumrah is, we think it is a crying shame that he did not feature in all of India’s matches, with the potential to break the 30-wicket mark well within reach if he had played every match.
Adam Zampa was key in Australia’s World Cup triumph as he took 23 wickets at 22.39. The spinner struck consistently at the tournament, while he was miserly too, bowling with an economy rate of just 5.36.
Jasprit Bumrah also starred at the tournament as he took 20 wickets at 22.39. While he was not quite as dangerous average wise as Shami, Bumrah was tireless as he steamed in for all 11 matches. His pace, control and pin-point accurate yorkers had each batsman he faced second guessing themselves.
Dilshan Madushanka enjoyed a supreme tournament despite the fact Sri Lanka were eliminated at the group-stage. 21 wickets in nine matches is very impressive, and his best of 5/80 shows that the fast bowler is a real wicket taking option. At just 23, the bowler is definitely one for the future as Sri Lanka look towards the next World Cup.