Cricket fans have been left bemused by the ICC’s official ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the ODI Cricket World Cup.
Six Indian stars made the 11-man team released on Monday night (AEDT), compared to just two from tournament champions Australia.
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India’s dominant campaign, in which they were undefeated until the final, saw the selections of Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to the team – while only Glenn Maxwell and Adam Zampa made the cut for Australia.
It left many fans scratching their heads and questioning why the likes of Travis Head (137 runs in the final), Pat Cummins and David Warner didn’t earn a spot in the team.
Head’s omission was particularly baffling given his matchwinning innings in the final.
While he did miss the start of the tournament through injury, he made up for lost time belting
329 runs at an average of 54.83. Those runs were amassed at a staggering strike-rate of 127.51 and included two centuries and a half-century from six innings.
It came after a man of the match performance against South Africa in the semi finals where he struck a vital 62 and took two wickets.
Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, recorded just the single century although he compiled an impressive tally of 597 runs.
“Where is the man responsible for winning the final?” one fan wrote on X in response to Head’s omission.
“(Six) from the team that lost the final, but only two from the winner. And people suggest the ICC is run by India,” wrote another fan.
“Pat Cummins should be included. Superb captain and excellent performances,” wrote another fan.
The selection panel for the Team of the Tournament included former Aussie all-rounder Shane Watson, former West Indies bowler Ian Bishop, ICC General Manager Wasim Khan, commentator Kass Naidoo and journalist Sunil Vaidya.
The team of the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023:
1.Quinton de Kock (wk) (South Africa) – 594 runs at 59.40
2.Rohit Sharma (c) (India) – 597 runs at 54.27
3.Virat Kohli (India) – 765 runs at 95.62
4.Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) – 552 runs at 69
5.KL Rahul (India) – 452 runs at 75.33
6.Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – 400 runs at 66.66 and six wickets at 55
7.Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 120 runs at 40 and 16 wickets at 24.87
8.Jasprit Bumrah (India) – 20 wickets at 18.65
9.Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka) – 21 wickets at 25
10.Adam Zampa (Australia) – 23 wickets at 22.39
11.Mohammed Shami (India) – 24 wickets at 10.70
12th man: Gerald Coetzee (South Africa) – 20 wickets at 19.80
Legends laud Aussie performance
Aussie legend Adam Gilchrist on Monday rated Australia’s World Cup triumph as one of his country’s “finest” cricket wins after they beat hosts India to earn a sixth one-day international title.
Opener Travis Head starred during the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday by hitting a sparkling 137 off 120 deliveries, powering Australia to a convincing six-wicket win.
Head joined Ricky Ponting and Gilchrist as the third Australian to score a century in a men’s World Cup final.
“So proud of this Australian team and crew,” Gilchrist wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“To win another World Cup in the manner and circumstance they have is one of the finest victories in our sporting history I reckon.
“Time to celebrate,” added Gilchrist, who scored 149 not out in the 2007 World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in Barbados.
It was the sixth time the Australian men’s side has won the one-day international World Cup after victories in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
Set a challenging 241 in the final, Australia slipped to 47-3 before Head smashed his second century of the tournament to steer his team home with seven overs to spare, ending India’s dominant run of 10 unbeaten matches at the World Cup.
Cricket Australia’s chief executive Nick Hockley said the team deserved the title after beating the hosts in front of a huge crowd at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
“This is another wonderful achievement by Pat Cummins and his team who have performed brilliantly in testing conditions and against strong opposition throughout the tournament,” Hockley said in a statement.
“To beat the previously undefeated India before their passionate home fans is an achievement that sits comfortably alongside any of Australia’s five previous ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup finals victories.” Australia added the 50-overs crown to the World Test Championship title they won last June after beating India in the final in London.
Hockley said winning both titles in the same year “is a testament to the calibre of our players across all formats”.
“Together with the retention of both the men’s and women’s Ashes and a sixth victory in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, there is so much to celebrate as we head towards another exciting summer of international cricket,” he added.
Darren Lehmann, who won the World Cup with Australia as both a coach and player, also offered congratulations “to all players and support staff on the 6th WC Title,” on X.
– with AFP
