Cricket World Cup 2015: Best XI After Opening 3rd of Group Stage
With a third of the 2015 World Cup's group games having already been contested, it is time to name our Best XI of the tournament so far.
The competition is still in its early stages but, with the majority of teams having played twice, some players have clearly hit the ground running and already made noteworthy contributions to their respective sides' campaigns.
Please note that the players selected comprise a fully functioning team, complete with traditional batting order, wicketkeeper, balanced bowling attack and inspirational captain.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the star performers 14 games in.
1. Brendon McCullum (Captain)
1 of 12
Matches: 3
Runs: 157
Captain Marvel, Brendon McCullum, has hit the ground running, leading his New Zealand team to three wins from three and confirming their pre-tournament optimism.
And the aggressive 33-year-old has contributed two half-centuries, including the fastest 50 in World Cup history against England at Wellington.
If McCullum can sustain his staggering strike rate of 182.55, then the Black Caps are going to be hard to stop over the next few weeks.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
2 of 12
Matches: 2
Runs: 210
Shikhar Dhawan's place in the India team was severely under threat ahead of the tournament, but the left-hander has produced two quality innings to help his side to two wins.
A score of 73, in a pressure-cooker atmosphere against Pakistan helped the 29-year-old restore his confidence, while a monumental 137 versus South Africa was instrumental in another victory.
With Dhawan back firing at the top of the order, India all of a sudden look like a force to be reckoned with in ODI cricket, and their odds for an outright victory will be shortening.
3. Virat Kohli
3 of 12
Matches: 2
Runs: 153
Virat Kohli endured a miserable Tri-Series and pre-tournament warm-up, scoring just 47 runs from six innings, but those lean days were quickly put to an end by a memorable ton against Pakistan.
Following that up with a composed 46 versus South Africa, the 26-year-old has batted with restrained composure, scoring his runs at a slightly old-fashioned run rate of 82.25.
Kohli certainly enjoys playing Down Under and scored four Test centuries in his country's recent, if ultimately unsuccessful, series against Australia.
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4. Ed Joyce
4 of 12
Matches: 1
Runs: 84
He's only played one match so far, but Ed Joyce gets the nod for being instrumental in arguably the moment of the tournament so far.
The 36-year-old, who has been one of the best batsmen on the English domestic circuit for years, registered a fluid 84 to help minnows Ireland shock the West Indies.
Joyce is clearly comfortable at international level and will be hoping the Irish can pull of a few more surprises over the next couple of weeks.
5. David Miller
5 of 12
Matches: 2
Runs: 160
Big-hitting David Miller announced his arrival Down Under with a crunching century, which helped to rescue his side from a potentially embarrassing defeat against Zimbabwe.
Coming to the wicket with the score at 67/3 in the 16th over, the burly left-hander bludgeoned 138 runs off 92 balls, including nine sixes.
Miller didn't manage to repeat the trick in his side's heavy defeat to India, but he still contributed 22 off just 23 balls.
6. Lendl Simmons
6 of 12
Matches: 2
Runs: 152
Although often found at the top of the order, Lendl Simmons has dropped down to No. 6 lately and, judging by his form, seems to be enjoying it.
His ton was the only bright spot in the embarrassing defeat against Ireland and he followed that up with an important 50 versus Pakistan.
In fact, Simmons has scored at least 45 runs or more in each of his last five international innings.
7. Brendan Taylor (WK)
7 of 12
Matches: 2
Runs: 87
When the going gets tough, Zimbabwe tend to rely on Brendan Taylor to hold their brittle batting line-up together.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has produced two 40-plus innings so far, the latter helping the African country to a vital win over the UAE.
With Zimbabwe probably needing to beat one of the big guns if they are going to progress, the 29-year-old may need to turn one of those scores in a ton at some point.
8. Daniel Vettori
8 of 12
Matches: 3
Wickets: 6
Economy rate: 3.03
A few months ago, Daniel Vettori was in international cricket no man's land and presumed retired. Fast forward to the present, and the Kiwi slow bowler is, once again, an integral part of the Black Caps.
ODI cricket isn't just about taking wickets, and the evergreen spinner's control—he boasts a tournament economy rate of just over 3.00—helps New Zealand put the opposition batsman under pressure during the middle of the innings.
The youngest man to play in a Test match for NZ also provides a more than useful presence in the lower middle order, which could yet come in useful during this campaign.
9. Tim Southee
9 of 12
Matches: 3
Wickets: 11
In many ways, Tim Southee is an English-style swing bowler, but that didn't help Eoin Morgan's men, who found him almost unplayable at Wellington, where he claimed career best figures of 7/33.
By backing that sensational performance up with multi-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka and Scotland, it is clear that the 26-year-old is the paceman of the tournament so far.
And with the rest of New Zealand's group games taking place in the swing-inducing Kiwi conditions, expect more scalps to fall Southee's way.
10. Mohammed Shami
10 of 12
Matches: 2
Wickets: 6
Many would have considered India's pace attack to be their weakest suit coming into the World Cup but their bowlers have enjoyed their two outings so far.
None more so than Mohammed Shami, who has spearheaded the attack, bowling with pace and accuracy to pick up hauls of 4/35 against archrivals Pakistan and 2/30 against South Africa at the MCG.
With their supposedly hardest games out of the way, Shami will expect to fill his boots against some of the lesser teams over the next couple of weeks.
11. Trent Boult
11 of 12
Matches: 3
Wickets: 5
While Tim Southee has captured the plaudits, Trent Boult has travelled under the radar slightly, but his left-arm seamers have proved extremely effective.
As well as claiming five wickets, the Rotorua-born pace merchant has delivered his 26 overs for a miserly economy rate of just 4.5 runs each.
Boult recently secured a lucrative IPL contract with the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and a successful World Cup campaign would send his profile sky high.
12: 12th Man
12 of 12
Of course, some players are unfortunate to miss out—none more so than Australia's men, who've played just once, thumping England before having their second game against Bangladesh rained off.
But here are a few players who have performed well so far and could comfortably cover the others.
Aaron Finch: Unlucky to miss out after scoring a century against England in his only appearance so far. The Australian looks to be in prime form.
Jerome Taylor: The West Indies paceman has taken six wickets already, including three for just 15 runs versus Pakistan in Christchurch.
Mitchell Marsh: Maybe his 5/33 against England was a one off, but it was a spell that had a significant impact on the game for this improving player.
Corey Anderson: This talented all-rounder has made some useful contributions in New Zealand's three games so far, and a big innings could be round the corner.
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