Cricket World Cup 2015: Best XI of the Group Stage
After 42 group games, the business end of the 2015 World Cup is finally here, and many of cricket's finest players are already in red-hot form.
But which players have been so good that they've made the Best XI of the tournament so far?
Best XI teams were also named after the first and second thirds of the group stage had been completed.
Best XI after 14 Games: 1. Brendon McCullum (capt.), 2. Shikhar Dhawan, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Ed Joyce, 5. David Miller, 6. Lendl Simmons, 7. Brendan Taylor (wk), 8. Daniel Vettori, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Trent Boult and 12th man from Aaron Finch, Jerome Taylor, Mitchell Marsh, Corey Anderson
Best XI after 28 Games: 1. Brendon McCullum (capt.), 2. Lahiru Thirimanne, 3. Kumar Sangakkara, 4. AB de Villiers, 5. Shaiman Anwar, 6. Shakib Al Hasan, 7. Brendan Taylor (wk), 8. Daniel Vettori, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Mitchell Starc, 11. Trent Boult and 12th man from Chris Gayle, Josh Davey, Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir
Only four players have made the cut in all three teams. Can you guess who they are?
1. Brendon McCullum (capt.)
1 of 12
Innings: 6
Runs: 257
Strike rate: 187.59
50s/100s: 3/0
Brendon McCullum might not have scored the sheer volume of runs that some of his contemporaries have, but you can't underestimate his presence at the top of the order.
The sight of the 33-year-old coming down the wicket to his first ball and bludgeoning it to the boundary must send shivers down the spines of opponents.
And the tactics clearly work. McCullum's incredible strike rate, approaching two runs per ball faced, is second only to Glenn Maxwell among the players who have scored more than 75 runs.
2. Tillakaratne Dilshan
2 of 12
Innings: 6
Runs: 395
Strike rate: 98.25
50s/100s: 1/2
In the face of Kumar Sangakkara's hot streak, Tillakaratne Dilshan, despite scoring nearly 400 runs in the tournament, has travelled under the radar slightly in the World Cup.
But the aggressive opener has been in fine form, rebounding from a duck in the Afghanistan game to score tons against Bangladesh and Scotland and a half-century versus Australia.
The all-rounder has also chipped in with some useful wickets and has bowled his 31.2 overs for an economy rate of just 4.88.
3. Kumar Sangakkara
3 of 12
Innings: 6
Runs: 496
Strike rate: 119.51
50s/100s: 0/4
It is perhaps no surprise to see Kumar Sangakkara's name on this teamsheet, with the Sri Lanka legend making a mockery of the IPL teams' decision not to sign him.
The classy left-hander has incredibly stroked four consecutive centuries—a feat never previously achieved in ODI cricket—but perhaps even more impressive is that this huge volume of runs has also come at a rapid rate.
While Australia and New Zealand remain the favourites to lift the trophy, with Sangakkara in this this sort of form, Sri Lanka can beat anyone.
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4. AB de Villiers
4 of 12
Innings: 6
Runs: 417
Strike rate: 144.29
50s/100s: 1/2
AB de Villiers' electrifying scoring has lit up this tournament, with the swashbuckling batsman producing a selection of remarkable innings.
The 31-year-old has blasted 20 sixes so far, eight of which came in that incredible innings against the West Indies in which he bludgeoned 162 runs off just 66 balls.
Capable of playing with ultra aggression or manipulating the strike as required, De Villiers is the consummate ODI cricketer.
5. Mahmudullah
5 of 12
Innings: 5
Runs: 344
Strike rate: 82.89
50s/100s: 1/2
So good they named him once, Mahmudullah has hit a purple patch of form and is one of the major reasons that Bangladesh have gatecrashed the World Cup quarter-finals.
A half-century against Scotland seemingly opened the floodgates before a sensational century in the crunch clash with England helped rescue his country from 8/2 to an ultimately match-winning total of 275.
The 29-year-old added another ton against New Zealand a few days later to help Bangladesh almost pull off another shock. Can he do it again against India?
6. Glenn Maxwell
6 of 12
Innings: 4
Runs: 257
Strike rate: 190.37
50s/100s: 2/1
Glenn Maxwell has only had four innings in this World Cup, but he has already found the time to blast 38 boundaries—11 of which cleared the ropes.
The statistics don't necessarily do justice to the sheer array of strokes the 26-year-old possesses. He's even managed to turn the often ungainly reverse-slog sweep into an art form!
As well as being a potent weapon down the order with the bat, the Big Show has also chipped in with three wickets courtesy of his underrated spinners.
7. Brendan Taylor (wk)
7 of 12
Innings: 6
Runs: 433
Strike rate: 106.91
50s/100s: 1/2
Brendan Taylor's international career came to an end with a magnificent century against India, although he was unable to stop MS Dhoni's men winning and eliminating Zimbabwe from the tournament.
You only have to look at his run of scores at the World Cup—40, 47, 37, 50, 121, 138—to see how much Zimbabwe are going to miss this classy left-handed batsman.
The 29-year-old has decided to continue his playing days with Nottinghamshire in England, and the east Midlands county will be delighted with their acquisition.
8. Daniel Vettori
8 of 12
Innings: 6
Wickets: 13
Economy rate: 3.21
Best figures: 4/18
In what has clearly been a batsmen's World Cup, Daniel Vettori has shown that the art of the conventional spinner is alive and kicking, hopefully inspiring youngsters for the future.
The 36-year-old, who seemed all but retired from international cricket a few months ago, has bowled with incredible skill and control to take 13 wickets and return an incredible economy rate of just 3.21.
The former Kiwi skipper has also chipped in with the bat, scoring an important 16 off just 10 balls to secure victory over Bangladesh at Hamilton.
9. Mohammed Shami
9 of 12
Innings: 5
Wickets: 15
Economy rate: 4.39
Best figures: 4/35
India have recovered from their pre-World Cup lethargy in some style, winning all six of their group games. Mohammed Shami is one of the primary reasons behind that.
Often criticised for lacking control, the 25-year-old has taken his game to another level to claim 15 scalps in five outings, including a haul of four for 35 against archrivals Pakistan.
Alongside, Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav, India's bowling unit has, for once, overshadowed their formidable batting lineup and will expect to blast past Bangladesh into the last four.
10. Trent Boult
10 of 12
Innings: 6
Wickets: 15
Economy rate: 4.17
Best figures: 5/27
Trent Boult narrowly gets the nod over his compatriot and team-mate Tim Southee here, primarily due to his incredible performance against Australia in which he took five for 27.
However, the rapid left-armer has taken wickets in every game and constantly challenges the opposition's top order at the start of their innings.
Boult, who is due to join Sunrisers Hyderabad for the forthcoming IPL, will be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on the inconsistent West Indies batting lineup in the quarter-finals.
11. Mitchell Starc
11 of 12
Innings: 5
Wickets: 16
Economy rate: 3.67
Best figures: 6/28
Not only is he winning the battle of the Mitchells, but Mitchell Starc has arguably been the bowler of the entire tournament so far.
The 25-year-old has seemed almost unplayable at times, with his dangerous late movement proving too good for 16 batsmen, including six New Zealanders in the nail-biter at Auckland.
Starc's Test career hasn't been quite as successful so far, but the confidence he's gained over the past few weeks could set him up for a sensational Ashes series later this year.
12th Men
12 of 12
Of course, some players were unlucky to miss out making the cut for the first XI. Here are a handful of stars who could come in and do a job at any time.
Shikhar Dhawan: Almost dropped before the tournament began, the classy left-hander contributed centuries against South Africa and Ireland to fire India into the quarter finals.
Sean Williams: This little-known Zimbabwean registered a consistent run of scores—76*, 76, 33, 96, 31—to help his country enjoy one of their best World Cups.
Morne Morkel: The 30-year-old paceman has been consistent for South Africa, taking 13 wickets and multiple scalps across his six games so far.
Tim Southee: Back-to-back wicketless outings have edged Tim Southee out of this XI, but as evidenced by his dismantling of England, in which he took seven for 33, the seamer remains dangerous.
Imran Tahir: Kept out of the team by the evergreen Daniel Vettori, Imran Tahir has been impressive for the Proteas, claiming 11 victims and bowling with control.
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