Cricket World Cup 2015: Highest Run-Scorers and Wicket-Takers After Group Stage

Pakistan and the West Indies snaffled the two remaining quarter-final spots on the final day of group matches at the 2015 Cricket World Cup after wins in their final Pool B matches.

The Windies essentially secured their place in the last eight after they bagged a comfortable win over the winless United Arab Emirates side. A bowling blitz from Jason Holder and Jerome Taylor gave the West Indies a meagre score of 175 to chase down, which they did within 31 overs.

That win for the Caribbean Islanders meant that the game between Ireland and Pakistan was essentially a knockout clash and it was the former that relished the occasion. A balanced bowling display helped Pakistan limit Ireland, despite a fine century from William Porterfield. They then chased down the Irish score easily thanks to an unbeaten 101 from Sarfraz Ahmed.

Here’s how a variety of individual classifications are shaping up with the pool stages concluded and a look at some standout individual performances on a day of big pressure. 

Top 10 Gross Run-Scorers

Rob Griffith/Associated Press

Player	Team	Runs
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	496
Brendan Taylor	Zimbabwe	433
AB de Villiers	South Africa	417
Tillakaratne Dilshan	Sri Lanka	395
Mahmudullah	Bangladesh	344
Sean Williams	Zimbabwe	339
Shikhar Dhawan	India	337
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	316
Shaiman Anwar	UAE	311
Hashim Amla	South Africa	307

All statistics, via ESPN Cricinfo.  

Top 10 Batting Averages

James Elsby/Associated Press

Player	Team	Average
Sarfraz Ahmed	Pakistan	150.00
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	124.00
Mahmudullah	Bangladesh	86.00
AB de Villiers	South Africa	83.40
MS Dhoni	India	83.00
Tillakaratne Dilshan	Sri Lanka	79.00
Virat Kohli	India	75.25
Brendan Taylor	Zimbabwe	72.16
Suresh Raina	India	70.66
David Miller	South Africa	68.75

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.  

Top 10 Strike Rates

Rob Griffith/Associated Press

Player	Team	Runs	SR
Dinesh Chandimal	Sri Lanka	52	216.66
Farhaan Behardien	South Africa	74	205.55
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	257	190.37
Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	257	187.59
Andre Russell	West Indies	84	186.66
Kusal Perera	Sri Lanka	24	184.61
James Faulkner	Australia	23	176.92
Tawanda Mupariwa	Zimbabwe	19	172.72
Tim Southee	New Zealand	12	171.42
Brad Haddin	Australia	119	163.01

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.  

Top 10 Wicket-Takers

Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

Player	Team	Wickets
Mitchell Starc	Australia	16
Mohammed Shami	India	15
Trent Boult	New Zealand	15
Josh Davey	Scotland	15
Jerome Taylor	West Indies	14
Wahab Riaz	Pakistan	14
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	13
Morne Morkel	South Africa	13
Tim Southee	New Zealand	13
Ravichandran Ashwin	India	12

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo. 

Top 10 Bowling Figures

Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

Player	Team	Runs	Wickets
Tim Southee	New Zealand	33	7
Mitchell Starc	Australia	28	6
Trent Boult	New Zealand	27	5
Mitchell Marsh	Australia	33	5
Imran Tahir	South Africa	45	5
Sohail Khan	Pakistan	55	5
Steven Finn	England	71	5
Mitchell Starc	Australia	14	4
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	18	4
Kyle Abbott	South Africa	21	4

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.  

Top 10 Economy Rates

Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images

Player	Team	Runs	Wickets	Econ
Michael Clarke	Australia	14	1	2.80
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	178	13	3.21
James Tredwell	England	25	1	3.57
Jeevan Mendis	Sri Lanka	18	2	3.60
Mirwais Ashraf	Afghanistan	63	2	3.66
Mitchell Starc	Australia	136	16	3.67
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	India	19	1	3.80
Dwayne Smith	West Indies	27	1	3.85
Ravi Bopara	England	31	2	3.87
Sohaib Maqsood	Pakistan	24	1	4.00

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.  

Standout Performers

Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

Holder Leads From the Front for West Indies

When playing in a crucial game, it’s always important for the skipper to step up and lead by example. And while the performances of some of the UAE batsmen left much to be desired at times, West Indies captain Jason Holder was quick to settle any lingering nerves with a brutal display of fast bowling.

He took the first three UAE wickets in a devastating 16-ball spell to set the tone for the rest of his team-mates. As noted by Cricket Buzz, Holder’s rhythm was so good, he used all of his overs in one go:

"

Jason Holder finishes (10-1-27-4). He is the first bowler to bowl unchanged in #CWC15 #WIvUAE

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) March 14, 2015"

Holder was handed the West Indies captaincy in rather volatile circumstances on the cusp of this competition getting underway and he’s come in for plenty of criticism during the World Cup. His bowling has been a little ragged at times, while his field positioning and bowling changes have often been nonsensical.

But after finishing with figures of four for 27 here, he should take some confidence into the latter stages of this competition. The man-of-the-match award received will surely prompt Holder into showcasing more conviction in both his bowling and captaincy:

"

The Player of the Match in #WIvUAE is West Indies captain Jason Holder for his magnificent spell of 4 for 27 #cwc15 pic.twitter.com/rSV6rd6zRv

— ICC (@ICC) March 15, 2015"

The West Indies will need a display of comparable ferocity when they tackle tournament co-hosts New Zealand in their quarter-final clash. Brendon McCullum has been in especially impressive form for the Black Caps and it’s imperative that the likes of Holder restrict him early on, or better still, pick up the prize wicket.

Sarfraz Century Backs up Superb Pakistan Bowling

There have been an array of stellar individual performances at this competition so far but watching this pack of Pakistan bowlers go about their duties against Ireland was wonderful. The clutch of left-arm pace men caused problems for a strong Irish batting line-up throughout the innings, ensuring they had an easy chase on their hands.

As noted by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, the calibre of bowling this Pakistan team showcased in the final knockings of that crunch contest was especially impressive:

"

Pakistan have been outstanding at the death. The moment the ball reverses, they become a different bowling unit. #PAKvsIRE

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 15, 2015"

It’s bowling like that which allowed the batsmen at the top of the order to come out and play with freedom and after a stodgy start to his innings, Sarfraz Ahmed eventually cut loose and fired Pakistan toward a very important win.

His unbeaten 101 was the bedrock of this Pakistan batting effort and although he looked a little nervous once he got into the nineties, the wicketkeeper was a serene influence during a high-pressure encounter.

Sarfraz’s century had been a long time coming for Pakistani batsmen at World Cups, as noted by Cricket Record:

"

Last Pakistani to score a century in World Cup was Imran Nazir (160 v Zim in 2007). Sarfraz Ahmed may hit today. #CWC15 #PAKvIRE

— Cricket Record (@cricinfo_record) March 15, 2015"

Australia represent a formidable quarter-final opponent, but this Pakistan team will be bouncing into the clash in Adelaide. After losing the opening two games of the competition they have won four on the spin and with the bowling attack working superbly in those four triumphs, the co-hosts must be wary of a potentially dangerous side.