Cricket World Cup 2015: Winners and Losers from the Pool Stage
The pool stages of the 2015 Cricket World Cup are done and dusted and we’re heading for the quarter-finals. There were some thrilling games, some disappointing games; there were some great players and some horrific players.
We’ve picked some winners and losers from the Pool stages; add yours in the comments.
Winners: Ireland and the Case for Associates at the World Cup
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Ireland might be going home, but they more than made an impression during the tournament. They beat two Test-playing nations, and while they struggled against some of the bigger sides, they showed skill and tenacity and helped elevate the profile of Associates.
Afghanistan, too, recorded their first ever World Cup win and further underscored the fact that the tournament needs teams from around the world to add an extra dimension.
The next World Cup will consist of just 10 teams, but after the way these two teams performed, hopefully the ICC will come to its senses and realise that diversity is the spice of life and adds something to the World Cup.
Loser: Jason Holder
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Picking on one player is probably quite cruel, but Jason Holder conceded the most runs in an innings at a World Cup since 1983.
The 104 runs he conceded against South Africa was only marginally better than the 105 runs conceded by Martin Snedden against England back in 1983.
Holder has the excuse that he ran into a rampant AB de Villiers, but his figures will remain in the record books as one of the worst ever bowling innings in World Cups for some years yet to come.
Loser: The Standard of Fielding
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There have been some really special moments from some really special players during this World Cup. Overall, though, the standard of fielding has not exactly set the world alight.
Dropped catches and misfielding have been par for the course far too often. The exceptional and the very good moments have been few and far between.
Perhaps that is down to the fact that teams aren't properly fired up yet or maybe teams are just focusing less on fielding these days. The quarter-finals will tell us what the case is.
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Losers: England
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Insipid, uninspiring, dire and dull are a few of the words you can use to describe England’s performance in this World Cup.
They won just two of their games and both of those were against Associate teams.
Their batsmen managed just two tons between them and only one player (Ian Bell) averaged above 50.00 in their six matches.
Their front-line bowlers were woeful with James Anderson averaging 49.00 with the ball and Stuart Broad averaging 63.50.
As far as disastrous campaigns go, this is right at the top of the list. The English can be lucky that they have automatic entry into the next edition of the World Cup, because if they continue on this wayward path, they probably wouldn’t even make it to the competition.
Winner: Kumar Sangakkara
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Kumar Sangakkara tops the run-scorers' list with 496 runs in six matches at an average of 124.00. He scored four tons in six matches and seems to have found the purplest of patches.
His batting has been sublime and entertaining in every way, and he’s probably giving the South African bowlers nightmares before their quarter-final encounter on Wednesday.
Winners: New Zealand’s Bowlers
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Not once did New Zealand concede more than 300 in the group stages. They have Trent Boult and Tim Southee to thank for much of that.
The opening pair have exploited the swing and seam movement available, and they have been very aggressive up front. They have been well supported by Daniel Vettori, who has taken 13 wickets in six matches at an average of just 13.69.
As far as bowling units go, New Zealand definitely have one of the most impressive outfits. Their ability to strike up front has been one of the key factors in their success.
Winners: Teams Batting First
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Teams batting first have mostly had a field day during this World Cup. Although the stats for winning when batting first and second are pretty even (21 vs. 20), the teams who have batted first have usually notched up big scores.
The first five matches of the tournament all saw the teams batting first scoring over 300, and not once did the team chasing manage to get to the 300-run mark. South Africa also managed consecutive scores of 400-plus, and the teams chasing against them failed to pass more than 210 on both those occasions.
The scores on Australian pitches have been particularly mammoth, which doesn’t bode well for bowlers during the quarter-final stages since three of the four matches will be played in Australia.
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