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The 2015 World Cup has come to an end with Australia emerging as champions for the fifth time in their ODI history. The mega event saw some established players putting up some exceptional performances and helping their side reaching deep into the tournament.However, there were also few players, who came into the tournament, with not many pinning a large amount of hopes on them but courtesy some fine performances, they did increase their fan base at the end of the tournament.Here are 10 such players who leave the World Cup with a larger fan contingent than before:
#10 Shaiman Anwar
The United Arab Emirates(UAE) didn't have a lot to celebrate about at the 2015 World Cup, except for a few individual performances, especially from the bat of Shaiman Anwar. The right-hander scored 340 runs in 6 matches at an impressive average of 51.83, that included a century against Ireland at Brisbane and at one point was even the highest run-getter of the tournament.
The 36-year-old also made 67 and 62 against Zimbabwe and Pakistan respectively and looked the most competent of all UAE batsman in the line-up. With the ICC limiting the number of teams for the next World Cup to 10, it does look as if this was the last time the cricketing fraternity was able to get a glimpse of the right-hander at the global stage.
#9 Jason Holder
Entrusted with the responsibility of leading his country in a World Cup at the age of 23, Jason Holder had a massive task on his hands to ensure that the West Indies delivered a good performance at the tournament.
After a disappointing loss at the hands of Ireland in their first game, Holder led his side to a commanding 150-run win over Pakistan at Christchurch and then backed that up with yet another win over Zimbabwe in Canberra.
He also showed that along with being a potent bowler, he can also be extremely useful with the bat down the order, particularly in the games against South Africa at Sydney where he smashed the likes of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel for sixes with relative ease en route to a fifty and then once again in the game against India, where he scored yet another half-century.
While the West Indies did bow out in the quarter-final, the way he led the side in a massive event like the World Cup drew him applause from several former greats, including the likes of Brian Lara, who said he was a fan of his captaincy and viewed him as someone who could lead the country for a long time.
"I am a Jason Holder fan. I like his approach to leadership and the way he has gone about his game.
"I can see him developing into the kind of leader who will give years of service to West Indies cricket, given the right kind of support,” Lara said.
West Indies cricket have endured a tough time in the last few years with disputes regarding player’s payments etc and they would hope for Holder to not those issues affect the player’s performance in the coming few years.
#8 Mahmudullah Riyad
When one talks about Bangladesh cricket, one of the first few names that comes to mind is Shakib Al-Hasan. But during the 2015 World Cup, other players from the squad also rose to the occasion to provide a glimpse of the potential they possessed. One among them was batsman Mahmudullah, who made a vital 103 in the crucial Group game against England that helped his side beat the Eoin Morgan-led side by 15 runs and thereby blow away all their hopes of making it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
He showed the world that innings wasn't a flash-in-the- pan in Bangladesh’s next game against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton, where he made yet another hundred and although, this time it ended up in a losing cause, the manner in which he shepherded the innings despite wickets falling at regular intervals at the other end, drew him appreciation from many quarters.
Though he couldn't make as big an impact in the quarter-final against India, where he was dismissed for 21, caught very well by Shikhar Dhawan at the boundary, there is no doubt that Bangladesh has definitely found someone who could provide the much-needed depth in the middle-order and share the responsibility of the batting with likes of Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim.
#7 Sarfraz Ahmed
After being ignored during the initial stages of the World Cup, Pakistan wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed was drafted into the team for his side’s Group match against South Africa at Auckland. The 27-year-old made an immediate impact by scoring a run-a-ball 49 as an opener that provided the impetus for Pakistan. He backed that effort, by taking 6 catches in the South African run-chase of 232 runs in 47 overs, that deservingly got him the Player of the Match award for his performance.
He followed that effort with yet another stellar man-of-the-match performance in the must-win game against Ireland, where he smashed an unbeaten 101 off 124 balls that helped the Men in Green win by 7 wickets.
Despite not being able to produce any such performance in the quarter-final against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, his exploits found him supporters him from many corners and one can't hope but to think, what kind of an impact he might have had if he had been drafted into the side during the early stages of the tournament.
#6 Shapoor Zadran
Among the associates nations that played at the 2015 World Cup, Afghanistan were one of the most followed teams and one man who impressed everyone with not only his bowling but also with regards to his personality was speedster Shapoor Zadran. The left-arm pacer took 10 wickets in 6 game at an average of 26.50, but what caught the attention of everyone apart from the scalps that he took were things like his massive run-up before delivering the ball, his hair flowing back at the point of delivery etc, the last aspect even drawing comparison with India’s Ishant Sharma.
Explaining the fiery element to his bowling, Shapoor said that each time he ran into bowl there was anger within him and attributed a part of his success to that anger.
"I am angry every time I bowl. A bowler has to be angry, so that his reaction can carry over to the batsmen, who get unsettled and end up making a mistake,” he said.
Add to his exploits with the ball, he also helped his side register a historic maiden World Cup win over Scotland with the bat, by scoring a 10-ball 12 and then sprinting off for a run before falling down on bent knees, straight onto the turf.
Though Afghanistan did not qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, there’s no doubt that the likes of Shapoor have certainly gathered a large fan following for their style of play and their enthusiasm for the game at the mega event.
#5 Imran Tahir
South Africa has always had a reputation for producing quality fast bowlers over the years, but one man who captured the imagination of everyone, particularly with his celebrations at the World Cup was leg-spinner Imran Tahir. The 36-year-old took 15 wickets in 8 matches at the mega event, that included a five-wicket haul against the West Indies in Sydney and also a man-of-the-match spell of 4 for 26 against Sri Lanka at the same venue that helped the Proteas register their first-ever win in a knockout encounter of the quadrennial tournament.
But apart from picking up the wickets, the cricketer gained supporters for the way he took off for a run after he picked up each wicket and talking about it after helping his side win against Sri Lanka, Tahir said that he didn't practice the celebrations and added that he was living his dream.
"It's just something really -- it's just in me, I think. I don't practice for that, I'm sure. It's just because I want to enjoy everything I do for this team.
"This is a dream, you know. Because maybe there are a million people who do not have the opportunity that I have to play for this team,” he said.
#4 Wahab Riaz
Pakistan speedster Wahab Riaz’s exploits in the World Cup quarter-final against Australia at the Adelaide Oval gained him several supporters from across the globe. The left arm speedster delivered a hostile spell, specifically to Australian middle-order batsman Shane Watson, where he peppered him with short-pitched balls and also sarcastically clapped at him and blew a flying kiss towards him.
Although, the International Cricket Council(ICC) fined him for his antics on the field, the display found many supporters, including the likes of Brian Lara, taking to Twitter to praise his effort.
While the effort couldn’t help Pakistan seal a berth in the semifinal, it certainly did increase the fan base for the 29-year-old and he would be hoping to deliver more such efforts in the future that would hopefully help his side win many more games as well.
#3 Grant Elliot
New Zealand right-hander Grant Elliott made a comeback to the ODI scene after a gap of 13 months in January earlier this year in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. He scored a century in the third game at Dunedin but barring that effort, scored just one more fifty in the series against Pakistan that followed.
His selection in the 15-man Blackcaps squad also did raise a few eyebrows and that inclusion sounded even more baffling after he failed to make any substantial contributions in the Group stages as well as in the quarter-final of the World Cup.
But Elliott, it seemed was preserving his best performance against probably the best fast bowling attack in the competition, South Africa, and under extreme pressure, in front of a packed house at Eden Park, he scored a superb 84 not out off 73 balls, that included a match winning last over six off Dale Steyn, to guide his side past the semifinal barrier for the first time in their World Cup history.
In what proved to be a one-sided affair in the final, Elliott was one of the shining lights for his country, scoring an 83 that helped his side recover from a difficult position of 35 for 3.
There's no doubting that Elliott has already gathered a sizeable fan following through his semi-final and final exploits and while age may not be on his side, he would be hoping to stretch his international career for as much as possible before bidding adieu.
#2 Brendan Taylor
Very few might have expected Zimbabwe batsman Brendan Taylor to gain as much popularity as he did during the World Cup. The 29-year-old right-hander didn't have the best of starts to the mega event, scoring just a single fifty in his first four matches but came roaring back into form, courtesy two back-to-back hundreds in the final two matches.
While in both cases, the Zimbabweans found themselves in the losing end, the second of those hundreds, a 110-ball 138 against India at Eden Park in Auckland, was an extremely emotional one for him personally as, prior to the start of that encounter, he had announced that he would retire from One-Day Internationals after the game and would play as a Kolpak player for English county side Nottinghamshire for a period of three years.
Reactions to that decision poured in from several quarters, especially after the game with the likes of VVS Laxman and others taking to Twitter to acknowledge his effort.
The current Zimbabwe outfit doesn’t possess as many high profile names as they did in the past and it must be said that the departure of Taylor wil certainly leave a massive void for them to fill.
#1 Trent Boult
Heading into the 2015 World Cup, New Zealand speedster Trent Boult was known to be one-half of one of the most promising fast bowling pairs in World Cricket in himself and Tim Southee. But the 25-year-old became a favourite, among several pundits and fans who began to take notice of his exploits on the field during the course of the mega event.
Among Boult’s biggest strengths and one that fetched him as many as 22 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 16.86 was his ability to swing the ball and that was best seen in the Group game against Australia at Eden Park in Auckland, where he took 5 for 27 in 10 overs to bowl out Michael Clarke’s side for 151.
Ater New Zealand were bundled out for 183 in the Final, the left-arm seamer raised some hopes of an incredible victory for them by removing Aaron Finch for a duck, but those hopes were crushed after David Warner and Steven Smith rescued the side and brought them back into a comfortable position in the game.
Nevertheless, courtesy his excellent display with the ball, Boult has certainly increased his fan base to a great extent and he would be hoping to gain few more supporters, when he makes a trip to India to represent the Sun Risers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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