ICC World Cup 2015: Top 6 contenders for Player of the Tournament award

It’s the greatest individual prize in a team game – Player of the Tournament at a World Cup. Very often, a player from the winning team picks it up – Yuvraj Singh, Glenn McGrath, Sanath Jayasuriya – 3 out of 6 times, not because it is a trend but because such is the impact of these players that they take their team all the way through.More often than not, it’s the all-rounders performing with bat and ball who take the award home, Yuvraj, Lance Klusener and Jayasuriya being classic examples. Sometimes pure performances get rewarded too – Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn McGrath being great examples.With the World Cup getting more and more competitive, every player has been trying to contribute more to teams – with the bat, with the ball, and on the field. The difference can be seen in the way pace bowlers are fielding and catching, how regular batsmen are turning their arms over to slip in a few overs, how lower-order batsmen are hanging on to help their teams post more runs and get closer to targets in a chase.This World Cup has also been special in how the top teams like New Zealand, Australia and India have won more through team effort than with the brilliance of just one or two individuals, something that has been the case of South Africa and Sri Lanka.Yet, as we enter the knock-out stage, there are some clear favourites to win the Man of the Tournament award:

#6 Corey Anderson

Corey Anderson hasnt set the World Cup on fire. His 75 against Sri Lanka in the first game was scintillating. His blitzkrieg innings against Australia and Bangladesh in tight situations were crucial. Yet, he didnt manage to finish either of the games. In spite of all that, he is the only genuine all-rounder in contention for the Man of the Tournament gag and he has a big edge.

He has 158 runs at 39.5 with a strike-rate of nearly 115 with the bat. With the ball, he has 10 wickets at 13 apiece with an economy of 4.82 making him extremely useful for his teams cause, supporting the new ball bowling pair of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. He is brisk in terms of the speed at which he bowls. He can bludgeon the ball with the bat and most importantly, he backs himself with the big shots no matter what the situation is.

If New Zealand reach the finals, it will definitely be on the back of important contributions from the young all-rounder, whether as a finisher in tough chasesor as a hitter in the slog overs or as a first change bowler complementing Daniel Vettoris spin.

#5 Trent Boult

The third highest wicket-taker at this World Cup, Trent Boult has been phenomenal with his left-arm fast bowling, swinging it in the air and moving it off the deck. However, the most incredible stat is that his economy rate of 4.17 is a result of bowling not on Australian grounds but on New Zealand ones which are known for their small boundaries.

He has 15 wickets at 15.6 apiece in 6 games. He has also helped his partner Tim Southee pick plenty of wickets, bowling 11 maiden overs. The next highest amongst the top 50 wicket-takers is 6 maidens by Jason Holder and Mohammad Shami. That shows how New Zealand maintain unrelenting pressure on their opponents complementing the aggressive tactics of their skipper Brendon McCullum.

#4 Mohammad Shami

One of the three bowlers in contention for the Man of the Tournament award, Shami is at par with Boult, probably a little better, considering he has picked the same number of wickets, 15, in one game less. His average of 12.60 is amongst the lowest in the top 50 wicket-takers list at the tournament.

Shami has been striking once every three overs and gives away not more than 4.4 runs an over, making him a phenomenal new ball bowler. Most importantly, he has been accurate, with a brilliant seam position that has helped him move the ball even when there is no swing in the air.

Having provided India early breakthroughs almost in every game, Shami also has bowled 6 maiden overs, almost a rarity with the new fielding restrictions. Shami has just one 4-wicket haul, which shows he picks wickets consistently in every game with two to three wickets in every outing.

A big percentage of his wickets like Boult and Mitchell Starc, are clean bowled, indicating his accuracy, especially in the death overs.

#3 Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starcs 6/28 against New Zealand has arguably been the best bowling spell of this tournament so far and one of the best ever, almost single-handedly defending a puny score of 151 successfully. Starc has taken 16 wickets in just 5 games, with an average and economy rate of 8.50 and 3.67 respectively both so low, you would be tempted to give him the award straight away.

His spectacular strike rate of 13.8 is incredible for a pace bowler who consistently bowls at over 145 kph. He can swing the ball and has shattered the stumps regularly. Starcwho has touched 150 kph at this World Cup more than oncehas a 4-wicket and a 5-wicket haul so far and is the top wicket-taker at the tournamentdespite missing a game due to rain.

He is the only bowler with an average in single digits and if Australia are to reach the finals or even win it, Starc is the person who has to contribute a lot.

With Pat Cummins and Mitchell Johnson expensive on some days, Starc is the leader of the pack and cannot afford to have an off-day. From someone who was wayward with his line and length but gifted with pace and swing, Starc has come a long way. He could emulate his countryman Glenn McGraths feat by becoming the second pure bowler to pick the Man of the Tournament award, although he is quite handy with the bat too.

#2 AB de Villiers

Spectacular fielder, wicket-keeper, technically perfect batsman with a genius for improvisation and a capability to hit every single bowler out of the park. The list can go on.

AB de Villiers is one of the greatest players to have ever played cricket already and he is only beginning to show what he is capable of. The man who has already scored the fastest ODI 150 at this World Cup has 417 runs, 162 in one innings. His average of 83.4 and strike rate of 144.29 are of gargantuan size. He is also the skipper for one of the title favourites, South Africa.

In a few days, we will know if his team is capable of overcoming the knock-out game jinx theyve never won one at the World Cup. In a way, only one of Kumar Sangakkara and de Villiers will still be in contention for this award as the two teams are pitted against each other in the quarterfinals.

De Villiers will pick more wickets, take more stunning catches, score tons of runs after the World Cup too, probably ending as one of the greatest ODI players of all time, not on the basis of talent alone but also backed by stats. When he is judged on that scale, he would love to see a World Cup winners medal right there on his resume too!

#1 Kumar Sangakkara

If the volume of runs a batsman scores could speak, Kumar Sangakkaras would sing a lovely, melodious song, almost velvety like his hitting. Yet, he has managed an incredible strike-rate of 119.51 while also maintaining an average of 124. He has 496 runs with four consecutive centuries now thats quite a few records right there 4 centuries at one tournament, 4 successive ODI centuries, 14000 ODI runs making him only the second batsman to reach that milestone.

Sangakkara has been the cornerstone for Sri Lankan success and if his team has to cross the gigantic South African hurdle, it will be hard to envisage it without a huge contribution from him. Importantly, he has walked in early in most games and has managed to play quality, delicious cricket while still maintaining a good pace, partnering Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne alternatively, cushioning the fragile middle order often.

If so much isnt enough, he is also the wicket-keeper, now with the most dismissals in World Cup history, having overtaken Adam Gilchrist. Talk of contributing in two disciplines!