Top 3 performers from the 2011 World Cup

On the 10th anniversary of the 2011 World Cup final, social media has been filled with clips from the tournament.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni won the Man of the Final award 10 years ago to the day, for his brilliant unbeaten 91 against Sri Lanka. Zaheer Khan finished the 2011 World Cup as the joint-highest wicket-taker, while a number of other players put in noteworthy performances.

In this article, we take a look at the 3 top performers from the 2011 World Cup. All-round value has been used as the most important yardstick for selection.

---

#3 Shahid Afridi (84 runs, 21 wickets, 5 catches in the 2011 World Cup)

Afridi was the joint-highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup

Shahid Afridi couldn't make much of an impact with the bat in the 2011 World Cup as he tallied only 84 runs. But the Pakistan captain was the key cog in his team's wheel with his accurate, wicket-taking bowling.

Afridi picked up 21 wickets in the 2011 World Cup to finish as the joint-highest wicket-taker. He registered two 4-wicket hauls and two 5-wicket hauls, and conceded runs at a miserly economy rate of 3.62.

Afridi even took 5 catches as Pakistan made a run to the semi-final, where they fell to eventual champions India. The explosive all-rounder was undoubtedly one of the best performers in the 2011 World Cup.

---

#2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (500 runs, 8 wickets, 6 catches in the 2011 World Cup)

Dilshan was the definition of all-round value in the 2011 World Cup

If Pakistan reached the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup, Sri Lanka made it all the way to the final on the back of stellar performances from Tillakaratne Dilshan. The all-rounder contributed in all departments in almost every game.

Dilshan finished the 2011 World Cup as the leading run-scorer, with 500 runs in 9 innings at an average of 62.5 and a strike rate of 90.74. He notched up two hundreds in the tournament, with a brilliant 144 against Zimbabwe being the standout knock.

Dilshan's handy offies yielded 8 wickets in the competition, the last one being a stellar one-handed return catch to dismiss Virat Kohli in the final. Speaking of catches, he took 6 in the 2011 World Cup.

Had Sri Lanka won the tournament, Dilshan would've been a lock for the Man of the Tournament award.

---

#1 Yuvraj Singh (362 runs, 15 wickets, 3 catches in the 2011 World Cup)

Yuvraj was adjudged the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup

Yuvraj Singh's 2011 World Cup run is widely regarded as the greatest in tournament history. He didn't have a great deal of runs coming into the prestigious competition, and his bowling was considered nothing more than a part-time option.

But Yuvraj exceeded expectations by far in the 2011 World Cup. He scored 362 runs, with fifties against England, Ireland and Australia apart from a match-winning century against the West Indies in the sizzling Chennai heat.

Yuvraj picked up wickets in almost every game, giving captain MS Dhoni 10 overs and regular breakthroughs. The left-arm spinner scalped 5 wickets against Ireland, becoming the first player to score a fifty and pick up a 5-fer in the same World Cup game.

More importantly, Yuvraj delivered when it mattered. His unbeaten knock took India over the line in the quarter-final against Australia, and he was there when the winning runs were hit in the final - all while regularly chipping in with the ball.

Yuvraj claimed the Man of the Tournament award for his incredible exploits in the 2011 World Cup.