World Cup Dream XI – One best player from each edition of the World Cup

#11 Seamer and Spinner - Craig McDermott (1987), Mushtaq Ahemd (1992)

Craig McDermott

The 1987 World Cup was very different from the first three editions. It was the first time that the tournament was played away from England and the overs were reduced from 60 to 50. It was the first time in the history that the Windies failed to make it to the knock-outs. England and Australia were through to the semis where they faced India and Pakistan respectively. Batting first, Australia put up a decent total of 267 in the first semi-final. Craig McDermott, who led the Aussie bowling attack rattled the Pakistani line-up with his fifer as the hosts lost the match by 18 runs. In addition to this, he was also the most successful bowler of the tournament taking 18 wickets in 8 matches. His pace and length were pin-point accurate due to which he was so successful even on sub-continent pitches.

Mushtaq Ahmed

The 1992 World Cup saw Pakistan lift the trophy under Imran Khan’s captaincy. The team had a deadly bowling attack with the likes of Wasim, Waqar and Imran who cleaned up the batting lineup in no time. The spin department was led by Mushtaq Ahmed who was one of the best wrist spinners that Pakistan has produced. He picked 161 wickets in 144 ODIs he had played in. In the 1992 World Cup, he took 16 wickets in 9 matches becoming the second highest wicket taker of that edition. His figures of 2 for 40 in the semifinal and 3 for 41 in the final helped the team to get over the line.