Wow, the roller coaster ride comes to an end. I do not think it matters to anyone but here are my few observations of all the teams .. will go alphabetically.
1. Afghanistan
Well, Afghanistan has played fearless cricket throughout the last 4 years. The argument that supports my point is their famous win over Ireland, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and even West Indies. Beating those 4 teams consistently was a good sign for a good talented upcoming nation. Cricket will only always benefit from another good cricketing nation. But having said that the drama that started with change in captaincy hurt Afghanistan a lot. They should have not changed a captain at the start of the tournament. They could have waited until after the tournament ended. They did show glimpses of how they play their brand of cricket with few close games against India, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. One or two good moments here and there and we could have seen atleast 4 points. They almost pulled off that win against India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan game was close too.
My rating 2/10
2. Australia
Australia started the campaign well with a nice hammering win over the Afghani's. After serving their punishments, it was good to see Warner and Smith back in Australian colors. Having played poorly meant nothing in few bilateral series as they looked favorites alongside England to life the trophy. Starc getting back into form and Smith continuing where he left off, it was a dream tournament seeing how they played before the WC. First team to qualify for semis and I for one, did not think they will win the WC. So for me they had the perfect tournament, will be interesting how they build their team from here on for 2023 WC.
My rating 8.5/10
3. Bangladesh
A team that deserved a lot more then what points table show. Shakib Al Hasan was fantastic and showed why he is the number 1 all rounder and not just in one format. What I like about this Bangladesh outfit was they were calm, relax and composed. They are only going to make it more difficult for other teams going forward. Yes they lost a few matches but they never lost the fighting spirit. Well led by a nice composed captain Mortaza.
My rating 8/10
4. England
Well, the WORLD CHAMPIONS and rightly so. They went in as favorites and proved everyone right. Although their victory as a world champion was not all convincing and they did see some hiccup as they lost two matches to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, they came back strongly. Eoin Morgan as a captain has scripted one of the greatest turn around in ODI cricket for England since the 2015 debacle. Its as similar to India's run in 2011 after the 2007 debacle. The openers, their middle order, their bowlers.. they had a dream team to beat. Ben Stokes has proved me wrong completely and he might not be the best all rounder in WC, he definitely is number 2. That innings in final was a champion inning.
My rating 9.5/10
5. India
A world heavyweight team who unfortunately came into the competition and survived based on their top 3 and bowlers. Middle order was in a shambles and everyone could see that even before the tournament. Now I will not be harsh and criticize too much but there was no viable number 4 solution and that in the end hurt. MS Dhoni and Saurav Ganguly had a team, Virat Kohli just had players. Will really be interesting how India plan their road ahead for the next WC and who their core players will be. One thing MSD and Dada did well was build a solid core team no matter what. Kohli and Ravi with their constant chopping and moving things around did not build that.
My rating 8/10
6. New Zealand
Yet another finals, the NZ team under captain calm Kane has done fantastic over the last 4 years. Consistently reaching finals for 2 consecutive WC is not an easy task. Even they did not play England's brand of fearless cricket, their brand was more then enough to defeat India and tie the WC finale game with hosts England. For me they are joined winners of 2019 WC since the match was tied and number of boundaries should not decide who gets to keep the cup. Kane Williamson was brilliant as a captain and he will only improve going forward.
My rating 9/10
7. Pakistan
A team of unpredictability. After starting the tournament getting rolled out for less then 120 runs, Pakistan did give other teams a run for their money. Its tough being a Pakistani fan since you never know what side of the bed you will get up at. Pakistan were so unpredictable and so inconsistent but one thing remained constant is their unpredictability and this is what makes them dangerous. Sarfaraz as a captain was uninspiring and this where Pakistan lost. They need someone who can bring confidence and inspire and lead from front. Imam, Babar and the bowlers did everything they could, their middle order like India and Fakhar were really disappointing.
My rating 7/10
8. South Africa
Horrible tournament for them, the team did not play well as a unit and there was not a single match winning inning from anyone throughout the tournament. A team with such a good talent in the end were left reduced to think about their own talent. The mid tournament AB D saga was bad and it was just downhill for them. Losing Dale Steyn did not help either. I really want a strong South African team and hope they build well as a team for the next one 4 years down the line.
My rating 3/10
9. Sri Lanka
An underdog team who were not expected to win anything. They almost proved everyone right with their performance against Afghanistan. But then a few washouts and fortunes turned. Defeating England would be the highlight of their tournament and ending up on 6th position above Bangladesh, South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan should give them a bit of confidence. There is talent, the grooming has to be done right. With Malinga too now out of action it will be interesting who spear heads their bowling attack.
My rating 5/10
10. West Indies
Started the tournament with a bang, came really close in the NZ and Australia game. At one stage it looked they will be taking everyone by a storm and would qualify for the semis but somehow they managed to find that loosing streak and ended up being 9th in the tournament. Afghanistan and West Indies joined in after going through the qualifiers and remained the bottom two teams. We have seen Gayle play his last WC match and an era ends with that.
This WC was special since a lot of players we will never see in WC and probably international arena... Mushrafe Mortaza, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan (Probably), Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plesis, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Sarfarz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Matthews, Chris Gayle
Wow a lot of players. It looks like my teenage era has come to an end. Grew up watching these players in their prime.
Overall a format that was criticized and still would like to see 2 more teams. 12 team WC with the same format is achievable and would be good for World Cricket.
Rohit Sharma (Ind)
