The Big Show

A full delivery by Kulasekara dispatched for a massive hit by Dhoni, and the World Cup is gone for another four years. And what a Cup it has been for the fans, more so the Indian fans. Carrying the massive weight of expectations, from the fans, from the media and from within themselves, they put together a performance that was deserving of World Champions. Sure, it was as clinical as the Invincible Australians of the past, but that is what made the Cup so interesting. This team was only human, it had its weaknesses exposed over and over again, and its biggest strength failing it at crucial moments. The challenge was to rise above it all, and deliver when it mattered the most, which it did convincingly during the knock-out phases.

I will not get carried away by the euphoria, and get back to discuss how the on-field performances translated into Super Selector points. Since the interface does not allow a segregation of the group and knock-out phases, we will restrict it to an overall review.

Top 20 players – Overall

No surprises at the top. Man of the tournament, Yuvraj Singh with his 4 man of the match performances takes the top spot. He is followed by the other two top all-rounders Afridi and Dilshan. Afridi could not carry his group stage form in the knock-out phases, partially responsible for his team’s exit in the Semi Finals. As can be seen from the table, batsmen have given appalling returns, with only two of them featuring in the Top 20; Tendulkar with his consistent performances that saw him score the second most runs in the Cup and Sehwag with his occasional blitzing knocks, most notably in the opener against Bangladesh.

Bowlers have put up a strong show, led by India’s spearhead Zaheer Khan, who incidentally occupies the highest position in the list without getting a single man of the match. He is followed by Peterson, who was the highest wicket taker in the group stage; Gul who bowled well barring the crucial Semi Final; Southee who carried Kiwi hopes followed by Murali, Roach, Swann and Johnson all of whom had a couple of good days.

Sangakkara emerged as the top keeper, with his crucial knocks throughout the tournament. AB De Villiers finds a place in the top 20, courtesy his blazing form in the group stages, something he could not repeat in the all important match against the Kiwis.

Ryan Ten is the only player from the associate nations who makes it to the top 20. It is indeed a shame that such performances will not be seen in the coming World Cup 2015 due to ICC’s decision to restrict it to the 10 test playing nations.

Value for Money player – Top 10

The players who more than justified their price tag is more or less similar to the top performers list, partially because the minnows did not feature in the knock out phases. Notable exceptions include Hafeez, the Pakistani all rounder who had a stable Cup with both bat and ball, Imran Tahir, one of the players to watch for the future, Nathan McCullum who once again proved to be a great fantasy pick, followed by two associate nation players K J O Brien who played the innings of the World Cup, and Baidwan who was sensational for Canada. Pity that these players will not get an opportunity to shine at the biggest stage for at least another 8 years.

The Big League – Top 10 Managers

And while the real teams battled it out in the ground, the managers of The Big League indulged in a war befitting the intense competitive environment of the Cup.

Just 300 points (which means 1 wrong or right pick for man of the match) separated the Top 3 with the 2nd and 3rd spots separated by a meagre 23 points! Congratulation to Vinay Sharma for winning the Big League, and also to Siddharth and Manav for making it a close finish. Vinay gets to choose between Team India jersey or his favourite cricket book as the winners prize.

Thanks to all of you who played and made it entertaining throughout!

Related posts:

1. Super Selector Fantasy Cricket Update–Group Stage Roundup
2. Super Selector Fantasy Cricket Update – A fortnight of World Cup Cricket 2011
3. Super Selector Fantasy Cricket Report – Day 1
4. Super Selector Fantasy Cricket Report – Day 5
5. Super Selector Fantasy Cricket Report – Day 2