Quinton de Kock is the only South African to be included in the official ICC Team of the Tournament for the 2023 World Cup, although another Protea is 12th man.
1. Quinton de Kock (South Africa)
South Africa’s opener was in breath-taking form during the group stage, scoring four centuries, including an enormous 174 against Bangladesh at the Wankhede Stadium.
De Kock scored 594 runs at a strike rate of 107.02 across the tournament, with only Indian pair Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli scoring more.
2. Rohit Sharma (India) (c)
The India captain and opener set the tone at the top of the order for the hosts, hitting 597 runs, with only his teammate Virat Kohli scoring more.
Rohit’s tally is the seventh-highest ever at a World Cup, 51 runs short of his own best effort at the 2019 tournament in England.
The nature of the opener’s runs was even more crucial than their volume, with his strike-rate of 125.94 being the highest of any top-four batter in the tournament. Only Glenn Maxwell and Heinrich Klassen scored at a quicker rate among the World Cup’s recognised specialist batsmen.
3. Virat Kohli (India)
Kohli produced an all-time great run of form, scoring the most runs ever by an individual batsman at a World Cup.
His 765 surpassed the previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar (673 in 2003) and came at an average of 96.62.
Only twice out of 11 innings did Kohli not reach at least a half century. And his three hundreds in the tournament saw him reach 50 career ODI tons, overtaking Tendulkar for the most in the history of the format.
4. Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)
New Zealand’s run to the semi-finals was built on the back of a mountain of runs, and Daryl Mitchell played a big part in that.
His 552 runs in nine innings came at an average of 69 and strike-rate of 111.06, and showcased his great versatility – building platforms at times and upping the scoring rate at others.
His 134 in a losing cause in the semi-final against India was a brave effort when his team needed it most.
5. KL Rahul (India)
The India right-hander was a model of consistency for his side throughout the World Cup as he amassed a decent total of 452 runs from 10 hits.
Rahul impressed mainly during the middle overs, scoring a tournament best 102 against the Netherlands in Bengaluru and contributing an even better innings of 97* against Australia at the start of the event.
The 31-year-old finished the World Cup with a superb average of 75.33, which was the third best overall for any batsman during the tournament.
6. Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
The Big Show provided two all-time moments with the bat. His century against the Netherlands was the fastest ever seen at a World Cup, coming off just 40 balls.
But his effort against Afghanistan was even more extraordinary.
With Australia requiring 292 and slipping to 91-7, Maxwell produced arguably the greatest individual innings of all-time, scoring 201* from 128 balls as he battled pressure, Afghanistan’s spinners and crippling cramp to get his team across the line.
7. Ravindra Jadeja (India)
India’s spin-bowling all-rounder played a crucial role for his team, taking key wickets throughout the middle overs and consistently turning the screw.
His economy rate was among the best in the tournament, going for 4.25 per over as he brilliantly backed up the new-ball attack.
With the bat he played an important role at No 7 too, scoring 120 runs in his five appearances in the middle.
8. Jasprit Bumrah (India)
The leader of India’s attack, Bumrah was relentless in his excellence.
While being a threat in all sections of the innings, it was his new-ball brilliance that made the biggest impact for his team.
He took wickets throughout the tournament, and proved extremely difficult to get away.
No bowler to have played more than a single game in the tournament was able to return a better economy rate than Bumrah’s 4.06 – an even more remarkable stat considering he was so often in action when the fielding restrictions were in place.
9. Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka’s left-arm speedster was a revelation.
His 21 wickets put him firmly in the tournament’s top five wicket-takers, and he was a relentless threat with the new ball.
A haul of 5/80 against India was the pick of his efforts.
10. Adam Zampa (Australia)
Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament, Adam Zampa equalled Muttiah Muralidaran for most wickets by a spinner in a single World Cup.
His 23 wickets came at an average of 22.39, and he took three consecutive four-wicket hauls in the league stage, including a remarkable spell of 4-8 against the Netherlands.
Only Mohammed Shami took more wickets in the tournament than the Aussie leg-spinner.
And Zampa’s lower-order 29 against England ended up being pivotal in a match that put Australia in control of their progression to the semi-finals.
11. Mohammed Shami (India)
The tournament’s top wicket-taker, Shami was simply extraordinary for a team that he wasn’t even a part of at the start of the campaign.
Shami sat out his team’s first four matches, but was remarkable from thereon in, taking 24 wickets at an average of just 10.70 and 5.26.
Only four players in the history of the game have taken more World Cup wickets than Shami’s 55 – Lasith Malinga (56) Mitchell Starc (65), Muttiah Muralitharan (68) and Glenn McGrath (71) – with Shami’s returns coming in 10 fewer matches than any of those above him in the list.
12th: Gerald Coetzee (South Africa)
South Africa needed a spark in their attack in the absence of Anrich Nortje, and found it in young Coetzee.
He bowled with pace and threat throughout the campaign, taking 20 wickets across his eight matches.
The 23-year-old finished with an average of 19.80 and economy of 6.23.
– Article from Cricket World Cup website
