Champions Trophy: Best XI of the group stages

The knockout round of the eight edition fo ICC Champions Trophy will start from 14th June. It has been a topsy-turvy ride for many teams. Talking about upsets, this edition of the 8-team prestigious tournament was filled with surprises. Placed in the group of death alongside hosts England, Australia and New Zealand, Bangladesh showed concrete character to make it to the semi-finals.

Group B was where all the eyes were. The favourites, India and South Africa expectedly won their first games. But table turned when they both the lost their second match respectively. India finally was able to make it to the semis by beating the Proteas while Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka to qualify for the semis. Now as we move into the next level, let us have a look at the heroes of group stages.

Here is the Best XI of group stages

Shikhar Dhawan (India)

The Indian board faced a lot of criticism when they selected Shikhar Dhawan in the team in place of in-form Gautam Gambhir. But what a reply it has been from India’s very own ‘Gabbar’. With 271 runs in 3 matches, he currently bosses the leading run-scorers’ list.

He has scored a half-century in all the matches. The deadly opening combination of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan is one of the main reasons why India has topped their group. While selecting an opener, Dhawan is the one to put your money on.

Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh)

Not many would have thought that Bangladesh’s left-handed destroyer would find himself as the second opener in the team. But this sums up the tournament for Tamim. With 223 runs in 3 games, he is the third highest run scorer of CT 2017 thus far.

While fellow opener Soumya Sarkar was finding it hard to get things going at the other end, Iqbal provided the much-needed stability to Bangladesh’s innings. The fans will be hoping for another stellar performance in the match against India.

Niroshan Dickwella (wk) (Sri Lanka)

Another surprising name in the list. But beyond a doubt, Dickwella was the man of the hour for Sri Lanka in this competition. With 121 runs from three matches, he is Sri Lanka’s 2nd highest run-getter in the tournament, only six runs behind Kusal Mendis.

Also, he is the leading run-scorer among wicketkeepers in CT 2017. His strike rate of just under 90 added to his brilliant numbers. In the virtual quarter-final against Pakistan, Dickwella was the one Sri Lankan batsman who showed composure and character.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand)

The Kiwis had to see an untimely departure from the UK. But that does not take any credit away from their talented skipper Kane Williamson. With 244 runs in 3 matches, he could have given Dhawan a tough competition had the team advanced any further in the tournament.

Compared with the likes of Virat Kohlis and Joe Roots, Williamson maintained a healthy strike rate of over 90 as far as run scoring is concerned. But unfortunately for him, he could not see any strong support from any of his compatriots, which resulted in Black Caps’ elimination from the Champions Trophy.

Joe Root (England)

Before the tournament, almost all former cricketers and analysts termed England as the favourites to win. The hosts have managed to perform up to the expectations, winning all three games out of three in the group stages and their most reliable batsman Joe Root has been instrumental in their success.

The anchor of the large ship, Root knows exactly how to pace his innings. In 3 matches, he has scored 212 runs and sits in the 4th place on the leading run-getters’ list. The consolidator of England’s innings is a must have on this roster.

Eoin Morgan (Captain)  (England)

Root’s captain, Eoin Morgan was under a lot of pressure while going into the competition. Form was not on his side, and the extra pressure was added by the ‘favourites’ tag. But Morgan was a completely different player as soon as the tournament started.

With 175 runs in 3 matches, he is the 2nd highest run scorer for England, second to Root. Captaincy has also been spot on and hence he will be captaining our side. His impressive numbers do not end here, as he has the best strike rate among English batters.

Ben Stokes (England)

Before the start of the tournament, all eyes were on the big brother of Indian Premier League. But Stokes has repeated his scintillating stint of IPL in the Champions Trophy. In 3 matches, he has scored 150 runs. Unfortunately for Australia, a majority of the runs came against them as they had to bid farewell to the tournament.

Not just with the bat, but with the ball as well. With three wickets in three games, he is the joint third highest wicket-taker for England in the competition.

Liam Plunkett (England)

Consecutive 4th English player on our list. But such has been the standards that it is hard to make such a lineup while keeping them aside. With 8 wickets in 3 matches, he is the 2nd highest wicket-taker of the tournament and highest for his team.

With the ability to strike when needed, he has been Morgan’s, go-to man. Plunkett’s economy rate is also under six, which adds to his numbers. With the likes of Wood, Ball and Stokes on his side, the English fast bowling attack is wreaking havoc in the competition.

Adil Rashid (England)

Another English player, but don’t blame me for it. The 5th is a spinner, who is the lone spinner in our lineup. Adil Rashid was overlooked for the first game and Bangladesh went on to score over 300 runs. Morgan understood what was missing, and brought back the spinner in the lineup.

There has been no looking back for the team’s bowling department ever since. In a couple of matches, he picked up 6 wickets and is the 4th highest wicket-takes of the tournament, even after playing a match less. Wait, there’s more. He has conceded runs at a rate below 5 runs per over and is placed in number 4 in the list of most economical bowlers in the tourney.

Josh Hazlewood (Australia)

Mitchell Starc was the one who grabbed all the attention before the start of the tournament. But it soon shifted to Josh Hazlewood when he picked up 5 wickets against New Zealand in Australia’s opening game. Unfortunately for him, the game was washed out.

He has been impressive all throughout the tournament, picking up 9 wickets in three games and sits comfortably at the pole position in the list of highest wicket-takers. But what about the economy rate? Just over 5, which justifies his place in our list.

Hassan Ali (Pakistan)

The lone Pakistani in our lineup is Hassan Ali. He is one of the prime reasons why Pakistan is in the semis. The leading wicket-taker for the team is the 3rd highest wicket-taker of the tournament. His variations were hard to crack for the batters, and he has dismissed 7 of them.

For the economy rate, Ali has conceded runs at a cheap rate of under 5 per over. He gave away the maximum runs among Pakistani bowlers, but his wicket-taking ability is the reason why he has sealed his place in our lineup.