Cricket World Cup 2023: Best XI of the fourth week

The fourth week of the Cricket World Cup 2023 concluded with South Africa’s massive 190-run victory over New Zealand at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium. This was the sixth win of the Protea side in the tournament and now they are holding the second position on the points table. In the fourth week, the Temba Bavuma-led side won their both games while the hosts India also emerged victorious in their match against England in Lucknow convincingly. With the competition heading towards the knockout stage, all sides will want their match-winners to gear up to deliver their best. Some players looked sensational in matches played between October 26 and November 1. Noting the superb performances, let’s take a look at- Best XI of the tournament’s fourth week 1. Quinton de Kock (Wicketkeeper) Quinton de Kock is looking incredible with his bat in this tournament. The southpaw is the leading run-getter in this tournament with 545 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 112.60. The wicketkeeper batter has hit four centuries and is heading towards Rohit Sharma’s record of five centuries (2019 tournament) in a World Cup edition. Against Pakistan in Chennai, South Africa were chasing 271 and the left-handed opener gave a fierce start to the team with his rapid 24-run innings off 14 balls. He welcomed Pakistan’s pace-bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi with four fours in the second over of the innings. In the end, Afridi had the last laugh but De Kock’s innings filled confidence in other Protea batters. In his team’s 190-run victory against the Kiwis in Pune, the 30-year-old smashed 114 runs off 116 deliveries. Along with Rassie van der Dussen, he stitched a 200-run partnership for the second wicket which created pressure on New Zealand’s bowling attack. 2. Pathum Nissanka Pathum Nissanka has done his job efficiently as an opener for Sri Lanka. He has hit four fifties in this competition and his team is expecting him to display his best in remaining games. The fourth week kicked off with Sri Lanka’s remarkable victory over England at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. In this game, Sri Lanka bowlers looked exceptional and bundled out the defending champions on a paltry 156. Following the low target, Sri Lanka also lost their top-order batters Kusal Perera and Kusal Mendis early. With the fall of two big wickets, Nissanka stepped up and played an unbeaten knock of 77 off 83 and took his team home. After beating the English team, Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan by seven wickets at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Nissanka played his part finely in this match with 46 off 60 balls. 3. Rachin Ravindra Rachin Ravindra is playing his maiden World Cup edition confidently. The 23-year-old has amassed 415 runs in seven matches with two fifties and two hundreds, and is the highest run-scorer for New Zealand in the tournament. The fourth week didn’t go well for the Black Caps but Ravindra showcased his mettle with the bat. In his team’s close five-run loss to Australia in Dharamshala, Ravindra put up a spectacular show with his bat. The southpaw scored his second World Cup ton and received a lot of appreciation. His extraordinary 116-run innings off 89 deliveries helped the Kiwi side to put up a great fight against the Aussies. After the departure of both openers, Ravindra didn’t lose faith and kept attacking the Aussie bowlers. In his magnificent knock, he hit 14 boundaries (nine fours and five maximums). Standing in the middle, the youngster also stitched some crucial partnerships with Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips. 4. Aiden Markram (Captain) South Africa are playing a fierce brand of cricket in this World Cup and they are now one of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy. In their scintillating show, their batters have played an enormous role. Aiden Markram, who bats at number four, has justified his role in the Protea team. The right-handed batter has piled up 362 runs with a ton and three fifties in seven matches. With these numbers, he is the second-leading run-scorer for his side in this competition. In the contest against Pakistan, when South Africa were in trouble while pursuing 271, Markram held his nerves to take the game deep for his side. The 29-year-old played a responsible knock of 91 off 93 with 10 boundaries (seven fours and three sixes) against Pakistan’s quality bowling attack and guided his team to an intriguing one-wicket win. Markram will look to continue his scintillating form ahead and help his team lift the trophy for the first time. 5. Glenn Maxwell After struggling with the bat in initial matches, Glenn Maxwell has regained his form. In Australia's biggest World Cup victory (by runs) against the Netherlands in Delhi, the right-handed batter scored the fastest World Cup ton in just 40 balls. Maxwell carried his fine form to Dharamshala and took New Zealand’s bowling attack to the cleaners. Against the Black Caps, the 35-year-old showed his relentless side with the bat again. Following the sensational performances from the top-order batters, Maxwell wreaked havoc on bowlers and contributed 41 runs to his team in 24 deliveries with five fours and two sixes. Maxwell also supported Adam Zampa with the ball to reinforce Australia’s spin attack. The veteran picked up the prized scalp of New Zealand’s middle-order batter Glenn Phillips, who could’ve supported James Neesham in pulling off the humongous target. 6. David Miller David Miller is one of the most experienced players in South Africa’s World Cup squad. Batting in the lower middle order, the 34-year-old has done a fine job with his bat. In this tournament, the veteran has accumulated 220 runs in seven innings at a marvellous strike rate of 129.41. Against Pakistan, the left-handed batter rescued his team with a stable knock of 29 runs off 33 deliveries. Miller came to bat when South Africa lost their four key batters at a score of 136. His innings played an important role in taking the Protea side close to the target. Miller’s best innings of the tournament came against New Zealand in Pune. In this game, he was promoted in the batting line-up to boost the run rate. The stylish batter didn’t disappoint his team as he scored 53 runs off just 30 deliveries and helped his side post 357 runs on the board. 7. Marco Jansen Marco Jansen has emerged as a match-winner for South Africa in this World Cup. He is consistently making a fine contribution to his team’s success with both bat and ball. In his team’s intriguing one-wicket wicket win over the Men in Green at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Jansen chipped in with three wickets and 20 runs off 14 deliveries. The lanky speedster sent openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq back to the pavilion in the first powerplay and caused severe damage to Pakistan. In the final overs of the Green Army’s innings, Jansen also dismissed Mohammad Nawaz, who was looking to accumulate runs for his side at a brisk pace. Jansen did an impressive job against New Zealand as well. The 23-year-old bagged a three-wicket haul in his team’s huge success against the Black Caps. In his eight-over spell, he outclassed the key Kiwi batters such as Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. 8. Shaheen Afridi Pakistan haven’t played their best cricket under Babar Azam but their premier pacer Shaheen Afridi has performed phenomenally in this tournament. Spearheading the fast-bowling unit with confidence, he has grabbed 16 wickets in seven matches at a decent economy of 5.22. In the huge contest against South Africa, Afridi bowled a 10-over spell and gave away only 45 runs. He also picked up the three important batters De Kock, Miller, and Gerald Coetzee to push the Proteas on the backfoot. The 23-year-old made an impressive comeback in the game after getting hit for four boundaries in his first over. Pakistan hammered Bangladesh by seven wickets at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. In this comprehensive victory, the speedster picked up a three-wicket haul. Bowling nine overs, he removed Tanzid Hasan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Mahmudullah from the crease. 9. Keshav Maharaj South Africa chased down a decent target of 271 runs against Pakistan in Chennai and clinched a superb one-wicket victory. This was the Protea team’s first successful chase in the tournament. In this triumph, Keshav Maharaj failed to deliver anything big with the ball but stood at the crease until the end to take his team home with his unbeaten seven runs. Following the important win against the Men in Green, Maharaj looked stunning with the ball against New Zealand at the MCA Stadium in Pune. Defending an enormous total of 357 runs, South Africa folded New Zealand on 167 runs. In this contest, the 33-year-old claimed a four-wicket haul and became the leading wicket-taker. Handling the spin department without any support, Maharaj got rid of Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, James Neeshamm, and Trent Boult. Noting Maharaj’s current form, the South Africa team management would want him to do wonders with the ball. 10. Fazalhaq Farooqi Afghanistan have performed remarkably in this tournament, beating quality sides such as England, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Their scintillating success has impressed a lot of former cricketers and avid supporters of this sport. In the fourth week, the Afghan side registered a seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in Pune. On the batting surface, Fazalhaq Farooqi played the role of wrecker-in-chief to wrap up Sri Lanka on 241 runs in 49.3 overs. The pacer bowled 10 overs in the game and ended up with 4/34 figures with one maiden. In his splendid spell, he scalped the prized wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne, Charith Asalanka, and Angelo Mathews. The speedster’s extraordinary bowling display also got him the Player of the Match award at the end of the game. 11. Mohammed Shami Mohammed Shami is delivering a breathtaking bowling performance for the Indian team in this tournament. After picking up a fifer against New Zealand in Dharamshala, the paceman guided the hosts to a 100-run win against England in Lucknow, claiming a four-wicket haul in his seven overs. Following the onslaught launched by Bumrah, Shami also attacked the defending champions with his tight bowling. The veteran bowled on right line and length which forced Ben Stokes to return to the pavilion on a duck. After trapping Stokes, he cleaned up the opener Jonny Bairstow as well. Among Shami’s four victims, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid were also included. The 33-year-old’s current form will instill confidence in Team India and they will look to be dominating against the opponents in the marquee games coming ahead.

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Cricket World Cup 2023: Best XI of the fourth week

Noting some superb performances between October 26 to November 1, it's time to prepare the best XI of the tournament’s fourth week.

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