Cricket Australia pick the Best XI for Champions Trophy 2017

The most anticipated cricketing event of the year has come to an end, and the lowest ranked team Pakistan have claimed the ICC Champions Trophy. Not many would have given them a chance of making the semis after the way they were hammered by India in their opening game. However, it was payback time for Pakistan as they thrashed India in the all-important final, thus lifting the coveted piece of silverware for the first time in their history.

The tournament, which lasted a just under three weeks, witnessed some brilliant performances with both bat and ball. There were plenty of runs scored in batting friendly conditions, but the bowlers played their part as well. Cricket Australia looks back at the top performers of the action-packed ODI tournament by selecting the best XI from the Champions Trophy.

Dhawan, Kohli in CA’s Best XI

First up, there’s obviously Shikhar Dhawan, who seems to play with an invigorated spirit in ICC ODI tournaments. He once again bagged the highest run-getter award following his notable performance in 2013. Dhawan stitched valuable partnerships for India this season with Rohit Sharma.

Shikhar Dhawan would be joined by Pakistan‘s latest run-machine Fakhar Zaman. The left-hander, who’s made a delayed entry into the ODI arena, has revamped Pakistan’s opening partnership from lethargy to sheer aggression. Zaman saved his best for the last by smashing a spectacular hundred, thus setting up a daunting total of 338 for Pakistan in the final.

At one drop, CA have gone with Bangladesh’s Mr. Consistent Tamim Iqbal. Tamim had a major role to play in Bangladesh reaching the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy this year. The Bangladeshi opener scored as many as 293 runs from his four games, including a fine hundred against England in the curtain-raiser of the tournament.

New Zealand’s Kane Williamson deservedly finds a spot in CA’s Best XI. Although the Kiwis weren’t able to advance to the semis, they were ably led by Williamson with the bat. Every inch a world-class cricketer, Williamson was the only bright spot for the Blackcaps in an otherwise disappointing season.

Virat Kohli might have failed to bring his A game to the final, but that doesn’t take anything away from his prowess with the bat. Kohli was once again involved in successful run-chases and also became the fastest man to reach 8000 ODI in the course of the tournament.

Hasan, Amir to lead CA’s bowling line-up

England’s Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid both made the cut in CA’s Best XI following their impressive performances in the Champions Trophy. Stokes followed up his spectacular stint in the IPL with a century against Australia, while Rashid bagged seven wickets and maintained a miserly economy rate in the middle overs.

Speaking of middle overs, there’s Hasan Ali who was an absolute must in CA’s squad. The latest king of reverse swing was devastating with the old ball, and deservedly won the Golden Ball award. He would be joined by fellow countryman Mohammad Amir in the pace department, who ripped through the Indian top order in the final, thus quashing all hopes of an Indian victory.

India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again showed why he is one of the best death bowlers in the circuit today. While being dangerous with the new ball, Bhuvi was frugal with the old. Despite Pakistan’s batsmen smashing the Indian bowling line-up all over the park, Bhuvi maintained an economy of 4.63 in the final.

Last but not the least, there’s the man with the wicket-keeping responsibilities as well as captaining duties Sarfraz Ahmed. The keeper-batsman wasn’t required to bat too often, but when he did bat, he guided his side to victory, most notably in a virtual quarter-final against Sri Lanka. As a captain, he marshalled his troops brilliantly to script an authoritative victory over India in the final.

Surprisingly, not a single Australian found a place in CA’s Best XI, while as many as four Pakistanis made the cut. Team India has three of its best players in the side, while England have two. Lone heroes from New Zealand and Bangladesh made it to the reputable side as well.

Cricket Australia’s Best XI from 2017 Champions Trophy:

Shikhar Dhawan, Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Sarfraz Ahmed (C & WK), Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali