At the end of a long World Cup, we asked our team of writers to make their picks in a series of categories - including moment, flop and game of the tournament - with one catch... they could not mention the final at all. Here's what they said...
Batsman of the tournament: Difficult to argue against Rohit Sharma and his five centuries, but I have enjoyed the batting of Kusal Perera and Ben Stokes – the former for his lovely strokeplay, Stokes for his ability to adapt to conditions and build high-class innings.
Bowler of the tournament: Mitchell Starc has been lethal, but Imran Tahir was most entertaining.
Unsung player of the tournament: Aaron Finch’s ability to score a bucket of runs, and galvanise a team containing a number of characters, not least the rehabilitated David Warner, has been remarkable.
Game of the tournament: New Zealand v Bangladesh had me most gripped, and I have never seen The Oval look more beautiful lit up like that. There should have been more day/night matches.
Moment of the tournament: Ben Stokes’ catch against South Africa; and the ball bowled by Starc to dismiss Stokes.
Flop of the tournament: South Africa and West Indies needed much more from Hashim Amla and Chris Gayle respectively.
What would you change for 2023: A month long, at least some matches on terrestrial, more day/nighters, a UK supermarket promotion, a less corporate feel (and pigs might fly).
Sum up CWC19 in five words: Comforting, often entertaining, daily presence.
Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh
Batsman of the tournament: Jason Roy. Rohit Sharma was magnificent, David Warner was defiant, Shakib Al Hasan was super-humanly brilliant, but no other batsman altered the entire complexion of their team's top order quite like England's strutting opener. With Roy by his side, Jonny Bairstow was a man transformed. With Roy in their arsenal, England were not just to be feared, they were to be terrified by. His innings against Bangladesh might have been brutal but the assault on Australia was among the most extraordinary I have been fortunate enough to witness in person. Arrogance, confidence, supreme talent and utter disdain for the opposition melting into a magnificent tour de force of clean hitting.
Bowler of the tournament: Wow this is a tough category to pick from. Mitchell Starc was brilliant for much of the competition but fell apart in the semi-final, Mustafizur Rahman powered Bangladesh to famous wins and got his name on the Lord's honours board, Chris Woakes was effective and efficient with the new ball, Lockie Ferguson generated real zip and rattled through plenty of batting line-ups, and Angelo Mathews returned after an epoch without a bowl to claim a wicket with his first delivery. But how do you look past Jofra Archer? The final piece of the England puzzle.
Unsung player of the tournament: This was not a tournament for spinners, yet in the second half of the group stage Mujeeb Ur Rahman was magnificent. He went for just 44 from his 10 overs when all about him in the Afghanistan team were taking a pelting at the hands of Eoin Morgan, he bowled with control and precision to get India in a twizz and followed that with fine displays against Pakistan and Bangladesh. And let's not forget, the kid is only 18.
Game of the tournament: I was fortunate to go to 20 games at this World Cup - 18 in a working capacity and two in the stands - and it was an even split between absorbing and anti-climactic. Favourites at which I was present included the two-day semi-final at Old Trafford (and a desperate search for a dangerously overpriced airport hotel), Afghanistan getting so close to beating India and New Zealand's run chase against Pakistan, but one stands out for personal reasons above all other. Watching England demolish Australia in a World Cup semi-final on my birthday will take some beating.
Moment of the tournament: The atmosphere at Pakistan vs India, watching my wife play indoor cricket with Malala Yousufzai in the corporate hospitality section at Edgbaston, Ben Stokes' catch and its viral reaction, Sheldon Cottrell teaching kids his salute celebration, David Warner munching on a spectator's crisps, The Cricketeers' smiles through the rain at Bristol... there are so many. I'm going to be a cop-out and not pick one above the rest. It was a memorable tournament to be intricately involved in.
Flop of the tournament: The motorways of the UK. Why do you hate me so?
What would you change for 2023: More teams, shorter tournament, more knockouts creating extra jeopardy (I'm sure everyone is saying this).
Sum up CWC19 in five words: Cricket back on the map
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Batsman of the tournament: David Warner. Started and ended the tournament amid a chorus of boos but did not allow that to unsettle him. Played his own way, was self-critical when he got it wrong and fought for every run. A class act.
Bowler of the tournament: Mitchell Starc. Consistent with the new ball but devastating at the death. Produced the delivery of the tournament to dismiss Ben Stokes at Lord’s. Deservedly finishes as the leading wicket-taker.
Unsung player of the tournament: Chris Woakes. Doesn’t possess the pace of England’s other seamers, not the figures. and hence hasn’t attracted the same type of attention. But his tight new ball form has often galvanised England.
Game of the tournament: West Indies v New Zealand - Two wickets in the first over, a hilarious swallow dive, Kane Williamson's brilliant hundred, Chris Gayle's Manchester send-off, Carlos Brathwaite's sparkling century to give the Windies hope and Trent Boult showing nerves of steel on the boundary. If you didn't fall in love with cricket after this then I can't help you.
Moment of the tournament: Before making an inspired century, Carlos Brathwaite produced the great misfield of the tournament. Chasing the ball through cover Brathwaite dived hopefully only to miss the ball completely and land face first: a metaphor for the tournament as a whole. So much hope undone by poor execution.
Flop of the tournament: Empty seats. Don’t advertise matches as sold out if there are going to be swathes of empty seats at every ground. The ICC were the laughing stock of the global public.
What would you change for 2023: Get rid of all-pre, during and post-match entertainment - This World Cup proved beyond doubt that the sport is enough to captivate an audience, so do not force down people’s throats novelty games, guitar solos or benign orders to ‘make it large’. It’s pathetic, forced, artificial nonsense.
Sum up CWC19 in five words: All the world’s a stage.
Rohit Sharma made five centuries
Batsman of the tournament: Jason Roy. When he was there, England were the best team on display. When he wasn't, they weren't. Rohit Sharma's numbers were spectacular, obviously. An absolute phenomenon. For impact, however, Roy is peerless.
Bowler of the tournament: Mustafizur Rahman. There was a time when people thought they'd worked him out. Two five-wicket hauls in an overall bag of 20 suggests otherwise. The most unsung of the left-armers, but the most impressive.
Unsung player of the tournament: Mashrafe Mortaza. We've all laughed at a bowling average of 361, an ailing and failing body, a man whose time in that Bangladesh team is surely up. But as his cricket career draws to a close, you can often judge a man by how he's left what he found. And as an absolute warrior leaves the international scene, his team of Tigers is unrecognisable from what it was when he first began his journey. They are competitors, world-beaters, a force to be reckoned with. Few have done more for their national team. A passenger on the field, a figurehead off it.
Game of the tournament: India v Afghanistan. Afghanistan should have beaten India. They really should have done. Just let that sink in. The better team for all bar the final five overs of the match. Put that into context - it is mental.
Moment of the tournament: Gulbadin Naib's over. Need I say more. It will be replayed, recited, remembered forever. The difference between victory and defeat. The difference between a first World Cup win over a full ICC member and a loss snatched from the jaws of glory. His name will be synonymous with it. Sport is cruel.
Flop of the tournament: Chris Gayle. Tempting though it is to plump for the internal politics of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Gayle's latest swansong was a swansong too far. His own form and fitness deserted him, while dragging his team down with him. Noticeable that Shai Hope's runs came when Gayle was dismissed early.
What would you change for 2023: Commentators, not cheerleaders. If I want cheerleading, I'll watch the basketball. If I want analysis, honest discussion and impartiality, a World Cup should be able to offer that up. Some of the lack of research and fawning over individuals was both nauseating and embarrassing. We all know who I mean.
Sum up CWC19 in five words: Pepe's. Chicken. And. Rice. Box.
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Batsman of the tournament: The sublime Shakib Al Hasan takes it for me. Hard to overlook the fact Rohit Sharma has struck a World Cup record five centuries in the tournament and Kane Williamson hauled his side to within an inch of glory with 578 runs under his belt, but that’s what I’m doing. Such style, such endless consistency from the Bangladesh allrounder. 124 not, chasing down 323, class.
Bowler of the tournament: Mitchell Starc’s World Cup streak continues. 22 wickets in 2015 were followed by a record 27 here in England. Produced one of the most memorable deliveries of the tournament. A warp-speed yorker that left Ben Stokes looking like he’d been caught on the chin by Mike Tyson.
Unsung player of the tournament: Alex Carey. Even his own team seemed to be undervaluing him by batting him at No.7, before eventually being promoted to No.5 in the semi-final against England. Only David Warner (71.88) averaged more than the wicketkeeper-batsman (62.50) for Australia. A 25-ball fifty faded into the background of India’s victory at The Oval while fine half-centuries against New Zealand and South Africa followed. Battled bravely against England after being struck by a brutish Jofra Archer bouncer.
Game of the tournament: Bangladesh vs New Zealand at The Oval was up there for me. The Bangladesh support had made it a cauldron of noise and the game itself see-sawed back and forth with New Zealand sneaking over the line by two wickets.
Moment of the tournament: Kumar Dharmesana puffing out his cheeks when he realised he’d just robbed Jason Roy of a sublime hundred at Edgbaston… On a more serious note, personally it was watching the opening stages of Bangladesh vs New Zealand alongside the Tigers’ fanatic fans at The Oval.
Flop of the tournament: Universe Boss did not give the West Indies a World Cup farewell to repay their faith in him.
What would you change for 2023: Make it more visible. Not just the free-to-air TV issue, and maybe this is an England-specific problem, but, in my opinion, the general promotion of the tournament across the country could have been much improved. A family of American tourists (OK maybe not the greatest case study, but…) asked me - as they were literally circumnavigating Lord’s while Australia v New Zealand was in progress - what’s going on in there?
On day one of the tournament, there was nothing around Kennington station (yes most would go to Oval but…) to suggest a major sporting event was happening.
Sum up CWC19 in five words: Why did Gulbadin bowl himself?
David Warner was in excellent form
Batsman of the tournament: Rohit Sharma. Broke a World Cup record and ended up as highest runscorer despite not appearing in the final. Cruel that he did not feature in a match that deserves his artistry.
Bowler of the tournament: Lockie Ferguson. Frighteningly quick and accurate. You can’t really ask much more of a pace bowler, can you?
Unsung player of the tournament: Alex Carey. Where have Australia seen a reliable glovesman and brilliant left-handed wicketkeeper batsman before? It may be a little early for comparisons to Adam Gilchrist, but this is one position Australia look to have sorted until 2023 at least. A promotion in the order may not be too far away for the 27-year-old.
Game of the tournament: New Zealand v West Indies at Old Trafford. Not just for the Carlos Brathwaite innings, or the subsequent commentary, but just that from the wicket off the first ball to the Trent Boult on the boundary, it was the best advert for cricket that we could possibly have hoped for.
Moment of the tournament: Time to get the tissues ready as Virat Kohli and Sharma met 87-year-old fan Charulata Patel when India beat Bangladesh, with the passion and dedication she has shown as a fan touching thousands of cricket lovers around the world.
Flop of the tournament: Rashid Khan. Afghanistan’s new all-format captain was tipped to inspire a few upsets, but once he was utterly demolished by Eoin Morgan and England, there really looked to be no way back for the talented legspinner.
What would you change for 2023: A few reserve days during the group stage. How different this year’s table could have looked had some sides been able to complete their full quota of games.
Sum up CWC19 in five words: “Stand By” by Loryn & Rudimental
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