WC 2023: League Stage Standouts: Kohli Dominates Batting, Zampa Triumphs in Bowling at ICC ODI World Cup 2023

Mumbai, 13th November 2023: The league stage of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 has concluded, revealing the top performers and the four teams—India, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand—qualifying for the knockout stage. Exciting clashes are set, with India facing New Zealand on November 15th at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and South Africa taking on Australia on November 16th at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Let’s take a closer look at the standout performers from the league stage.

Batting:
1. Virat Kohli (India): Kohli equalled Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for the most 50+ scores in a single edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Scoring 594 runs in nine innings with an average of 99.00 and a strike rate of 88.52, Kohli’s highest score was an unbeaten 103 against Bangladesh.

2. Quinton de Kock (South Africa): South African opener de Kock amassed 591 runs in nine matches with an average of 65.66 and a strike rate of 109.24. His highest score of 174 came against Bangladesh.

3. Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): New Zealand’s emerging talent, Rachin Ravindra, scored 565 runs in nine matches with an average of 70.62 and a strike rate of 108.44. His highest score of 123* was against England.

4. Rohit Sharma (India): Indian captain Rohit Sharma secured the fourth spot with 503 runs in nine matches, boasting an average of 70.62 and a strike rate of 108.44. His highest score was 131 against Afghanistan.

5. David Warner (Australia): Australian aggressor David Warner claimed the fifth position with 499 runs in nine innings, maintaining an average of 55.44 and a strike rate of 121.49. His highest score of 163 was against Pakistan.

Numerous other batsmen, including Rassie van der Dussen, Mitchell Marsh, Shreyas Iyer, Daryl Mitchell, and Dawid Malan, made significant contributions to the tournament.

Bowling:
1. Adam Zampa (Australia): Leading the bowling charts, Zampa took 22 wickets in nine matches with an average of 18.90 and an economy of 5.26. He conceded 416 runs in the tournament.

2. Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka): Sri Lanka’s Madushanka secured the second position with 21 wickets in nine matches, maintaining an economy of 6.70 and an average of 25.00. He conceded 525 runs.

3. Gerald Coetzee (South Africa): Coetzee claimed the third spot, taking 18 wickets in seven matches. With an economy of 6.40 and an average of 19.38, he conceded 349 runs.

4. Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan): Afridi secured the fourth position with 18 wickets in nine matches. Bowling at an average of 26.72 and an economy of 5.93, he conceded 481 runs.

5. Jasprit Bumrah (India): India’s pace spearhead Bumrah took 17 wickets in nine matches with an outstanding economy of 3.65 and an average of 15.64. He conceded just 266 runs.

Other notable bowlers include Marco Jansen, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, and Bas de Leede.

Fielding:
While fielding is challenging to quantify, all teams displayed remarkable fielding prowess throughout the tournament, emphasizing the growing importance of fielding in modern cricket.