India v England... England’s tie with India was a fantastic game of 50-over cricket that ebbed and flowed. Both sides left the ground feeling that they could and should have won.
Most memorable moment
Dhoni's winning six... A great way to end the final and a shot that will live forever in the memory of
India’s fans. Dhoni had played the perfect captain’s innings.
Biggest disappointment
England losing to Ireland... But you have got to give Kevin O’Brien a huge amount of credit for his century. I never would have thought that England would lose to Ireland in a World Cup game.
What should be changed for 2015?
Shorter tournament... The World Cup is still too long with too many mismatches. Fewer teams and a shorter event in four years’ time will show that the lessons have been learned.
Team of the tournament
1 Tillakaratne Dilshan
2 Sachin Tendulkar
3 Kumar Sangakkara
4 Mahela Jayawardene
5 Yuvraj Singh
6 *†Mahendra Singh Dhoni
7 Shahid Afridi
8 Angelo Mathews
9 Muttiah Muralitharan
10 Zaheer Khan
11 Lasith Malinga
Derek Pringle
Player of the tournament
Yuvraj Singh... Did not play huge roles in the final or semi, but his batting was decisive before that. His bowling was more than handy, too – although perceived as the weak link in India’s attack he proved to be anything but.
Match of the tournament
The final... England had a thrilling tie with India in the group stage but the home side’s final against Sri Lanka, when they chased almost 50 runs more than had ever been successfully chased before at the Wankhede stadium, was the thrilling conclusion a meandering tournament needed.
Most memorable moment
Dhoni’s 91... If fate was an aesthete, Mahela Jayawardene’s hundred in the final would have clinched a win for Sri Lanka. Instead, it was MS Dhoni’s brilliant captain’s innings of 91 that sealed the destiny of the World Cup to mass ecstasy. A narrow win then, for substance over style.
Biggest disappointment
England’s exit... Andrew Strauss’s team knew what to expect in terms of the conditions in Colombo and their opponents, Sri Lanka, but seemed unable to do anything about either. A meek exit exacerbated by tiredness from a tough but rewarding Ashes tour to Australia.
What should be changed for 2015?
Teams and tickets... The early stages dragged on, something the ICC has promised to address for 2015, with just 10 teams. But to encourage minnows who have shown progress, like Ireland, the bottom two full- member countries in the one-day rankings should play a quadrangular qualifier against the top two associate sides. Also more tickets need to be available to the public.
Team of the tournament
1 Virender Sehwag
2 Sachin Tendulkar
3 Kumar Sangakkara
4 Mahela Jayawardene
5 Yuvraj Singh
6 Tillakaratne Dilshan
7 *†MS Dhoni
8 Shahid Afridi
9 Dale Steyn
10 Lasith Malinga
11 Saeed Ajmal
Scyld Berry
Player of the tournament
Yuvraj Singh... India were favourites due to their batting and part-time spin, and Yuvraj not only batted well, but also he became a full-time spinner.
Match of the tournament
The Final... was as good as any World Cup final there has been, because of the ebbing and flowing, and it was certainly the best since the first – West Indies v Australia at Lord’s – in 1975. It was very well organised too.
Most memorable moment
India v Pakistan... One television commentator dismissed the India v Pakistan semi-final as just a game of cricket, but it was not. It held up a mirror to the two peoples and showed them just how close – governments aside – they still are.
Biggest disappointment
The format... Two qualifying groups of seven would have been fine if there had only been semi-finals and no quarter-finals. Then the qualifying games would have mattered – even beating up minnows to boost your run-rate in case you finished level on points.
What should be changed for 2015?
Ten countries... play each other once, then first v fourth and second v third, as in 1992. A country to play one game every four days, and very few venues to reduce travel as well as length of the tournament.
Team of the tournament
1 Tillakaratne Dilshan
2 Sachin Tendulkar
3 Kumar Sangakkara
4 Jacques Kallis
5 Yuvraj Singh
6 *†MS Dhoni
7 Kevin O’Brien
8 Brett Lee
9 Zaheer Kahn
10 Graeme Swann
11 Lasith Malinga
Nick Hoult
Player of the tournament
Sachin Tendulkar... Tillakaratne Dilshan scored more runs but nobody had to handle a nation’s expectation like Tendulkar. His hundred against England was a wonderfully constructed innings and it was fitting that India dedicated their win in the final to him.
Match of the tournament
India v England... Has to be India against England in Bangalore. It fluctuated wildly and England should have won. If they had managed one more run it could have been a different World Cup for them.
Most memorable moment
Ajmal Shahzad’s six... It was a double-take moment. An England No10 had just hit a straight six off his first ball under enormous pressure as England tied with India.
Biggest disappointment... England’s defeat by bangladesh. The game in Chittagong felt like an exercise in self-pity. The dew made it hard for them but they made a poor Bangladesh side look like genuine quarter-final contenders, which they clearly were not.
What should be changed for 2015?
England fit for purpose... The tournament was a bit like the England football team being asked to play in the European Championship weeks after winning the World Cup. But tiredness only covers up so much. It was a poorly selected squad by a management that is normally so consistent.
Team of the tournament
1 Virender Sehwag
2 Sachin Tendulkar
3 Jonathan Trott
4 *†Kumar Sangakkara
5 Mahela Jayawardene
6 Angelo Mathews
7 Yuvraj Singh
8 Shahid Afridi
9 Tim Southee
10 Zaheer Kahn
11 Muttiah Muralitharan
Simon Briggs
Player of the tournament
Zaheer Khan... Zaheer and Yuvraj Singh made their international debuts in the same match, at the start of the 2000 Champions Trophy. And if Yuvraj was the outstanding batsman of this tournament, Zaheer was the most consistent bowler.
Match of the tournament
England v West Indies... What an illogical, counter-intuitive and totally compelling match. The West Indies hit some ridiculous shots, turned their batting order upside down, and caved in horribly just when victory seemed theirs.
Most memorable moment
Dhoni's winning shot... I think we might be hearing a bit more about MS Dhoni’s grand finale – that cleanly struck six back over the bowler’s head to finish the tournament on a high. The man has style.
Biggest disappointment
Bangladesh... were always going to struggle to qualify for the quarter-finals, but to be bowled out for 58 and 78 in two of their games was abject. They clearly need a lesson in crease-occupation from Mr Boycott.
What should be changed for 2015?
No gimmicks... No more of that horrible flute motif that seems to come on every 15 minutes - it’s more annoying than the mariachi trumpet thing. Mind you, as 2015 will be staged Down Under, we’ll probably get a didgeridoo.
Team of the tournament
1 Tillakaratne Dilshan
2 Sachin Tendulkar
3 *†Kumar Sangakkara
4 Yuvraj Singh
5 AB de Villiers
6 Suresh Raina
7 Kieron Pollard
8 Shahid Afridi
9 Lasith Malinga
10 Zaheer Khan
11 Tim Southee
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