ICC World XI: Player Analysis – Part 4
Yuvraj Singh
The ICC World Cup 2011 player of the tournament http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Yuvraj-Singh-c98364 did more than his share with the bat, but in a testament to the term ‘all rounder’ the enigmatic Indian cricketer followed it up with some equally impressive performances in the field and with
the ball.
Yuvraj Singh showed his prowess with the ball on many occasions in the tournament, but perhaps his most crucial performance came against the Pakistan team in the semi-final at Mohali. Yuvraj took two important wickets that turned the direction of the match.
The Indian all rounder’s bowling figures in the tournament are another reason the panellists selected Yuvraj to have the honour of bearing the title of 'Player of the Tournament'. Taking 15 wickets, each of them at crunch points in the respective games,
Yuvraj demonstrated that he is the most complete player in the modern game.
While many players would be satisfied with performing with bat and ball, Yuvraj did not and his efforts in the field were just as thrilling as with either bat or ball. Most notably was his performance in the final against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 was inspirational.
The energetic, enthusiastic and acrobatic Singh could have been compared to legendary South African fielder Jonty Rhodes. Positioned at point, Yuvraj both restricted and pressurised the Sri Lankan batsmen, as he did not let a single ball pass him.
Ultimately Yuvraj Singh embodied everything a player in the ICC World XI ought to have, and then some.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482
The Pakistan captain led his side from the front and his composure as captain was balanced with his aggression as a wicket taking bowler. Lighting up the tournament with his bowling, Afridi finished as the highest wicket taker in the 2011 World Cup.
His tally of 21 wickets that although was the same as Indian pace man Zaheer Khan’s, came with one fewer match played. Afridi had the knack of picking up vital wickets at crucial stages of the match.
The Pakistani bowler had an impressive statistic of taking 14 wickets in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s first three Group A matches, which meant that Pakistan’s progress to the quarter-final can largely be attributed to Afridi.
With two five wicket hauls to his name Afridi was a huge asset to his side. His four wickets against host nation Sri Lanka turned the match on its head and were crucial to Pakistan eventually winning the tense match.
Afridi came to his side’s rescue against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in the quarter-final, Afridi was in inspired form as his wickets
sent the Windies crashing to an easily reachable total.
The Pakistan captain showed his leadership abilities, as he not only led his nation into their first foray into the knock-out stages in the World Cup since 1999, but also took them as far as the semi-finals. His plan against the defending champions http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746
worked to devastating effect, as Afridi’s side became the first team to beat the Australians in 13 years, while at the same time restricting them to a total under 200 runs.
[Continued in ‘ICC World XI: Player Analysis – Part 5’]
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