Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan): After managing just 20 versus the Netherlands in Lucknow on Friday, Zadran bounced back in style with an unbeaten 129 off 143 balls against Australia in Mumbai on Tuesday. Batting through the innings, Zadran hit eight fours and three sixes and never looked like getting out en route to taking Afghanistan to 291, making him the first Afghani batter to score a World Cup ton
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Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan): When in full flow, few opening batters in world cricket can match this Pakistani southpaw. After returning to form versus Bangladesh at Eden, Zaman took Bengaluru by storm before the heavens opened up for real. Chasing 402, Zaman scored an unbeaten 126 off 81 balls, handing Pakistan a 21-run victory over New Zealand as per the DLS method. With eight fours and 11 sixes, Zaman wreaked havoc, reminding Pakistani fans of the days of Saeed Anwar, as Pakistan kept their bid for a semi-final spot alive
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Virat Kohli (India): A record-equalling 49th ODI ton saw Kohli at his determined best on a tricky Eden surface that resulted in a South African collapse for 83. Kohli played sheet anchor, batting around the rest of the Indian lineup to help India to a comfortable score of 326. His 101 not out was not the quickest or the most spectacular century he has hit, but it still came at a strike rate of 83.47 and was studded with 10 boundaries. More than the particulars, it was the occasion that mattered, as Kohli made history in Kolkata, reaching 49 ODI hundreds in 174 fewer innings than Sachin Tendulkar
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Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): After seeing his majestic 108 go in vain against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Saturday, Ravindra simply dusted himself off and extended his rich vein of form against Sri Lanka on his return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. Having picked up a couple of wickets with the ball, Ravindra’s 42 off 34 balls set the tone for a comfortable Kiwi chase, virtually guaranteeing a last-four berth for the Black Caps besides making Ravindra the owner of the highest scoring debut campaign in World Cup history
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Ben Stokes (England): Stokes played himself into form with a measured 64 against Australia in Ahmedabad, struggling to time the ball for the first part of his innings. But with England out of the tournament by the time Stokes came out into the middle against the Netherlands in Pune, the shackles were off. The hero of the 2019 final hammered his way to 108 off 84, with six fours and six sixes, guiding England to an unassailable 339. Stokes also helped save England’s blushes by pretty much guaranteeing them a spot in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy
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Glenn Maxwell (Australia): After missing the England clash due to a concussion sustained by falling from a golf cart, Maxwell showed us all why golf is so important for him. He single-handedly took Australia from 91 for 7 to their target of 292 by essentially using his bat like a golf club. Running out of partners as well as sensation in his cramped legs, Maxwell went full Mad Max, bringing up the first-ever double hundred in an ODI run chase. Even though he rode his luck early on, there was nothing lucky about the stupendous shotmaking that Maxwell unleashed thereafter. He ended with 201 not out off 128 balls, with 144 runs coming in boundaries alone. For most onlookers, this was the greatest white-ball innings they had ever seen
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Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): Regardless of one’s opinion of Shakib’s decision to appeal against Angelo Mathews, which led to the first timed-out dismissal in the history of cricket, there is no doubt that the Bangladeshi skipper was the matchwinner in Delhi on Monday. With the ball, Shakib got the crucial breakthroughs of Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama, before stroking his way to a sensational 82 that all but sealed the game for his team
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Ravindra Jadeja (India): Jadeja made quick work of the Proteas in Kolkata last Sunday with both bat and ball. First, he smashed 29 off 15 balls, including three fours and one mighty six, to get India past the 300-run mark. Second, Jadeja became the first Indian spinner since Yuvraj Singh in 2011 to grab a five-wicket haul in World Cups. The Jadeja bowling show started with the elimination of Temba Bavuma with a left-arm spinner’s dream ball, before sending Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada back to the hut at the expense of just 33 runs
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Adam Zampa (Australia): Taking to Indian pitches like fish to water, Zampa was decisive against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium, picking up three wickets for just 21 runs in his 10 overs. All three of Zampa’s wickets were pivotal in the context of the game, but none was bigger than the wicket of Stokes in the 36th over, which allowed Australia a way back into the match. Three days later at the Wankhede, Zampa did not prove nearly as effective, but still finished with respectable figures of one for 58 against Afghanistan
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Trent Boult (New Zealand): After conceding 50 runs in just six overs against Pakistan, Boult bounced back in style, picking up wickets with the new ball against the Lankans. Boult got rid of Kusal Perera and Samarawickrama in the space of three balls before adding the scalp of Charith Asalanka to finish with man of the match worthy figures of three for 37 in 10 overs, including three maidens. In doing so, Boult also became the first Kiwi to reach 50 World Cup wickets
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Mohammad Wasim Jr (Pakistan): Going at a run-a-ball in his 10 overs in a game that saw the Black Caps score 401 and most of his teammates go for more than eight runs per over made for an impressive showing in its own right. But what secured a spot in the lineup for Pakistan's newest fast-bowling sensation were his three wickets, all of which were of set batters — Ravindra, Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips. One of the few bowlers in this tournament to get a hint of reverse swing, Wasim is one to watch out for in whatever remains of Pakistan’s World Cup and beyond
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