Best playing 11 from Week 3 of 2023 World Cup ft. Virat Kohli, David Warner
We've crossed the halfway mark of the 2023 World Cup, and things are starting to intensify as far as the points table is concerned.
Only one team remains unbeaten at this juncture, with hosts India completing five wins on the bounce and consigning New Zealand to their first defeat in the process. South Africa, on the other hand, put behind an upset at the hands of the Netherlands to register two thumping victories, while Australia's resurgence also continued in similar fashion.
Sri Lanka finally got off rock bottom with their first victory over the Dutch, although Pakistan and defending champions England continued to see their campaigns go pear-shaped.
Records tumbled for fun once again on an individual and team basis. And as the tournament heads into the second half, lots of talking points have emerged.
Here, we look back at Week 3 of the 2023 World Cup and pen down our best playing 11 from the same:
Openers: David Warner and Quinton de Kock (wk)
Any surprises at all? These two superstar southpaws lit up the week gone by at the 2023 World Cup with their breathtaking batting displays.
David Warner pulverized Pakistan in Bengaluru with 163 off 124 balls before backing it up with another hundred against the Netherlands. He equalled Sachin Tendulkar's tally of six centuries in ODI World Cups as a result, leaving him one behind Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Quinton de Kock perished second ball against England but more than made up for it with the highest individual score thus far at the 2023 World Cup. He tore into a hapless Bangladeshi bowling attack for a 140-ball 174 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and will be the wicket-keeper of this playing XI.
Middle order and all-rounders: Mitchell Marsh, Virat Kohli (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Maxwell, Mahmudullah and Logan van Beek
Mitchell Marsh carted Pakistan en route to 121 off 108 deliveries, clearing the fence as many as nine times at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium as he shared an opening partnership of 259 with Warner. He failed to get going against the Netherlands but duly returned two wickets with his medium-pace.
While Marsh has opened the innings until now at the 2023 World Cup, he slots in at No. 3 in this lineup. He is expected to bat there anyway once Travis Head returns.
Virat Kohli was at his supreme best in two run chases against Bangladesh and New Zealand. While he remained unbeaten on 103 in the first of those, he so nearly equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most ODI tons before falling five short in Dharamsala as he scripted a difficult chase for India. Kohli, who isn't short of captaincy experience, will also lead this team.
Heinrich Klaasen reiterated the belief that he is the best middle-order batter in world cricket at present. After a jaw-dropping 67-ball 109 against England, he whipped up a 49-ball 90 against Bangladesh, with his exploits paving the way for South Africa to secure consecutive victories.
Glenn Maxwell threw it away against Pakistan, but against the Dutch, he was a man possessed. From authentic strokes to those outrageous reverse-hits that only he can manufacture, he put on a display of sheer carnage in Delhi. He smashed Aiden Markram's record for the fastest World Cup hundred, which was set earlier in the tournament, taking just 40 deliveries to do so.
In what has been an otherwise miserable 2023 World Cup campaign for Bangladesh, Mahmudullah has risen as a shining spot. He turned in a crucial 36-ball 46 against India before waging a lone battle against South Africa en route to a run-a-ball 111.
Logan van Beek has developed a cult fan following, and his exploits on the field have been equally good. His 75-ball 59 helped rescue the Dutch from a precarious 91/6 as they posted 262 against Sri Lanka. He followed it up with four wickets against Australia on a belter in Delhi, even as his colleagues were taken to the cleaners.
Bowlers: Gerald Coetzee, Adam Zampa and Mohammed Shami
Gerald Coetzee might have been expensive, but he has played his role of a middle-overs enforcer to great effect so far at the 2023 World Cup. After bagging 3/35 off four overs including the prized scalp of England skipper Jos Buttler, he returned 3/62 against Bangladesh to play his part in both of South Africa's wins.
Adam Zampa has had the force catch up with him post an ordinary start to the tournament. He was outstanding against Pakistan as he snared 4/53 to break the back of their chase before cleaning up the Dutch tail with returns of 4/8. And just like that, he now tops the wicket charts for the tournament with 13 scalps to his name.
Mohammed Shami finally got a game when India faced the Blackcaps in Dharamsala. He took his chance with both hands, announcing his arrival with a wicket off his first ball before finishing with returns of 5/54 as New Zealand were bowled out for 273. He also walked away with the Player of the Match honors and has now made it incredibly difficult for the think tank to overlook him.
Honorable mentions from Week 3 of the 2023 World Cup
When you can pick just 11 as part of this task, there were always going to be some unfortunate omissions.
Headlining the same is New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, who was pipped purely on the basis of balance and the need for more all-rounders who actually rolled their arm over in the week gone by. His 127-ball 130 against India was undoubtedly a sublime knock that put his team on track after a wobbly start.
Pakistan might have endured a torrid week, but Abdullah Shafique was in pristine touch with twin half-centuries against Australia and Afghanistan. And while his colleagues took a good old-fashioned hammering, Shaheen Afridi sent down a remarkable spell across phases to come out with 5/54 against the Aussies.
Ibrahim Zadran's solid 87 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz's breezy 65 set the tone for the Afghans to ace their chase of 283. Noor Ahmad's first outing at the 2023 World Cup saw him bowl outstandingly well, as figures of 3/49 indicate.
There were heroes in the Sri Lankan setup too as Dilshan Madushanka and Kasun Rajitha bagged four wickets apiece before Sadeera Samarawickrama remained unbeaten on 91 against the Netherlands. They were the major contributors as Sri Lanka finally broke their duck at the 2023 World Cup, even as Aryan Dutt's 3/44 and Sybrand Engelbrecht's 82-ball 70 were key to putting the Dutch in the game.
Best playing 11 from Week 3 of the 2023 World Cup: David Warner, Quinton de Kock (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Virat Kohli (c), Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Maxwell, Mahmudullah, Logan van Beek, Gerald Coetzee, Adam Zampa, Mohammed Shami.
What changes would you make to this playing XI based on the performances in the week gone by at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!
Also read: Manvanth Kumar - Karnataka's newest all-round sensation destined for more