Best XI from the 2023 World Cup teams that failed to qualify for the semifinals ft. Ben Stokes and Rashid Khan

After 45 games and five weeks of incredible action, the round-robin league-stage fixtures of the ongoing ICC men's ODI World Cup 2023 are now in the history books.

Team India capped off the group stages with a resounding 160-run win over the Netherlands in Bengaluru. With that result, India continued their spotless run to the semi-finals and finished at the top of the points table.

The Rohit Sharma-led side will now feature in the first semi-final against New Zealand (4th position) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday (November 15).

The other semi-final will see South Africa (2nd position) take on Australia (3rd position) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday (November 16).

However, apart from the aforementioned teams, the six remaining nations also played some exhilarating cricket throughout the league phase. Although they failed to put in consistent performances as a unit, some individuals were spectacular in their respective departments.

On that note, let's take a look at the Best combined XI from the teams that failed to qualify for the knockouts:

Openers: Dawid Malan and Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran after his century vs Australia [Getty Images]

Dawid Malan and Ibrahim Zadran will open the innings for this team. The two assured batters provided solidity to their respective teams at the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Malan and Zadran were the highest run-getters for their teams in the league stages.

For England, Malan added 404 runs at an average of 44.88 and at a strike rate of over 100. His 404 runs are the most by any batter from the teams which failed to get into the final four of the tournament.

Zadran, meanwhile, hit a brilliant unbeaten century in a must-win game against Australia. If not for Glenn Maxwell's spectacular double hundred, his innings would've certainly been a match-winning one for Afghanistan. Overall, the right-hander hit 376 runs at an average of 47.00.

Middle-order: Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ben Stokes, Mohammad Rizwan (wk)

Muhammad Rizwan of Pakistan [Getty Images]

Three brilliant middle-order batters in Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ben Stokes and Mohammad Rizwan, will be the backbone of this team.

Samarawickrama ended the tournament as the highest run-getter for Sri Lanka. The talented right-hander made 373 runs at an average of 53.28 and at a strike rate of 102. His knocks of 91* against the Netherlands and 65* against England guided the Lankans to their only two wins in the tournament. Unfortunately for him, his maiden World Cup hundred against Pakistan (108) went in vain.

While Ben Stokes didn't play each game for England, he did his part by delivering in most of the matches he played. The world-class all-rounder, who came out of retirement to participate in the tournament, did well in the six matches he played and made 304 runs at an average of above 50.

Stokes made a much-needed century (108) against the Dutch outfit before coming up with a brisk 84 against Pakistan to help England seal the Champions Trophy 2025 berth.

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan will be the designated wicket-keeper for this team. The highest run-getter for the Men in Green, Rizwan accumulated 395 runs at an incredible average of 65.83 across eight innings.

Rizwan also hit his career-best score when he made a fantastic 131* against Sri Lanka while chasing a mammoth 345 earlier in the competition.

All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mahmudullah, Rashid Khan

Azmatullah Omarzai and his teammates celebrating vs Australia [Getty Images]

There was no way Azmatullah Omarzai would've missed out on the list. The all-rounder proved to be a revelation for the high-flying Afghanistan side.

Batting in the middle-order for his team, Omarzai showed utmost maturity with the bat and chipped in with crucial wickets from time to time. In fact, the seven wickets Omarzai took in the tournament included the likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Rachin Ravindra, Pathum Nissanka, and David Warner.

With the bat, the 23-year-old made three half-centuries, including a masterful 97* against South Africa. In total, he made 353 runs at an average of 70.6 and a strike rate of 97.78.

Mahmudullah features next, who is the only Bangladeshi player in this team. The experienced campaigner had a terrific 2023 ODI World Cup and proved why the team management was correct to recall him after a six-month hiatus.

Mahmudullah struck 328 runs at an average of 54.67, including a wonderful century against South Africa at Wankhede.

The third and last Afghani to be part of this imaginary team is none other than Rashid Khan. The leg-spinner, who has played ample cricket in India, didn't disappoint and was a crucial member for his side.

Rashid took 11 wickets at an average of 35.27. While he didn't take too many wickets, Rashid kept the flow of runs at bay and proved to be extremely economical. His economy rate of 4.48 was the best among bowlers who bowled 80 overs or more in the league stages.

The 25-year-old smashed 105 runs with his willow in six innings as well.

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Adil Rashid and Dilshan Madushanka

Dilshan Madushanka pumped up after a wicket vs South Africa [Getty Images]

Shaheen Afridi, Adil Rashid and Dilshan Madushanka will be the remaining bowlers in the XI. While Afridi and Madushanka will create a menacing threat with their left-arm angles, Adil Rashid will work in tandem with Rashid Khan to form a lethal spin-bowling pair.

Shaheen Afridi, who finished the league-stage as the joint-third-highest wicket-taker, accumulated 18 wickets at an average of 26.72. While Afridi failed to create much of an impact with the new ball, his bowling in the death overs was quite beneficial for Pakistan.

Adil Rashid, meanwhile, went under the radar a bit. With his guile and mastery over bowling in consistent areas, the tweaker bagged 15 wickets at an economy rate of 5.18. In fact, six out of nine times in the tournament, Adil picked up two or more wickets for England.

At No. 11 is inarguably one of the best bowlers of the tournament, Dilshan Madushanka. The left-arm pacer didn't have enough game time leading into the campaign, but certainly caught the eyeballs with his amazing fast bowling.

With his left-arm angle and ability to nip the ball back in, Madhushanka has been simply brilliant. He even varied his pace magnificently, which earned him a handsome 21 wickets at an average of 25.00 and at a strike rate of 22.38 for Sri Lanka.

Best XI from the 2023 World Cup teams that failed to qualify for the semifinals:

Dawid Malan, Ibrahim Zadran, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ben Stokes, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mahmudullah, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Adil Rashid, Dilshan Madushanka