Lanka star in ICC’s team of World Cup, Sanga to lead

World Cup runners-up Sri Lanka contributed four players and champions India just three to the International Cricket Council’s team of the tournament announced yesterday.

India defeated fellow tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday, with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni making a man-of-the-match winning 91 not out.

But the ICC’s five-man panel of experts, looking at the World Cup as a whole, opted for Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as skipper.

The other Sri Lankans in the team were dashing opener Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene and veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who made his final international appearance.

India’s trio were Sachin Tendulkar, a World Cup winner at the sixth attempt, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh—the man of the tournament—and left-arm quick Zaheer Khan.

Khan was thetournament’s joint most-successful bowler with 21 wickets alongside Pakistan leg-spinner and captain Shahid Afridi.

The global govering body’s all-star XI was completed by the South Africa duo of batsman/keeper AB de Villiers and fast bowler Dale Steyn and Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, Gulf Times reports.

ICC’s team of the World Cup (in batting order): Sachin Tendulkar (IND), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI), Kumar Sangakkara (SRI, capt/wkt), Mahela Jayawardene (SRI), AB de Villiers (RSA), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Shane Watson (AUS), Shahid Afridi (PAK), Dale Steyn (RSA), Zaheer Khan (IND), Muttiah Muralitharan (SRI). 12th man: Tim Southee (NZL).