Kane Williamson breaks Jayawardene's record, becomes captain with most WC runs

An Indian in former skipper Sourav Ganguly is sixth on the list with 465 runs to his credit during the 2003 edition.

Kane Williamson couldn't lay his hands on the World Cup but he achieved a rare feat when he became the captain with most number of runs in a single edition of the tournament, surpassing Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene.

New Zealand captain Williamson finished the just-concluded World Cup with 550 runs, eclipsing Jayawardene's record of 548 scored during the 2007 edition.

Williamson and Jayawardene are followed by Ricky Ponting (539 runs in 2007), Aaron Finch (507 runs in 2019) and AB de Villiers (482 runs in 2015).

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An Indian in former skipper Sourav Ganguly is sixth on the list with 465 runs to his credit during the 2003 edition.

New Zealand lost the opportunity to lift the World Cup for the second consecutive time after losing to hosts England in the Super Over in a dramatic final at the Lord's here on Sunday.

The two teams finished tied in regulation 50 overs as well as the Super Over and the title was decided by the innings' boundary count in which England were ahead of New Zealand.

M S Dhoni did right by taking time for 'top-rated' knock against WI: Jasprit Bumrah

Dhoni's rate of scoring has been a topic of debate in the ongoing showpiece.

India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah feels Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a "top-rated" knock in the World Cup clash against the West Indies and did the right thing by taking his time in the middle.

Dhoni's rate of scoring has been a topic of debate in the ongoing showpiece. On Thursday, the former skipper scored 56 off 61 balls, exploding in the last over, to help India post a winning 268-run total on the board against the Caribbeans.

"The innings that he played is the kind which is very under-rated. Sometimes you might feel that he is batting slow but sometimes it is important that he takes time, which he did," Jasprit Bumrah said on 'bcci.tv'.

"He absorbs the pressure and takes the game deep. It was top-rated innings and got us to 268, which was a good total on this pitch.

He knew there were pinch-hitters coming later so he could take his time. Youngsters can learn a lot from this knock," he added.

Speaking of his own performance, the world No.1 ODI bowler reflected on the two-wicket haul which could well have been a hat-trick.

"While bowling the hat-trick ball I was hoping the batsman (Kemar Roach) would expect a fast yorker. So, I thought I would bowl a slower one. I executed it as well but he managed to stop it.

But I am glad I could execute what I planned," he said referring to the 27th over delivery.

India will next face England on Sunday in Birmingham.

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World Cup: Nice guy, finish first! selectors' veiled advice to Rishabh Pant

Chief selector MSK Prasad said 'Pant was almost there' but finishing matches was the important point where they felt 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh Pant.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on April 15 announced the 15-member national squad for the ICC World Cup 2019 to be held from May 30 in England and Wales.

There were 4-5 slots up for grab as it was evident that remaining seats would go to known names.

ALSO READ: India's 15-player World Cup 2019 squad announced: Check who's in, who's out

Till recently, Rishabh Pant had all in his favour and he was seen as a potential batsman to end India's no. 4 conundrum.

But the selectors had some other plans, they wanted a player who could provide more dimensions (bat, bowl and field) or could finish the matches.

Pant is a new weapon in India's batting arsenal and in a short span he has earned the trust and praise of veteran to active players.

Chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad said, "We all (agreed) that either Rishabh Pant or Dinesh Karthik will come in if Mahi (MS Dhoni) is injured. If it's a crucial match, wicket-keeping is also important. That's the reason we went with Dinesh Karthik. Otherwise, Pant was almost there."

But he later added that finishing the matches was the important factor where 33-year-old Karthik had an advantage over 21-year-old Rishabh Pant.

“That is exactly what we discussed. I’m saying one of the wicketkeepers will make it only if MS is injured. Under pressure, we have seen Karthik finishing matches,” he said.

However, BCCI on April 17 named Rishabh Pant, veteran batsman Ambati Rayudu and young pacer Navdeep Saini as standbys for the tournament.

In January 2019, Pant was named the ICC Emerging Player of the Year at the 2018 ICC Awards. Recently he was given level A contract by the BCCI.

In December 2015, he was named in India's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for India in January 2017. A year later, he made his Test debut in August 2018, and just two months later, his One Day International (ODI) debut in October 2018.

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