As we look forward to the 2011 World Cup, Srinivas Bhogle digs out his 2007 data to recall the most valuable players (MVP) of the tournament held in the West Indies four years ago.
The most valuable player index (MVPI) identifies batsmen who score a lot of runs with good strike rates, bowlers who take a lot of wickets with a good economy rate, and fielders who take a lot of catches and participate in run-out dismissals. The MVPI first appeared in these columns back in 2003.
It was a different world four years ago. Rahul Dravid was India's captain, Greg Chappell was India's coach. India and Pakistan were knocked out in the preliminary stage. Poor Bob Woolmer died or was killed. Australia defeated Sri Lanka in a final played in fading light. It was, in many ways, the worst World Cup we've ever had.
- World 50-50: Complete coverage
Who were the stars of the 2007 World Cup? Look at the list below of the 50 most valuable players. There were a lot of Australians. And there wasn't a single Indian!
Matthew Hayden scored the most runs (659, at a strike rate of 100), Glen McGrath took the most wickets (26), and Scott Styris and Sanath Jayasuriya excelled as all-rounders with Jacques Kallis not too far behind.
| Rank | Country | Player | Runs | Balls | Ct | St | W | Run Outs | M | MVPI |
| 1 | Aus | Matthew Hayden | 659 | 652 | 7 |
|
0.5 | 11 | 843 |
| 2 | NZ | Scott Styris | 499 | 598 | 5 | 9 | 0.5 | 10 | 804 |
| 3 | SL | Sanath Jayasuriya | 467 | 475 | 3 | 7 | 1.5 | 11 | 794 |
| 4 | Aus | Adam Gilchrist | 453 | 436 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 691 | |
| 5 | Aus | Glenn McGrath | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 1 | 11 | 683 |
| 6 | SA | Jacques Kallis | 485 | 578 | 3 | 5 | 0.5 | 10 | 676 |
| 7 | Aus | Brad Hogg | 45 | 21 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 662 |
| 8 | SA | Graeme Smith | 443 | 424 | 8 | 4 | 0.5 | 10 | 662 |
| 9 | Aus | Ricky Ponting | 539 | 565 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 661 | |
| 10 | SL | Mahela Jayawardene | 548 | 644 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 653 | |
| 11 | SL | Muttiah Muralitharan | 3 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 10 | 636 |
| 12 | Aus | Michael Clarke | 436 | 459 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 587 |
| 13 | Aus | Shaun Tait | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 1.5 | 11 | 531 |
| 14 | SA | AB De Villiers | 372 | 369 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 521 | |
| 15 | Eng | Andrew Flintoff | 92 | 140 | 3 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 504 |
| 16 | WI | Dwayne Bravo | 129 | 158 | 5 | 13 | 3.5 | 9 | 502 |
| 17 | Eng | Kevin Pietersen | 444 | 548 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 | 9 | 498 |
| 18 | NZ | Jacob Oram | 165 | 234 | 5 | 10 | 1.5 | 9 | 491 |
| 19 | Aus | Nathan Bracken | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 480 |
| 20 | Eng | Paul Collingwood | 276 | 368 | 8 | 6 | 1.5 | 9 | 464 |
| 21 | SL | Lasith Malinga | 12 | 15 | 2 | 18 | 0.5 | 8 | 462 |
| 22 | SL | Chaminda Vaas | 34 | 39 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 450 |
| 23 | NZ | Shane Bond | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 449 |
| 24 | NZ | Daniel Vettori | 28 | 29 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 448 |
| 25 | SA | Herschelle Gibbs | 342 | 373 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 444 | |
| 26 | WI | Daren Powell | 56 | 52 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 439 |
| 27 | SL | Kumar Sangakkara | 350 | 465 | 11 | 4 | 0.5 | 11 | 435 | |
| 28 | SL | Tillakaratne Dilshan | 217 | 236 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 423 |
| 29 | SA | Andrew Hall | 28 | 38 | 2 | 14 | 0.5 | 9 | 413 |
| 30 | WI | Ramnaresh Sarwan | 375 | 481 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 407 |
| 31 | SA | Shaun Pollock | 63 | 93 | 2 | 8 | 1.5 | 10 | 396 |
| 32 | NZ | Stephen Fleming | 353 | 409 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 388 | |
| 33 | NZ | James Franklin | 95 | 96 | 2 | 11 | 0.5 | 9 | 381 |
| 34 | WI | Chris Gayle | 228 | 272 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 371 |
| 35 | SL | Chamara Silva | 351 | 452 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 370 | |
| 36 | Ire | Trent Johnston | 129 | 144 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 367 |
| 37 | Aus | Shane Watson | 145 | 85 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 348 |
| 38 | Ban | Abdur Razzak | 29 | 54 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 9 | 346 |
| 39 | Eng | Paul Nixon | 193 | 194 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 333 | |
| 40 | Ban | Mashrafe Mortaza | 109 | 160 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 330 |
| 41 | Eng | Michael Vaughan | 209 | 309 | 1 | 4 | 1.5 | 9 | 326 |
| 42 | WI | Brian Lara | 269 | 330 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 323 | |
| 43 | SA | Mark Boucher | 177 | 129 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 319 | |
| 44 | Ire | Kyle McCallan | 33 | 75 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 318 |
| 45 | NZ | Craig McMillan | 228 | 261 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 317 |
| 46 | SA | Andre Nel | 9 | 46 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 313 |
| 47 | SL | Farveez Maharoof | 39 | 36 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 312 |
| 48 | Aus | Andrew Symonds | 189 | 164 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 306 |
| 49 | Ban | Saqibul Hasan | 202 | 353 | 1 | 7 | 0.5 | 9 | 296 |
| 50 | SA | Charles Langeveldt | 16 | 57 | 1 | 14 | 0.5 | 8 | 295 |
This list also tells you that four years is a long time in world cricket! Barely 20 of these 50 players will make an appearance in the 2011 World Cup. Hayden, Jayasuriya, McGrath, Flintoff, Pollock, Fleming and even Lara have now all disappeared! Only one player, not in the list above, most remarkably goes on and on!
