Picking Every Cricket World Cup Team's Star Player

The Cricket World Cup is finally over.

Australia defeated trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand on home soil at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne to be crowned champions for a fifth time.

As the dust settles on the tournament, it is time to pick out the best players from each of the 14 nations who competed in the 2015 edition.

It may seem like an eternity since the group stage came to an end, but that doesn't mean we should just forget about the star performers who went home early.

If you don't agree with any of the selections, have your say by using the comments section.

Shapoor Zadran was Afghanistan's top bowler in the competition, picking up 10 wickets at an average of 26.50.

With a run-up that almost stretched back to the boundary rope and his long flowing hair, the left-arm paceman also developed cult status with cricket supporters of all nations.

Together with fellow seamer Hamid Hassan—who endeared himself to fans by wearing a headband and war paint—he always made watching Afghanistan bowl entertaining.

Zadran also made history with the bat, hitting the runs that clinched his country's first ever World Cup win, against fellow Associate nation Scotland.

Mitchell Starc wasn't just Australia's star performer of the Cricket World Cup, he was also voted the best player at the tournament by an ICC panel.

The left-arm paceman picked up 22 wickets at an astonishing average of 10.18. He also boasted an economy rate of 3.50, a stunning number considering when he was asked to bowl by his captain.

Starc gave Australia the perfect start to the final by dismissing New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum for a third-ball duck in the very first over of the match.

He had already claimed figures of six for 28 in the group game against the Black Caps, though the eventual champions were beaten on that occasion.

They gained revenge on home soil in Melbourne, their seven-wicket triumph over their neighbours seeing them lift the trophy for the fourth time in the last five editions of the event.

Bangladesh enjoyed their most successful Cricket World Cup campaign to date, qualifying for the quarter-finals.

The performances of Mahmudullah were crucial as they managed to finish in the top four in Group A. 

The right-handed batsman made the most of the chance to bat at four in the order, with team management electing to send him in ahead of experienced duo Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Mahmudullah hit 365 runs at an average of 73, including two centuries.

His best knock came against England, as he made 103 in a crucial match that Bangladesh ended up winning by 15 runs.

Moeen Ali was one of the few positives in a dismal tournament for England.

Opening the batting, the Worcestershire all-rounder contributed 192 runs at an excellent strike rate of 105.49.

He hit 128 during England's victory over neighbours Scotland, one of only two wins Eoin Morgan's side managed in Group A as they failed to qualify for the knockout stages.

Moeen was unable to make quite the same impact with the ball, snaring just the four wickets with his off-spin at an average of over 50.

However, he did boast the best economy rate (5.28) of any England bowler who played in more than two matches. 

India were not quite able to defend their title in 2015, going out of the tournament at the semi-final stage.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side scored plenty of runs (four India players averaged 50 or more), though batting was always seen as their stronger discipline heading into the event.

However, their bowlers—in particular their seamers—were impressive during the Cricket World Cup.

They had bowled their opponents out in all seven matches they played before losing to eventual winners Australia in the last four.

Mohammed Shami was the spearhead of the attack, picking up 17 wickets in seven appearances. He claimed figures of four for 35 in the huge win over Pakistan at the start of the group stage.

When picking out the best performers for the teams who failed to reach the knockout rounds, Ed Joyce was Ireland's selection.

The Sussex batsman scored 246 runs, including 112 against Zimbabwe and 84 off just 67 deliveries to help  his team upset West Indies in Nelson, New Zealand.

However, the award has now been passed on to another left-hander in the team, William Porterfield.

The Ireland captain made 275 runs himself, saving his best knock for last when he hit 107 in a losing cause against Pakistan, a result that sent the latter through at the Associate Nation's expense.

Porterfield was also outspoken in his criticism of the ICC for their plan to cut he number of teams at the next World Cup from 14 to 10. 

It was tough to work out whether Martin Guptill or Trent Boult should be named New Zealand's best player. In the end, it was easier just to get them to share it.

Guptill hit 547 runs—the most by any player in the tournament—at the top of the order, including 237 not out against West Indies in the quarter-final.

Not only did the batsman set a new highest score by an individual player in a World Cup fixture, he also became the first New Zealander to hit a double century in a one-day game.

Boult, meanwhile, was outstanding with the ball for the Black Caps.

The left-arm seamer finished with 22 wickets—level with Mitchell Starc at the top of the charts—at an average of 16.86 for the losing finalists.

Wahab Riaz deserves to be Pakistan's player of the tournament just for one spell of bowling alone.

The left-armer had Australia hopping around in their quarter-final clash, though in the end his efforts proved in vain as Pakistan were knocked out.

His figures of two for 54 did not do him justice—Wahab dismissed David Warner and Michael Clarke with short deliveries, while he would have also removed Shane Watson were it not for a dropped catch at fine leg.

He finished the Cricket World Cup as Pakistan's top bowler, taking 16 wickets at an average of 23.

There was also a demonstration of his skills with the bat in the group match against Zimbabwe, as he hit an unbeaten 54 from 46 deliveries.

Scotland were unable to break their Cricket World Cup duck in 2015, meaning they have now lost 14 straight matches in their tournament history.

Still, they could take some comfort from the performances of seam bowler Josh Davey.

The 24-year-old picked up 15 wickets at an average of 20.73, with his best figures being the four for 68 he recorded against neighbours England.

His final haul is even more impressive considering none of his team-mates managed more than seven wickets during their six matches in Group A.

AB de Villiers lived up to his reputation as one of the best one-day batsmen in the world.

South Africa's captain led from the front at the Cricket World Cup, scoring 482 runs in seven innings. He finished the tournament with an average of 96.40 having hit 21 sixes.

De Villiers cleared the rope eight times when he made 162 not out from a mere 66 deliveries against West Indies in a group match.

He also hit an unbeaten 65 in the semi-final against New Zealand, though his efforts were not enough to see the Proteas make it through to their first World Cup final.

Not known for his abilities with the ball, the 31-year-old even managed to pick up four wickets. It seems there's nothing this man cannot do on a cricket field.

Kumar Sangakkara's final total of 541 runs led to one obvious question—just why is he retiring from one-day cricket?

Despite being 37, the left-hander seems to actually be getting better with age.

He hit four successive centuries during the group stage, including an unbeaten 117 in his side's victory over England and 104 in a losing cause against Australia.

Sangakkara's hopes of signing off his 50-over career as a world champion were dashed when Sri Lanka were beaten by South Africa in a one-sided quarter-final.

Still, the wicketkeeper top-scored with 45 as he ended his tournament with an average of 108.20, as well as a strike rate of 105.87.

United Arab Emirates may have finished bottom of Group B, but there were still some individual highlights in their second Cricket World Cup appearance.

Shaiman Anwar was certainly their star performer with the bat, the 36-year-old hitting 311 runs at an average of 51.83.

The right-hander made 106 off just 83 deliveries against Ireland in Brisbane, Australia, while he also registered two half-century scores.

In fact, Shaiman failed to make it into double figures in just one of his six innings at the tournament.

Chris Gayle became the first man to hit a double century in a Cricket World Cup match—then saw his record for the highest score beaten by Martin Guptill.

The former West Indies captain took Zimbabwe for 215 in Canberra, Australia. His brutal innings included 16 sixes, helping him go from 100 to 200 in just 33 deliveries.

The left-hander finished up with 340 runs at an average of 56.66. He also picked up five wickets with his off-spin.

He missed the final group game, against United Arab Emirates, with a back injury but played through the pain in the quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.

Despite not being fully fit for the knockout fixture, Gayle was still the highest scorer for the men from the Caribbean. He made 61 against the Black Caps from only 33 balls.

Brendan Taylor signed off his Zimbabwe career by scoring 433 runs in six innings at the tournament.

The wicketkeeper made it into double figures each time he went to the crease, with his lowest score being the 37 he made against West Indies.

He hit two centuries during the campaign, 121 and 138 against Ireland and India, respectively.

The hundred in the final group game versus India was his last outing for Zimbabwe for some time—he has signed a three-year deal to join English county Nottinghamshire as a Kolpak player.

The move means Taylor is not available for international selection for the duration of the contract, although, at 29, he could still appear again for Zimbabwe in the future.

All statistics used in the feature were provided by ESPN Cricinfo