Best player
Fakhar Zaman, an unknown three weeks ago, restored our faith in fairytales, scoring vital runs in every game he played, culminating in that hundred at The Oval. Vic Marks
No player summed up the crucible of cricketing talent that is Pakistan more than Fakhar Zaman, the left-handed opener with serious tikka who after his first four caps now has two half-centuries and a match-winning hundred in a global final. Glorious. Ali Martin
Hassan Ali: spiky, clever, aggressive and miles ahead as top wicket-taker in a tournament marked by measured batting and quietly impressive totals. His ball to get rid of Wayne Parnell was a masterwork of evil physics. Barney Ronay
Fakhar Zaman. He was not even picked for Pakistan’s opening match but lit up the tournament with two crucial fifties against Sri Lanka and England, then his famous century against India. Andy Bull
Hassan Ali, the strutting catalyst whose aggressive pace bowling put the mph in oomph. Along with Fakhar Zaman he reminded Pakistan of their identity. Raw talents come and go all the time in Pakistan cricket but his skill, aggression and personality make him a potential superstar. Rob Smyth
Fakhar Zaman. Smashed his second ball in ODI cricket for four against South Africa in the group stage and never looked back, culminating in that brilliant century in the final. John Ashdown
Best match
It was the final even though it was so unexpectedly one-sided. It became a celebration of Pakistan cricket, magically surviving and prospering in exile – and they cannot even play in the IPL. VM
Bangladesh v New Zealand. Sadly no matches went into the designated final over and, while Pakistan’s eventual triumph was thrilling in its shock factor, the Bangladeshi heist in Cardiff when they chased down 266 from 33 for four just pips it in terms of nail-bitery. AM
Pakistan beating England, bottom-ranked team swatting aside the favourites, as England’s much-trumpeted stars choked on a sludge of anxiety and an apparently baffling Cardiff pitch. One for the neutrals – pretty much all the neutrals, come to think of it. BR
Bangladesh v New Zealand, when Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah conjured the unlikeliest comeback, from 33 for four to a five-wicket victory to put the team through to the semi-finals. AB
The final: joyous confirmation that, when the force is truly with Pakistan, nothing in the world will stop them. RS
Given the tournament lacked a thrilling last-over finish, it has to be the final for pure spectacle and surprise. Though it might have been even better had India put up a fight. JA
Best moment
Sri Lanka’s Dickwella c Sarfraz b Amir 73. A sensational catch behind the stumps by the Pakistan captain from the inside edge of the bat. Within seconds Sarfraz was submerged by colleagues who sensed that they might be able to progress in this tournament. VM
Hasan Ali’s brutal detonation of Wayne Parnell’s off stump first ball in Pakistan’s rain-affected win over South Africa felt the moment the worm turned in their campaign – and the first time the white Kookaburra had snaked off the straight with reverse. AM
MS Dhoni offering not just a selfie but the very boots still warm from his feet to a young net bowler at The Oval (and all in defiance of team orders). Confirmation that even superstars can be very nice chaps. BR
Jos Buttler’s six off Trent Boult, a pancake flip over his own head, off a 90mph bouncer, that landed the ball in the camera gantry above the sightscreen behind him. AB
Mohammad Amir’s dismissal of Virat Kohli in the final was not just the champagne moment; it was the Dom Perignon White Gold Jeroboam moment. RS
You could pick any one of the 78 balls faced by Virat Kohli in the semi-final against Bangladesh – a pristine, flawless innings that suggested India would be unbeatable at The Oval. But Mohammad Amir’s double dismissal of the India captain in the final probably pips it. Also have a lot of time for 18-year-old Shadab Khan’s furious insistence on a review when denied an lbw decision against Yuvraj Singh in the same game. JA
Best fans
The Asian ones who were always there enjoying themselves, come rain or shine. At the final at The Oval, when tickets were scarce or impossibly expensive, they were on the roof of Archbishop Tenison’s School. VM
The Bangladesh supporters bounced their stuffed tigers throughout their team’s rollercoaster ride from defeat by England to their first appearance in a world semi-final, and never more so than during their hilarious rain-rescued no result against Australia at The Oval. AM
Always got a soft spot for Sri Lanka. Noise and passion without any sniff of boorishness. Even the chase against India at The Oval was greeted with as much laughter as triumphalism. BR
The 26,000 who turned up at Edgbaston for India v Pakistan the morning after the London terror attack and spent eight hours in rain showers, singing, dancing and chanting. AB
India and Pakistan, who created an atmosphere like nothing we had seen or heard for a major final in this country. RS
Anyone who went to a group-stage game and sat in the drizzle in hope of more play. JA
One thing I’d change
Get rid of floodlit matches to allow more scope for rain-affected games to produce a result. Likewise allow day games to go further into the night in pursuit of a result. VM
The rigidity of three allocated pitches per ground. Yes, yes, call me a whinger but a reused surface for a showpiece semi-final, as occurred in Cardiff, did not feel right somehow, even if Pakistan were more than good value for their win. AM
Let people know the bleeding thing is actually going on. BR
Cut the teams from world’s top eight to the world’s top four, then play three five-day games instead of 15 ODIs. It could be called the World Test Championship. AB
Go back to one white ball to increase the chance of reverse swing. RS
Can commentators please stop calling sixes “maximums”? Oh, and the weather. JA
At the 2019 World Cup England will ...
Be agonising over whether to play Jason Roy and they will try to avoid Cardiff. VM
Be represented in the final by umpire Richard Kettleborough again. Or very possibly find themselves there as a team, provided a talented group of cricketers can remain on their current path over the next two years but also spend it broadening their approach to situations where the ball holds sway over bat. AM
Enter with great confidence having copied at vast expense the Pakistan model of a deliberately bedraggled domestic set-up, self-banning from the IPL and random late-20s players yanked in at a moment’s notice. End result: semi-final choke. BR
Do better than they have at a World Cup since 1992 though, given their record since, that is a little like predicting that the sun will come up tomorrow. AB
Reach at least the semi-finals but may lose momentum during the extended round-robin stage. RS
Be (rightly) confident of winning it. But it’s England at a World Cup, so expect a miserable, possibly farcical, early exit. JA
