McGrath bows out as Player of the Tournament

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath bid farewell to international cricket with a bang by bagging the Player of the Tournament award in the World Cup.

McGrath, who made his last international appearance in the final as Australia created history by winning the World Cup for the third consecutive time, secured 15 points during the course of the tournament, including three Player of the Match performances.

McGrath's closest rival for the tournament award was Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene who secured 11 points, while McGrath's teammate Matthew Hayden and New Zealand all-rounder Scot Styris finished on nine points each.

The points were allocated by members of the television commentary team at each match with the commentators awarding three points for their choice as the man of the match, second choice getting two points and the third pick receiving one.

Those points were then added up to produce the Player of the Tournament. All matches, including the final, were included in the process.

McGrath claimed 26 wickets, making him the most successful bowler in a single World Cup.

Throughout his career he has picked up 71 World Cup wickets in 39 matches to earn the distinction of being the most successful bowler in the history of the tournament.

McGrath's teammate Shaun Tait and Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran came into the match jointly placed second at 23 wickets apiece, trailing McGrath by two. But Muralitharan went wicketless while Tait bagged one wicket in Australia's 53-run victory over Sri Lanka.

(IANS)

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