Mr Consistent

Mushfiqur Rahim must have heaved a sigh of relief after this World Cup; for his last one, in 2011, was a disaster. It wasn't a happy 2014 for the little batsman. As captain he had to take the brunt of the criticism that the Tigers faced last year.

A sad Mushfiqur with his head bowed down was a common scene witnessed at the post-match press conferences in 2014. Perhaps the worst part of it all was that he had to face all this despite being the best batsman in the side. In 2014, Mushfiqur was easily the highest run-getter for Bangladesh. As a result, his axing must have hurt.

However, he showed plenty of spirit and defiance. Ever since he handed over the captaincy to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, at no point did he seem to let that move affect him. He was as fluent as ever during the World Cup, scoring 298 runs at an average of nearly 50.

A team player, Mushfiqur was involved in three crucial recovery partnerships that eventually took Bangladesh home. Against Afghanistan his century stand with Shakib Al Hasan for the fifth wicket took the game away from their opponents. Against England, he along with Mahmudullah took Bangladesh from a precarious 99 for 4 to 240 by the 45th over and changed the complexion of the game. His quick half-century against Scotland played a crucial role in chasing down that 300-plus target as well.

While Riyad set the tone at the top with his patient centuries and Rubel Hossain cleared the tail, Mushfiqur calmly went by his business and upheld the middle order.