Men of Steel

JASON HOLDER

When 23-year-old Jason Holder was appointed captain of the West Indies one-day side for the South Africa tour right before the World Cup, it came as a big surprise. Firstly because Holder had only played 21 ODIs to his name but also because he had not proved himself at the international circuit thus far. However, as the World Cup has gone on, Holder is more and more justifying the West Indies' Cricket Board's decision with his all-round performances. The 23-year-old has already claimed nine wickets in this tournament, including a four-for conceding 27 runs against United Arab Emirates yesterday. Holder has also played his part with the bat in this tournament with two half-centuries and two scores in the forties.

WILLIAM PORTERFIELD

The strength of the Ireland team is thought to be their batting. Players like William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Andy Balbirnie and the Brien brothers can, on their own, take the game away from the opposition, maybe with a little help from the others. So when skipper Porterfield won the toss in a must-win game against Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval yesterday, it was a simple case of batting first and putting Pakistan under pressure. The Irish skipper played his part tremendously well, scoring 107 off 131 balls. But unfortunately there wasn't much in form of supporting cast as the best score of the innings was only 29. Ireland eventually managed only 237, which proved too little to trouble Pakistan.