Fowler, the consistent

Andy Hampson focusses on a few players who played their heart out but did not get their due.

Graeme Fowler (Eng) 1983

Lancashire opener `Foxy' Fowler proved reliable throughout the 1983 tournament, hitting four successive half-centuries to lead England to the last four.

His top score was 81 not out against Sri Lanka, but he could manage only 33 in the semifinals as England went out to India.

Asantha de Mel (SL) 1983

Sri Lanka may still have been international minnows, but they did enough in 1983 to prove they were no longer lightweight opposition. In De Mel, they also looked to have found a penetrative opening bowler. De Mel took wickets in every game, the highlights being successive five-wicket hauls in a narrow loss to Pakistan and in the three-wicket win over New Zealand.

Kevin Curran (Zim) 1983

Zimbabwe may not have pulled up many trees after opening the tournament with a shock defeat of Australia, but in Curran they proved they had international-quality performers. Curran provided plenty of useful lower-order runs, including 73 against India and 62 against the West Indies, and chipped in with the odd wicket. He continued to perform with distinction on the county circuit for Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire.

Geoff Allott (NZ) 1999

Allott would not have been expected by many to finish as the tournament's most prolific bowler, but after a series of consistent performances, he ended up joint-top wicket-taker with Shane Warne.

The left-armer proved a revelation, particularly in the early games, and finished with 20 wickets, his best analysis being four for 37 against Australia.

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