After years of mismatches, Australia finally hosted a triangular tournament worthy of the name. Indeed it was so competitive that the Aussies couldn't even make their own final. A series of tight finishes, relatively low scores and Australian mortality also had an array of individual performances. Rob Smyth picks out his five men of the inaugural VB Series Shane Bond (New Zealand)
21 wickets at 16.38
Before this winter Shane Bond was an unknown Canterbury seamer/policeman and a headline writer's dream. He hadn't even played a one-day international, but aided by genuine pace and the revised bouncer law that has engendered a new attacking culture in limited overs cricket, he was the revelation of the tournament. Twenty-one wickets at an average of 16 earned him the Man of the Series award, and they came at the startling rate of one every four overs. He set the tone for the series with three quick wickets that rocked Australia in the first match, and throughout he had the priceless ability to dismiss the big boys: of his 21 wickets, 15 batted in the top six. New Zealand might have gone all the way had Bond had decent support …

Chris Cairns (New Zealand)
314 runs at 44.85, 12 wickets at 26.58
… from Chris Cairns, but Cairns wasn't fully fit and didn't take the new ball in any of the matches. He still chipped in with the ball though, taking three wickets in New Zealand's stunning opening win against Australia, and also grabbing the key wicket of Michael Bevan to spark an Australian collapse at Sydney. Then there was that century at Brisbane, breathtaking in its clean-hitting brilliance, which led New Zealand from 99 for 5 to their only one-day triumph over South Africa in their last 15 meetings.

Jonty Rhodes (South Africa)
345 runs at 57.50
Once upon a time Jonty Rhodes was seen as fielder first, batsman second. And though his work at backward point was still of the highest quality in this series, Rhodes is now the crucial pivot in a young South African middle order, the banker to whom they turn in times of trouble. There are more celebrated finishers in world cricket but Rhodes is a cool customer, and in matches that South Africa won in this series he averaged 139, including that measured, boundaryless 43 not out to seal a tight, cathartic win over Australia at the MCG, and his unbeaten 61 in the second final. You can see why Rhodes is loath to reverse his retirement from Test cricket. Since playing his last Test, in Sri Lanka in August 2000, he averages 51 in one-dayers; before then the figure was 31.

Makhaya Ntini (South Africa)
7 wickets at 24.14
After only four wickets in his last six Tests, Australians were happy to dismiss Makhaya Ntini as a wayward joker, but his performances were central to South Africa's triumph. As well as making regular new-ball incisions, Ntini crucially nailed Michael Bevan - who was coming off the back of his 102 - for 1 in the death-or-glory match at Perth. And his personal-best 5 for 31 in the first final set the tone for the crushingly one-sided pair of victories over New Zealand.

Michael Bevan (Australia)
251 runs at 50.20
In a poor tournament for the hosts, Michael Bevan was one of the few players to enhance his reputation. And all it took was 95 balls, in the course of which Bevan confirmed his place as the world's best one-day batsman with the epic 102 that brought Australia back from the dead against New Zealand at the MCG. Apart from that Bevan made only other half-century, but only Jacques Kallis and Jonty Rhodes averaged more than him in this tournament.

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