By Paresh Soni BBC Sport at the World Cup

Who enhanced their standing in the Caribbean - and whose reputation has sunk quicker than a waterlogged pedalo?

Ireland and their fans were a feature of the World Cup

Ireland and their fans

From the minute they began their rollercoaster journey in Jamaica, the Blarney Army lit up the drudgery of this lengthy tournament with their infectious enthusiasm.

No-one who was there will every forget the drama and delirium which accompanied their tie with Zimbabwe and their stunning victory over Pakistan at Sabina Park.

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At a tournament lacking in atmosphere (see below), they were the life and soul of the party. You have to be special to impress Jamaicans with your partying skills and this lot were very special.

Bangladesh's victory over India was an early highlight

Bangladesh

The Tigers are a talented bunch of cricketers and the most frustrating to coach.

Charging at Glenn McGrath, even in a game reduced to 22 overs per side, had Dav Whatmore - who is stepping down from the post - pulling his remaining hair out.

But their wins over India, which knocked one superpower out, and South Africa, which almost derailed the Proteas' campaign, will live long in the memory.

And if they had only been able to eke out 20 or 30 more runs against England, another sensation could have been caused.

Volunteers paraded at the final with World Cup mascot Mello (left)

Volunteers and people of the Caribbean

They worked tirelessly and gave up their time to help out in this monster of an event, trying to meet media requests and never failing to cheer us up.

Priced out of the games (see below) and restricted by ridiculous regulations (see below), the local fans nevertheless left lasting impressions on many of us with their passion for the game and outlook on life.

I for one will be returning to some of the places I visited - to see how they enjoy their cricket when they are really allowed to.

Jayasuriya and Hayden both starred at the top of the batting order

Veterans

One-day cricket should be a young man's game but Matthew Hayden and Sanath Jayasuriya have shown age doesn't matter when you can belt the ball as hard as they do.

Hayden, who at one stage looked like he would not even be selected for this tournament, was just awesome at times, while Jayasuriya rolled back the years with some virtuoso hitting.

But the performance of the tournament from the oldies, having struggled in the earlier stages, came from Adam Gilchrist. He took the game away from Sri Lanka with a magnificent show of clean striking of the ball.

Tait and Malinga eventually locked horns in the final

Shaun Tait and Lasith Malinga

The two quickest bowlers in the tournament were breathtaking at times, regardless of the surface, and had just about everyone they faced in trouble.

Despite being 24 and 23, they also showed remarkable control and look like being rivals for years to come.

Tait was terrific against England and in the semi-finals against South Africa. Malinga almost snatched victory with his four wickets in as many balls against the Proteas and New Zealand found him unplayable in the semis.

Rows of empty seats contributed to a lack of atmosphere

The ICC and local organisers

Having such a long tournament meant maintaining interest was always going to be a challenge.

But setting ridiculously high ticket prices and placing such tight controls on the naturally exuberant West Indian people was management suicide.

What it left us with were desperately low crowds and games devoid of atmosphere.

If that wasn't bad enough, it became worse when no-one accepted responsibility for the blunders and blamed others in private briefings.

Belatedly, the rules were relaxed and free entry allowed to boost crowds, but it could not mask over the inept decision-making earlier.

India's supporters were left stunned by their early exit

India and Pakistan

The subcontinental heavyweights were in utter disarray and never recovered from losing their opening games.

India persisted with players who were out of form and paid the price, while injuries and maddening inconsistency cost Pakistan.

India's shock exit, following their first-round defeat by Bangladesh, also meant their many fans were forced to endure games in which they had little or no interest.

Vaughan's early dismissals became a familiar sight for England

England

Michael Vaughan's men never looked capable of mounting a serious bid to reach the semi-finals.

Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, who was disciplined for off-field misdemeanour, was desperately out of touch with the bat and their team looked pedestrian compared with the leading sides.

South Africa's shock defeat by Bangladesh gave them hope of a last-four spot they scarcely deserved, but a hammering by the Proteas erased that.

Brian Lara retired from internationals after the World Cup

West Indies

The hosts started off unconvincingly, despite winning their three group games in Jamaica, and rapidly declined.

Without a cutting edge in their bowling and inconsistency letting down their batsmen, it was always going to be a tall order for them to sneak through from the Super 8 stage.

They arguably have even bigger problems than England and, with Brian Lara now retired, lack a single world-class player.

Greg Chappell resigned after India's disappointing campaign

Coaches

Out of the leading cricketing nations, only South Africa's Mickey Arthur has a chance of being in charge after the dust has settled in this tournament.

Greg Chappell (India), Dav Whatmore (Bangladesh) and Duncan Fletcher (England) all left following their teams' exits.

Australia's John Buchanan was always going to quit after the competition but doubts remain about Sri Lanka's Tom Moody and John Bracewell of New Zealand.

Hussey was on the sidelines for much of the World Cup campaign

Mike Hussey

It says something about how good the Aussies have been here that a man ranked the world's best one-day batsman earlier this year has hardly been required by them.

He managed 87 runs in his six innings, mainly because the success of the top order left him with a few overs at the end in which he took big risks to boost the total.