Netherlands opening bowler Edgar Schiferli has been named as man of the tournament for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier in South Africa.

The 32-year-old was the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 20 wickets at an average of 19.70 up to but not including today's final and play-off matches. To underline the decision, Schiferli took another four wickets for just 23 runs today in the third/fourth-place play-off ODI against Kenya at Potchefstroom giving him a tournament average of just 17.38.

Prior to the final day, Schiferli had taken four wickets in an innings twice, including four of the top seven batsmen against Kenya in the group stage and four of the top five against Scotland in the Super Eight stage.

His batting at the bottom of the order was also more than useful for the Netherlands as he averaged 19.00 with an impressive strike-rate of 168.88 including a top score of 41. His fielding was also of the highest standard during the tournament and his overall contribution to his team played a major role in securing qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 for the Netherlands.

The man of the tournament was chosen by a five-person panel consisting of Richard Done (ICC High Performance Manager), Ian Robinson (Regional Umpires' Performance Manager – Africa), Roshan Mahanama (former Sri Lanka Test batsman and ICC match referee), Will Luke (Assistant Editor, Cricinfo) and James Fitzgerald (Event Media Manager).

'It was a very difficult choice and we spent a long time deliberating and debating the various contenders,' said Mr Mahanama.

'In the end, it came down to three players – Schiferli of the Netherlands, Alexei Kervezee also of the Netherlands and William Porterfield of Ireland. We decided that Edgar's bowling, on what were essentially batsman-friendly wickets, was instrumental in gaining qualification for his team while his all-round contribution was also more than useful.

'Opening the bowling is not an easy task these days with PowerPlays and pinch-hitters so it's always important that teams take wickets early. Edgar did that on a regular basis with good pace and excellent lines to make life very difficult for the tournament's batsmen,' he said.

'Having said that, it was a very close-run thing because the tournament was full of great performances, and we had a difficult time trying to identify the man of the tournament. I would like to congratulate Edgar on behalf of the panel and thank him for the entertainment he has provided during this event,' said Mr Mahanama.