11 bowlers who bowled the final ball in 11 World Cups

The World Cup is the biggest cricket tournament on the planet where teams from all over the world compete for the supreme glory. Held once in every 4 years, a World Cup victory is the dream of every cricketer. 11 World Cups have been played so far with the 2019 World Cup set to be the 12th edition. 20 different nations have competed at the event where only 5 countries have been successful in lifting the World Cup. There have been several iconic matches in World Cup history but no game equals the level of excitement of the World Cup final.

The World Cup final is the most crucial game of the entire tournament as the winner of that match earns the right to be called the Best in the World. And the 2nd innings of that match is the most important innings of the 4 years. Here are the 11 bowlers who had bowled the final ball in the 11 World Cup finals played thus far -

#1 1975 World Cup - Vanburn Holder, West Indies

(Result -Won)

Vanburn Holder

The 1975 World Cup was played in the 60 overs format and saw 8 teams namely England, India, East Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka collide for the title. England, Australia, New Zealand, and Windies made it to the semi-finals where the Aussies and the Caribbean side defeated the English side and the Kiwis respectively.

In the final at Lord's, West Indies batted first and posted 291/8 on the board riding on Clive Llyod's 102 off 85 balls. Chasing 292, Australia faltered towards the end of their innings as the last man to be dismissed, J Thomson, was run out during the 59th over bowled by Holder to hand West Indies a win by 17 runs.

#2 1979 World Cup - Colin Croft, West Indies

(Result - Won)

Colin Croft In Action

The 1979 World Cup saw Canada making their debut as they replaced the East African side in the tournament. Australia failed to make it to the top 4 this time as Pakistan joined England, New Zealand, and defending champions West Indies. England and West Indies made it to the final and the two sides faced off each other at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.

West Indies batted first and Viv Richards' 138* helped them post a mammoth 286/9 in their 60 overs. England got off to a good start but a late outburst from the opposition bowling attack saw them collapsing from 183-2 to 194-10 as they lost 8 wickets for meager 11 runs in the final. Croft bowled the last ball of the 1979 World Cup as his brilliant delivery cleaned up no.11 batsman M Hendrick, shattering his stumps.

#3 1983 World Cup - Mohinder Amarnath, India

(Result - Won)

Mohinder Amarnath had won the man of the match in the 1983 World Cup final

India made it to the World Cup semi-finals after overcoming Australia and Zimbabwe in the group stage. Pakistan, West Indies, and England completed the semi-final line-up in an event which saw Zimbabwe make its debut. India defeated England in the first semi-final while Pakistan lost to two-time champions Windies to set up an "India vs West Indies" final. India had won the first match against the Windies in the group stage while they lost the second one.

India were invited to bat first as Kris Srikkanth's 38 helped India post 182 on the board. Set a lowly target of 183 in 60 overs, West Indies were the favorites to lift the cup for the third time. But an inspiring performance from Kapil Dev and Mohinder Amarnath helped India win the match. Mohinder scalped the wicket of no.11 batsman Michael Holding in the 52nd over to bowl out the mighty West Indies.

#4 1987 World Cup - Craig McDermott, Australia

(Result - Won)

Craig McDermott helped Australia win the all-important final in 1987

The 1987 World Cup was the first to be hosted outside England as India and Pakistan played the role of the hosts. The two hosts along with Australia and England made it to the top 4 which saw the two Ashes rivals eliminate the co-hosts to play the final in front of a jam-packed Eden Gardens crowd. Australia batted first and David Boon's vital innings helped them score 253/5 in their 50 overs.

England were very much in the chase until their skipper Mike Gatting lost his wicket playing a reverse sweep to Alan Border. The English side required 17 off the final 6 as the leading wicket-taker of the 1987 World Cup, Craig McDermott leaked only 9 runs to set up the Aussies' first ever World Cup glory in Kolkata.

#5 1992 World Cup - Imran Khan, Pakistan (Result -Won)

Imran Khan led the Men in Green to their first World Cup

victory

The first ever World Cup to be played in colored jerseys saw the introduction of South Africa in the Cricket World Cup. Held in Australia and New Zealand, this World Cup saw New Zealand, England, Pakistan, and South Africa qualify for the semi-finals. Defending champions and co-hosts Australia missed the bus by just a single point. Pakistan and England made it to the final two as New Zealand and South Africa bowed out of the tournament.

Imran Khan's 72 helped Pakistan score 249/6 in their 50 overs. Pringle picked up 3 wickets for England. Fairbrother's innings helped England get close to the target, however, they fell short by 22 runs in the end as Imran Khan dismissed the no.11 batsman Illingworth to help his nation win their first ever World Cup.

#6 1996 World Cup - Glenn McGrath, Australia

(Result - Lost)

Australia became the first team to lose a final after batting first

The World Cup returned to the sub-continent as India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka hosted the 1996 World Cup. Kenya, UAE, and the Netherlands made their maiden appearances in the World Cup but failed to make it to the 2nd round. England, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Australia, Pakistan, West Indies, and New Zealand qualified for the final 8 which saw Sri Lanka and Australia make it to the final.

Batting first in the final, skipper Mark Taylor's 74 led Australia to 241/7 as Sri Lanka looked set to become the first team to win a World Cup final chasing. Aravinda de Silva's mesmerizing century ensured there are no obstacles in the chase as Sri Lanka won their first World Cup. Glenn McGrath bowled the last ball of the World Cup as his 2nd ball was smashed past the boundary to complete Sri Lanka's chase.

#7 1999 World Cup - Saqlain Mushtaq, Pakistan

(Result - Lost)

Saqlain Mushtaq bowled the last ball of the most lopsided final in World Cup history

The 1999 World Cup was held after a gap of mere 3 years and was hosted by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Scotland and Bangladesh made their WC debuts but failed to make it through the next round. Pakistan, Australia, Zimbabwe, India, New Zealand, and South Africa formed the super 6 of the 1999 WC.

Zimbabwe and India were eliminated as the remaining 4 teams played in the semi-final stage. Australia and Pakistan met in the final to crown the second two-time World Champions. The match turned out to be a one-sided affair as Shane Warne's 4-wicket haul dismantled Pakistan who lost all their wickets for 132. Australia achieved the target on the first ball of the 21st over bowled by Saqlain Mushtaq, losing just 2 wickets.

#8 2003 World Cup - Glenn McGrath, Australia

(Result - Won)

McGrath's last ball helped Australia become the first team to win a World Cup on three different continents

This was the first ever World Cup to be played in the continent of Africa as South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe co-hosted the tournament which saw their neighbors Namibia make their debut. India dominated the tournament and made it to the final against Australia.

The Australian batsmen ripped apart the Indian bowling attack, posting the highest ever team total in a World Cup final innings. Chasing 360, India lost their stalwart Sachin Tendulkar in the very first over of the chase itself which enabled Australia to complete a comfortable victory in the end with a margin of 125 runs. McGrath completed his 3-wicket haul by dismissing tail-ender Zaheer Khan on the 2nd ball of his ninth over.

#9 2007 World Cup - Andrew Symonds, Australia

(Result - Won)

Symonds led Australia to their 3rd consecutive World Cup title

The 2007 World Cup marked the first occasion that West Indies hosted the cricket carnival. Bermuda and Ireland made their World Cup debuts as the 16-team event marked the biggest ever World Cup in history. India and Pakistan were eliminated in the first round itself as the tournament saw Bangladesh and Ireland progress to the second round.

South Africa, Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand played the semi-finals and the World Cup final was a repeat of the 1996 one as former champions Sri Lanka clashed with 2-time defending champions Australia. Batting first, Australia scored 281/4 from their 38 overs in a shortened game. Sri Lanka fell short of the target by 53 runs as Andrew Symonds bowled a tight 36th over to hand Australia the victory by the Duckworth-Lewis method.

#10 2011 World Cup - Nuwan Kulasekara, Sri Lanka (Result - Lost)

An image which is framed in every Indian cricket fan's heart

The 2011 World Cup saw the event being reduced to 14 teams as India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh hosted the tournament, India, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and West Indies played the quarter-finals which marked the end of Australia's 12 years undefeated streak in World Cups. India defeated Pakistan in the semi-final to meet Sri Lanka in the final who had defeated New Zealand in the other match-up.

Sri Lanka, riding on Mahela Jayawardene's century, set up a stiff target of 275 for MS Dhoni's side. Vital contributions from Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli helped India bounce back in the match but it what the skipper MS Dhoni who led his team to glory. He smashed each and every Lankan bowler and created one of the iconic moments of cricket by finishing the 2011 World Cup by hitting a six off Nuwan Kulasekara's delivery.

#11 2015 World Cup - Matt Henry, New Zealand

(Result -Lost)

Matt Henry

Australia and New Zealand hosted the 2015 World Cup and co-incidentally the two home sides clashed in the tournament summit. Afghanistan made their debut in the World Cup and even won their first ever WC game against Scotland. The two hosts eliminated India and South Africa in the semi-finals to set up the final.

Australia bowled out the New Zealand side for just 183 at the MCG and chased down the target quite comfortably inside 34 overs thanks to skipper Michael Clarke's 74*. Steve Smith scored a boundary off the first ball of the 34th over bowled by Matt Henry to seal the deal for the hosts. This was the fifth time that Australia walked out of the tournament as world champions.