25 Memorable World Cup Incidents

The cricket World Cup is a stage where the very best in the business come to showcase their skills. Over the years, it has become the single most awaited spectacle of the cricketing calendar. Every aspiring cricketer dreams of representing his country at the biggest stage of them all. Some make it, many don’t. The World Cup has given rise to many stars. It’s a place where everyone wants to perform in order to earn himself a place in the history books. Over the years, the tournament has seen many memorable incidents. In this piece, we look back at some of those incidents that will remain etched in the memories of those who witnessed them.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its Jonty

Jonty runs out Inzamam

The 1992 World Cup was South Africa’s first. They were facing eventual champions, Pakistan in a league match at Brisbane. A well set Inzamam-ul Haq, playing on 48, was out in the middle with skipper Imran Khan. In the 31st over, a delivery struck Inzamam’s pad and rolled off towards backward point where Jonty Rhodes was stationed. Inzamam set off for a leg-bye, only to be turned back by Imran. Rhodes charged towards the ball, picked it up, ran in with the ball in hand and dived full length to break the stumps before Inzamam could make it back. This is arguably the most famous run-out in the history of cricket. Pakistan’s innings crumbled from there and South Africa ended up winning the match by 20 runs.

Donald loses the plot

Australia celebrate a tie that meant much more than a victory

The second semi-final of the 1999 World Cup between Australia and South Africa is one of the greatest matches in ODI history. Chasing 214 for victory, South Africa looked to be down and out when Lance Klusener came in to turn things aroundand took charge. Wickets kept falling around him but Klusener smashed 31 runs off the first 14 balls he faced, including two boundaries at the start of the 50th over, to bring the equation down to one required off four deliveries. Klusener was on strike and standing at the other end was number 11, Allan Donald. A dot ball was followed by a poorly timed straight drive. Klusener ran immediately. Donald hesitated for a moment before dropping his bat and taking off. That split second of hesitation was enough for Mark Waugh to gather the ball and pass it to the bowler Damien Fleming, who in turn rolled it to keeper Adam Gilchrist who gleefully flicked off the bails. The match was tied but Australia went through to the final as they had beaten South Africa in the super-six stage.

Sandhu takes out Greenidge

Sandhu takes out Greenidge with a beauty

It was the 25th of June, 1983. India were taking on two time winners, West Indies in the final of the third World Cup at Lords’. Batting first, India had set West Indies a target of 184 to win their third successive World Cup. And considering the kind of batting line-up the Windies had, the chase should have been quite comfortable. India needed an early spark to get going and Balwinder Singh Sandhu provided just that. With five runs on the board, Sandhu ran in to bowl to Gordon Greenidge, one of the greatest openers of all time. The ball pitched outside off stump and started to move in, Greenidge misjudged the movement and shouldered arms, only to see the ball clip the top of off-stump. That wicket brought a spring in the steps of the Indians and made them believe that the match could still be won and in the end they did win it. Sandhu didn’t achieve much in his great international career, but this particular delivery has made him immortal with respect to the history of Indian cricket.

Kapil Dev catches King Viv

Kapil Dev takes a stunner to send Richards back

Another defining moment from the 1983 World Cup final. Sandhu did take out Greenidge but that was not the end. Vivian Richards walked in at number 3 and he started smashing the ball to all corners of the ground. He had raced to 33 off just 27 balls with seven boundaries when the unthinkable happened. India’s captain, Kapil Dev wanted to take Madan Lal out of the attack but he wanted one more over. As Kapil put it later, Madan Lal snatched the ball from him to have another go. He needed to do something special to get his team back and he did just that. He got Richards to mis-time a hook-shot over mid-wicket where Kapil was standing. The ball went high up in the air and kept swirling while descending. Kapil, eyes fixed on the ball, ran about 20 yards back from where he was standing and pouched a memorable catch that swung the game in India’s favour. The rest, as they say, is history.

Tendulkar takes on Akhtar

Tendulkar upper-cuts Akhtar for six

It was probably the most anticipated match of the group stages of the 2003 World Cup. India and Pakistan were facing each other for the first time in almost 3 years. The venue was Centurion. Most of the pre-match talks revolved around the contest between star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time, and Shoaib Akhtar, the fastest bowler in the world at that moment. Pakistan set India a formidable total of 274 to chase. Akhtar took the ball in the second over. Nothing much happened in the first three deliveries. The fourth delivery was a short one outside off-stump to Tendulkar who stretched his arms and managed to make good contact. The ball flew off the bat, up and over the third man boundary. Two more boundaries followed and the battle was more or less won. Akhtar did come back later to dismiss Tendulkar for 98, but by then the Little Master had already taken his team to a comfortable position and the men to follow made sure that his efforts didn’t go in vain.

Akram gets two in two

Akram celebrates the wicket of Lamb. Lewis followed him soon after.

The final of the 1992 World Cup at Melbourne between Pakistan and England was full of twists and turns. Set 250 for victory, England were in a spot of bother when Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother got together and brought the situation under control. Their partnership of 72 runs was threatening to take the game away from Pakistan when Wasim Akram produced an unplayable delivery. The ball swung in towards Lamb’s pads and moved away after pitching, foxing the batsman and taking out the off-stump on its way. Chris Lewis walked in at number 7 and got a peach of a delivery first up from Akram. The ball pitched a good feet or so outside the off-stump and curled back in. Once again the off-stump was rattled. England’s tail-enders tried their best but in the end, Pakistan prevailed

South Africa are stumped by Duckworth and Lewis

The scoreboard reflects South Africa's misfortune

The 1992 semi-final between England and South Africa is something every South African cricket fan will remember irrespective of whether he or she witnessed it or not. The match was heading for a close finish with South Africa needing 23 to win off the last 13 deliveries with four wickets in hand. The men in the middle, Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson were no mugs with the bat and so the Proteas were still in with a realistic chance. Just then the rain Gods intervened. It rained for just 12 minutes but that was enough to wash away South Africa’s hopes of reaching the finals on their first World Cup appearance. Two of the lowest scoring overs of the side that batted first were struck off. As a result, the Proteas now needed 22 to win off the final delivery. McMillan took a single off it and walked off the ground, fuming with rage. The crowd was as clueless as some of the players. South Africa’s dream run was over.

Kapil Dev plays the innings of his life

Kapil Dev thumps one against Zimbabwe

Kapil Dev’s decision to win the toss and bat first against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup seemed to be a big mistake as India slumped to 17 for 5. But Kapil, who had walked in at 9 for 4, was not prepared to believe that. A brilliant counter attacking innings from the skipper bailed India out of trouble. He shared a 60-run partnership with Roger Binny for the sixth wicket and a 62-run eight wicket stand with Madan Lal before an unbroken 126 run stand with Syed Kirmani in which Kirmani’s contribution was just 24. Kapil remained unbeaten on 175 off just 138 deliveries. His struck sixteen boundaries and six massive sixes during the innings. Kapil’s innings took India to a respectable total of 266 which turned out to be good enough for victory. This innings instilled a lot of confidence in the Indian team and made them believe that they could win matches from any situation.

Lloyd leads from the front

Lloyd plays a square drive during his masterful knock

Three early wickets with just 50 runs on the board had put West Indies in a bit of trouble in the 1975 World Cup final against Australia at Lords’. Skipper Clive Lloyd walked in at this critical juncture and played a knock that not only helped the Windies out of trouble, but put them in the driver’s seat. Lloyd scored 102 off just 87 deliveries with twelve boundaries and two big hits. He shared a 149 stand with Rohan Kanhai, who preferred to watch the fireworks from the other end. Lloyd departed with the score at 199. He had not only set a wonderful platform for the men to follow, but also done considerable damage to the confidence of the fielding side. The lower middle order batsmen took full advantage of that to set Australia an imposing target of 292. A good outing with the ball and on the field resulted in West Indies lifting the first ever cricket World Cup.

Aravinda takes charge

Aravinda de Silva raises his bat after reaching three figures

Sri Lanka had never reached the semi-finals of a World Cup from 1975 to 1992. Thus, their journey to the final in 1996 surprised quite a few people. They owed much of their success to the opening duo of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana that had been giving the team explosive starts in most of the matches. But in the final, chasing 242 for victory, the Lankans lost both their openers with just 23 on the board. Aravinda de Silva walked out to the middle and started the rescue operation with Asanka Gurusinha. Asanka departed after a 125-run stand but de Silva stood firm. Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga joined him and the duo completed a memorable victory. Aravinda remained unbeaten on 107. His knock was studded with thirteen hits to the fence and it was and probably still is the most important knock by a Sri Lankan cricketer. His application out in the middle was outstanding and had it not been for Aravinda the Lankans might have still been searching for their first World Cup.

Ponting bats India out of contention

Ponting brings up his century

It was the final of the 2003 World Cup and it was apt that the two teams that had played the best cricket thus far, Australia and India, were competing for the title. Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly‘s decision to field first after winning the toss surprised quite a few people. Batting first was probably the better option and Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting showed why it was. After a good start from the openers, Ponting walked in with Australia at 105 at the end of 14 overs. He started slowly, taking 74 deliveries to reach his half-century and striking just one boundary in the process. But after that, he simply exploded. Ponting brought up his century off 103 deliveries, his second fifty containing again a solitary boundary but to go with it he had struck five massive sixes. He kept going even after reaching three figures. Ponting remained unbeaten on 140 off 121 deliveries. His eight sixes was a new record for the most sixes in a World Cup innings. India were set a mammoth target of 360 to chase down. The pressure got the better of the Indians and they fell short by 125 runs. It was Ponting’s first World Cup triumph as captain and the script couldn’t possibly have been better.

Gilchrist has a ‘ball’

Gilchrist sends one into the stands

There are some batsmen who can on their day tear any attack apart irrespective of what the conditions are and who the bowlers are. Adam Gilchrist is one such batsman and in the final of the 2007 World Cup, the Sri Lankan attack was at the receiving end. A rain delay meant less action for the spectators, but Gilchrist made up for it. He played an innings that crushed the Lankans completely. Stand and deliver was the motto of the day. Gilchrist brought up his fifty off 43 balls and his century in 72 deliveries. The magnitude of the destruction caused can be gauged by the fact that the highest run-scorer of the 2007 World Cup, Matthew Hayden contributed only38 runs in an opening partnership worth 172. Gilchrist finally departed for 149, a knock that included thirteen boundaries and eight towering sixes. There was a fair bit of talk about Gilchrist having an unfair advantage as he had used a squash ball in his gloves. But there was no law against it and hence the issue died down. As for the match, Australia coasted to a 53 run victory to clinch their third successive World Cup.

Roberts and Murray frustrate Pakistan

Andy Roberts drives

Had it not been for Andy Roberts and Deryck Murray, Pakistan would have made it to the semi-finals of the 1975 World Cup and maybe even further. Chasing 267 for victory against Pakistan in a group stage match at Edgbaston, the Windies were down in the dumps at 203 for 9. Roberts, who was playing only his second one-day, was definitely not the man Murray wanted to see walking out of the dressing room in such a situation. But there wasn’t much he could do about it. A historic 64-run tenth wicket stand followed that stunned every single man in the ground. Murray led the recovery with an unbeaten 61. Roberts, who scored 24, tapped Wasim Bari towards mid-wicket to score the winning run with just two balls left to spark off wild celebrations among the West Indies faithful present at the ground. It was Pakistan’s second defeat in as many matches and it led to their exit from the tournament. They won their last match by a big margin and so a win against West Indies would have sent them through to the semis ahead of Australia on account of a superior net run-rate.

Kenya march to the semis

Kenya celebrate their victory over Sri Lanka

Even the most die hard fan of Kenyan cricket would not have given his team a chance of progressing beyond the group stages in the 2003 World Cup. But they did it. New Zealand’s decision not to play in Kenya due to security reasons worked in favour of the hosts as they were awarded full points for that fixture. An expected victory over Canada and a totally unexpected one over Sri Lanka was good enough to take Kenya to the super-six stage. The other two teams qualifying from the group were Sri Lanka and New Zealand and thus Kenya carried over the maximum points possible. They needed just one win to secure a spot in the last four and they got that against Zimbabwe. The fairytale ended in the semi-final as an in-form Indian side defeated them comfortably. But for the Kenyans, reaching the last four of the World Cup was almost as good as winning it. It was a massive achievement for them and the reception the players received back home was quite spectacular.

Gatting goes for the reverse

Gatting walks back after playing an ill-judged reverse sweep

The most famous example of a reverse sweep backfiring. It was the final of the 1987 World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Australia were facing England, both teams looking for their first World Cup title. England’s bowlers had done quite well to restrict the Aussies to 253. The chase too was well on track as they were comfortably placed at 135 for 2 with two set batsmen, skipper Mike Gatting and Bill Athey out in the middle. Gatting, especially seemed to be in great touch and he had moved on to 41 off just 44 deliveries. Aussie captain, Allan Border decided to bowl some of his slow left-armers. He first delivery pitched on Gatting’s off-stump. The batsman got down on his knees and went for a reverse sweep. The ball went off the top edge of the bat to Gatting’s shoulder before looping up in the air. Keeper Greg Dyer completed an easy catch to end Gatting’s innings. The English skipper’s moment of madness swung the match in Australia’s favour and they went on to win it by 7 runs.

Collis King outshines Richards

Collis King(right) has a chat with Viv Richards

Out batting Vivian Richards in no mean feat. Doing so in a pressure situation like the World Cup final is even more spectacular. Thats exactly what Collis King did in the 1979 World Cup final between West Indies and England at Lords’. The Windies had their backs against the wall when King walked in to join Richards at 99 for 4. As he came in, Richards walked up to him and said, “Hey man, take it easy…we have plenty of time.” King was not having any of that and he cut the first ball he faced off Ian Botham for four. What followed after that was complete mayhem. The ball kept disappearing to all parts of the ground. Richard’s decided to work the singles and savour the action from the other end. King finally fell for 86 off just 66 deliveries but only after he had swung the momentum in favour of West Indies.. Richards took over from there and scored an unbeaten century and took the team to a winning total. West Indies won by 92 runs and had it not been for King, the story might have been very different.

Viv does it for West Indies, but not with the bat

A direct hit from Viv Richards accounts for Greg Chappel

In the 1975 final, Viv Richards was one of only two West Indian batsmen dismissed in single digits. That was a very disappointing performance for someone like Viv Richards who surely would have liked to have made an impact on the big stage. There was an opportunity to do that in the field and Richards grabbed it with both hands. He ran out three key batsmen, opener Alan Turner, skipper Ian Chappell who was looking good with 62, and his brother Greg Chappell. West Indies went on to win the World Cup and Richards had a big role to play in it, though not with the bat as he usually did.

Malinga gets four in four

Malinga celebrates his four in four

The 2007 World Cup didn’t have too many memorable moments. Poor organisation, the death of Bob Woolmer and Australia’s complete domination meant that a large part of the World Cup was rather boring. The super-eight match between Sri Lanka and South Africa was pretty much a one-sided encounter except for the last fifteen minutes or so. Chasing 210 to win, the Proteas were cruising at 206 for 5 when Lasith Malinga struck. He removed Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall with the last two deliveries of the 45th over and followed it up with the scalps of Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini with the first two deliveries of the 47th. It was the first time a bowler had taken four wickets in successive deliveries in an ODI. The Proteas still managed to win the match but Malinga’s last gasp efforts did bring everyone to the edge of their seats for the last few minutes.

Gilmour makes his World Cup debut

Gilmour removes Dennis Amiss

Hosts England faced old foes Australia in the first semi-final of the 1975 World Cup at Headingley in Leeds. Australia’s decision to field first after winning the toss paid rich dividends as Gary Gilmour, playing his first match of the tournament, ripped through the English top order. He picked up six wickets in no time and left the hosts reeling at 36 for 6. England were bundled out for just 93 with Gilmour’s contributing 6 wickets for just 14 runs. Asutralia’s run-chase didn’t get off to a great start either and they too had six men back in the dressing room with just 39 runs on the board. Gilmour came out and shared an unbroken 55 run partnership with Doug Walters that took Australia to the victory target and sent them through to the World Cup final. Gilmour scored a run-a-ball 28 and won one of the most well deserved man-of-the-match awards ever.

South Africa crash out at home

A dejected South African dressing room tells a sorry tale

Hosts South Africa were one of the strongest contenders of the 2003 World Cup. However, defeats against West Indies and New Zealand cast a shadow of doubt on their progress to the next round. In order to go through, they had to win their last group stage match against Sri Lanka, who had already qualified for the next stage. The Lankans set the Proteas a target of 269 to chase down in order to stay alive in the competition. Late in the South African innings, with rain falling steadily, it became clear that the Duckworth-Lewis method would come into action. Word came out from the South African dressing room to the men in the middle that they would have to reach a score of 229 to stay ahead of the Lankans at the end the 45th over provided they didn’t lose any further wickets. They required six off the last two deliveries when Boucher smashed the penultimate delivery into the stands. Believing he had done enough, he tapped the last delivery straight to short mid-wicket before the players were forced to leave the ground. But unfortunately for the Proteas, they had actually tied the match and not won it. No further play was possible and yet again the Duckworth-Lewis method had played a part in South Africa’s exit from the World Cup.

Prasad takes out Sohail

Prasad celebrates the wicket of Sohail

India-Pakistan matches are always fiercely contested ones, and the meeting of the two sides in the 1996 World Cup semi-final at Bangalore was no different. A well compiled 93 from Navjot Singh Sidhu and a destructive 25-ball 45 from Ajay Jadeja took India to a formidable 287. In reply, Pakistan’s openers Saeed Anwar and stand-in skipper, Aamer Sohail got off to a flyer. Anwar departed for 48 but Sohail kept going. Venkatesh Prasad had the ball in his hand in the 15th over with Pakistan at 109. He dropped one short and wide outside the off-stump and Sohail flat-batted it to the extra-cover fence. That wasn’t enough for Sohail and he walked down the pitch, pointed his bat towards the boundary and asked Prasad to fetch the ball. Prasad’s reply was as good as it can get. He ran in and speared one towards Sohail’s off-stump who tried to play a similar stroke. Sohail missed and Prasad hit. The off-stump was uprooted and Prasad gave the batsman a not so pleasant send-off. India went on to win the match and qualify for the semi-finals.

Gilchrist walks

Gilchrist 'walks' in the semi-final in 2003

Very few people ‘walk’ after edging the ball nowadays. Even fewer Australians, who are known to be extremely competitive, do it. But Adam Gilchrist did it and that too at a big stage. Gilchrist had given the Aussies a brisk start after skipper Ricky Ponting had decided to bat first after winning the toss in the 2003 World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka. Lankan skipper, Sanath Jayasuriya decided to bring on Aravinda de Silva to take the pace off the ball. In Aradinda’s second delivery, Gilchrist went for the sweep. He got a thin edge onto his pads and the ball lobbed up towards the leg side and keeper Kumar Sangakkara to complete an easy catch. But the umpire, Rudi Koertzen, seemed to have missed the edge. Gilchrist looked up once, turned back and started to walk towards the pavilion. The decision to walk didn’t have much effect on the result as the Aussies went on to win the match but this act of sportsmanship was appreciated thorughout the cricketing fraternity.

Bangladesh overcome Pakistan

Spectators rush onto the field after Bangladesh's triumph

It was Bangladesh’s first World Cup appearance and they immediately made people around the world take notice. In the group stage match against Pakistan, Bangladesh pulled off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Put into bat by Pakistan, a number of tidy cameos helped them to a decent total of 223. Wickets with the new ball are always useful and Bangladesh had five Pakistani top-order batsmen back in the pavilion with just 42 runs on the board. The rest of the batsmen did all they could to try and claw back, but Bangladesh hung on to the early advantage and clinched victory by 62 runs. The result was inconsequential from Pakistan’s point of view as they had already made it to the next round but for Bangladesh, it was a massive achievement.

Kenya stun West Indies

A jubilant Kenyan side after defeating the West Indies

Kenya came into the 1996 World Cup with little expectation. West Indies were still a formidable side with the likes of Brian Lara, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Richie Richardson in their ranks. Thus, for most people the result of the Kenya-West Indies match of the 1996 World Cup was a foregone conclusion. Things seemed to be going according to script when the Kenyans were bowled out for 166. The chase should have been just a stroll in the park for West Indies, but that was not the case. Rajab Ali and Maurice Odumbe picked up three wickets a piece to bowl West Indies out for just 93. The defeat couldn’t stop the Windies from progressing ahead and for Kenya, it was their only victory. But this was not just any other victory. It was a very special one.

Warne and Australia return from the dead

Warne gets a hug from captain Mark Taylor after the match

The semi-final of the 1996 World Cup between Australia and West Indies saw the Aussies come out of nowhere to clinch victory. Chasing 208, the Windies were coasting at 165 for 2 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul looking good for a century and skipper Richie Richardson too seemed to be in good touch at the other end. Glenn McGrath took out Chanderpaul and Roger Harper in quick time before Warne got into the act. He accounted for Ottis Gibson and Jimmy Adams. Arthurton was snared by Damein Fleming before Warne struck yet again, trapping Ian Bishop in front of the wicket. Richardson’s kept fighting valiantly but it was all in vain as Curtly Ambrose ran himself out in the second ball of the last over and last man, Courtney Walsh lost his off-stump to Fleming off the very first delivery he faced. The Windies fell short by 5 runs. They had lost their last eight wickets for just 37 runs, with Warne picking up three of those for just six runs in a devastating three-over spell.

The cricket World Cup has given us numerous other moments that will always be part of cricketing folklore. Ajay Jadeja taking on Waqar Younis during the 1996 World Cup quarter final, Roy Fredericks walking onto his stumps after hooking Dennis Lillee for a six in the 1975 World Cup final, Javed Miandad jumping up and down so as to imitate Kiran More in 1992 and Martin Crowe’s astonishing catch to dismiss Dave Houghton in 1987 are some other incidents that could have easily been included in the above list. Also, for any fan of Indian cricket, no sight can possibly be more memorable than that of Kapil Dev holding aloft the 1983 World Cup trophy at Lords’. Once again, the World Cup is back to entertain us and one hopes that this time too it will leave behind memories that fans all over the world will cherish forever.

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