5 cricketers who did well in both Champions Trophy and World Cup

There are certain players who love the big stage and come out with flying colours when given the opportunity to represent their country at the world level. Multi-nation events such as the ICC World Cup and the Champions Trophy are great platforms to showcase one’s talent as the whole world is watching.

Match winning performances in such events do not fade away from the memory of the fans and in many cases also become a part of golden pages of cricketing history.

We have a look at 5 such players who were at the top of their game for not just one instalment of a world tournament but turned up with consistent performances, in turn helping their teams clinch world titles.

#5 Rahul Dravid

BATTING	Innings	Runs	Avg.	S.R.	50s	100s	Best
CT Record	15	627	48.23	73.33	6	0	76
World Cup Record	21	860	61.43	74.98	6	2	145

The ever Mr. Dependable, Rahul Dravid is the only Indian cricketer to feature in six editions of the ICC Champions Trophy, being a member of the squad from the tournament’s inception in 1998 till 2009. The team man that Dravid was, he batted at different positions between No. 3 and No. 6 and also took up the wicketkeeping responsibility in 2002. Coming in to bat at precarious situations, he bailed out India in many matches.

Dravid ‘The Wall’ made his first appearance in a World Cup match in 1999 in England and ended up as the highest run scorer of the tournament with 461 runs to his name. He scored back to back hundreds against Kenya where he was involved with Tendulkar in a 237-run stand and then against Sri Lanka where he paired up with Sourav Ganguly for a record breaking 318-run partnership.

In 2003, in South Africa, vice-captain Dravid allowed the team to rope in an extra batsman as he played the role of full-time wicketkeeper en route to India’s runners-up finish at the event. The only chink in his World Cup armour would remain the shocking exit India had to face in 2007 when he was at the helm of affairs of the team.

#4 Jacques Kallis

Kallis was Player of Tournament in South Africa’s only ICC triumph

BATTING	Innings	Runs	Avg.	S.R.	50s	100s	Best
CT Record	17	653	46.64	77.46	3	1	113*
World Cup Record	32	1148	45.92	74.4	9	1	128*

BOWLING	Wickets	Avg.	S.R.	Econ.	4 WI	Best
CT Record	20	26.25	31.9	4.92	1	5-30
World Cup Record	21	43.05	60.29	4.28	0	3-26

Just like Dravid, Jacques Kallis carried the responsibility of his team for a major part of his career. In terms of Champions Trophy appearances, Kallis’ highest point came in the inaugural edition in 1998. The man from the rainbow nation hit a stunning 113* against Sri Lanka in the semi final and bowled his team to success with a magical spell of 5-20 against the Windies in the night of the final.

He was adjudged Man of the Match on both the aforementioned occasions and also bagged the Player of the Series award. This trophy remains the only one in South Africa’s cabinet as far as ICC events are concerned.

The burly all-rounder looked solid in the ’99 edition of the World Cup in England scoring 312 runs at an average of 52 but disappointed in ’03 with just 63 runs to his name. He returned to being the hefty string batsman we know in 2007 where he was the Proteas’ highest run getter with 485 runs. He also added 225 runs in 2011 which happened to be his last World Cup appearance and unfortunately for him and his fellow countrymen, he could not help his team shed the tag of the ‘Chokers’.

#3 Muttiah Muralitharan

‘Murali’ is a modern day great and one of the greatest to have played the game

BOWLING	Wickets	Avg.	S.R.	Econ.	4 WI	Best
CT Record	24	20.16	33.5	3.6	2	4-15
World Cup Record	68	19.63	30.31	3.89	4	4-19

‘Murali’ as he is fondly called, Muttiah Muralitharan will always remain the greatest bowler born in Sri Lankan cricket and arguably one of the best the world has ever seen. There is no surprise that he features on this list of players to have performed well across not just the Champions Trophy but also the World Cup and not once but each time he turned out on the cricket field.

His best at the ‘Mini World Cup’ came in 2002 at home when Sri Lanka were eventual co-champions alongside India. The offie picked up 10 wickets at a mind boggling average of 7 which went a long way in helping the Lankan Lions to roar throughout the tournament. His economy rate of 3.6 is the best for any bowler to have played the tournament.

In the mega event of the World Cup, Murali did not disappoint as he picked 17 wickets in 2003 and 11 in 2015. He was the highest wicket taker in 2007 with 26 scalps to his name.

#2 Sourav Ganguly

‘Dada’ was one o the most explosive opening batsman who ruled ICC events

BATTING	Innings	Runs	Avg.	S.R.	50s	100s	Best
CT Record	11	665	73.88	83.12	3	3	141*
World Cup Record	21	1006	55.89	77.5	3	4	183*

Sourav Ganguly was in charge of a team during an uncertain time post a fixing scandal and ‘Dada’ did well to build his team and instil in them a self-belief and fearless attitude of beating any opposition under any given circumstance and situation. Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan all got their reckoning moments in the Champions Trophy under the captaincy of Ganguly.

‘Lord of the off-side’, Sourav was at his punishing best when it came to ICC events. He remains India’s most successful batsman till date with 665 runs to his name. He also shares the record for the most number of centuries in the event’s history. Under him India won the 2002 edition after he was the highest scorer at the 2000 edition which India lost narrowly in the final. With 12 catches in 13 matches, the ‘Prince of Kolkata’ also holds the record for most catches.

Ganguly replicated his success in the World Cup as well. In 1999, he finished third on the list of highest aggregators with 379 runs that included a knock of 183 against Sri Lanka which also remains the highest individual score by an Indian in World Cup history.

In 2003 when he was skipper, he led from the front as he was the second highest run-scorer of the tournament next only to teammate Sachin Tendulkar. Scoring 465 runs at 58.12, his only blemish remains that he could not take India over the line in the final as they were blown away by the mighty Aussies.

#1 Glenn McGrath

McGrath was a part of three World Cup and one Champions Trophy Australian winning squad

BOWLING	Wickets	Avg.	S.R.	Econ.	4 WI	Best
CT Record	21	19.61	29.1	4.03	1	5-37
World Cup Record	71	18.20	27.54	3.97	2	7-15

Glenn McGrath is undoubtedly the best pace bowler the world has seen in the last two decades if not more. The unerring accuracy with which he delivered the cricket ball made him one of the best exponents of seam bowling making it extremely difficult for batsmen to score off him which led to them giving away their wicket. Director of the MRF Pace Foundation now, McGrath was a major contributor to Australia’s dominance of cricket in the 1990-2010 era.

His best performances in the Champions Trophy came against the Kiwis; he picked up 5-37 in 2002 and in the semi final of 2006 he bowled Australia to the final by picking up 3-22. In the final of the same edition which Australia eventually won, ‘Pigeon’ picked up the crucial wicket of opposition skipper Brian Lara.

The World Cup was to him as a kingdom is to his ruler. The leading wicket-taker in the history of the marquee event, McGrath was the principal destructor as Australia won a hat-trick of titles in ’99, ’03 and ’07, each time making one Asian supergiant look like a school cricket team.

He also holds the record for the best figures in the event’s history; his 7-15 coming against Namibia in 2003 as the African nation were humbled by the class of the ace fast bowler. His average of 18.20 runs per wicket is the best across the World Cup which is testament to how miserly he was when it came to giving away runs and at the same time kept the pressure on the batsmen. He was finally crowned Man of the Tournament in 2007 with which came an end to his ODI career.