5 precious World Cup final innings without a century

he World Cup finals have had a habit of witnessing a century right from its inception. Some centuries come on the back of the early damage caused by the brilliance of the bowlers which makes it even more fruitful. While the other centuries come on the back of setting a good platform right from the start of the innings. However, there are certain innings which didn't result in a hundred but makes it indispensable in the context of the match and it's relevance remains forever.

We look at some of the innings which went slightly unnoticed but sparkled at the same time.

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5. Asanka Gurusinha 65 vs Australia, 1996 World Cup final

Asanka Gurusinha

Asanka Gurusinha was one of the pillars of Sri Lankan batting during their 1996 World Cup victory. His mettle in crisis situations and the ability to drag the team to keep the scoreboard ticking had been one of the highlights of his entire career.

Chasing a tricky score of 242 in the 1996 World Cup final against Australia, Sri Lanka had lost the two openers in quick succession. Gurusinha, batting at No. 3 came together with Arvinda de Silva and revived the Sri Lankan innings with a partnership of 125. De Silva's century without a shadow of doubt deserved the man of the match, however, Gurusinha's contribution was slightly overshadowed.

It was Gurusinha's half-century who came in at No. 3 and helped arrest a potential Sri Lankan slide in the big match. Gurusinha was sent back to the pavilion with the scorecard reading 148-3. Arjuna Ranatunga, the skipper along with De Silva saw Sri Lanka home to deliver the World Cup.

4. Imran Khan 72 vs England, 1992 World Cup final

Imran Khan

Pakistan's World Cup campaign in 1992 had been nothing less of an embarrassing one early on. With just one win out of the five games, an early exit for them had been looming. The no-result against England in the group game had given them a lifeline in which they were blown away for 74. From there on, Pakistan had to beat Australia, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. The Pakistanis ran through them all with some amount of difficulty though.

In the final against England, Imran Khan promoted himself to No. 3 as a specialist batsman after the openers had departed. Graham Gooch, the English skipper had let the game slip from their hands when he dropped Imran Khan on 9. Imran Khan went on to score 72 and along with Javed Miandad added 139 for the fourth wicket. The onslaught in the death overs by Inzamam Ul-Haq and Wasim Akram lead them to a competitive 249.

England had a jittery start with the openers and the middle order batsmen departing which left them teetering at 69-4. Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother brought England back on track with a 71 run partnership. Wasim Akram burst with two wickets in his second spell in the 35th over which had nearly put England on the brink. Imran Khan took the final wicket of Richard Illingworth to complete a successful World Cup performance.

3. David Boon 75 vs England, 1987 World Cup final

David Boon

David Boon was one of the prominent Australian cricketers to have played. He has made more than 100 appearances in both Tests and limited overs cricket. David Boon notably, has also served as a national selector and a match referee. David Boon's innings of 75 in the World Cup final was of great significance where Australia snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

David Boon was the anchor with the innings of 75 which also awarded him the man of the match. Dean Jones and the skipper Allan Border's contributions and the late rally by the forgotten hero Mike Veletta pummelled Australia to a cutthroat score of 253.

England were well on course even after losing Tim Robinson early on. Bill Athey had scored an extremely important fifty. Allan Lamb's innings was equally priceless in the wake of the chase. The crucial moment of the match came when Mike Gatting played a reverse sweep, thereby nicking it to the keeper.

Allan Lamb's 45 kept them in the hunt, however, couldn't hold the nerve to take England home. Craig McDermott bowled the last over with England requiring 17 off the final over. Eventually, England fell seven runs short of the target, letting Australia lift their inaugural World Cup.

2. Gautam Gambhir 97 vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup final

Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir had played one of the greatest innings in a World Cup final, soaking the pressure in a tremendous pressure among a high voltage Mumbai crowd. Chasing a competitive score of 275 in a final, Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both had been sent back in a little more than six overs. It was up to the middle order batsmen to take some calculated risk, build partnerships and get them the required stability.

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir built a much-needed partnership in a brisk pace. The batsmen put on 83 for the third wicket. Tillakaratne Dilshan was brought into the attack and he dismissed Kohli for 35. Nevertheless, Gautam Gambhir was solid in his innings of 97 off 122 deliveries which included 9 boundaries. He was castled by Thisara Perera in the 42nd over almost before seeing his team home and winning the ultimate prize.

Earlier in the day, Mahela Jayawardene had scored a glorious century with Dilshan and Sangakkara making some useful contributions. Thisara Perera provided the much-needed arsenal of power hitting in the slog overs which got Sri Lanka to 274, which looked unassailable at that time.

1.MS Dhoni 91 vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup final

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni played a Captain's knock and a blinder of an innings in the final. MS Dhoni chose the perfect day to rise to the occasion to outplay Sri Lanka completely to snatch the victory from them. Mahendra Singh Dhoni left the Wankhede stadium in awe with his inspiring innings. After the match, the veteran Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted on the shoulders of his team-mates, galloping the national flag above his head. In a career spanning two decades, he was finally a World Cup champion.

After Gambhir and Kohli's partnership which brought back life in the Indian dugout, Kohli had been shown the way to the pavilion by Dilshan. Yuvraj Singh was in a sparkling form, however, to everyone's surprise, Dhoni stepped up to the challenge. Dhoni had come to the park at 114-3 and struck 91 off just 79 balls with eight boundaries and a couple of maximums.

MS Dhoni, at the halfway mark of his innings, was suffering from a back problem, however, he handled the immense pressure with phenomenal bravery. He had a poor batting record in World Cups with 34 being his highest score. He indemnified for everything by promoting himself to No. 4, playing a fine knock to pull off a heist, thereby also earning him the man of the match award. Dhoni finished the game off with his trademark shot, sending the ball flying over long on for a six.