Cricket World Cup History: Top 5 bowling figures in World Cup history

#4 Winston Davis (West Indies) - 7/51 vs Australia in 1983 Prudential World Cup

Davis' record remained unbroken for nearly 20 years

Gary Gilmour's 6/14 was the best bowling figures in World Cup history for nearly 8 years before Winston Davis became the first bowler to pickup 7 wickets in a World Cup match. Davis was a talented pacer but was born in an era when the West Indies had many outstanding quicks in their arsenal.

As a result, he could only play 35 ODIs for the Windies. Despite the limited opportunities, Davis recorded the then best bowling figures in WC history by picking up 7 wickets for 51 runs against Australia.

After the Windies batsmen set a target of 253, the record spell gave the island nation a 101-run win. Davis' record stood strong for nearly 20 years before it got overhauled in the 2003 World Cup.

One interesting thing about the records of Gilmour and Davis was that they both came at Headingley.

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#3 Tim Southee (New Zealand) - 7/33 vs England in 2015 ICC World Cup

Southee demolished the English batting lineup

New Zealand's most successful campaign in the World Cup came in 2015 when the Kiwis co-hosted the tournament along with Australia. One of the main reasons behind New Zealand's journey to the finals was the performances of the Kiwi pacers.

One such Kiwi pacer who lit up the 2015 World Cup with was Tim Southee. Southee ran through the England batting line-up, taking 7 wickets in 9 overs. As a result, England were bowled out for just 123 runs, a total which was comfortably chased down by New Zealand batsman in less than 13 overs.