Waugh-Warne's ambitious escapade - World Cup 1999 records and stats

ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, which was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, was played in England along with Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Netherlands. A total of 42 fixtures were played in the tournament from 14th May to 20th June 1999 featuring twelve teams. Two groups were divided with six teams each and the top three from both groups advancing the Super Six stage. Pakistan, Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand played the semi-finals, finishing top four in the Super Six stage.

Pakistan and New Zealand battled it out in the first semi-final at the Old Trafford, Manchester. Pakistan cruised to a massive 9-wicket victory courtesy Saeed Anwar’s unbeaten 133 and Shoaib Akhtar’s 3-wicket haul.

The second semi-final between Australia and South Africa turned out to be probably the most exciting world cup match of all time. That epic encounter swung both ways before Lance Klusener brought South Africa on the brink of a famous victory, only to succumb under pressure when it mattered the most. Australia dramatically sealed their finale berth after the match finished in a tie.

The final of the 1999 World Cup was played between Pakistan and Australia at the home of cricket, the Lord’s. A highly anticipated game sadly turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Asian outfit was bundled out for just 132 runs on the board. Shane Warne changed the game in favor of the Kangaroos with his brilliant spell of leg-spin bowling, taking 4/33.

Adam Gilchrist wrapped up the game in style with his quickfire 54 off 36 balls, taking Australia over the line in just 20.1 overs with eight wickets in hand. Steve Waugh became the second Australian captain to lift the World Cup after Allan Border in 1987.

Rahul Dravid emerged as the leading run-scorer in the 1999 World Cup with 461 runs in his eight innings. He scored two splendid centuries along with three fifties and scored the most number of boundaries in the tournament. Geoff Allott and Warne were the leading wicket-takers of the 1999 World Cup with their tally of 20 wickets. Warne turned out to be the X-factor for the eventual World Champions.

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Batting Stats

Most Runs: Rahul Dravid (IND) – 461 Runs

Highest Score: Sourav Ganguly (IND) – 183 vs Sri Lanka

Most Centuries: Rahul Dravid (IND) – 2

Most Fifties: Rahul Dravid (IND) – 5

Highest Average: Lance Klusener (SA) – 140.50

Highest Strike-Rate: Tom Moody (AUS) – 130.00

Most Sixes: Lance Klusener (SA) – 10

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Bowling Stats

Most Wickets: Geoff Allott(NZ) and Shane Warne(AUS) – 20

Best Bowling Figures: Glenn McGrath (AUS) – 8.4-3-14-5

Best Average: Courtney Walsh (WI) – 9.81

Best Economy Rate: Courtney Walsh (WI) – 2.29

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Fielding Stats

Most Catches: Daryll Cullinan (SA) – 8