Top 5 World Cup specialists: Part 1

‘Cometh the hour, cometh the man.’ While this adage is applicable to almost any situation in life (and across genders), in the cricketing context, the greatest ‘hour’ comes once in every four years when the top teams in the world converge to battle it out to determine the greatest among them all – at least till the next time the epoch event occurs. True to the saying, several men have indeed stepped up to the occasion: some were excellent exponents of the game who stretched the limits of the high levels they themselves set on lesser platforms, while others shone in a different light altogether when performing on the biggest stage of cricket.The following slideshow is the Part 1 of a dual series dedicated to identifying these World Cup (WC) specialists, with the current instalment focusing on bowlers who have upped the ante when their country needed it the most.The selection is made on the basis of a quantitative methodology, the key criteria of which are as follows:Minimum qualification: 35 wickets in WCsScore: This has been calculated by multiplying the three essential parameters a bowler is assessed upon – Average, Economy Rate (ER) and Strike Rate (SR). For example, a bowler with an average of 20, an ER of 4, and an SR of 40 will have a score of 20 x 4 x 40 = 3200. As with most statistics associated with bowling, lower the score, better is the performance.Greater the difference between their career scores and the WC scores, the higher will the bowler feature on this list.Do note that the focus is not on absolute WC performances, but relative to the bowler’s overall career, which is why the highest wicket-taker in the World Cups barely makes it to this list, and numbers two (Muttiah Muralitharan just misses out) and three (Wasim Akram’s WC performance actually dips slightly below his overall) do not feature at all. Read on, and take a call for yourself if statistics do paint the true picture or not.

#5 Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath routed minnows Namibia with his spell of 7-15

The highest wicket-taker in the history of the 50-over World Cup, Glenn McGrath just about makes it to this list, simply because he was almost as good throughout the rest of his One Day International (ODI) career. Covering four WCs from 1996 – 2007 in his long stride, the lanky pacer racked up 71 wickets at an astounding average and an ER of 18.19 and 3.96 respectively. After a forgetful 1996 WC, McGrath stamped his authority over the 1999 edition in England, picking 18 wickets to finish a touch behind compatriot Shane Warne and Kiwi Geoff Allott (both with 20 wickets). While he strung together several consistent performances, the 5-14 against West Indies at Manchester, which included castling Brian Lara with a peach of a delivery, was the most memorable.

The Pigeon went from strength to strength in his next two WCs, picking up 21 and 26 wickets in the 2003 and 2007 instalments respectively, winning the Player-of-the-Tournament award in the latter, which was also his final international appearance for Australia.

McGrath’s 7-15 against minnows Namibia in the 2003 edition remains the best bowling figures in a WC till date, which he followed up with a number of clinical spells, including a 3-wicket haul against India in the final to ease the Aussies towards their second WC on the trot.

Four years later, showing no signs of any dip in form, usually associated with players on the fringe of retirement, McGrath returned one final time to spur the Aussies onto a hat-trick of WC triumphs. The Daily Telegraph hailed his longevity with the quote:

‘He was branded too old and too hittable. But if someone told Glenn McGrath this was a World Cup too far, he didn't hear them.’

An amazing feature of McGrath’s performance in the 2007 Cup, held in the West Indies, was his unwavering consistency in terms of picking wickets: he did not go wicket-less in any game and picked up three-wicket hauls in 6 out of the 11 matches played.

The Aussies missed him in 2011, and, in their quest for the 2015 WC, will be desperately hoping for someone to step into those large shoes and replicate, to some extent, the iron-hold he had on the marquee tournament in cricket.

	Matches	Wickets	Average	ER	SR	Score	Score Differential
Overall	250	381	22.02	3.88	34.0	2904.9	924.0
WC	39	71	18.19	3.96	27.5	1980.9

#4 Brett Lee

A bruised Brett Lee tried his best to stop India in the 2011 WC quarter-final

Credited with bowling the third fastest delivery in international cricket history, Brett Lee, though quite successful, fell slightly short in terms of the huge potential he exuded after bursting onto the scene during the 1999-00 Test series against India. Lee made it to number nine among highest wicket-takers in WCs despite playing at least one tournament lesser than everyone else ahead of him on that list (he missed the 2007 WC on account of injury).

Lee had an excellent 2003 World Cup, finishing as the second-highest wicket-taker (behind Chaminda Vaas) with 22 wickets at an average of 17.9 and an acceptable ER of 4.73. The tearaway quick’s five-wicket burst in the Super Sixes round subjected New Zealand to the ignominy of being bowled out for 112 and all but cemented Australia’s place in the semi-finals. Lee was particularly effective against sub-continental teams, picking three wickets each against India, during the qualifying round, and Sri Lanka, in the crucial semi-final. The right-hander’s tight spell of 2-31 in the all-important final against India, in partnership with McGrath, snuffed out any hopes which the batting team may have harboured while chasing the imposing target before them, to help Australia win their third WC crown.

Though included in Australia’s WC 2011 squad, questions were being raised on his ability and match fitness, but Binga silenced critics by ending up as Australia’s highest wicket-taker in the tournament and often waged a lone battle against opponent batsmen, with most of his fellow bowlers having a miserable WC. Facing Pakistan in a must-win encounter (to avoid meeting India in the quarters) in their final qualifying match, the Australians were bowled out for 176. Lee bowled his heart out during the second innings, but his 4-28 was the only spell of note as Pakistan squeezed home to a four wicket victory.

Australia’s bowling was even more toothless against India, and, though Lee took skipper MS Dhoni’s wicket at a crucial juncture, the hosts, on the back of composed innings from Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina, cruised to the victory target of 261 with 5 wickets to spare. Battered and bruised (from a cut while attempting to save a boundary), the Telegraph heaped praise on Lee’s valiant effort and stated that the quick tried everything to prevent Australia losing, which even skipper Ricky Ponting acknowledged:

"If we all had that sort of attitude and that will in his eyes to get the job done, then things may have been slightly different"

	Matches	Wickets	Average	ER	SR	Score	Score Differential
Overall	221	380	23.36	4.76	29.4	3269.1	1339.2
WC	17	35	17.97	4.57	23.5	1929.9

#3 Chaminda Vaas

Chaminda Vaas during his spectacular spell against Bangladesh in the 2003 WC

The mainstay of Sri Lanka’s pace bowling attack through the mid-90s and early 2000s, Chaminda Vaas played in four WCs from 1996 to 2007 and is number 4 in the list of highest wicket-takers in ODI WCs with 49 wickets. While he wasn’t too successful in the first two, the left armer topped bowling charts in the 2003 WC in South Africa, picking up 23 wickets at an average of 14.4 and an economy rate of 3.76.

He used his experience to good effect against weaker sides, decimating Bangladesh with a six-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick in the first over, and leaving minnows like Canada and Kenya clueless as he regularly made the ball talk, in helpful conditions. In a close game against the West Indies, his 4-22 and 25-ball 28 proved decisive, winning him the Player-of-the-Match award.

When Sri Lanka ran into the rampaging Australian side in the semi-finals, Vaas accounted for Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, India’s wreckers-to-be in the final, cheaply, and his three wickets were instrumental in restricting the Aussies to 212; however, a poor batting display saw the Lankans fall well short of the target and knocked out of the tournament. In the process, as reported by the BBC, Vaas broke the record for the highest number of wickets in a single WC, which he would hold till the next edition when McGrath took over the mantle.

In the twilight of his career, Vaas came up with yet another admirable showing in the 2007 WC, picking up 13 wickets at an average of 22 and an economy rate of 3.68. His consistency was a crucial factor spurring the Lankans to the tournament final where they again ran into Australia, their nemesis from four years back, and abjectly surrendered, incidentally the only match wherein Vaas went wicket-less and was expensive (ER of 6.75) by his own high standards.

	Matches	Wickets	Average	ER	SR	Score	Score Differential
Overall	322	400	27.53	4.18	39.4	4533.0	1838.2
WC	31	49	21.22	3.97	32.0	2695.8

#2 Jacob Oram

Jacob Oram was bowling at his best durng the 2011 World Cup

Probably the biggest surprise on this list, New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram lifted his performance several notches during all the three WCs he participated in from 2003-11. Unsung like several of his national teammates, the Kiwi has a very respectable overall bowling record: 173 wickets at an average of 29 and an economy rate of 4.4. Also taking into account his power-hitting abilities, the big all-rounder has been an indispensable asset for the Black Caps over the past decade.

The highest podium of ODI cricket seems to make his apparently innocuous bowling even more potent; Oram is on number 8 in the list of highest wicket-takers in ODI WCs, fitting in with remarkable ease among some of the biggest names in world cricket. In line with his overall on-field persona, the all-rounder never looked spectacular, but did his job with even more clinical efficiency when the stage was the biggest. While his numbers, across all three WCs he participated in, indicated a significant leap from the usual, it was in the 2011 WC that he was at his best, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 18.4 and an SR of 24.9. Particularly memorable was his Player-of-the-Match earning bowling performance against the Proteas in the third quarter final at Mirpur, where, defending a mediocre total of 221, his 4-39 broke the back of the South African batting line-up and propelled the Kiwis into their sixth WC semi-final.

As reported by the Telegraph, the tall all-rounder had quit Test cricket in 2009 with the aim of being in contention for the 2011 WC.

“For the sake of longevity I have had to make a decision that will decrease my workload so I can concentrate all my efforts on the shorter forms of the game. The ICC World Cup in 2011 is a major focus for me and I am highly motivated to be fit and firing for that.”

Given the results, the move definitely paid off.

	Matches	Wickets	Average	ER	SR	Score	Score Differential
Overall	160	173	29.17	4.38	39.9	5097.8	2376.9
WC	23	36	21.33	4.21	30.3	2720.9

#1 Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan exults after taking a wicket in the 2011 World Cup

Though his overall figures in ODI cricket are superior to those while playing in whites, Zaheer Khan is often hailed as the best Test medium pacer to have graced the country in the new millennium. This is probably because he is well known to have been influential in several overseas Test victories, whereas his ODI career, marred with injuries, has had a relatively fewer spread out match-winning performances, with approximately 1/6th of his career wickets coming in two tournaments – the 2003 and 2011 WCs, held in South Africa and the Indian sub-continent, respectively.

Number 5 in the list of highest wicket-takers in ODI WCs (tied with compatriot Javagal Srinath) with 44 wickets, the left-armer announced his arrival on the biggest stage of cricket in the 2003 edition, when – coming off the back of a confidence boosting bowling performance in New Zealand a couple of months back – he spearheaded the Indian campaign, well aided by Srinath and Ashish Nehra, together forging the best ever display of pace bowling by an Indian team witnessed by me in a single tournament (barring the final), which culminated in one of the most amazing runs by India in a marquee tournament in alien conditions. His spellbinding run in the tournament included the annihilation of the familiar Kiwi batsmen, and his four wickets sent them plummeting to 146 all out, resulting in an easy victory for India.

After playing only three matches in the 2007 WC owing to India’s early exit, Khan came roaring back in the 2011 edition, emerging as the highest wicket-taker (tied with Shahid Afridi) in the tournament with 21 scalps. Akin to McGrath in the 2007 edition, the left-armer neither went wicket-less in any match nor picked up more than three wickets on any occasion, reflecting the extreme levels of consistency maintained over the course of the tournament, thereby becoming an essential cog – along with Yuvraj Singh – in India lifting the coveted trophy for the second time in their history. Cricinfo rated him as the game-breaker of the tournament:

“In the tottering-teetering four weeks of India's World Cup, if Yuvraj Singh has been fire fighter with the bat and the ball, Zaheer has been its game-breaker. The leader of a bowling union that has been pilloried for lacking express pace and incisive spin, Zaheer has kept it all together.”

While it is a pity that the rest of his ODI career has not been able to match up to the standards set during the World Cups, this makes a strong case for the left-armer’s inclusion, if fit, in India’s squad for the 2015 tournament.