Top 10 batting performances in World Cup History

The World Cup – the biggest cricketing event in the world – is about to begin in less than a week. In the 10 editions of the tournament played so far, various players have shone in different aspects of the game. There have been many brilliant batting performances and many of them have changed the course of the matches while rewriting history at the same time.Ahead of the World Cup, let us look at the top 10 batting performances in the quadrennial event’s history:

#10 Collis King vs England (1979)

Collis King had a short career and this was his most memorable knock. In the 1979 WC final against England, West Indies were in all sorts of trouble at 99/4 when King walked in. He defied orders from his colleague, Sir Viv Richards and went after the bowlers, especially Geoff Boycott.

He took the attack to the opposition and saved West Indies from a batting collapse. Though Richards played a more important role and stayed till the end, King out-batted Richards till he was there at the crease. He scored 86 of 66 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes. West Indies won the match by 92 runs.

#9 Sourav Ganguly vs Sri Lanka (1999)

India were off to a terrible start in the 1999 world cup, winning only one of their first three matches. Next up was a match against the defending champions, Sri Lanka and India had to win it to go through to the next stage. After electing to bat first, India lost Sadagopan Ramesh early and were in a bit of a bother before Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid started to dominate the proceedings. The southpaw did the main damage scoring 183 of 158 balls, clearing the fence 7 times and hitting 17 boundaries. Together with Dravid, he decimated the Sri Lankan attacking boasting of names like Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. India scored 373 in 50 overs and won by a record 157 runs.

#8 Aravinda De Silva vs Australia (1996)

The first day and night ODI in Pakistan was the final of the World Cup 1996. Sri Lanka asked Australia to bat after winning the toss and managed to keep them to a modest total of 245 in 50 overs. But, the Aussies fought back. They got two early wickets and the pressure was on Aravinda De Silva to bail Sri Lanka out of trouble.

The bowlers were on top, but De Silva settled in and was content to knock the ball around and punish the loose ball. He was so effective at rotating the strike that he didn’t need to go for big shots. He ended up scoring 107* of 124 balls with no sixes and steered Sri Lanka to victory.

#7 Clive Lloyd vs Australia (1975)

This is an example of the captain leading from the front. After being invited to bat first, West Indies couldn't cope up with the Australian fast bowlers and were tottering at 50/3 when Clive Lloyd walked in. He immediately took control of the situation, pulling, hooking and cutting with ease.

When he got out with the score at 199/3, he had made sure that West Indies had an excellent platform laid out for them to get a mammoth total and that’s exactly what they did. Lloyd scored a quickfire 102 off just 85 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes to bring the advantage to West Indies. Australia lost the match by 17 runs.

#6 Vivian Richards vs England (1979)

Viv Richards is considered the most aggressive, exciting batsman of all time by many people. But this inning vs England was a responsible, patient inning which won West Indies the World Cup. He came in at 22/1 and kept playing at one end. When Collis King started playing shots and they paid off, Richards calmly played second fiddle and let him take centre stage.

And once King was out, Richards knew that only half the job was done and went on to complete the full quota of 60 overs, remaining unbeaten on 138 of 157 balls. Though King should also be given a lot of credit, it was Richards who consolidated and made sure West Indies got to a huge total.

#5 Ricky Ponting vs India (2003)

The Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly had shocked many people by entering the World Cup finals in 2003. Many people thought they might go all the way but Ricky Ponting came in between. After being put in to bat, Australia had a great start and Ponting could afford to start slowly. He reached his 50 of 74 balls and then, a carnage followed.

He began to dispatch the Indian bowlers to all parts of the Wanderers’ stadium and finished with a flamboyant 140 of 121 balls, clearing the boundary 8 times, to take Australia to 359/2 in 50 overs. India never looked like threatening that total.

#4 Adam Gilchrist vs Sri Lanka (2007)

Australia’s strategy in the 2007 World Cup final was to bat Sri Lanka out of the contest. Adam Gilchrist was to come out and attack the Sri Lankan bowlers right from the start. And didn’t he pull it off with aplomb! He came out all guns blazing and the Sri Lankans didn’t know what hit them.

He scored a magnificent 149 of just 109 balls with 13 fours and 8 sixes to help Australia reach 281/4 in the allotted 38 overs (overs were reduced due to rain). Sri Lanka never really recovered and went on to lose the match by 53 runs. Australia won their third consecutive world cup.

#3 M.S.Dhoni vs Sri Lanka (2011)

The finals of the 2011 World Cup contested between India and Sri Lanka. Mahela Jayawardene played a splendid knock of 103* after Sri Lanka opted to bat, to take them to 274. Chasing 275 in a World Cup final was a daunting task, and it was made tougher when Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar fell early. MS Dhoni, who came in ahead of Yuvraj Singh at 121/3 took the match away from Sri Lanka.

He scored runs quickly and took the pressure off Gautam Gambhir, who played a superb innings as well. When Gautam Gambhir fell, Dhoni took it upon his shoulders and won the game for India, finishing in style with a huge six over long on. This inning will be remembered for a long time.

#2 Steve Waugh vs South Africa (1999)

Australia had lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage and went into the super 6 with no margin for error. The match versus South Africa was one that Australia had to win to clinch a semifinal berth. South Africa posted 271 in their 50 overs courtesy of a spectacular 100 from Herschelle Gibbs. Australia were struggling at 48/3 when Steve Waugh walked in.

He started briskly and played some punishing shots to reach his 50 of just 47 balls. When on 56, he flicked a delivery to Gibbs, who took it, but in his eagerness to celebrate by throwing it upwards, dropped the ball. Waugh told him, “You’ve dropped the match” and went on to win the match for the Aussies by scoring an unbeaten 120 of 110 balls.

#1 Kapil Dev vs Zimbabwe (1983)

This is the perfect example of ‘captain’s knock’. In a must win game against Zimbabwe, India were tottering at 17/5, having lost the openers and all their top order batsmen. The organizers were getting worried that the match would be over by lunchtime. But Kapil Dev had other ideas.

He walked out and took the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers right away. He used the short boundary on one side to good effect. He took India from a precarious 78/7 at one stage to a very respectable 266/8. He scored 175* of 138 balls, hitting 16 boundaries and 6 sixes along the way. India never looked back from that match and went on to win the world cup.