Fascinating Facts from the History of Cricket World Cups

1. Highest run-getter in World Cups

During his knock of 52 against the Netherlands in the 2003 World Cup, Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Javed Miandad (1083) to become the highest run-getter in World Cup history. Eventually, Tendulkar finished with 2278 runs in World Cups.

2. Brothers in arms

Dayle Hadlee, Richard Halee and Barry Hadlee all played for New Zealand in the inaugural World Cup in England.

3. The Youngest World Cup winner

Aged 22 years and 3 months, Piyush Chawla was the youngest to taste World Cup success when MS Dhoni's devils defeated Sri Lanka in Mumbai in 2011.

4. Martyn ignores broken finger to be part of history

Australian batsman Damien Martyn batted with a broken finger and shared a match-changing 234-run stand with Ricky Ponting in the 2003 World Cup final. Martyn finished unbeaten on 88.

5. The best and worst bowling average

Pakistani batsman Mohammad Yousuf has the best bowling average (0.00) in World Cup history. Yousuf took the wicket of Zimbabwe's Christopher Mpofu with the very first ball he bowled in the 2007 World Cup. Contrastingly, New Zealand off-spinner John Bracewell has the worst average. Featuring in two World Cups (1983, 1987), Bracewell played seven matches, conceded 310 runs and picked up just 1 wicket, meaning he had an average of 310.

6. Tendulkar's clever strategy

During the 2003 World Cup, ever since India changed their opening partnership after their group game against Australia, Virender Sehwag took strike for three successive matches. However, when India took on arch-rivals Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar thought Wasim Akram would have too many tricks up his sleeve for young Sehwag and told him that he will take strike. Eventually, Tendulkar hit a couple of lovely boundaries in the very first over to set the tone for a convincing Indian victory.

7. A shocking revelation from Madan Lal

"I was not supposed to bowl the over in which I dismissed Viv Richards," expressed Madan Lal, several years after the 1983 World Cup final. Perhaps, destiny wanted the underdogs to become top dogs.

8. Pakistan end Australia's rampaging streak

Australia's 34-match unbeaten streak in World Cups was ended by Pakistan in 2011. During that sequence, Australia won three titles, beat 15 different opponents and used 34 players.

9. The oldest to play the World Cup

In 1996, Nolan Clarke of the Netherlands became the oldest player (47 years, 257 days) to play in a World Cup.

10. The first ever hat-trick in the history of World Cups

Chetan Sharma dismissed Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Chatfield off successive deliveries in 1987, thus recording the first ever hat-trick in the history of World Cups. It was also the first hat-trick by an Indian in ODIs.

11. The coin goes up twice in a World Cup final

The coin had to be tossed twice at the 2011 World Cup final. When the coin went up for the first time, match referee Jeff Crowe could not hear the call from Kumar Sangakkara. The coin came down as heads and Sangakkara reckoned he called the right side of the coin and was about to say that his side would bat first. However, MS Dhoni said that he heard a call of 'tails' from Sangakkara. Crowe then said that the coin would go up once more.

12. Tendulkar didn't want Chappell for 2007 World Cup

In his autobiography - Playing It My Way - Sachin Tendulkar revealed that he did not want Greg Chappell with the team for the 2007 World Cup. Several Indian players accused Chappell of creating a negative environment in the dressing room.

13. Cricket experiences 100mph for the first time

Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar bowled cricket's first recorded 100 mph delivery against England's Nick Knight in the 2003 World Cup.

14. When the rain-rule betrayed South Africa

South Africa needed 22 runs off 13 balls when the heavens opened up during their 1992 semifinal against England. When the players strode out to resume the match after the rain eased off, the revised target, courtesy the controversial rain-rule method, was said to be 22 needed off 7 balls. Moments later, the big screen showed 22 needed off 1 ball (the target was actually 21 off 1 ball), ending South Africa's hopes of making it to the final.

15. A very very emotional hundred

Sachin Tendulkar returned from his father's funeral in India the day before and hit a splendid 100 against Kenya at Bristol in the 1999 World Cup. He was given a standing ovation when he made his entry into the ground. He went on to record an unbeaten 237-run stand with Rahul Dravid, then the highest partnership for the third wicket in ODIs.

16. One of the greatest comebacks by a bowler

After carting Venkatesh Prasad for a boundary during the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal match against India, Pakistan's Aamer Sohail showed the direction in which he hit the ball to Prasad, gesturing him to go and fetch it. Prasad returned strongly the next ball by knocking over Sohail's off stump and signalled him to walk back to the dressing room. Eventually, India went on to clinch the high-voltage clash and progress to the semifinal.

17. Miandad comes out of retirement to play six Worlds Cups

Javed Miandad returned to international cricket just 10 days after announcing his retirement in 1994. Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had a discussion with Miandad, after which the star batsman decided to change his mind. Featuring in the 1996 World Cup, Miandad became the first cricketer to play six World Cups.

18. Gilly uses a squash ball to smash the cricket ball

During the 2007 World Cup final, Adam Gilchrist used a squash ball in his bottom hand glove to enhance the grip and prevent the bat from turning in his hands. It was his batting coach, Bob Meuleman, who had advised Gilchrist to use the foreign object for better grip. After getting to his hundred, Gilchrist credited his coach by raising his left hand and pointing to the squash ball.

19. A World Cup without playing a single game

Interestingly, left-arm pacer Sunil Valson became the first player to win a World Cup without even featuring in a single game. Valson was selected in the Indian squad for the 1983 World Cup, but he never got a game in the tournament. Ironically, he was never picked for India again.

20. Spinners can't take the new ball?

In the 1992 World Cup, Dipak Patel proved that spinners could be a surprise weapon with the new ball. Opening the bowling, the Kenyan-born off-spinner, who played for Worcestershire, before moving to New Zealand, was the most economical bowler in the tournament (for a minimum of 15 overs bowled). His figures in the tournament read: 79-8-245-8 at an economy rate of 3.10.

Thats it for now. Thanks for reading. Many more such history creating facts to come from the world cups to come.

"Keep Reading and Keep Smiling".......

10 Key Players to look for before the World Cup 2015

This blog is about the Key players to look at during upcoming Cricket World Cup 2015. With 7 days to go to the biggest event in cricket, lets have a look at the players who can turn the game at any stage of the match and take their team to victory. 

1. VIRAT KOHLI (India)

Virat Kohli’s aggressive and consistent batting has seen him remain close to the top of the One-Day International batting rankings since early 2010. Kohli always dreamed of representing his country in cricket and had his first opportunity as a teenager when he played for the India under-19 team in 2006, guiding the same team to a World Cup win in 2008.

His senior international career took off soon after when he made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in August 2008. The 26-year-old now has more than 20 one-day hundreds and more than 30 fifties to his name. His high-score of 183 came against Pakistan in 2012 and scored four ODI centuries in 2014.

He played a crucial role when India toppled Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final, arriving at the crease when India was 2-31 and steadying the ship with a calm 35. Kohli took over the one-day captaincy for India’s series against Sri Lanka in November 2014 when MS Dhoni was rested, but will return to his vice-captain role for the 2015 World Cup.

4. GLENN MAXWELL (Australia)

Glenn Maxwell has gained worldwide fame since making his one-day international debut in 2012.The big-hitting all-rounder had a purple patch of form during Australia’s ODI tour of India in late 2013.

The Victorian posted scores of 31, 53, 3, 92, 9 and 60 in six matches, scoring 172 of his 248 runs in boundaries.He continued his hot form during the Australian summer.

Till now, he has an ODI top score of 93 and this best bowling figures are 4-63. Australia will have faith on the all-rounder as he heads into his maiden ICC Cricket World Cup.

3. JOE ROOT (ENGLAND)

An exciting batsman with buckets of talent, Joe Root is a superstar in the making.

After Root made his first-class debut for Yorkshire in 2011 and cemented his spot in the side, commentators were quick to mark him as one to watch.

Selection in the England Lions squad and a place in the England Performance Programme followed.

His call-up to the one-day international squad came in early 2013 and Root has since produced a string of impressive performances for England, including three one-day centuries, ensuring his selection for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2014.

4. KEVIN O'BRIEN (IRELAND)

When you hear the name Kevin O’Brien, his classic century scored against England in the 2011 Cricket World Cup immediately comes to mind. His knock of 113 from 63 balls was the fastest century in World Cup history but there is far more to the all rounder who is one of Ireland’s most talented cricketers.

Coming from a family of cricketers – his father and brother Niall also played for Ireland – O’Brien first represented Ireland at senior level in 2006 after playing for his country at under-19 level.

He played eight matches during the 2007 World Cup, scoring 49 against New Zealand and 48 against Bangladesh. O’Brien followed that with his famous performance in the 2011 tournament, following up with 4-71 against West Indies. O’Brien is also a regular on the Twenty20 circuit.

5. KANE WILLIAMSON (NEW ZEALAND)

At 24-years old, Kane Williamson has certainly achieved plenty at the top level of cricket. The talented batsman came to the attention of selectors after a string of strong performances for Northern Districts and made his One-Day International debut for the Black Caps in August 2010.

Williamson played four matches for New Zealand during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, with a top score of an unbeaten 38 against South Africa.

The batsman was in good form during India’s 2014 tour of New Zealand, with knocks of 88, 77, 71, 65 and 60 during the ODI series.

In a good show of form ahead of the World Cup, Williamson lodged scores of 10, 70*, 46, 123 and 97 in the December 2014 ODI series against Pakistan.

6. AB DE VILLIERS (SOUTH AFRICA)

Without a doubt one of the world’s leading batsmen, AB de Villiers will continue to strike fear into the hearts of the world’s bowlers after keeping his grip on the top of the ICC one-day international batting rankings throughout 2014.

Since his debut in 2004, the South African captain has proven his ability to score runs anywhere in the order. Currently in the midst of a purple patch in the middle order, his recent successes include an unbeaten 136 against Australia in August, and 89-not-out against New Zealand on October 21.

After an outstanding 2011 World Cup, where de Villiers scored 353 runs in five matches to average 88.25 and became only the fifth player in the tournament’s history to score consecutive centuries, he will surely be keen to replicate that form this time around. De Villiers will lead his side in a World Cup for the first time, after taking over the role from Graeme Smith in June 2011.

7. CHRIS GAYLE (WEST INDIES)

Chris Gayle has been playing one-day international cricket since 1999 and will represent West Indies in his fourth ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015.

A damaging allrounder, Gayle has scored more than 8800 ODI runs and claimed 158 wickets. With 21 centuries, 46 fifties and a five-wicket haul to his name, working out how to restrain the Jamaican will be a priority for other teams during the tournament.

Gayle enjoyed success at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 World Cups, including 119 against Kenya in 2003.

8. MITCHELL JOHNSON (AUSTRALIA)

The career of fiery left-armer Mitchell Johnson has been the proverbial roller-coaster ride. He ranks as a genuine fast-bowling great of Australian cricket and this will be his second ICC Cricket World Cup.

Johnson won Man of the Series in the recently-concluded Ashes of 2013-14 that Australia won 5-0, picking up 37 wickets at an average of 13.97. He also recorded career-best figures in Tests of 8/61 in 2014 when Australia toured South Africa.

At his previous World Cup appearance in 2011, his best performances came against Zimbabwe (4-19) and New Zealand (4-33). Johnson will be crucial to Australia’s World Cup hopes. In 10 ODIs during 2014 the quick picked up 14 wickets at an average of 26.64, including two three-wicket hauls against Pakistan the United Arab Emirates in October.

9. ROHIT SHARMA (INDIA)

An exciting batsman who made his One-Day International debut in 2010, Rohit Sharma had appeared in more than 60 ODIs and 20 Twenty20s by the time he was 24 years old. He has had some outstanding performances through more than 120 ODI games including a high score of 209 in late 2013. But his biggest feat to date came in late 2014, when he blitzed Sri Lanka to score 264 from 173 balls – the highest individual ODI score in history. This will be his first ICC Cricket World Cup and the Indian will need him to fire as he did recently.

10. MOHAMMAD NABI (AFGHANISTAN)

Mohammad Nabi first picked up a cricket bat aged 10 while living in a refugee camp in Peshawar and has come through the ranks to Captain team Afghanistan.

He honed his skills through countless hours of cricket before he began formal training at Arshad Khan’s academy in Peshawar.

In his 40 ODIs since Nabi has played a major role in Afghanistan’s rise as a cricket nation and in 2010 he was appointed captain.

He has scored seven fifties including a high score of 77 against United Arab Emirates in May 2014, while Nabi’s best performance with the ball was 4-31 against Canada in 2011.

He is ranked in the Top 10 ODI all rounders.


This is it for now and thanks for reading.

To join the Fantasy League for Cricket World Cup 2015 on the Official site of ICC, click here. After To join our Indian Premier League, enter the league code 15915.

Keep reading and Keep Smiling....

# We Wont Give It Back.......

This blog is for and from the defending world champions India stating "We Wont Give It Back" the World cup which was won 4 years back in 2011 after waiting for the golden moment for 28 long years.

In a country, where cricket is considered a religion and the cricketers are treated as demigods, World Cup is certainly a big moment. One thing the indians will miss this time will the The God of Cricket - Sachin Tendulkar. Now, as Team India gear up to defend their title, they have found themselves a new motto - "Won't Give It Back!"

As the players walk into the ground, the determination is clear. On field they are ready to give back strong answers, if criticised. They wouldn't mind getting into a war of sledging to pay back the opponents. "But, we won't Give the World Cup back," says captain MS Dhoni. The fans too cheer, hoping for their team to do a repeat of 2011. Whatever happens in the World Cup, may the true sprit of Cricket always win.

India will go into the world cup on a losing note from the Tri-series held between Australia, England and India. Australia will face England in the Final on Sunday 1st Feb' 2015 with India going out of the tournament winless. However, Indians will still believe on their dream to retain the World Cup. 

#Go for Glory.........

Keep reading and Keep smiling............

Watch the video uploaded on YouTube:

Interesting facts of Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia / Zealand

Here are some very interesting facts to be known for The Cricket World Cup 2015.

The Venues: The 2015 edition will be hosted at some of the most iconic cricketing venues in the World right across Australia and New Zealand. The final will be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground, which can house more than 100,000 fans. Other venues in Australia are WACA in Perth, Adelaide Oval, the historic Sydney Cricket Ground, Manuka Oval in Canberra, Bellerive Oval in Hobart and Gabba in Brisbane.

 

Across in New Zealand, picturesque venues like Eden Park in Auckland, Hagley Oval in Christchurch, Seddon Park in Hamilton, McLean Park in Napier, Saxton Oval in Nelson, the modern Wellington Regional Stadium and University Oval in Dunedin will host 21 matches of the tournament. There are fourteen venues in total, seven in Australia and seven in New Zealand and you can see all the details including video venue guides by clicking here.

The History: In the lead up to the World Cup 2015 with India going as the defending champions, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh will try to conquer the world cup in their name for the first time. While Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will want to relive their historic moments.

Fantasy League: The ICC will also be launching official World Cup fantasy game and will give the fans across the globe a chance to pick their own teams and compete against each other. The ICC Cricket World Cup Official Fantasy League will be launched on 20th  January 2015 and the winners will be rewarded exciting prizes.

New Stars: Every World Cup has seen some youngsters burst into the limelight with match changing innings. For example: Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was just 22 when he played his first World Cup, changed the course of the semi-final match in 1992 when he smashed 60 off just 37 balls against South Africa – described by many as the knock of a lifetime – to steal an improbable victory and put Pakistan in the final.

This edition will also see some new faces in cricket compete in cricket’s biggest event. Indian opener Rohit Sharma, who holds the record for highest individual score in an One-Day International, will be playing his first World Cup. The talented right-hand batsman has led India to many triumphs and is expected to one of the pillars of India’s campaign.

England’s Moeen Ali, who is just 12 ODIs old as of now, impressed everyone with his all-round performance in his debut series against the West Indies. In his fourth ODI, he smashed 67 off 40 balls and helped England go past the 200-run mark. England will bank on his aggressive approach at the top of the order for a good start but Eoin Morgan & Co. will bank on his handy offspin to restrict the runs during the middle overs as well.

Australia’s Steve Smith has hit a purple patch in the ongoing Test series against India and has scored three consecutive centuries. If he can continue with his form, and with the advantage of playing at their backyard, he’ll be a potential threat to all the teams.

Afghanistan made it to the 2015 World Cup with an impressive performance in the ICC World Cricket League Championship. The side will be led by all rounder Mohammad Nabi. He’s the only Afghanistan player to score more than 1000 runs in ODI cricket and also is the third-highest wicket taker for Afghanistan with 38 wickets from 41 matches. The latest entrant to the World Cup will bank on Nabi’s experience to spring in a few surprises.

Drama!: With every team eyeing glory at the World Cup, we have had some really tight finishes over the years. In the ten World Cups so far, there have been four tied games with the latest one being played between India and England in 2011 in a high-scoring encounter in Bangalore. India scored 338, with Sachin Tendulkar (120) scoring his 98th international century. England rode on Andrew Strauss’s 158 but late wickets hurt its chances and the match ended in a tie.

Australia and South Africa played out a tie in the semi-final of the 1999 World Cup. Chasing 205 to reach its first World Cup final, South Africa suffered a disastrous run out in the final over and Australia advanced thanks to a better finish in the Super Sixes.

With big bats, innovative stroke-play and some fearless cricket being played nowadays, the 2015 edition is expected to witness some more close encounters. With the pitches offering help for everyone, even low scores are being defended, making it interesting for the fans. 

Take a look at the top ten closest finishes in World Cup history here.

Underdogs and Upsets: The CWC has witnessed plenty of close encounters and a few upset as well over the years. Every team comes well prepared for the tournament and underestimating a team or some breathtaking individual performances have resulted in some unexpected results.

For example: On 2 March 2011, Kevin O’Brien put cricket on the front pages in Ireland with a stunning win over England. Chasing a target of over 300, he smashed the fastest century in CWC history, off 50 balls, and led Ireland to a three-wicket win.

In the 1999 edition, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by 63 runs to secure a memorable win. Bangladesh successfully defended a modest total off 223 to register a 63-run win.

With the likes of Scotland, Afghanistan, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates preparing for the World Cup with the ICC High Performance Programme tour, designed to get them familiar to the conditions in Australia and New Zealand, it won’t be surprising if the teams script some memorable upsets during the course of the tournament. 

All Time Greats: With less than two months to go for the tournament, ICC has launched ‘Your Greatest XI’, which will allow fans a unique chance to pick their Greatest All-Time Cricket World Cup XIs from the previous ten editions of the event.

The ICC database consists of over 100 of the greatest World Cup players of all time. A photo and a short profile that describes their World Cup records and their memorable impacts at the event is available for each player. The ICC also lists detailed World Cup statistics for each of the players.

The players fall under four different categories – batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders, and wicketkeepers. Each XI you choose should feature at least two batsmen, one all-rounder, one wicketkeeper and two bowlers. Mathew Hayden has already picked his Greatest XI.

You can pick your Greatest XI here.

The Big Question: Who will win The Cricket World Cup 2015??

Who Will Win the Cricket World Cup 2015??? - Please do vote below.

This is it for now, there's more to come. Keep reading and Keep Smiling.

Sachin Tendulkar - The Ambassador of Cricket World Cup 2015

The ICC announced Sachin Tendulkar as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 ambassador. It will be the second successive time that the India maestro will be the Ambassador of the Biggest event of Cricket, after he fulfilled his dream in the previous event, which was co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka in 2011.

In his role as a World Cup 2015 ambassador, Tendulkar will promote and support a variety of ICC initiatives to enhance the profile of the tournament, which is one of the biggest sporting event in the world and will take place in Australia and New Zealand from February 14 to March 29. Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket last year after representing his country in 200 Tests, 463 One-Day Internationals and only one Twenty 20 International. In a career of Glorious 24 years, the 41-year-old scored a total of 34,357 international runs and 100 centuries which gave him the name as "THE GOD OF CRICKET".

Sachin Tendulkar added the missing World Cup title to his long list of achievements in his 6th attempt in 2011. He is the all-time leading run-getter in World Cup history with 2,278 runs in 45 matches at an average of 56.95. For his 673 runs in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, he was awarded player of the tournament as India finished runner-up to Australia.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: "The ICC is delighted to once again have Sachin as an Ambassador for its biggest and most prestigious tournament. Sachin is not only an inspiration to cricketers but to all sports people for his endurance, perseverance, talent, personality and commitment to the game."

The 11th edition of the World Cup kicks off in Christchurch on February 14 when co-hosts New Zealand take on former champion Sri Lanka. On the same day at the picturesque Melbourne Cricket Ground, four-time world champion Australia will square-off against England, which reached the final the last time the event was staged in Australia/New Zealand in 1992.

Sachin Tendulkar and Australian PM Tony Abbott with Adam Gilchrist and Brett Lee pose with the Cricket World Cup trophy.

A total of 49 matches will be played across 14 venues, seven in New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Napier, Nelson and Wellington) and seven in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney).

The format of the tournament is the same as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, i.e. two groups of seven sides each, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. All the knock-out stage matches will have reserve days.

Apart from the 10 regular teams, four qualifiers from the ICC World Cricket League - Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates will take part in the tournament.

This is it for now, there's more to come. Keep reading and Keep Smiling.