10 Greatest Innings Ever Played In ICC World Cup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: Cricket World Cup, international cricket championship held at four-year intervals that is the premier contest in one-day cricket and one of the most-watched sporting events in the world.

In 1975 the first Cricket World Cup was contested in England as a series of one-day matches of 60 overs per side. It was held outside England, in India and Pakistan, for the first time in 1987. The 1987 contest also saw the number of overs per side reduced to 50. In 2007 Australia became the first team to win three consecutive World Cup tournaments.

World Cup is an event where performances from teams and player’s become immortal and get etched in every fan’s memory. When a batsman plays a knock that is important in the context of the game, wins his team the match or is significant in the outcome of the match, such winnings are part of the greatest knocks in the World Cup and feature in highlights. The innings don’t have to be a century or fifty, just important innings in context of the game, that affected the outcome of the match.

The cricket World Cup is full of record-breaking statistics which includes much best bowling performance and some great innings just to make their team win the World Cup.

Today we are going is to remember top 10 greatest innings ever played in cricket World Cup and we will put some lights on that great innings

 

(10) Sanath Jayasuriya 82 vs England (1996)

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: England was the first hurdle in the knockout phase as Sri Lanka had to get through to their road to the 1996 World Cup crown. They met at the Faisalabad stadium and England batted first after winning the toss. They made a modest 235 with Phil De Freitas top scoring with 67 runs.

The Sri Lankan reply was led by blitzkrieg innings of 82 by Sanath Jayasuriya. He scored 82 runs off 44 balls containing 13 fours and 3 sixes. Sri Lanka won the match by 5 wickets with contributions from Asanka Gurusinha who scored 45 runs. But the star and the Man of the match was Sanath Jayasuriya, whose innings numbed the England bowlers so much that even after he got out, they weren’t able to put pressure on the remaining batsmen, eventually unable to stop Sri Lanka from winning.
South Africa Team Squads

 

(9)  Inzamam-ul-Haq 60 vs New Zealand 1992

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup1992 World Cup was unique in many ways. Colored clothing, matches under lights, use of white balls, third umpire and TV replays in use made this World Cup a treat for viewers. New Zealand played one of the best cricket in this World Cup, led by Martin Crowe, who was also adjudged player of the tournament.

New Zealand and Pakistan met in the semi-finals at Auckland. New Zealand made 262 runs with Martin Crowe making 91. When Pakistan started their chase, Martin Crowe injured his leg and had to go back to the pavilion and John Wright acted as captain. This gave Pakistan a chance to bounce back into the game after being 140/4. A special innings came from a very slim Inzamam who made 60 off 37 balls hitting the Kiwi medium pacers to all parts of Auckland ground.

Inzamam’s innings gave Pakistan enough impetus because even after his wicket, Moin Khan came in and finished the game making 20 off 11 balls. Inzamam’s match-winning innings got him the Man of the match award and took Pakistan into the finals of 1992 World Cup.

 

(8) Aravinda de Silva 102* vs Australia 1996

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: The surprise package of 1996 World Cup, Sri Lanka made all the way into the finals against Australia on basis of some grade A hitting by their openers, choking spin bowling in the middle of the innings and the leadership of their captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

Australia batted first in the finals and scored 241 on the back of 74 from Mark Taylor. For the first time, both the Sri Lankan openers Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana failed to give Sri Lanka a start. But Asanka Gurusinha (65) and Aravinda de Silva who score one of the most brilliantly constructed 107* took Sri Lanka to safety and Arjuna Ranatunga joined De Silva and made 47 to take Sri Lanka to a surprising but well-deserved victory in the finals of the World Cup 1996. De Silva was adjudged Man of the match for his 107* and for making Sri Lanka the first team to win the World Cup chasing a total.

 

(7) Andrew Strauss 158 vs India 2011

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: In the 2011 World Cup, India and England played one of the most amazing matches in World Cup history. India batted first and thanks to Sachin Tendulkar’s 120 made 338 runs. The England chase was fantastically and almost perfectly led by their Captain Andrew Strauss. Strauss along with Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell (69) took the fight to the Indian bowlers, carting both spinners and quick bowlers to all parts of the ground to hit 18 fours and 1 six.

Strauss hit 158 runs to take England almost to the finish line. Ajmal Shehzad hit a six in the final over needing 14 runs, bowled by Munaf Patel. But that was not enough for England to clinch a thrilling win as they ended with scores tied on 338. Strauss got the Man of the match for his brilliant and almost match winning 158 runs. But he was unfortunate that he can’t take his team towards win..

 

(6) Adam Gilchrist 149 vs Sri Lanka 2007

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: Gilli the aggressive kangaroo opener is on 6 because of his this outstanding knock ,Australia met Sri Lanka in the finals of 2007 World Cup looking to win their 3rd successive and 4th crown overall. Australia batted first and got off to a similar start they had been getting in the tournament, the only thing different was that Adam Gilchrist who was relatively quiet in the tournament, exploded with aplomb. In a rain-curtailed 38 over the match, Gilchrist pulverized Sri Lankan bowling hitting 13 fours and 8 sixes to score 149 runs from 104 balls. When he got out, Australia was 224 in 30 overs.

Gilchrist was adjudged Man of the finals for his century after Australia won the match in almost complete darkness by 53 runs using D/L method.

 

(5) Gautam Gambhir 97 vs Sri Lanka 2011

Greatest Innings Ever Played In Icc Worldcup Cricket

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: Though everyone talks about the Dhoni special in the 2011 World Cup final, not everyone remembers the importance of the knock Gambhir played. If Dhoni’s knock was important for India to win the match, Gambhir provided the platform for Dhoni to score those runs and hit that winning six.

He came in on the 3rd ball of the first over after Sehwag fell in the first over for a duck. Gambhir then lost Sachin, but along with Kohli, he kept making runs in order to keep the run rate in check and absorbed all the pressure to let the young Kohli play his natural game. Even when Dhoni came in, he let him get in stride and kept scoring quick runs. He also lost his wicket trying to push the run rate higher. He was bowled by Perera for 97, 3 short of a well-deserved and match-winning century.

He gave Dhoni the platform he needed to blast off from and take India to victory. Gautam Gambhir’s selfless innings of 97 deserve more acclaim than it gets in comparison to Dhoni’s 91*.

 

(4) Kevin O’Brien: 113 vs England, 2011 World Cup

Kevin O'Brien: 113

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: England has a habit of getting beaten by low-profile cricketing nations in ICC tournaments. They were beaten by the Netherlands in 2009 and the 2014 World T20 & they were also stunned by an unexpected but marvelous performance by Ireland in the 2011 World Cup.

Batting first, England posted a mammoth score of 327, and it looked unlikely that Ireland would chase it down. Ireland was floundering at 106-4 when Kevin O’Brien came out to bat. Things became even worse when they lost another wicket, and the score read 111 for 5 O’Brien was not only put under pressure by the number of wickets falling, but also by the ever-climbing run rate. However, he dealt with all of that very clinically.

His innings was a combination of a calm head, precise technique, and brute force. He ended up smashing the fastest hundred ever in World Cup history, a record which still stands. A recovery from 111-5 to chase down 327 against a top-quality bowling attack was a moment of sheer magic.
Ireland is not a massive name in world cricket, but this victory gave them an identity. It will not be an overstatement to say that they rose from the ashes to win that contest.

 

(3)  Ricky Ponting: 140 vs India, 2003 World Cup final

 Ricky Ponting: 140

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: Australia didn’t seem like the most likely team to win the World Cup in 2003 after Shane Warne was sent back home. But their skipper had the belief that they could defend their title.
Ricky Ponting always had passion, belief, and determination. Those things were what made him one of the greatest players as well as captains to ever play the game.

Australia came to the final in 2003 unbeaten throughout the tournament. They were to face India, who had also played magnificent cricket throughout the competition.

Sourav Ganguly’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss was a bit of a brain-fade moment though. It was a beautiful batting strip, and runs on the board are always crucial in big games.

Ponting made the most of the opportunity and smashed 140 off 121 balls. He got his first 50 runs in 74 balls, but after that, he really took the attack to the Indians, with strokeplay of sheer brilliance.

India crumbled under the pressure as Australia went on to win their third World Cup title.

 

(2) MS Dhoni: 91 not out vs Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup final

MS Dhoni: 91

Best Innings in Cricket World CupMS Dhoni, the man known to turn the impossible into the routine, did something magical on the night of the 2011 World Cup final. No team had won a World Cup final at home before, and no team had chased down such a massive total to win a World Cup before. However, Dhoni was in his own world – a world of composure and calmness.

India faced an extremely strong Sri Lankan side, a side filled with legends of the game, in the final. Chasing 275, they were reduced to 114/3. Yuvraj Singh, who has later adjudged the Man of the Tournament, was slated to come in next. However, Dhoni surprised everyone by promoting himself ahead of Yuvraj.

The world looked at him with raised eyebrows as he had not performed tremendously with the bat until then. But Dhoni wanted to keep the left-right combination going with Gautam Gambhir as Muttiah Muralitharan, the off-spinner, was bowling. Moreover, Dhoni was confident about tackling Muralitharan as he had played with him in three seasons for his IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings.

It turned out to be a masterstroke as Dhoni went on to score 91 not out and finished the game off with one of the most iconic sixes in cricketing history. When a packed Wankhede crowd were shouting on top of their lungs, when the entire Indian population was out on the streets, when all eyes were on MS Dhoni, he pulled a rabbit out of his habit.

It was the innings of his life, and he got good support from Gambhir as well. The knock ended Sachin Tendulkar’s 23-year wait to lift a World cup trophy for his country.

After all the great innings we come to at  No.1 and at that slot is very memorable for every Indian fan present at that time  so we should also check who is No.1.

 

(1) Kapil Dev: 175 not out vs Zimbabwe, 1983 World Cup

Kapil Dev: 175

Best Innings in Cricket World Cup: 1983 was a magical year in Indian cricketing history. The victory at the World Cup gave India the belief to beat big sides on the big stages. It gave Indian cricket the recognition it needed around the world.

The man at the helm of affairs during this defining moment was none other than India’s greatest ever all-rounder, Kapil Dev. Regarded as the greatest ODI innings by another Indian stalwart, Sunil Gavaskar, this performance was like a dream.

The chips were down when India was reduced to 17 for 5 by a potent Zimbabwe bowling attack. It was a must-win game for India if they wished to enter the semifinals. Then came out the great man with a swagger around him.

Without worrying too much about the consequences, he blasted the bowlers to all parts of the ground. The world would have written India off, but Kapil had different ideas. His 175 off 138 balls, including 16 boundaries and 6 sixes, took India to 266/8 in 60 overs.

No one could believe what they were seeing. It was a counter-attack of the highest order.
Zimbabwe was then bowled out for 235, allowing India to win the game and enter the semi-finals. This was a victory that told the Indians that they belong there and that they were meant to achieve big things.
The confidence the team gained through that victory was instrumental in India’s eventual march to the title.

Several legends of the game have played miraculous innings in various World Cups, and their names have been written with gold letters in the history books. They have played innings that have turned games on their heads, and have changed the course of history.

The mega-event is here again, and the ICC World Cup 2019 promises to be another blockbuster. We just hope that we can witness some more innings like this which can make the history and can break some of the records too as we all know records are meant to be broken.

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