Batting heroics in the cricket World Cup 2011 : excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s forthcoming book ‘Indian Spring’

Virender Sehwag scored the first century in the 2011 World Cup.

Runs by the ton

As many as 24 hundreds were scored in the 2011 event, the maximum in any World Cup. The most earlier was 21 hundreds in 2003.

India’s Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli (100 not out) scored centuries on the first day of the 2011 World Cup against Bangladesh. This is the third time that two centuries have been scored on the first day of a World Cup, but the first time that two batsmen from the same team achieved the feat.

There were three other instances in the 2011 World Cup of a pair of batsmen from the same team hitting tons in the same match. These are Hashim Amla (113) and Abraham de Villiers (134) for South Africa versus Holland, Tillakaratne Dilshan (144) and Upul Tharanga (133) for Sri Lanka versus Zimbabwe, and again Tillakaratne Dilshan (108*) and Upul Tharanga (102*) versus England.  

South Africa’s Abraham de Villiers hit up hundreds in consecutive matches, 107 not out against West Indies and 134 against Holland, emulating five others in the World Cup.

Virat Kohli joined twelve others in scoring a century on World Cup debut.

Irishman Kevin O’Brien smashed the fastest-ever century in the World Cup from just 50 balls, off the English bowlers, beating Matthew Hayden’s record set in 2007 by 16 deliveries.

Ireland’s Paul Sterling became the youngest at 20 years 196 days to score a century in the World Cup. The earlier mark stood to the name of Ricky Ponting at 21 years 76 days in 1996. Kohli is now the third youngest at 22 years 106 days.

Sachin Tendulkar has scored six hundreds, the most by any batsman in the World Cup, followed by Ricky Ponting with five.

Sri Lankans scored 7 centuries in 2011, the most by a team in any World Cup, beating Australia’s six in 2007.

Five centuries were hit off the English bowling in 2011, equalling Namibia’s unenviable mark of 2003, the most conceded by a team in a single World Cup.

Epic knocks

There were three 140-balls plus knocks in the 2011 World Cup, all by opening batsmen.

The longest innings of 145 deliveries was by English skipper Andrew Strauss as he hammered 158 in the tied match with India at Bangalore. His team scored 338 for eight in 50 overs.

Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga occupied the crease over 141 deliveries in the record 282-run opening partnership with Tillakaratne Dilshan against Zimbabwe at Pallekele. He hit up 133 in his side’s total of 327 for six in 50 overs.

Virender Sehwag’s 175-run blitz in the opening encounter with Bangladesh at Mirpur spanned 140 balls. India logged up 370 for four in 50 overs, the highest total of this tournament.

Beyond the boundary

The maximum runs scored in boundaries by a batsman in an innings in the 2011 World Cup were 88 composed of 13 fours and 6 sixes by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien in his awesome match-winning 113 against England. Virender Sehwag followed closely with 86 carved with the aid of 14 fours and 5 sixes in his 175 versus Bangladesh. The maximum of 7 sixes were crashed by Kiwi Ross Taylor in his exhilarating unbeaten 131 against Pakistan, the next best being 6 sixes by Kevin O’Brien in that upset of England. The most boundaries adding up to 18 were struck by Andrew Strauss in the lead up to the tie with India, with Upul Tharanga bludgeoning 17 in the record opening partnership at the expense of Zimbabwe.  

Nervous nineties!

While 24 centuries were scored in the 2011 World Cup, there were 8 dismissals in the nineties. Michael Clarke recorded his third innings in the nineties in the World Cup, equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s mark, but the Australian was unbeaten once in 2007 and is yet to notch up a hundred in the premier tournament.

(From the Tailenders section of Indra Vikram Singh’s about-to-be-released book ‘Indian Spring’. The author can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).