The Big Book of World Cup Cricket by Indra Vikram Singh: A definitive coffee-table collector’s edition on the ICC World Cups 1975 to 2011

Published in India by Sporting Links

ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3

Fully illustrated

Hardcover with jacket 11.5 x 8.75 x 1 inches

544 pages

Weight 2 Kg 20 gms

Available at an attractive price on Amazon https://www.amazon.in/dp/8190166840

 

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket is a definitive, fully-illustrated all-colour collector’s edition that contains virtually everything about all the cricket World Cups from 1975 to 2011.

Beginning with a story of every tournament from 1975 to 2007, including the commercial facet, sponsorship and prize money, logos and mascots, it carries a preview of the 2011 event as well. There are highlights and sidelights, drama and controversy, and the stars of the biggest event in One-day cricket.

Featured are 49 classic matches, those nail-biting encounters and stunning upsets, and 51 memorable individual performances by players in different matches. The Hall of Fame section showcases 93 top players in the World Cup and also comprises interviews with Cup-winning captains Kapil Dev, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.

The statistics sections comprise a wide range of records, and performances of all the 19 teams that have appeared in the first nine editions of the World Cup, detailed scorecards of all the 303 matches played from 1975 to 2007, and batting averages, bowling averages and fielding data of all the 823 players who turned out in the premier event.

The tailenders bring forth the lighter moments and trivia. As many as 250 photographs, mostly in colour, from the world's leading photographers and agencies Patrick Eagar, Getty Images and Pradeep Mandhani embellish this mammoth effort.

The piece-de-resistance is a handwritten letter of Sir Donald Bradman received by the author in 1999, which led him to dedicate the book to The Don.

(The author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com. His blogs www.indravikramsingh.blogspot.com and www.singhiv.wordpress.com offer an insight into his work, his family and heritage.)

Contents

Letter from Sir Donald Bradman

Section 1 : The Cricket World Cup: A Great Spectacle

Section 2 : Classic Matches

Section 3 : Memorable Performances

Section 4 : Hall of Fame

Section 5 : Statistics

Section 6 : Records

Section 7 : Scorecards

Section 8 : Averages

Section 9 : Tailenders

See Indra Vikram Singh's other books on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.in/s?k=Indra+Vikram+Singh&i=stripbooks&rh=p_6%3AA3HSV0N9AV7NOK&dc&qid=1602408830&rnid=1318474031&ref=sr_nr_p_6_1

 

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). 

Fastest Hundreds and Hat-tricks in the Cricket World Cup 1975-2011

Fastest Hundred

 

50 Balls:  Kevin O’Brien, Ireland v England, 2011

66 Balls:  Matthew Hayden, Australia v South Africa, 2007

67 Balls:  John Davison, Canada v West Indies, 2003

70 Balls:  Paul Stirling, Ireland v Holland, 2011

72 Balls:  Adam Gilchrist, Australia v Sri Lanka, 2007

80 Balls:  Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka v Canada, 2011

81 Balls:  Virender Sehwag, India v Bermuda, 2007

82 Balls:  Clive Lloyd, West Indies v Australia, 1975

82 Balls:  Brad Hodge, Australia v Holland, 2007

83 Balls:  Brian Lara, West Indies v South Africa, 1996

83 Balls:  Virat Kohli, India v Bangladesh, 2011

84 Balls:  Sachin Tendulkar, India v Kenya, 1999

84 Balls:  Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka v India, 2011

85 Balls:  Sunil Gavaskar, India v New Zealand, 1987

85 Balls:  Ricky Ponting, Australia v Scotland, 2007

85 Balls:  Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 2007

HAT TRICK

 

Chetan Sharma                    

India v New Zealand at Nagpur, 1987

Victims - all bowled: Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Ewan Chatfield, off the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th balls of his sixth over.

His final figures were 10-2-51-3.

Saqlain Mushtaq     

Pakistan v Zimbabwe at The Oval, London, 1999

Victims - Henry Olonga stumped Moin Khan, Adam Huckle stumped Moin Khan, and Mpumelelo Mbangwa lbw, off the first three balls of his seventh over.

His final figures were 6.3-1-16-3.

Chaminda Vaas       

Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Pietermaritzburg, 2003

Victims - Hannan Sarkar bowled, Mohammad Ashraful caught & bowled, and Ehsanul Haque caught Jayawardene, off the first three balls of the first over of the match. He also took a fourth wicket, of Sanwar Hossain, in that over.

His final figures were 9.1-2-25-6.

Brett Lee                   

Australia v Kenya at Durban, 2003

Victims - Kennedy Otieno bowled, Brijal Patel caught Ponting, and David Obuya bowled, off the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th balls of his second over.

His final figures were 8-3-14-3.

Lasith Malinga                     

Sri Lanka v South Africa at Providence, 2007

Victims - Shaun Pollock bowled, Andrew Hall caught Tharanga, Jacques Kallis caught Sangakkara, and Makhaya Ntini bowled, off the 5^th and 6^th balls of his eighth over and 1^st and 2^nd balls of his ninth over. This is the only instance of four wickets being taken off four successive deliveries.

His final figures were 9.2-0-54-4.

Kemar Roach                       

West Indies v Holland at New Delhi, 2011

Victims - Pieter Seelar lbw, Bernard Loots lbw, and Berend Westdijk bowled, off the first three balls of his ninth over.

His final figures were 8.3-0-27-6.

Lasith Malinga                     

Sri Lanka v Kenya at Colombo (RPS), 2011

Victims - all bowled: Tanmay Mishra lbw, Peter Ongondo bowled, and Shem Ngoche bowled, off the 6^th ball of his seventh over and 1^st and 2^nd balls of his eighth over.

His final figures were 7.4-0-38-6. 

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

 

Highest individual scores and best analyses in the cricket World Cup 1975-2011

batting

 

Highest Individual Scores

188* (159)  Gary Kirsten, South Africa v UAE, 1996

183 (158)  Sourav Ganguly, India v Sri Lanka, 1999

181 (125)  Vivian Richards, West Indies v Sri Lanka, 1987

175* (138)  Kapil Dev, India v Zimbabwe, 1983

175 (140)  Virender Sehwag, India v Bangladesh, 2011

172* (151)  Craig Wishart, Zimbabwe v Namibia, 2003

171* (201)  Glenn Turner, New Zealand v East Africa, 1975

161 (132)  Andrew Hudson, South Africa v Holland, 1996

160 (121)  Imran Nazir, Pakistan v Zimbabwe, 2007

158 (143)  Matthew Hayden, Australia v West Indies, 2011c

158 (145)  Andrew Strauss, England v India, 2011

152 (151)  Sachin Tendulkar, India v Namibia, 2003

HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL SCORES FOR THE OTHER COUNTRIES

145 (115)  Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lanka v Kenya, 1996

134* (129)  Klaas van Noortwijk, Holland v Namibia, 2003

115* (137)  Jeremy Bray, Ireland v Zimbabwe, 2007

111 (76)  John Davison, Canada v West Indies, 2003

  98* (129)  Collins Obuya, Kenya v Australia, 2011

  87 (83)  Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh v South Africa, 2007

  85 (86)  Jan Berrie Burger, Namibia v England, 2003

  84 (68)  Salim Raza, UAE v Holland, 1996

  76* (105)  David Hemp, Bermuda v India, 2007

  76 (111)  Gavin Hamilton, Scotland v Pakistan, 1999

  45 (123)  Frasat Ali, East Africa v New Zealand, 1975 

(In brackets: Balls faced)

Bowling

 

Best Bowling

7 for 15 (2.14) Glenn McGrath, Australia v Namibia, 2003

7 for 20 (2.00)  Andy Bichel, Australia v England, 2003

7 for 51 (4.86) Winston Davis, West Indies v Australia, 1983

6 for 14, (1.17)  Gary Gilmour, Australia v England, 1975

6 for 23 (2.30) Ashish Nehra, India v England, 2003

6 for 23 (2.30) Shane Bond, New Zealand v Australia, 2003   

6 for 25, (2.73)  Chaminda Vaas, Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 2003  

6 for 27 (3.17) Kemar Roach, West Indies v Holland, 2011  

6 for 38 (4.95) Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka v Kenya, 2011  

6 for 39 (3.30) Ken MacLeay, Australia v India, 1983 

BEST BOWLING FOR THE OTHER COUNTRIES

5 for 16 (2.00)  Shahid Afridi, Pakistan v Kenya, 2011   

5 for 18 (1.80)  Andrew Hall, South Africa v England, 2007   

5 for 21 (2.17)  Paul Strang, Zimbabwe v Kenya, 1996

5 for 24 (2.40)  Collins Obuya, Kenya v Sri Lanka, 2003  

5 for 27 (3.00)  Austin Codrington, Canada v Bangladesh, 2003   

5 for 29 (2.90)  Shaukat Dukanwala, UAE v Holland, 1996

5 for 39 (3.25) Vic Marks, England v Sri Lanka, 1983                                           

5 for 43 (4.30)  Rudolph van Vuuren, Namibia v England, 2003    

4 for 21 (2.62)  Shafiul Islam, Bangladesh v Ireland, 2011   

4 for 35 (3.35) Tim de Leede, Holland v India, 2003

4 for 37 (3.70)  John Blain, Scotland v Bangladesh, 1999

4 for 63 (7.00)  John Mooney, Ireland v England, 2011   

3 for 19 (3.80)  Saleem Mukuddem, Bermuda v Bangladesh, 2007

3 for 63 (5.25)  Zulfiqar Ali, East Africa v England, 1975

(In brackets: Runs conceded per over)

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

Top players in the cricket World Cup 1975-2011

THE LEADING RUN-GETTERS

Sachin Tendulkar:  Runs 2278, Ave 56.95, SR 88.98, 100s 6, 50s 15                  

Ricky Ponting:  Runs 1743, Ave 45.86, SR 79.95, 100s 5, 50s 6   

Brian Lara:  Runs 1225, Ave 42.24, SR 86.26, 100s 2, 50s 7   

Sanath Jayasuriya:  Runs 1165, Ave 34.26 , SR 90.66, 100s 3, 50s 6     

Jacques Kallis:  Runs 1148, Ave 45.92, SR 74.40, 100s 1, 50s 9

Adam Gilchrist:  Runs 1085, Ave 36.16, SR 98.01, 100s 1, 50s 8   

Javed Miandad:  Runs 1083, Ave 43.32, SR 67.89, 100s 1, 50s 8  

Stephen Fleming:  Runs 1075, Ave 35.83, SR 76.89, 100s 2, 50s 5   

Herschelle Gibbs:  Runs 1067, Ave 56.15, SR 87.38, 100s 2, 50s 8   

Aravinda de Silva:  Runs 1064, Ave 36.68, SR 86.57, 100s 2, 50s 6 

Vivian Richards:  Runs 1013, Ave 63.31, SR 85.05, 100s 3, 50s 5 

Sourav Ganguly:  Runs 1006, Ave 55.88, SR 77.50, 100s 4, 50s 3

Mark Waugh:  Runs 1004, Ave 52.84, SR 83.04, 100s 4, 50s 4    

     

THE LEADING WICKET-TAKERS

Glenn McGrath:  Wickets 71, Ave 18.19, Best 7/15, RO 3.96

Muttiah Muralitharan:  Wickets 68, Ave 19.63, Best 4/19, RO 3.88

Wasim Akram:  Wickets 55, Ave 23.83, Best 5/28, RO 4.04        

Chaminda Vaas:  Wickets 49, Ave 21.22, Best 6/25, RO 3.97          

Zaheer Khan:  Wickets 44, Ave 20.22, Best 4/42, RO 4.47 
Javagal Srinath:  Wickets 44, Ave 27.81, Best 4/30, RO 4.32

Allan Donald:  Wickets 38, Ave 24.02, Best 4/17, RO 4.17

Jacob Oram:  Wickets 36, Ave 21.33, Best 4/39, RO 4.21

Brett Lee:  Wickets 35, Ave 17.97, Best 5/42, RO 4.57

Brad Hogg:  Wickets 34, Ave 19.23, Best 4/27, RO 4.12

Imran Khan:  Wickets 34, Ave 19.26, Best 4/37, RO 3.86

Shaun Tait:  Wickets 34, Ave 21.50, Best 4/39, RO 5.35

Shane Warne:  Wickets 32, Ave 19.50, Best 4/29, RO 3.83                      

Chris Harris:  Wickets 32, Ave 26.90, Best 4/07, RO 4.43                        

Lasith Malinga:  Wickets 31, Ave 17.87, Best 6/38, RO 5.17        

Anil Kumble:  Wickets 31, Ave 22.83, Best 4/32, RO 4.08                       

Shaun Pollock:  Wickets 31, Ave 31.29, Best 5/36, RO 3.60         

Shane Bond:  Wickets 30, Ave 17.26, Best 6/23, RO 3.50             

Ian Botham:  Wickets 30, Ave 25.40, Best 4/31, RO 3.43             

Shoaib Akhtar:  Wickets 30, Ave 25.50, Best 4/46, RO 5.13

THE LEADING ALLROUNDERS

Lance Klusener:  Runs 372, Ave 124.00, SR 121.17, Wkts 22, Ave 22.13, RO 4.82, Quotient 5.60

Neil Johnson:  Runs 367, Ave 52.42, SR 73.99, Wkts 12, Ave 19.41, RO 4.66, Quotient 2.70

Yuvraj Singh:  Runs 738, Ave 52.71, SR 90.33, Wkts 20, Ave 23.10, RO 4.99, Quotient 2.28   

Tillakaratne Dilshan:  Runs 717, Ave 47.80, SR 91.10, Wkts 13, Ave 21.84, RO 4.18, Quotient 2.18

Imran Khan:  Runs 666, Ave 35.05, SR 65.61, Wkts 34, Ave 19.26, RO 3.86, Quotient 1.81

Scott Styris:  Runs 909, Ave 53.47, SR 88.59, Wkts 17, Ave 32.47, RO 4.58, Quotient 1.64

Steve Waugh:  Runs 978, Ave 48.90, SR 81.02, Wkts 27, Ave 30.14, RO 4.70, Quotient 1.62

Kapil Dev:  Runs 669, Ave 37.16, SR 115.14, Wkts 28, Ave 31.85, RO 3.76, Quotient 1.16

Chris Harris:  Runs 431, Ave 28.73, SR 68.84, Wkts 32, Ave 26.90, RO 4.43, Quotient 1.06

Jacques Kallis:  Runs 1148, Ave 45.92, SR 74.40, Wkts 21, Ave 43.04, RO 4.28, Quotient 1.06

THE LEADING WICKETKEEPER-BATSMEN 

Adam Gilchrist:  Runs 1085, Ave 36.16, SR 98.01, Ct 45, St 7 

Kumar Sangakkara:  Runs 991, Ave 45.04, SR 78.71, Ct 36, St 10 

Brendon McCullum:  Runs 414, Ave 31.84, SR 94.09, Ct 30, St 2 

Mark Boucher:  Runs 381, Ave 27.21, SR 94.07, Ct 31, St - 

Moin Khan:  Runs 286, Ave 28.60, SR 106.31, Ct 23, St 7 

Alec Stewart:  Runs 520, Ave 32.50, SR 66.49, Ct 21, St 2 

Ridley Jacobs:  Runs 270, Ave 67.50, SR 54.00, Ct 21, St 1

Ashish Bagai:  Runs 343, Ave 26.38, SR 61.69, Ct 19, St 2

Mahendra Singh Dhoni:  Runs 270, Ave 33.75, SR 83.33, Ct 12, St 5

Rahul Dravid :  Runs 463, Ave 77.16, SR 74.08, Ct 15, St 1

Kennedy Otieno:  Runs 401, Ave 26.73, SR 54.70, Ct 11, St 4

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