Sachin Tendulkar’s record nine man-of-the-match awards in the World Cup

Child prodigy, pride of a nation

When Sachin Tendulkar was selected for his first tour with the Indian Test side in 1989, one feared for him. He seemed just a little boy. He was one, at just sixteen years of age. One felt that he was being pushed into the lion’s den, for that series was against arch rivals Pakistan with their fearsome battery of pacemen - Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. But the manner in which the kid squared up to these awesome fast bowlers showed that someone in the selection committee indeed had a discerning eye.

Tendulkar lived up fully to the promise. Immediately, he carved out a permanent place in the Indian line-up. In the 1991-92 tour of Australia, preceding the fifth World Cup, he broke away from the rest, and pundits already began rating him as the team’s best batsman. The World Cup showed just why.

Sachin Tendulkar’s man-of-the-match awards in the World Cup.

1.  Versus Pakistan, Sydney, 1992  

The needle encounter with Pakistan created its own inevitable drama. Tendulkar chose the occasion to come into his own. He put on 46 for the fourth wicket with schoolmate Vinod Kambli, and combined with Kapil Dev to add another 60 for the sixth wicket. Tendulkar’s unbeaten 54, comprising 3 boundaries in a stay of 62 deliveries, set up India’s victory, helping post a total that could be defended on the lively Sydney track. This match-winning performance won him his first World Cup man-of-the-match award.

2.  Versus Zimbabwe, Hamilton, 1992 

Tendulkar top-scored again in the next match. A fine 99-run stand with Sanjay Manjrekar took the rain-affected game away from Zimbabwe. His superb 81 off just 77 balls, studded with 8 fours and a six, earned him a second successive man-of-the-match prize.

3.  Versus Kenya, Cuttack, 1996

There was a soft opening fixture with Kenya in the 1996 World Cup, and Tendulkar led the charge with a 163-run stand with Ajay Jadeja. It was not only India’s best opening partnership in the World Cup, surpassing the mark of 136 set up by Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth against New Zealand in 1987, but also the country’s highest for any wicket hitherto in the premier event. Tendulkar stepped on the pedal right from the start, hitting his first fifty off just 48 balls. He slowed visibly on the threshold of his first World Cup century, making doubly certain that he reached the coveted milestone. This was his fifth hundred in One-day Internationals, all of which came in the previous 18 months after he began opening the innings. Still in no mood to throw away his wicket, he escorted his side to an easy victory. Tendulkar’s unbeaten 127 from 138 deliveries was made up of 15 sizzling boundaries and one hit over the ropes. This was then India’s second-highest individual score in the World Cup after Kapil Dev’s 175 not out in 1983. He was named man-of-the-match.

4.  Versus West Indies, Gwalior, 1996  

The next match at Gwalior was billed as a clash of the two star batsmen, Tendulkar and Brian Lara; and also a confrontation between Tendulkar and the great fast bowling pair of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. Neither of these happened. With the West Indies setting a modest target of 174, Tendulkar played a sedate innings, scoring 70 off 91 balls, having struck 8 fours before being run out. He had put on 79 crucial runs for the third wicket with Navjot Singh Sidhu. Tendulkar claimed his second man-of-the-match award in succession. 

He became a trailblazer in the 1996 event, the first to score more than 500 runs in a single World Cup. He had a tremendous run of scores: 127 not out, 70, 90, 137, 3, 31 and 65; two centuries and three fifties in seven matches. Tendulkar became the highest run-getter in any single World Cup with his 523 runs, averaging 87.16, a mark that was to remain till he himself bettered it in 2003.

5.  Versus Kenya, Bristol, 1999 

The year 1999 was an unhappy one for Tendulkar in many ways. He developed back trouble in the early months, and for the first time a shadow was cast on his career. The contemptuous pull shot off the front foot had to be eliminated from his repertoire to ease pressure on his back. Then just as the World Cup began, his father passed away. Tendulkar had to return to India, missing the fixture with Zimbabwe. He rejoined the tournament in traumatic circumstances. A debate followed about whether he should continue to open the innings in conditions where the ball moved around. As a result he was shifted up and down the order. Tendulkar had opened in the first match against South Africa and raised 67 with Sourav Ganguly before he was caught behind off Lance Klusener for 28. He missed the second game due to his bereavement. India lost both the matches.

On his return from home, Tendulkar walked in at no.4 to face the Kenyan attack, in a sombre frame of mind. He put together his concentration, and got down to work like a true professional. Soon he was stroking the ball in his magical way. Even the dark clouds lifted and made way for bright sunshine as if in reverence to the little genius. Rahul Dravid too flowered in his company. Tendulkar stepped on the accelerator after reaching his half-century. He raced to his hundred in 84 balls, the fastest by an Indian in the World Cup hitherto, surpassing another legend Sunil Gavaskar’s century off 85 balls against New Zealand in 1987. Tendulkar’s second fifty came in only 30 balls.

The partnership reached mammoth proportions, the pair still not separated after having added 237 runs when the innings ended. This was the highest for any wicket in the World Cup, breaking the previous record of 207, also for the third wicket set by Mark and Steve Waugh, coincidentally against Kenya in 1996. It was also a record for the third wicket in all One-day Internationals, beating the previous best of 230 by Pakistanis Saeed Anwar and Ijaz Ahmed against India in 1998. Tendulkar was unbeaten with an explosive 140 off 101 balls, slamming 3 sixes and 16 fours in a man-of-the-match performance.     

6.  Versus Zimbabwe, Harare, 2003  

As the Indian side sought to redeem itself in the 2003 World Cup, it faced Zimbabwe who were no longer the force they were four years earlier. Tendulkar and his young clone Virender Sehwag put their bowling to the sword in a rousing 99-run opening stand in 100 deliveries. The master continued to blaze away after the apprentice was dismissed. Dinesh Mongia was essentially a bystander in a 43-run second-wicket partnership. A delivery from left-arm spinner Grant Flower rolled on to the stumps off Tendulkar’s defensive blade. He left, having hit 81 off 91 balls with 10 exquisite boundaries. India eventually triumphed easily and Tendulkar wrested his sixth man-of-the-match award in the World Cup, the maximum at that stage, breaking away from the pack of Vivian Richards, Graham Gooch and Lance Klusener.

 

7.  Versus Namibia, Pietermaritzburg, 2003 

As the Indian campaign gained momentum, there was a picnic before the stern tests. The Namibians were in no position to challenge an indignant side hungry for success. Sehwag dazzled briefly, and once Sourav Ganguly joined Tendulkar, there was a deluge. Though Tendulkar was not at his fluent best, the pair just waded into the amateur trundlers. Dropped at 32, the little champion perhaps found it hard to motivate himself against the pop-gun attack, but bludgeoned it nonetheless. He raised his 34^th One-day International hundred, racing still far ahead of the rest. It was his fourth ton in the premier event, the most at that stage alongside Mark Waugh. The second-wicket stand logged up 244 runs before Tendulkar was out, having crashed 152 off 151 deliveries with 18 hits to the fence. This was his highest score in the World Cup, and the partnership was second-best ever for any wicket in the tournament after the 318-run Ganguly-Dravid duet of 1999. Tendulkar picked up his second consecutive man-of-the-match prize, his third such feat in the World Cup.

8.  Versus Pakistan, Centurion, 2003  

If India were getting their act together in this tournament, the Pakistani side was not. But in the mother of all cricketing battles, form counts for little. The team that soaks in the pressure better on the day invariably triumphs. This contest had two entire nations transfixed. Planeloads of spectators took off for South Africa, television ratings soared, and almost every other activity came to a standstill. Pakistan seized the initiative with a score of 273 for seven. Tendulkar was not going to let go this opportunity to display his class as well as temperament. The great Wasim Akram opened the bowling and Tendulkar drove the third delivery off the back foot through the covers into the pickets. Sehwag also got into the act. From then on there was only one team in the match. Shoaib Akhtar came on at the other end. Tendulkar blasted him for a six and two fours off the last three balls. The Rawalpindi Express conceded 18 runs off his first over and was promptly taken off. Tendulkar had established his ascendancy.

It took only five overs to rattle up 50 on the board. Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly were dismissed off successive balls but Tendulkar zoomed to his own fifty in a matter of 37 balls. Mohammad Kaif helped put on a brisk 102 in 15.5 overs. Though cramps began to hamper Tendulkar, he refused a runner till he could hardly move. Meanwhile, he brought up his 12,000^th run in One-day Internationals, playing his 300^th innings in 309 matches. He now stood alone on a pedestal, second-placed Mohammad Azharuddin parked more than 2,600 runs behind. When Akhtar let go a nasty bouncer the decapitated Tendulkar could only instinctively fend a catch to point. He fell for a magnificent 98, having faced just 75 deliveries and rocketed 12 fours and a six. This was arguably Tendulkar’s best innings in the World Cup. India had raced to 177 for four in the 28^th over. Dravid and Yuvraj Singh had only to bat sensibly from then on, which they did. India maintained their hundred percent World Cup record over Pakistan. There was only one claimant for the gold watch awarded to the man-of-the-match. Tendulkar had now walked away with three such glittering prizes in the last four matches.

 

Enthralled by his next innings against Sri Lanka, Australian great Greg Chappell wrote in his column in The Hindu: “Make no mistake, Tendulkar is a genius! Tendulkar’s combination of deft touches and raw power is virtually unmatched in the game today. Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Brian Lara can certainly match his power though they don’t quite match his exquisite skill and versatility. The versatility is an innate, instinctive skill. Bradman used the laws of physics better than anyone else, then or now. He used the energy created by the bowler and redirected the ball with brilliant footwork and incredible wrist work. Tendulkar goes closest to emulating him, but has the added advantage - delivered by the heavier modern bat - of being able to block the ball back past the faster bowlers more quickly than it was delivered. Tendulkar’s innings of 97 was as intimidating to most of the Sri Lankan bowlers, as it was for the Pakistanis at Centurion Park.” There could be no greater tribute, coming as it did from one who was himself one of the finest batsmen in history.

India lost to the unstoppable Australians in the final but Tendulkar won the Golden Bat, his award for being adjudged the player-of-the-tournament, which was presented to him by none other than Sir Garfield Sobers. In two World Cups - 1996 and 2003 - Tendulkar was the leading run-getter of the tournament. His 673 runs in 11 matches in the 2003 event laid down a new benchmark in the World Cup, and his aggregate of 1732 was then far ahead of the rest, none of whom had topped 1100.

9.  Versus Pakistan, Mohali, 2011 

Came the high-voltage encounter at Mohali, World Cup 2011 semi-final between India and Pakistan, a heart-stopper in the extreme, watched by the prime ministers of both countries. Two overs produced 6 runs, and then Sehwag turned on Umar Gul, bludgeoning him for 5 boundaries in the 3^rd over. Sehwag continued on his merry way, having had most of the strike. He fell leg-before at 48, having crashed 9 boundaries in his 38 off 25 balls.

With Sehwag’s departure, Tendulkar held centre-stage. He soon added three quick boundaries to an earlier one, but this hurricane start had camouflaged the uneven character of the wicket. As the ball lost its shine and hardness, it began to grip the surface and lose pace. Run-making became a struggle, which was reflected in Tendulkar’s resilient and fortunate innings. The Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) helped him survive leg-before-wicket and stumping appeals off successive Saeed Ajmal deliveries. Misbah-ul-Haq dropped him at mid-wicket and an edge found no fielder at slip, the ball running away to the boundary. Gautam Gambhir was not so lucky, being stumped after having helped put on 68 in 13 overs. Soon Tendulkar was put down by Younis Khan.

  

Carrying on the battle nevertheless, Tendulkar stroked two delightful boundaries to raise a fortuitous fifty, having taken on 67 deliveries. As Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh departed off consecutive balls from left-armer Wahab Riaz, Tendulkar had two more slices of luck. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal did not pouch an edge and his brother Umar failed to latch on to a pull. Eventually, he drove uppishly at Ajmal and the captain Shahid Afridi latched on jubilantly. Tendulkar had held his concentration through 115 deliveries in this tumultuous journey, having struck 11 fours in his 85 runs. He had scrapped all the way through, helping India total 260 for nine. In a match of such significance, and on a wicket of this nature, it was a winning score. Pakistan fell 29 runs short and a relieved Indian team marched into the final. At last Tendulkar won a man-of-the-match award in a tournament in which two of his centuries resulted in a tie and a defeat.

Crowning Glory

The World Cup 2011 triumph was the crowning glory to the inimitable Sachin Tendulkar’s cricket career, and for the Indian team which in the past decade had risen to no. 1 in the world both in Test matches and One-day Internationals. The celebrations, the fireworks, uncorking of champagne, tooting of car horns, singing, dancing and merriment were as much for India’s exhilarating triumph as was for Tendulkar’s awe-inspiring accomplishments.

No one could have written a better script, and no folk hero deserved more accolades than this lovable character received on the memorable night of 2^nd April 2011. His teammates paid him glowing tributes and hoisted him on his soldiers as a whole country leapt with joy. He finished this tournament as the second-highest rungetter with 482 to his credit, averaging 53.55 and striking at 91.98 per 100 balls. Only Tillakaratne Dilshan, who touched 500 runs, scored more. That Tendulkar sustained his brilliant performances through six World Cups, in adversity and in triumph, is a mind-boggling thought.         

To state the obvious, Tendulkar is by far the highest rungetter in the World Cup with 2278 runs at an average of 56.95 and a strike-rate of 88.98. To add to his 6 hundreds are an amazing 15 fifties, including 3 nineties. He has an incredible nine man-of-the-match awards. No one else has more than five. In the World Cup arena too, Tendulkar has lived up to his reputation as one of the greatest batsmen to grace this fascinating game. The maestro has indeed awe-inspiring achievements to his credit.

The lone man to aggregate 15,000 runs in Test matches and a record 51 hundreds at an average of nearly 54, and the only one to hit up 18,000 runs in One-day Internationals and yet another record 49 centuries at an average of almost 45 and strike-rate in excess of 86, this inimitable character has set seemingly impossible benchmarks for coming generations to strive for. He helped India scale the pinnacle in Tests as well as One-dayers. The only remaining team goal, to wrest the ICC World Cup, was also achieved in 2011.

https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/sachin-tendulkar-s-nine-man-of-the-match-awards-in-the-world-cup

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email  singh_iv@hotmail.com).

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The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011

Published in India by Sporting Links

ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3

https://www.amazon.in/dp/8190166840

Five stalwarts to look out for in the cricket World Cup 2015: 5. Lasith Malinga. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’

Slinging in the lethal yorkers

Balls…..642

Wickets…..31

Average…..17.87

Best…..6/38

Economy-rate…..5.17

Catches…..2

A quaint action somewhere between the underarm and the overarm, facilitating the slipping in of lethal yorkers beneath the willow, putting at risk batsmen’s toes as much as the base of stumps, a thick mop of streaked curly locks bouncing in his spirited run-up, have made the little pace dynamo unique as well as an unforgettable character of the game. Lasith Malinga is as original as one can find, a strike bowler like no other.

The bemused batsmen from Bermuda would have seen nothing like him. Like the other bowlers he enjoyed the easy picking, returning with an analysis of 5-2-10-3. The newcomers collapsed to 78 all out.

Having upset India, Bangladesh could not offer much resistance to the Lankan attack. Malinga had Tamim Iqbal caught behind by Kumar Sangakkara. He then got Aftab Ahmed to top-edge a short ball, for Sanath Jayasuriya to take the skier at square-leg. Mohammad Ashraful used the long handle against him, crashing 2 fours each off two consecutive overs, but in different spells. Malinga, though, had tailender Abdur Razzak snapped up by Sangakkara again as the delivery took off from a length just outside off. Bangladesh were bowled out for 112 in 37 overs. Malinga’s booty this time was three for 27 off 6 overs. 

A desperate India could not mount a challenge and packed up for 185. Malinga picked up a late wicket. Sri Lanka had won all their Group B matches with ease, their bowling outfit having cleaned up all 30 wickets.

It was in the super-eight clash with South Africa that Malinga created a sensation towards the end. After 7 overs he had taken no wicket, having conceded 43 runs. Chasing a target of 210, the Proteas were sailing at 206 for five in the 45th over. Malinga’s fifth delivery was a slower one that foxed Shaun Pollock and hit his leg-stick. Next ball, Andrew Hall spooned a yorker into the hands of Upul Tharanga in the covers. One run came off the next over. Jacques Kallis, batting on 86, tried to finish off the match by square-driving the first delivery of Malinga’s next over, but to his chagrin only edged it into the gloves of Sangakkara. Malinga had grabbed the fifth hat-trick of the World Cup as the nervous South Africans searched for those winning runs. Makhaya Ntini could barely get his bat down before the lethal yorker smashed into his middle stump. Malinga had created a sensation around the Providence Stadium with his four-in-four devastation. He conceded just one run in his last four deliveries as the batsmen fiddled around, barely surviving. A maiden followed, and then Malinga’s first delivery missed the outside edge by a whisker. Amid mounting tension, Robin Peterson edged the next to the boundary, just managing to pull off a win by one wicket. Malinga returned with four wickets for 54, nearly sneaking a highly improbable win. It is drama like this that Malinga is always likely to conjour. He shared the man-of-the-match award with Charl Langeveldt who had a five-wicket haul to his name.              

Once Sri Lanka had posted 303 for five, hosts West Indies were subdued easily. Chris Gayle was sucked into Malinga’s delivery way outside off, hitting a steepler that was taken at long-on, the first wicket to fall at 20. Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, playing a strange kind of innings having scored 17 off 53 balls without a boundary, suddenly decided to alter his plans. He hit an off-side four and then used the long handle against Muttiah Muralitharan, periodically launching the great off-spinner for 4 sixes. As Malinga bowled the first ball of the 42nd over, Chanderpaul sent it sailing over square-leg for his 5th six. Predictably, Malinga yorked him off-stump next ball. Sri Lanka went on to register a 113-run win. This time Malinga bagged two for 34 off 5 overs.

There was another cliff-hanger with England. After Sri Lanka had put up 235, Chaminda Vaas dismissed captain Michael Vaughan for a duck. Malinga then trapped Ed Joyce leg-before, and suddenly England were 11 for two after 5.2 overs. The following batsmen battled hard, but England were in trouble at 133 for six with 33.3 overs having been bowled. Ravi Bopara and wicketkeeper Paul Nixon staged a rearguard act, carrying the score to 220. Off the fifth ball of the penultimate over, Malinga had Nixon holing out in the covers. Bopara drove the last delivery through the covers to the ropes. There were now 12 runs required off the final over and 3 off the very last ball. Dilhara Fernando bowled a beauty that knocked the top of Bopara’s off-stump. Sri Lanka pulled off a two-run victory. Malinga’s share was two wickets for 50 in his quota of 10 overs.

He missed the last three super-eight matches with an ankle injury but was back for the semi-final. With Sri Lanka having piled up 289 for five, Malinga struck straightaway, his third delivery screaming into skipper Stephen Fleming pad in front of the stumps. That was his solitary wicket at an expense of 21 runs with two maidens in 7 overs. New Zealand folded up for 208.  

             

Adam Gilchrist made the final his own with his hurricane hundred but Malinga broke his huge opening stand of 172 with Matthew Hayden. The big left-hander was playing a remarkably subdued supporting role to the marauding wicketkeeper when he tried to loft Malinga over the covers, for Mahela Jayawardene to take a fine catch springing up just at the right moment. Later he castled Shane Watson but Australia hoisted a mammoth 281 for four in the truncated 38-overs-a-side match. Malinga’s two wickets cost 49 runs in 8 overs, and he bowled the only maiden of the innings. Sri Lanka faded along with the light and had to be content with the runners-up prize.

Malinga took wickets in each of the eight matches that he played, logging a tally of 18 at a brilliant average of 15.77, evidence of his striking ability. He bowled with fire right through, an ideal foil to the experienced Vaas.

Once again he had to sit out the first two matches of the 2011 World Cup. Having recuperated, he was back and how! The first ball of his second over was a venomous trademark inswinging yorker that made a mess of the hapless Kenyan opener Seren Waters, and sent him packing leg-before. Another perfect indipping yorker in his second spell disturbed the furniture behind Collins Obuya. The last ball of his seventh over was once again the toe-crusher that found Tanmay Mishra in front of the sticks. He churned out another lethal yorker first up in his next over that crashed into Peter Ongondo’s middle stump. Malinga was once again on a hat-trick as Shem Ngoche took guard. Predictably, it was another of those under-the-bat thunderbolts which was too good for the no. 10 and darted into the stumps. Malinga had become the first to rip out two hat-tricks in the World Cup. After a wide that ran away to the fine-leg boundary and a dot ball, the fourth legitimate delivery of the over was an action replay of his earlier yorkers, which the mesmerized Elijah Otieno could do nothing about and the leg-stick took the brunt. Kenya were all out for 142; Malinga had a bounty of six wickets, having expended 38 runs in 7.4 overs. Sri Lanka took only 18.4 overs to speed to a nine-wicket triumph. Malinga was man-of-the-match.      

unique

The game versus Australia was washed out after less than 33 overs in the Lankan innings. Malinga went wicketless as Zimbabwe were trounced easily. There was one wicket for him at the end as the Kiwis wilted. The thrashing of England in the quarter-final also had him pick up a sole wicket.

After this lean phase, he bowled the first over in the semi-final, and then returned only in the 22nd over. That vicious inswinging yorker, for the umpteenth time, went right through Martin Guptill and crashed into the timber. As Scott Stryis went after Malinga, Kane Williamson too tried to emulate his senior but was another victim of the Malinga patent, the pad in the way right in front. In his next over, Nathan McCullum tried a mighty swing to leg off one that came on slowly and merely nicked it to Sangakkara. Malinga’s haul was three for 55 in 9 overs, with New Zealand being bowled out for 217. The Lankan batsmen ensured a five-wicket win.

Jayawardene gave the side a great opportunity in the final with a magnificent century, and Malinga provided a tremendous opening with two monumental early strikes. Virender Sehwag was rapped on the pad trying to turn the second delivery of the innings and was gone for a duck. He then stunned the boisterous Wankhede Stadium crowd and indeed all of India, moving the first delivery of his fourth over away from a good length. Sachin Tendulkar tried to square-drive, only to get a thickish edge for Sangakkara to fling himself and cling on to the huge prize. Suddenly, India were 31 for two with doubts creeping into the minds of millions of fans. Gradually they extricated themselves from the tangle, built up momentum and brought up victory with a flourish. Sri Lanka were worthy runners-up again, and Malinga finished with two for 42 in 9 overs.

The little powerhouse had played his role, bagging 13 wickets on pitches that were unkind to pacemen for the most part. Once again he had a top-class average of 20.14.       

           

With 31 wickets to his name, Malinga is third for his country behind the peerless Muralitharan and Vaas in the World Cup. His strike-rate of 20.70 is second best among bowlers who have taken at least 15 wickets, as is his average of 17.87 in the list of top wicket-takers in the premier event. This bundle of energy has been an invaluable asset for Sri Lanka. Sadly, injuries prevented the full blooming of his Test career but he has carried on in the shorter formats, electrifying crowds around the world with his stunning strikes.

(From the Hall of Fame section of Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’. The author can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Indian Spring

Five stalwarts to look out for in the cricket World Cup 2015: 4. Shahid Afridi. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’

Slasher who finally spun his true magic

 

Balls…..762

Wickets…..28

Average…..19.60

Best…..5/16

Economy-rate…..4.32

Catches…..10 

It was in October 1996 that Shahid Afridi burst on the scene with a blazing hundred in his first innings in One-day Internationals, against Sri Lanka at Nairobi. Afridi had made his debut two days earlier against Kenya but did not get to bat as he was penciled in at no. 9, his team triumphing by four wickets. That hundred, batting at no.3, came in all of 37 balls, fastest at this level till Kiwi Corey Anderson pipped it by a delivery on the first day of 2014.

Soon drafted in to open the innings, it was reckoned that he would invariably provide blistering starts to his team. Though he blasted two of the five quickest, and three of the ten quickest, tons in One-dayers, and all his 6 hundreds arrived in well under 100 balls, he was too reckless and indiscreet to be a regular opener. Scintillating hitter though he is, he could not hold his place as a regular batsman alone, as his average of 23.40 suggests. He obviously has another skill, that of a quickish leg-spinner, but the powers-that-be were too slow to realize that his real utility was as a bowling allrounder who could change the game with both bat and ball. For that he needed to be utilised as a frontline bowler and a lower middle-order batsman.

Through three World Cup tournaments Afridi was barely noticed. A highest score of 37 in his 18 World Cup innings is hardly worthy of an international batsman. At the helm in 2011, he took the ball with a vengeance and emerged as the highest wicket-taker along with Zaheer Khan, but at a much better average, economy rate as well as strike-rate. Finally, Afridi came into his own in the World Cup.

He was up and down the order in the early English summer of 1999, in and out of the side, sometimes bowling, at other times not. His only performance of note was a typically swashbuckling 37 in 29 balls with 2 sixes and a four off the Zimbabweans, in the Super-sixes, batting at no. 7. Pakistan were runners-up to Australia.    

It was much the same story in 2003 as the team was bundled out after the first stage. There was one good bowling stint against England. In his first ovcr he castled Alec Stewart, and later had Craig White caught by Younis Khan. Afridi bagged two for 36 in his 8 overs, but England pulled away and registered a huge win.

The 2007 World Cup was a sad one for Pakistan in more ways than one. In the solitary match that he played, Afridi smashed the Zimbabwean bowlers for 16 in 10 balls with a six and a four in a rollicking partnership of 33 in 3 overs with centurion Imran Nazir. As rain intervened in the Zimbabwe innings, Afridi bowled the big-hitting Elton Chigumbura, and rattled the stumps again twice in his next over. He finished with three for 20 in his 4 overs in a big win. But an upset earlier by Ireland was enough to knock Pakistan out of the tournament.

The flamboyant Afridi was in his elements with the ball in 2011. He revelled in his role as captain and confined himself to the lower middle-order. After Pakistan had piled up 317 for seven, Afridi flummoxed the Kenyan batsmen with his wily bowling. Veteran Steve Tikolo stepped out but was beaten in the flight and was bowled. Afridi then trapped Tanmay Mishra leg-before with a googly as Kenya really began to slide now. In his next over, Afridi slipped in a flipper to skipper Jimmy Kamande who was rapped on the pad plumb in front of middle-stump. Another googly, and another lbw, the experienced Thomas Odoyo sent packing for a duck in the subsequent over. Amidst all the ruin, Collins Obuya was playing a fighting, aggressive innings, having struck 3 fours and 3 sixes. With not much hope left, he lofted Afridi in the following over but holed out at long-on. At the end of this 8th over, Afridi had figures of five for 16, having delivered 3 maidens. This was the best analysis by a captain, and for Pakistan, in the World Cup. His team won by 205 runs.

There was a vital fixture against Sri Lanka next. In characteristic fashion Afridi clouted 16 off 12 balls with 3 boundaries to boost the run-rate. With Sri Lanka sailing along at 88 for one in the 18th over, Afridi’s third delivery went straight and fizzed through outside the off-stump. The in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan played on to the stumps trying to cut it. It was a crucial breakthrough. Afridi then beat Thilan Samaraweera on the forward stroke, and stumped by Kamran Akmal. Bowling his second spell, Afridi had Kumar Sangakkara caught for 49, as the captain stepped out, ending an ominous partnership with Chamara Silva. This was Afridi’s 300th wicket in One-day Internationals, and a prized scalp in a significant match. Angelo Matthews too came down the wicket to Afridi and holed out in similar fashion, as the wily bowler shortened the length of the delivery. Afridi finished his quota of 10 overs with a haul of four for 34. Sri Lanka were now 211 for six in 44 overs, requiring another 67. Nuwan Kulasekara made a spirited effort, striking 24 off 14 deliveries with 2 fours and a six, but Sri Lanka fell short by 11 runs. Deservedly, Afridi was man of this pulsating match.

Minnows Canada surprised Pakistan by skittling them for 184 in 43 overs as the ball swung around under a cloudy Colombo sky. Afridi tonked a quickfire 20 off 17 balls, and the last four wickets crashed for 3 runs. Canada lost wickets steadily. Afridi brought himself on first-change in the 11th over. The Canadian batsmen were all at sea against him, and sure enough their captain Ashish Bagai was deemed leg-before-wicket by the review system to a ball that went on straight. The sixth delivery of Afridi’s new spell was a flighted googly, which Rizwan Cheema tried to cart on the on-side and was castled off-stump. In his next over Jimmy Hansra, who had been battling valiantly, was beaten by a flipper that took his off-stump. The next delivery was a quick one that surprised and bowled Harvir Baidwan. Afridi was denied a hat-trick but in his subsequent over Tyson Gordon threw his bat at a googly, only to be taken in the outfield. Afridi returned with a haul of five for 23 in his 10 overs, wresting his second-successive man-of-the-match award, and bagging four or more wickets in three consecutive matches. The Pakistani skipper was on a high.

There was a setback at the hands of New Zealand as Ross Taylor scored a brilliant century on his birthday. Afridi took just one wicket, conceding 55 runs. Coming in at 45 for five in the 15th over, Afridi played another breezy little innings of 17 in 9 balls with 2 fours and a six. Pakistan slumped to a 110-run defeat. Zimbabwe were beaten easily in a rain-shortened game, with Afridi again securing a sole wicket, having given away 33 runs. Pakistan halted the golden unbeaten run of the Australians in the World Cup going back to 1999. They bowled out the thrice-reigning champions for 176 in 46.4 overs, with Afridi once more taking one wicket, conceding 34 runs this time.

Afridi was in his elements in the annihilation of the West Indies by 10 wickets in the quarter-final. Ramnaresh Sarwan had been trying to resurrect the innings along with old mate Shivnaraine Chanderpaul, and he slashed at one from Afridi outside off, only to be caught at point. Afridi made a shambles of the West Indies innings in his next over. Kieron Pollard attempted to cut a delivery angling in and inside-edged it into the gloves of Kamran Akmal.  His subsequent delivery was quick and trapped Devon Thomas leg-before. He finally knocked back Ravi Rampaul’s leg-stump to bowl out the West Indies for 112 in 43.3 overs. This time Afridi walked back with four wickets for 30 in 9.3 overs. The Pakistani openers knocked up the runs in less than 21 overs.

This set up the most electrifying match of the tournament, a semifinal opposite India at Mohali. It was not a battle for the faint hearted. After a belligerent Sehwag, it was a resilient, if lucky, Tendulkar who held centre-stage. Pakistan did not help matters by committing several blunders in the field. Finally, Afridi himself held a catch offered by Tendulkar after the maestro had scored 85. Afridi, though, was wicketless, having expended 45 runs. India’s total of 260 on a wicket of variable bounce in a high-pressure match was a bit too much. India ran away winners by 29 runs, Pakistan still unable to beat them in five encounters in the World Cup.

It was, nevertheless, a superb display of leg-spin bowling by Afridi. His 21 wickets came at a brilliant average of 12.85 and an economy rate of 3.62. He is the only bowler in the World Cup to capture four wickets or more in three consecutive matches, and four in the same tournament. In fact no one has even three four-wicket hauls in the same World Cup. His four four-wicket hauls are level with the giants of spin, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in all World Cup tournaments. One wonders why the other side of Shahid Afridi was in the shadows for so long. 

(From the Hall of Fame section of Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’. The author can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Five stalwarts to look out for in the cricket World Cup 2015: 3. Brendon McCullum. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’

Dazzling and versatile both side of the sticks

World Cup matches…..25 

Highest score…..101

Runs…..414

Average…..31.84 

Strike-rate…..94.09

100s…..1

50s…..2

Catches…..30

Stumpings…..2 

Proficient with the big gloves, brilliant fielder without them, belligerent with the bat, able to open the batting or play in the middle-order, Brendon McCullum is dazzling as well as versatile. His pyrotechnics in the very first match of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008 will forever remain etched in memory. He has built up a fine record: Over 5300 runs in Tests at an average of 37 plus and a strike-rate above 60, with nearly 200 dismissals; more than 5000 runs in One-dayers at an average exceeding 30 and a strike-rate of almost 90, having surpassed the 260 dismissals mark. These are figures of a top-flight wicketkeeper-batsman, one of the finest cricketers to emerge from New Zealand.

Having sat out of the first match in the 2003 World Cup, McCullum only came in at no. 8 as the West Indies had them in strife at 147 for six after 32.2 overs. The 21-year-old helped Chris Harris add 41, and then allied with the belligerent Andre Adams in a crucial undefeated 53-run stand which took his side’s total to a respectable 241 for seven. McCullum’s unbeaten 36 came off 53 deliveries, and he struck one boundary. West Indies were bowled out for 221, leaving McCullum with pleasant memories of his World Cup debut.

A superb unconquered century by skipper Stephen Fleming in a rain-interrupted innings carried the Kiwis to a nine-wicket win over the Proteas. McCullum snapped up his first two catches in the premier event, sending back the openers Graeme Smith and centurion Herschelle Gibbs off the pacemen Shane Bond and Jacob Oram. The match against Kenya was forfeited as New Zealand declined to travel to Nairobi due to security concerns.

New Zealand beat Bangladesh easily by seven wickets. McCullum now took three catches, continuing his association with the same bowlers. Canada did not stretch them much and McCullum again allied with the two seamers to bag a catch each for them.

In the super-six game against Zimbabwe, there was a catch, this time off Chris Cairns. Bond was on fire in the face-off with Trans-Tasman rivals Australia at Port Elizabeth, and McCullum was in the frame with two catches off the speedster. Brett Lee’s return burst sent New Zealand packing, McCullum being trapped leg-before for 1. India were too good and McCullum, promoted to no. 5, was bowled for 4.

The young wicketkeeper had done a competent job, picking up 9 catches. He played one significant innings, which was an important ingredient in the eventual victory. A budding career was waiting to flower.            

New Zealand upstaged the English by six wickets in their opening encounter in 2007. McCullum snapped up Edmund Joyce (0) and Ian Bell (5) off James Franklin and Oram respectively. Later he caught the dogged Paul Collingwood and Jamie Dalrymple off Scott Styris. Kenya were trounced but McCullum was dismissed for just 6 and did not take a catch.

A John Davison-inspired Canada put up a spirited fight. McCullum joined Oram at 278 for five at the end of the 43^rd over. After Oram had hit Davison for a six over long-off, McCullum swept left-arm spinner Kevin Sandher on top of the Beusejour Stadium stand, and skied the last ball of the over that just eluded Anderson Cummins at long-on and also carried for six. In the next over he tickled Cummins, the former West Indies paceman, to the fine-leg boundary. Sunil Dhaniram, another left-arm tweaker sent down a full-toss, which McCullum launched over square-leg for his 3^rd six. Oram lofted Cummins for a straight six. In the final over McCullum rocketed Dhaniram for 2 more on-side sixes to raise the fastest fifty of the World Cup off a mere 20 deliveries, quicker than two Mark Boucher efforts in the same tournament. Oram teed off another six over extra-cover off the penultimate delivery. The unfinished partnership was worth 85 runs in 7 overs. McCullum was unbeaten with 52 off 21 balls, comprising those 5 sixes and sole boundary. New Zealand piled up 363. Canada did well to total 249, McCullum pouching a catch off Daniel Vettori.    

It was at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua where the West Indies received a drubbing from the Kiwis in their super-eight clash. Having put up a half-century stand with Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan drove at Oram only to manage a thick inside-edge which flew down the leg-side, McCullum bringing off a spectacular catch. Soon Oram got one to leap and take Marlon Samuels’ glove, for McCullum to hold on. Gayle played on to Oram in his next over. Brian Lara and Dwayne Bravo staged a 47-run rescue act but Bond had the latter edging into the gloves of McCullum. Then it was the big wicket. With McCullum standing up to the stumps, Lara tried to swing Styris on the on-side, inside-edged it and McCullum brought off a fine catch. McCullum had a hand in four of the previous five dismissals, and the West Indies slipped to 177 all out. The Kiwis coasted to a seven-wicket win.

The Bangladesh openers were off to a steady start but with Tamim Iqbal stepping out to paceman Oram in the quest to raise the scoring-rate, McCullum decided to come up to the stumps. The fifty was raised in the 16^th over, and in the next Tamim stretched to pull off an inventive shot off Oram on the leg-side, missed and McCullum whipped off the bails in a trice. His move had paid off; the left-hander departed. In Oram’s next over, the other opener Javed Omar tried to cut, only to edge it to McCullum. The Bangladesh innings never really took off, and New Zealand raced to a nine-wicket triumph.

McCullum got another opportunity to bat against the other surprise qualifiers Ireland. Coming in at 172 for five, he soon saw his side slip to 189 for seven in 42.3 overs. Joined by the left-handed Franklin, the pair upped the ante, initially in well-run ones and twos, to the extent that there were no boundaries in 11 overs upto the end of the 47^th. Then there was a flurry in the last three. Franklin struck the captain Trent Johnston for two successive fours, and McCullum lofted his pull to the fence. Franklin struck Kevin O’Brien for a four and a six in the penultimate over. McCullum replicated it off Johnston He drove through the covers and then bludgeoned a straight six to crack a glass screen in the pavilion. He holed out off the fourth for 47, scored off 37 deliveries. New Zealand totalled 283 for eight. Then in the second over of the Irish innings, Bond induced an edge from Jeremy Bray’s blade, and McCullum snapped it up. Later Eoin Morgan snicked one from Oram into the gloves of McCullum. Ireland packed up for 134. 

By now most of McCullum’s work was over. The formidable Sri Lankans registered a comfortable win. Magical Muralitharan trapped McCullum leg-before for 1. Though McCullum snapped up Sanath Jayasuriya off Oram, it was not before a 100-run second-wicket stand with another classy left-hander Kumar Sangakkara. The Kiwis did well to beat the Proteas. McCullum scored 4 not out in the five-wicket victory. The Aussies were too good, McCullum falling for 7. New Zealand, though, made it to the semi-finals, but again Sri Lanka packed too many guns. This time Murali had McCullum caught for a duck.

McCullum played a couple of belligerent knocks, finishing with a strike-rate of 134.48, and was always superb behind the sticks with 14 victims to his credit. New Zealand have always performed creditably in the World Cup without being brilliant. McCullum was invariably at hand to answer the call of duty.

In another campaign going right up to the semi-finals in 2011, McCullum was designated to open the innings. As a Kenyan team in decline crashed to 69 all out in 23.5 overs, McCullum snapped up their captain Jimmy Kamande off Oram. He brought up a ten-wicket win alongwith Martin Guptill in a mere 8 overs. McCullum was unbeaten with 26 off 17 deliveries with 4 fours.

Seemingly in a hurry, McCullum swung his willow against some fast, short-pitched bowling, particularly from Shaun Tait, clattering 3 boundaries. Then he slashed at the speedster, only to be caught at third-man. His 16 had come off 12 balls, and the Aussies never really gave much of a chance, cantering to a seven-wicket victory in 34 overs. 

McCullum and Guptill coasted to another ten-wicket win, this time against Zimbabwe. Guptill began with 2 fours and a six in the first over, then another six in the fifth over. McCullum struck his first six in the 15^th over. The hundred came up in 22.4 overs, and McCullum reached his fifty with a straight four off his 74^th delivery. He pull-drove his second six in the 32^nd over, and victory came two overs later. McCullum scored 76 off 95 deliveries with 6 fours and 2 sixes; Guptill scored 86 off 108 deliveries with 7 fours and 2 sixes.

Shoaib Akhtar’s third delivery of the match was a no-ball. McCullum bludgeoned the re-bowled free-hit over mid-wicket for a six. The next ball darted in sharply and took his off-stump. Ross Taylor waded into the Pakistani attack, the Kiwis totalling 302 for seven, and then bowling themselves to a 110-run win.

The valiant triers from Canada bore the brunt of McCullum’s punishing blade once again. The ball flew all over the Wankhede Stadium. The opening stand realized 53 runs in 9.5 overs, of which Guptill’s contribution was 17. Jesse Ryder joined in another belligerent partnership. McCullum’s fifty came off 38 balls, by which time he had struck 9 fours and a six. When Ryder fell to John Davison, the pair had added 96 runs in just under 20 overs. McCullum raised his hundred off 107 deliveries. He was soon gone for 101, having played 2 more balls, and blasted 12 fours and 2 sixes in all. Later Taylor’s pyrotechnics saw him rocketing 4 sixes and a four in an over off Harvir Baidwan. There was a jamboree with a flood of fours and sixes, most notably 4 boundaries off another Baidwan over, and Franklin’s 3 sixes and 2 fours in the last over bowled by Rizwan Cheema. The Canadian bowlers were getting into the record books for the wrong reasons. New Zealand piled up 358 for six. After early setbacks, Canada did well to total 261 for nine. So far McCullum was pouching the odd catch in a match. Here he held a succession of them. Hiral Patel was going after the bowlers until he edged a pull off Oram into the gloves of McCullum. Then followed a heart-warming 125-run stand between skipper Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra. A cramping Bagai nicked Nathan McCullum, and brother Brendon completed the dismissal. Not long after, Cheema dabbed Oram on the off-side and McCullum brought off a splendid diving catch. He picked up the man-of-the-match prize too.

The Kiwis were upstaged in a Sangakkara-Jayawardene-Muralitharan show. The Lankans put up 265 for nine, with McCullum holding catches off Styris and Oram. McCullum and Guptill seemed on course, but McCullum fell for 14 off 16 deliveries, having struck 2 fours. His partner followed soon and New Zealand folded up for 153.

Though New Zealand stunned South Africa in the quarter-final, both openers fell cheaply. As Oram dazzled in the field, McCullum held a late catch off him, and the Kiwis were through by 49 runs. Facing Sri Lanka again in the semi-final, McCullum departed for 13, and his side was not good enough to break through this stage yet again. Sangakkara was man-of-the-match once more, this time as much for his wicketkeeping as for his batting. 

On the face of it, McCullum had done a fine job with the bat, scoring 256 runs in 8 matches at an average of 42.66 and a strike-rate of 92.41. But his big scores came against the weaker sides. What must not be forgotten, however, is that he was fulfilling a crucial dual role, which added depth to the batting and gave the side the option of including an extra bowler. As always he was efficient, and often brilliant, behind the stumps with his 9 dismissals.

              

Overall, he is now third among wicketkeepers in the World Cup with 32 dismissals. His batting is always an asset, at the top or in the middle, with 414 runs at a strike-rate of above 94 and average of nearly 32. His name is one of the first picked when selecting the New Zealand team, and what is most heartening for his country is that he still has some good years ahead of him. Brendon McCullum is poised to go down in their annals as one of the brightest stars alongside the likes of Bert Sutcliffe, Glenn Turner, Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Daniel Vettori.

(From the Hall of Fame section of Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’. The author can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com). 

Indian Spring

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Five stalwarts to look out for in the cricket World Cup 2015: 2. Michael Clarke. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’

Dazzling show in times of triumph

World Cup matches…..18 
Highest score…..93 not out
Runs…..669
Average…..83.62 
Strike-rate…..93.56
50s…..6
Catches…..7

It is not easy to bat no.4 in a line-up when the preceding batsmen are Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting, which is what Michael Clarke did for the most part in the 2007 World Cup. Nor is it easy to fill the void left behind by the elegant Mark Waugh. Yet this is what Clarke has had to live up to. He was hailed as the next great batsman from Australia, successor to Ponting as captain and leading batsman. Clarke has it all: abundant natural talent, technique, poise, elegance, strokes, temperament. It was almost as if the cricketing world was waiting for him to emerge from the shadows of his great senior and express himself on a stage all his own.

Clarke did all that was asked of him in the 2007 World Cup. In his 9 innings he hit up two nineties, two other half-centuries and two forties, was never dismissed in single digit, and had a brilliant average of 87.20 and strike-rate of 94.98. He shared a World Cup record fourth-wicket partnership of 204 with Brad Hodge against Holland at Basseterre, St. Kitts, as he logged his top score of 93 not out in the tournament.  

Coming up against a major side for the first time in the tournament, Clarke registered his second successive ninety. Gilchrist and Hayden had already smashed the South African bowlers all over Warner Park, racing to 106 inside 15 overs. Hayden and Ponting then added 61 in 8.4 overs. When Clarke walked in at 167 for two only 23.3 overs had been bowled, and Hayden had blazed to the fastest World Cup century in 66 balls. Along with the skipper, Clarke put on 161 runs in just 21.4 overs. Ponting departed for a run-a-ball 91, and shortly afterwards Clarke was run out for 92. He had played 75 deliveries and hammered 7 fours and 4 sixes. Australia zoomed to their highest total of 377 for six in the premier event. Try as they might, it was a bridge too far for the Proteas, though Graeme Smith and Abraham de Villiers raised 160 first up in a mere 20.6 overs, and the latter was dismissed for the third ninety of the match, also tragically run out.

Australia lost two wickets relatively early against the West Indies in the first super-eight match.  Clarke joined Hayden at 76 for two in the 15^th over. They put on 98 in 16.1 overs before Dwayne Bravo trapped Clarke lbw for 41, having faced 47 deliveries and struck 4 boundaries. Hayden went on to hit up Australia’s highest score of 158 in the World Cup, paving the way for another easy win. England set a target of 248, and Clarke combined with Ponting again in a 112-run third-wicket stand in 21 overs. The captain was run out for 86 but Clarke saw Australia home with his unbeaten 55 off 63 balls with the help of 2 fours.   

Hardly any team was able to challenge Australia for the second consecutive World Cup. Sri Lanka could only post a total of 226. Clarke put on 47 this time with Ponting, but failed to keep a drive off leg-spinner Malinga Bandara on the ground and was taken in the covers for 23. Australia sailed to another seven-wicket victory. As Hayden came up with his third hundred of the tournament, off the Kiwi bowling, Clarke featured in a 72-run partnership with the burly opener in just 9.4 overs. In a rare misjudgement, he shouldered arms to a slower one from left-armer James Franklin and was bowled middle-stump for 49 after negotiating 46 deliveries and carving out 7 boundaries. Australia went on to amass 348 for six, coasting to an easy 215-run triumph.

The Aussies were hardly tested in the tournament. Would the Proteas stretch them in the semi-final? The answer came very quickly as South Africa were bowled out for 149. They did get Gilchrist early, and then Ponting too, but Clarke linked up with Hayden in a 66-run stand. He brought up a facile seven-wicket win in the company of Andrew Symonds, top-scoring with an unbeaten 60 from 86 balls, having struck 8 fours. Clarke’s job was more or less over as Gilchrist turned the truncated final into a no-contest with his blitzkrieg. But he did get the opportunity to bowl his slow left-arm spin, and knocked over the stumps of top-scorer Sanath Jayasuriya and Chamara Silva.

The talented Clarke was always at hand to back up the scintillating deeds of the big three in the Australian line-up in the hugely successful 2007 World Cup campaign. Invariably, his brief was to complete the work of the seniors and he did so with panache and style. He had already built up a formidable international record. The future beckoned Michael Clarke.

By 2011 the team was already in decline but they began the tournament well. They faced Zimbabwe, a team fighting hard to find its feet back in international cricket. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin raised an opening partnership of 61, then skipper Ponting helped Watson add another 79, but both were out in quick succession. Clarke then built another partnership steadily with Cameron White. He hit his first boundary off his 25^th delivery when the batting Powerplay was utilized in the 41^st over. Still, the runs came mainly in singles. The pair added 63 before White departed. There was a rise in tempo with the entry of David Hussey, but a couple wickets of wickets too fell. Clarke hit Chris Mpofu for two fours in an over. He returned unbeaten with 58 off 55 balls, having struck 4 boundaries. Australia totalled 262 for six. It seemed a measured performance by a team short on self-belief and determined to ease into the campaign on the right note against one of the weaker teams. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 171 with all the bowlers getting a good workout.

The Australian bowlers did well to bowl out the Kiwis for 206 in 45.1 overs. This time Watson and Haddin put up 133. Clarke batted steadily, once again remaining not out, having scored 24 in 37 deliveries and picking up 4 fours along the way, helping bring up victory by 7 wickets in 34 overs.

There was a long wait of eight days before the next game, made longer by rain in Colombo after less than 33 overs in the Sri Lankan innings, resulting in abandonment. Another eight days later they took on Kenya but most of the batsmen were in good nick. Clarke allied with Michael Hussey in a brilliant fifth-wicket stand of 114 for in a bit more than 16 overs. The pair found the boundary regularly before Hussey departed after scoring a rapid half-century. Clarke now got into belligerent mode, cracking two boundaries immediately thereafter off Nehemiah Odhiambo on either side of the wicket. He then turned his attention to Elijah Otieno, pulling deliveries of contrasting lengths for a four and a six to mid-wicket. Clarke was approaching his first century in the World Cup, having already equalled his highest score of 93, and averaging a Bradmanesque 122.20 in 12 innings at this point. But it was not to be as he slammed Odhiambo, and Rakep Patel took a fine catch at long-on. Clarke had finally got an average in this World Cup, another Bradman-like 175 in his three innings. He had struck 7 boundaries and a six in the 80 balls that he had faced. Australia finished on 324 for six. The Kenyan batsmen, particularly Collins Obuya and Tanmay Mishra, did well to respond with 264 for six.

Canada were bowled out for 211. Clarke was unbeaten with 16 as his side rung in an easy seven-wicket victory. Now came a challenging final group match against Pakistan, the last team to beat Australia in the World Cup way back on 23^rd May 1999 at Headingley by a mere 10 runs in a high-scoring match. Clarke came to the crease at 75 for two in the 19^th over. He battled through as wickets fell at regular intervals on a wicket of variable bounce, aiding lateral movement. Abdul Razzaq bowled him as he attempted a pull. His 34 had taken 48 balls and contained 2 boundaries. Australia collapsed to 176 all out in 46.4 overs. A Herculean bowling effort by Brett Lee could not prevent the 34-match unbeaten World Cup spell of the Australians from being broken.

This set up a high pressure quarter-final with home favourites India at Ahmedabad. As Ponting scored a vintage century, Clarke top-edged a sweep off player-of-the-tourrnament Yuvraj Singh, and holed out at mid-wicket for just 8, his first failure of the tournament at a crucial juncture. Australia did put up 260 for six but the inspired Indians won with relative ease. The days of glory in the World Cup were over for the time being.

 

Clarke has built up an impressive record in the World Cup, 669 runs in 15 innings at a brilliant average of 83.62, albeit with 7 not outs, and a top strike-rate of 93.56. These were mainly performances when Australia were riding high. When the going got tough, Clarke did not dazzle so bright. Nevertheless, the polished batsman that he is, he carried out his duties magnificently most of the time. He already has nearly 16,000 runs in Test matches and One-day Internationals put together, but back trouble has begun affecting his career. That is the challenge he must deal with successfully in his quest to be ranked among the true greats of batsmanship.

(From the Hall of Fame section of Indra Vikram Singh’s new book ‘Indian Spring’. The author can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).