A Numerical Look at the World Cup

Sun, Feb 9, '03

If individual statistics and past World Cup performances are any indicator, then Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ridley Jacob will have another chance to cover themselves with glory in this year?s Cricket World Cup (CWC) in South Africa. The West Indies team currently has only five players with previous World Cup experience. Of the five, only Lara, Chanderpaul and Hooper played in at least ten matches.

As we get ready to enjoy the premier ODI tournament on the cricket calendar, CaribbeanCricket.com statistician Zito takes a numerical look at previous World Cup tournaments from 1975 to 1999...

For players with at least 10 matches at CWC, Viv Richards (WI) tops the batting averages with 1013 runs at 63.31, three centuries and five fifties in 23 matches. Richards is also the third highest run scorer in World Cup history after Pakistan?s Javed Miandad (1083) and India?s Sachin Tendulkar (1059). For West Indies in CWC, Richards has the third highest scoring rate (85.05) and also for West Indies batsman making a century he has the highest inning scoring rate of 144.80 when he made his highest score of 181 in the match against Sri Lanka at Karachi in CWC 1987.

For the West Indies, Ridley Jacobs has the highest batting average without restriction (205 runs at 102.50).

For players with at least 250 runs, ?Gus? Logie tops the batting scoring rate with 91.86, the sixth highest in CWC, followed by Lara at seventh with 90.31. Lance Klusener (SAf) has the highest scoring rate (122.17) for the batsman in the CWC.

South Africa?s Gary Kirsten?s 188 not out is the highest individual score at the CWC, while for West Indies, Viv Richards? 181 off 125 balls is the third highest score. Richards also has the top three highest scores for West Indies and his 138* v England at Lord?s in 1979 is the highest score in all CWC Finals.

Australia?s Mark Waugh recorded the most centuries (4) in the CWC. For West Indies Viv Richards recorded 3 centuries.

India's Sachin Tendulkar scored the most runs in a CWC tournament: 523 runs at 87.17 from 7 innings in the 1995-96 CWC. For West Indies, Viv Richards has the most runs in 1987-88 (391 at 65.17 from 6 inns) and in 1983 (367 at 73.40 from 7 inns).

Wasim Akram (Pak) will be playing in a record equalling 33 matches and his last CWC appearance. He has the most wickets (43 at 25.81) with a best figure of 4-32. Courtney Walsh took the most wickets in the CWC for WI. Walsh took 27 wickets at 20.25 with a best figure of 4-25. Of the current players in this year?s CWC, Carl Hooper is currently 7th on the WI list with 15 wickets at 32.86 with a best figure of 3-42.

For players who bowled over 1000 balls in the CWC, Imran Khan (Pak) tops the bowling averages with 34 wickets at 19.26 with a best figure of 4-37. Andy Roberts (WI) has the third best bowling average in the CWC with 26 wickets at 21.23 with a best figure of 3-32. For WI with at least 10 matches in the CWC, Michael Holding tops the bowling average with 20 wickets at 17.05 with a best figure of 4-33.

Winston Davis (WI) recorded the best bowling figure in the CWC history with his 7-51 against Australia at Leeds in 1983. Joel Garner is the only other West Indian with a five-wicket haul in an innings at CWC, he recorded the best figure of 5-38 against England in the CWC Finals at Lord?s.

For players scoring at least 250 runs and taking 10 wickets, Viv Richards tops the table with 1013 runs at 63.31 and 10 wickets at 34.54,

West Indies? Jeff Dujon effected the most dismissals 16 (15 cts, 1 st) for a wicket-keeper in a tournament.

Australia?s Steve Waugh took the most catches (14) for a fielder other than the wicket keeper in the CWC, while for West Indies, Desmond Haynes & Clive Lloyd took 12 catches, third equal highest number of catches in the table.

Ridley Jacobs (WI) scored 80* and dismissed 5 batsmen in the match against New Zealand at Southampton in 1999. Other players with 50 and at least 3 dismissals in the same match are: Australia?s Rod Marsh (50*, 3 dis) and England?s Alec Stewart (88, 3 dis). Jacob?s 5 catches in a match is a record, while his 5 dismissals is a record shared with NR Mongia (Ind), Rashid Latif (Pak), JC Adams (WI) and SMH Kirmani (Ind). Incidentally, Jacobs has the highest dismissals per match ratio (2.80) for West Indies in CWC.

Pakistan?s Moin Khan has the most fielding dismissals in the CWC with 30 dismissals (23 ct, 7 st) while for WI, Jeff Dujon recorded 20 dismissals (19 ct, 1 st).

There have only been two hat-tricks in the history of the World Cup: India?s Chetan Sharma who dismissed New Zealand?s Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith & Ewen Chatfield, at Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in 1987-88 and Pakistan?s Saqlain Mushtaq who dismissed Zimbabwe?s Henry Olonga, Adams Huckle & Mpumelelo Mbangwa at the Oval in 1999.

There has been only one tied match in the CWC, in the second Semi-Final of 1999 CWC, South Africa was chasing 214 to win against Australia when last man Alan Donald was run-out in the last over with 2 balls remaining and the score tied at 213.

England recorded the largest margin of victory in terms of runs in a CWC match when they beat East Africa by 196 runs at Birmingham in 1975, while for West Indies, the team recorded their largest margin of victory of 191 runs against Sri Lanka in 1987-88. There have been five matches in the CWC in which a team won by 5 runs or less, Australia recorded the closest victory when they beat India by 1 run in 1987-88 and again in 1991-2.

Two teams, West Indies & India, recorded the largest margin of victory in terms of wicket in a CWC match by 10 wickets. WI beat Zimbabwe in 1983 & Pakistan in 1991-92 and India beat East Africa in 1975.

Sri Lanka recorded the highest team score in a CWC match when they made 398-5 against Kenya in 1996, while for West Indies, the highest team score is 360-4 against Sri Lanka in 1987-88.

Canada held the dubious honour of making the lowest team score in a completed inning at the CWC when they imploded to 45 all out in 40 overs against England in Manchester in 1979. Incidentally, their score of 45 is also the only score below fifty in all CWC matches.

Sri Lanka successfully chased the highest target (313) achieved in the second inning of a match against Zimbabwe whom they defeated by 4 wickets in 1991-92 at New Plymouth. For West Indies, the highest target that the team successfully chased was 274 in the match against Australia whom they defeated by 7 wickets in 1983 at Lord?s.