Published: Feb 07, 2015, 07:42 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 07, 2015, 07:42 PM (IST)
Few have dominated a World Cup to the extent Lance Klusener had in World Cup 1999. A tally of 281 runs at 140.50 and strike rate of 122.20 to go with 17 wickets at 20.58 (he was the leading wicket-taker for South Africa, ahead of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock) were not only outstanding in the tournament, it would rank as one of the greatest series performances in the history of One-Day Internationals (ODIs). It was not surprising that they named him Man of the Series.
It is unfortunate that he is often remembered as the man who was involved in the mix-up with Donald in the semi-final at Edgbaston in what has been called the greatest ODI of all time. Had Klusener been promoted that day, the World Cup may have gone to a different side, though it must be admitted that Australia had put up a stellar show in the final at Lord’s.
Speaking of the two matches, one cannot forget Shane Warne. Not only did Warne emulate Mohinder Amarnath (1983) and Aravinda de Silva (1996) to win the Man of the Match in both the semi-final and the final of a World Cup, he also finished as the joint-highest wicket taker of the tournament with 20 wickets. Tied with him was Geoff Allott, one of the surprise packages of the tournament.
As for batting, Rahul Dravid topped the runs chart, with the Waugh twins featuring quite high. Dravid and Saeed Anwar scored two hundreds each, Mark Waugh became the first batsman to register four World Cup hundreds, and Saqlain Mushtaq took the second World Cup hat-trick (the first in 12 years).
Batting records
Though Dravid did not top-score in a single match (even when he scored his two hundreds at Bristol and Taunton) he finished as the leading scorer of the tournament. His 461 was 63 runs clear of Steve Waugh, the next man on the list.
| Â Most runs | M | I | NO | R | BF | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
| Rahul Dravid | 8 | 8 | 1 | 461 | 539 | 145 | 65.86 | 85.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Steve Waugh | 10 | 8 | 3 | 398 | 512 | 120* | 79.60 | 77.7 | 1 | 2 |
| Sourav Ganguly | 7 | 7 | Â – | 379 | 467 | 183 | 54.14 | 81.2 | 1 | 1 |
| Mark Waugh | 10 | 10 | 1 | 375 | 492 | 104 | 41.67 | 76.2 | 1 | 2 |
| Saeed Anwar | 10 | 10 | 1 | 368 | 511 | 113 | 40.89 | 72.0 | 2 | Â – |
Though Klusener dominated the batting averages, Ridley Jacobs provided him with competition. Used as an opener, Jacobs even carried his bat through an all-out innings against Australia at Old Trafford. He finished with 205 runs at 102.
Highest batting averages (150 or more runs)
| M | I | NO | R | BF | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | |
| Lance Klusener | 9 | 8 | 6 | 281 | 230 | 52* | 140.50 | 122.2 | – | 2 |
| Ridley Jacobs | 5 | 4 | 2 | 205 | 408 | 80* | 102.50 | 50.2 | – | 2 |
| Steve Waugh | 10 | 8 | 3 | 398 | 512 | 120* | 79.60 | 77.7 | 1 | 2 |
| Roger Twose | 9 | 9 | 5 | 318 | 426 | 80* | 79.50 | 74.6 | – | 3 |
| Rahul Dravid | 8 | 8 | 1 | 461 | 539 | 145 | 65.86 | 85.5 | 2 | 3 |
Though the first half of the summer was relatively sedate, Klusener and Moin Khan, both batting down the order, took the bowlers to cleaners. While Klusener’s 281 came off a mere 230 balls, Moin’s 242 came off 219. Klusener still had a gap, but Moin was a deserving second.
Highest strike rates (150 or more runs)
| Â | M | I | NO | R | BF | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
| Lance Klusener | 9 | 8 | 6 | 281 | 230 | 52* | 140.50 | 122.2 | – | 2 |
| Moin Khan | 10 | 9 | 2 | 242 | 219 | 63 | 34.57 | 110.5 | – | 1 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 7 | 7 | 1 | 253 | 281 | 140* | 42.17 | 90.0 | 1 | – |
| Jonty Rhodes | 9 | 8 | 2 | 161 | 182 | 43 | 26.83 | 88.5 | Â – | – |
| Rahul Dravid | 8 | 8 | 1 | 461 | 539 | 145 | 65.86 | 85.5 | 2 | 3 |
There were 11 centuries in the tournament, and one of the most striking features was the fact that Indians (Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid — twice, Ganguly, and Ajay Jadeja) scored the first five of them. Ganguly, Dravid, and Tendulkar were also the top three scorers of World Cup 1999.
| Centurions | Score | Against | Venue |
| Sourav Ganguly | 183 | Sri Lanka | Taunton |
| Rahul Dravid | 145 | Sri Lanka | Taunton |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 140* | Kenya | Bristol |
| Neil Johnson | 132* | Australia | Lord’s |
| Steve Waugh | 120* | South Africa | Headingley |
| Saeed Anwar | 113* | New Zealand | Old Trafford |
| Rahul Dravid | 104* | Kenya | Bristol |
| Mark Waugh | 104 | Zimbabwe | Lord’s |
| Saeed Anwar | 103 | Zimbabwe | The Oval |
| Herschelle Gibbs | 101 | Australia | Headingley |
| Ajay Jadeja | 100* | Australia | The Oval |
Bowling records
The bowlers had better outings than in the previous three World Cups. With 20 wickets at 16.25, Geoff Allott was the surprise package; other seamers put up competent performances as well, though both Shane Warne and Saqlain Mushtaq bowled exceptionally well, picking up 37 cheap wickets between them.
| Â Most Wickets | B | R | W | BB | Ave | SR | Econ | 5WIs |
| Geoff Allott | 526 | 325 | 20 | 4/37 | 16.25 | 26.3 | 3.71 | – |
| Shane Warne | 566 | 361 | 20 | 4/29 | 18.05 | 28.3 | 3.83 | – |
| Glenn McGrath | 574 | 361 | 18 | 5/14 | 20.06 | 31.9 | 3.77 | 1 |
| Lance Klusener | 455 | 350 | 17 | 5/21 | 20.59 | 26.8 | 4.62 | 1 |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | 502 | 379 | 17 | 5/35 | 22.29 | 29.5 | 4.53 | 1 |
Had cricket been only for the bowlers, Walsh (11 wickets at 9.82) would probably have taken West Indies to the next level with some support from Curtly Ambrose and Rion King. The English seamers, Darren Gough and Alan Mullally, did a good job, as did Allott and Warne.
Best bowling averages (10 wickets or more)
| B | R | W | BB | Ave | SR | Econ | 5WIs | |
| Courtney Walsh | 282 | 108 | 11 | 4/25 | 9.82 | 25.6 | 2.30 | – |
| Geoff Allott | 526 | 325 | 20 | 4/37 | 16.25 | 26.3 | 3.71 | – |
| Darren Gough | 292 | 192 | 11 | 4/34 | 17.45 | 26.5 | 3.95 | – |
| Alan Mullally | 300 | 176 | 10 | 4/37 | 17.60 | 30.0 | 3.52 | – |
| Shane Warne | 566 | 361 | 20 | 4/29 | 18.05 | 28.3 | 3.83 | – |
John Blain (ten wickets at 22.3 per ball) was the surprising leader on the strike rates chart, while Neil Johnson, with 25 balls per wicket, was one of the key reasons for Zimbabwe making it to the Super Sixes.
Best bowling strike rates (10 wickets or more)
| Â | B | R | W | BB | Ave | SR | Econ | 5WIs |
| John Blain | 223 | 210 | 10 | 4/37 | 21.00 | 22.3 | 5.65 | – |
| Neil Johnson | 300 | 233 | 12 | 4/42 | 19.42 | 25.0 | 4.66 | – |
| Courtney Walsh | 282 | 108 | 11 | 4/25 | 9.82 | 25.6 | 2.30 | – |
| Geoff Allott | 526 | 325 | 20 | 4/37 | 16.25 | 26.3 | 3.71 | – |
| Darren Gough | 292 | 192 | 11 | 4/34 | 17.45 | 26.5 | 3.95 | – |
To give an example of how good the West Indian fast bowlers were, both Walsh and Ambrose conceded less than 2.50 runs an over, while King gave away a shade over three; they also topped the economy rates chart. The next two names, Shaun Pollock and Gavin Larsen, were predictable ones.
Best economy rates (100 or more balls)
| Â | B | R | W | BB | Ave | SR | Econ | 5WIs |
| Courtney Walsh | 282 | 108 | 11 | 4/25 | 9.82 | 25.6 | 2.30 | – |
| Curtly Ambrose | 240 | 94 | 7 | 3/31 | 13.43 | 34.3 | 2.35 | – |
| Rion King | 187 | 95 | 8 | 3/30 | 11.88 | 23.4 | 3.05 | – |
| Shaun Pollock | 504 | 283 | 9 | 5/36 | 31.44 | 56.0 | 3.37 | 1 |
| Gavin Larsen | 456 | 263 | 6 | 3/19 | 43.83 | 76.0 | 3.46 | – |
The past three World Cups had seen a mere four five-wicket hauls, but this one surpassed all of them put together. As expected, Klusener and Saqlain featured on the list, as did Robin Singh, Venkatesh Prasad, Pollock, and Glenn McGrath.
Five-wicket hauls
| Â | Figures | Against | Venue |
| Glenn McGrath | 5/14 | West Indies | Old Trafford |
| Lance Klusener | 5/21 | Kenya | Amstelveen |
| Venkatesh Prasad | 5/27 | Pakistan | Old Trafford |
| Robin Singh | 5/31 | Sri Lanka | Taunton |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | 5/35 | Bangladesh | Northampton |
| Shaun Pollock | 5/36 | Australia | Edgbaston |
It had taken four World Cups for Chetan Sharma to take the first hat-trick in World Cups. It took Saqlain Mushtaq three more for the second; he had Henry Olonga and Adam Huckle stumped, and followed it by trapping Mpumelelo Mbangwa leg-before.
Hat-tricks
| Â | Against | Venue | Batsmen | How out |
| Saqlain Mushtaq | Zimbabwe | The Oval | Henry Olonga | stumped Moin Khan |
| Adam Huckle | stumped Moin Khan | |||
| Mpumelelo Mbangwa | LBW |
Fielding and wicket-keeping
Moin topping the list was never a surprise, but despite having played half the number of matches played by Moin and Gilchrist, Jacobs finished second with a whopping 14 dismissals (all caught) from only five matches.
Most dismissals by a wicket-keeper
| Â | M | C | S | D | D/M |
| Moin Khan | 10 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 1.60 |
| Ridley Jacobs | 5 | 14 | 14 | 2.80 | |
| Adam Gilchrist | 10 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 1.40 |
| Mark Boucher | 9 | 11 | 11 | 1.22 | |
| Nayan Mongia | 7 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 1.29 |
Darryl Cullinan claimed eight catches from nine matches, but nobody else managed more than six — a count where seven men (including the Waugh twins) were tied.
Most catches as fielder
| Â | M | C | C/M |
| Darryl Cullinan | 9 | 8 | 0.89 |
| Graeme Hick | 5 | 6 | 1.20 |
| Graham Thorpe | 5 | 6 | 1.20 |
| Nathan Astle | 9 | 6 | 0.67 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq | 10 | 6 | 0.60 |
| Ricky Ponting | 10 | 6 | 0.60 |
| Mark Waugh | 10 | 6 | 0.60 |
| Steve Waugh | 10 | 6 | 0.60 |
Record partnerships
Dravid added an unbroken 237 with Tendulkar against at Kenya, and bettered that with a 318-run stand with Ganguly against Sri Lanka at Taunton. The latter still remains a World Cup record for any wicket. Klusener features in two record stands, for the ninth and tenth wickets respectively.
Highest partnerships
| Wicket | Runs | Batsman 1 | Batsman 2 | Against | Venue |
| 1 | 194 | Saeed Anwar | Wajahatullah Wasti | New Zealand | Old Trafford |
| 2 | 318 | Sourav Ganguly | Rahul Dravid | Sri Lanka | Taunton |
| 3 | 237* | Rahul Dravid | Sachin Tendulkar | Kenya | Bristol |
| 4 | 126 | Ricky Ponting | Steve Waugh | South Africa | Headingley |
| 5 | 148 | Roger Twose | Chris Cairns | Australia | Cardiff |
| 6 | 161 | Maurice Odumbe | Alpesh Vadher | Sri Lanka | Southampton |
| 7 | 83 | Stephen Fleming | Chris Harris | Pakistan | Derby |
| 8 | 64 | Mahela Jayawardene | Chaminda Vaas | Kenya | Southampton |
| 9 | 44 | Lance Klusener | Steve Elworthy | Sri Lanka | Northampton |
| 10 | 35 | Lance Klusener | Allan Donald | Zimbabwe | Chelmsford |
Team aggregates
India scored 373 for six against Sri Lanka at Taunton and 329 for two against Kenya against Bristol, which remained the highest in the World Cup. Australia, with 303 for four against Zimbabwe at Lord’s, were the only other side to score in excess of 300.
Highest team scores
| Team | Score | Against | Venue |
| India | 373/6 (50) | Sri Lanka | Taunton |
| India | 329/2 (50) | Kenya | Bristol |
| Australia | 303/4 (50) | Zimbabwe | Lord’s |
| South Africa | 287/5 (50) | New Zealand | Edgbaston |
| Australia | 282/6 (50) | India | The Oval |
West Indies skittled out Scotland for 68 at Grace Road to win the match before lunch. The South African pace battery bowled out England for 103 at The Oval and Sri Lanka for 110 at Northampton, and Australia bowled out West Indies for 110 in a crunch match at Old Trafford.
Lowest team scores (excludes rain-reduced matches)
| Team | Score | Against | Venue |
| Scotland | 68 (31.3) | West Indies | Grace Road |
| England | 103 (41) | South Africa | The Oval |
| Sri Lanka | 110 (35.2) | South Africa | Northampton |
| West Indies | 110 (46.4) | Australia | Old Trafford |
| Bangladesh | 116 (37.4) | New Zealand | Chelmsford |
Biggest margins of victory
By runs: 157
India 373/6 (50) beat Sri Lanka 216 (42.3)
By wickets: 9
Kenya 203 (49.4) lost to England 204/1 (39)
New Zealand 241/7 (50) lost to Pakistan 242/1 (47.3)
By balls to spare: 239
Scotland 68 (31.3) lost to West Indies 70/2 (10.1)
Smallest margins of victory
By runs: 3
Zimbabwe 252 for 9 (50) beat India 249 (45) — target 253 from 46 overs
By wickets: 3
Pakistan 220 for 7 (50) lost to South Africa 221/7 (49)
By balls to spare: 2
South Africa 271 for 7 (50) lost to Australia 272/5 (49.4)
Tie
Australia 213 (49.2) tied with South Africa 213 (49.4)
For tournament summary click here
