It is not always about who scores the most runs; sometimes a brief knock could prove to be the difference between victory and defeat. In a World Cup, these cameos are even more potent given the heightened pressure of the situation.
Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 fleeting infernos in World Cup history that changed the course of the match. These are not necessarily big scores, but brief innings that ensured that their team came out on top.
1. Collis King (86 off 66) vs England, 1979 World Cup
It is not often that a century from Viv Richards gets overshadowed. Richards hit 138 off 157 balls in the 1979 World Cup final, but it was Collis King’s whirlwind 66-ball 86 with 10 fours and three sixes that transformed a potential competitive total into a World Cup-winning one. King’s blitz demoralised England, who never looked in the mood to chase the target. This was in 1979 — well over four decades before the advent of T20 revolutionised the game, especially batting. King gave a foreshadowing of things to come from West Indians in the T20 age with the kind of innings that one would now associate with Chris Gayle or Kieron Pollard.
2. Sandeep Patil (51* off 32) vs England, 1983 World Cup
When played their first ever World Cup game, Sunil Gavaskar infamously, inexplicably and illogically crawled to 36 runs in 60 overs. By 1983 though, it seemed Indian batsmen had come to terms with the abridged version of cricket. India reached the semi-final where they took on a strong English side. England were bowled out for 213 in exactly 60 overs, so the ball was in India’s court.
Gavaskar scored 25 off 41 balls. He, in fact, out-scored an uncharacteristically sedate Krishnamachari Srikkanth on the day. But at 142 for three, India’s innings was going nowhere. Then out walked Sandeep Patil and went ballistic. The ferocity with which he dealt a formidable English attack would be impressive even in today’s day and age where a a hundred is scored in 31 balls. Patil’s unbeaten 51 came off a mere 32 balls with eight boundaries, and ensured that India won easily in the end.
3. Inzamam-ul-Haq (60 off 37) vs New Zealand, 1992 World Cup
Inzamam-ul-Haq became a cricketing giant in the mid and late 1990s, but back in 1992 he was relatively unknown youngster. Inzamam had had a quiet World Cup till the semi-final against New Zealand.
New Zealand had been virtually unbeatable in the World Cup till that match, having lost just one game in the tournament. Batting first, they notched up 262 for seven, thanks to Martin Crowe (91) and Ken Rutherford (50). In response, Pakistan looked down and out at 140 for four when Inzamam came in to bat. He went on to showcase his genius with a savage 37-ball 60. Back then, it was a nigh unbelievable innings. Pakistan won with an over to spare, but without Inzamam they might have lost far sooner.
4. Ajay Jadeja (45 off 25) vs Pakistan, 1996 World Cup
India faced Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in what would go down in history as one of the most iconic India-Pakistan One-Day Internationals (ODIs). After Navjot Singh Sidhu (93) laid the platform for India, it was up to the middle-order to post on a big total. Unfortunately for India, the illustrious batting order failed to get going. It fell to the relatively unheralded Ajay Jadeja to lead a late charge for India. And what a charge it was!
Jadeja assaulted Waqar Younis in a way the ace Pakistan pacer had never been attacked before, and along with Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath took Waqar for 40 runs in his last two overs. Jadeja’s 45 off 25 had four fours and two sixes. Again, this was way before T20 cricket, and such innings were rare, especially against a bowler of Waqar’s calibre.
5. Sanath Jayasuriya (82 off 44) vs England, 1996 World Cup
Long before Virender Sehwag gave bowlers all around the world nightmares, it was Sanath Jayasuriya who haunted them. The legend of Jayasuriya was built in the 1996 World Cup, when he and Romesh Kaluwitharana got Sri Lanka off to blazing starts.
It was in the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and England that Jayasuriya showed exactly what he was capable of. The Matara Mauler hit 13 fours and three sixes en route to a 44-ball 82, in response to England’s 235. Sri Lanka won the match by five wickets, with nearly 10 overs to go. The massive win gave them tremendous momentum going into their last two matches and the team went on to win the World Cup.
6. Aravinda de Silva (66 off 47) vs India, 1996 World Cup
If Sanath Jayasuriya was instrumental in thrashing England in the quarter-final, it was Aravinda de Silva’s turn to rout India in the semi-final. Javagal Srinath reduced Sri Lanka to one for two and then 35 for three before Aravinda opened up. He took the momentum away from India’s bowlers with a belligerent 66 off 47 balls — 56 of the 66 runs coming in boundaries.
Aravinda was out with the score on 85, but by then the damage was done. Roshan Mahanama, Arjuna Ranatunga, and Co. ensured Sri Lanka scored 251. India’s response and subsequent crashing is well-documented.
7. Lance Klusener (46* off 41) vs Pakistan, 1999 World Cup
As far as blazing conflagrations go, this one is merely a bonfire in comparison. And yet, it was an innings that proved to be the difference between both sides, as South Africa clashed with Pakistan in the 32nd match of the 1999 World Cup.
Batting first, Pakistan managed to score 220 for seven in their 50 overs thanks to a late surge by Moin Khan (63) after being 150 for six in 43 overs on a tricky Trent Bridge track. South Africa were soon in dire straits themselves, and were reeling at 58 for five at one stage. They were then 135 for six when Klusener came in. Despite Jacques Kallis’ dismissal for a 98-ball 54, Klusener ensured that South Africa managed to go over the line with an over to spare with a restrained yet effective 46 not out.
8. Moin Khan (31* off 12) vs Australia, 1999 World Cup
Moin Khan played a fiery cameo against eventual champions Australia in the first encounter between the two sides in the 1999 World Cup.
Batting first, Abdul Razzaq (60) and Inzamam (81) laid a platform for Pakistan, but Australia kept taking wickets. Moin decided to change things up though, and took on Australia’s fearsome bowling attack to whack two fours and three sixes in his 12-ball 31 not out. In the end, Pakistan won by just 10 runs — Moin’s knock making the difference.
9. Ricardo Powell (40* off 18) vs South Africa, 2003 World Cup
West Indies and South Africa took each other on in the opening encounter of ICC World Cup 2003 at Cape Town. West Indies elected to bat first, and Brian Lara scored a terrific century after both openers were back in the hut with just seven runs on the board.
However, the true game-changing innings came late in the day when Ricardo Powell, batting at No. 6, hammered five fours and a six en route to his unbeaten 18-ball 40. West Indies ended up scoring 278 as South Africa fell short by just three runs.
10. Yusuf Pathan (30* off 24) vs Ireland, 2011 World Cup
India were on a roll in ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 when they came up against a combative Ireland. William Porterfield’s composed 75 and Niall O’Brien’s measured 46 helped Ireland reach 207. Yuvraj Singh snared five wickets, and India were expected to win easily.
However, the Bangalore pitch proved to be especially tricky, as India soon found out. They kept losing wickets at regular gaps, going from 24 for two to 87 for three, and then 100 for four. India’s fire-fighter-in-chief MS Dhoni was soon back in the hut with India 167 for five. The ball was doing a lot off the surface and Irish left-arm spinner George Dockrell proving to be especially difficult to play. In walked Yusuf Pathan at No. 7, to face Dockrell. He defended the first ball, hit the next ball for four, sent the ball after that for six, hit the next one back to the bowler, and then went on to smash another six off the last ball of that over. In a space of five balls he turned the game on its head and let off all the pressure Ireland had so meticulously built up over the past few overs.
(Shiamak Unwallais a proud Whovian and all-round geek who also dabbles in cricket writing as a reporter with CricketCountry. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)
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