Cricket History and Facts

Roger Binny was the leading wicket-taker in the 1983 World Cup with 18 wickets. He played a crucial role in India's triumph, consistently taking wickets throughout the tournament.

Mohinder Amarnath won Man of the Match in both the 1983 World Cup semifinal (against England) and the final (against West Indies). He was the first player to achieve this feat.

David Boon was named Man of the Match in the 1987 World Cup final for his excellent innings of 75 runs that helped Australia defeat England by 7 runs in Kolkata. Allan Border was Australia's captain, Steve Waugh also played but didn't receive the award, and Craig McDermott was a bowler. Boon's steady batting was crucial in Australia's successful chase of 217 runs.

Shaun Tait, known for his raw pace and slingy action, delivered one of the fastest balls (around 160 km/h) during the 2007 World Cup. His express pace made him one of the fastest bowlers in that tournament.

Glenn McGrath became the first bowler to take seven wickets in a World Cup match when he took 7/15 against Namibia in the 2003 World Cup. This remains one of the best bowling performances in World Cup history.

Glenn Turner from New Zealand recorded the highest batting average (129.00) in any single World Cup during the 1975 World Cup. He scored two centuries including 171 vs East Africa.

Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman to score a World Cup century at Cuttack's Barabati Stadium. He scored 127 runs against Kenya in the 1995 World Cup (actually played in 1996).

Mark Waugh scored three consecutive centuries in the 1996 World Cup - against Kenya (who were minnows), making him the only batsman to achieve this feat. His elegant batting was crucial to Australia's campaign.

Alec Stewart was the captain of England in the 1999 World Cup. He was a wicketkeeper-batsman who led the team during that tournament, though England had a disappointing campaign.

Matthew Hayden was the leading run-scorer in the 2007 World Cup with 659 runs at an average of 73.22. He scored three centuries and was instrumental in Australia's successful title defense.

Mohammed Azharuddin captained India in three World Cups - 1992, 1996, and 1999. This makes him one of the few Indian captains to lead in multiple World Cup tournaments.

Srinivas Venkatraghavan captained India in the 1979 World Cup. This was India's second World Cup appearance, and the team performed poorly under his leadership, losing all three matches including a famous loss to Sri Lanka.

Navjot Singh Sidhu scored 4 consecutive half-centuries in the 1996 World Cup: 93 vs Kenya, 73 vs West Indies, 97 vs South Africa, and 47 vs Australia in the semifinal. This was a unique record at the time.

Zaheer Khan dismissed Graeme Smith most frequently in international cricket. Smith was dismissed 7 times by Zaheer in ODIs and 6 times in Tests. Harbhajan and other Indian bowlers had fewer dismissals.