World Class All-Rounders

Following Yuvraj Singh’s heroics this past weekend, we look back at some notable all-round performances at previous ODI World Cups.

1975 – Gary Gilmour (Aus), 28* and 6-14 vs England (Semi-Final)
Criticisms of the Headingley pitch notwithstanding, this match lacked nothing in terms of excitement as Australia, having dispatched England for 93, slumped to 39 for six. Gilmour seamed and swung the ball at will, and then shepherded Australia to the first World Cup final in a stand of 55 with Doug Walters.

1979 – Viv Richards (WI), 42 and 3-52 vs Pakistan (Semi-Final)
All of West Indies top batsmen contributed in this match, despite which Pakistan looked in good position to win at 176-1. After Croft took the initiative with the wickets of Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan in the space of eleven runs, Richards then took three wickets himself, including that of Imran, to help guide the West Indies home.

1983 – Duncan Fletcher (Zim), 69* and 4-43 vs Australia (Group match)
The amateurs of the debutant Zimbabwe pulled off the shock of the tournament by beating Australia, thanks mainly to a sparkling captain’s performance by Duncan Fletcher. At 94 for five Fletcher spearheaded a revival, helping to add almost 150 at more than five an over. He then took Australia’s first four wickets to fall, setting Zimbabwe on the way to a stunning upset.

1983 – Mohinder Amarnath (Ind), 26 and 3-12 vs West Indies (Final)
Amarnath achieved his second consecutive Man of the Match award with a solid innings and three late wickets to seal an unexpected and emotional win for India against the favoured West Indies.

1987 – Imran Khan (Pak), 58 and 3-36 vs Australia (Semi-Final)
Pakistan failed in their third consecutive World Cup semi-final despite Imran’s efforts, including three wickets in five overs, then sharing a fourth-wicket stand of 112 with Javed Miandad, giving Pakistan a chance which they ultimately couldn’t take.

1992 – Ian Botham (Eng), 53 and 4-31 vs Australia (Group match)
After posting his best-ever one-day bowling performance, Botham opened the innings with Gooch and helped set England on their way to victory with an opening stand of 107.

1992 – Wasim Akram (Pak), 33 and 3-49 vs England (Final)
Wasim Akram’s Man of the Match performance helped Pakistan win their first World Cup. After his 33 off only 18 balls to end Pakistan’s innings, his dismissal of Lamb and Lewis with consecutive balls effectively ended England’s threat.

1996 – Aravinda de Silva (SL), 107* and 3-42 vs Australia (Final)
A complete all-round performance from de Silva (he also held two catches) saw Sri Lanka home in their first final. He had a hand in the dismissals of Taylor, Ponting, Steve Waugh, Stuart Law and Healy, then remained solid as he helped to add 222 with first Gurusinha then Ranatunga.

1999 – Neil Johnson (Zim), 76 and 3-27 vs South Africa (Group match)
Johnson’s Man of the Match performance saw Zimbabwe pull off another upset, following his innings of 76 with the first-ball dismissal of Gary Kirsten, as his three wickets helped put South Africa in a hole, at 40 for six, which they ultimately could not climb out of.

2003 – Andy Bichel (Aus), 34* and 7-20 vs England (Group match)
Bichel was the key player in a scarcely believable win for Australia. He took seven for 20 in England’s innings as they slumped to 205, then, with Australia teetering at 145 for eight, helped Bevan add 73 to steer Australia to an unlikely victory.

2007 – Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), 115 and 3-38 vs West Indies (Super Eight match)
After a cautious start (14 off 33 balls) Jayasuriya’s innings, including four sixes, added 183 with Jayawardene as Sri Lanka cruised to victory by 113 runs. Fittingly, Jayasuriya took the last West Indian wicket to fall, that of Powell.

2007 – Michael Vaughan (Eng), 79 and 3-39 vs West Indies (Super Eight match)
In Brian Lara’s farewell to international cricket, Michael Vaughan finally found his batting form and raced to a 33-ball fifty, before putting himself on to surprise the West Indies with his off-spinners.

Adam Gilchrist (Aus), 149 and 3 dismissals vs Sri Lanka (Final)
An astonishing innings, including eight sixes and 21 boundaries in all, saw Gilchrist smash a record 149 from 104 balls. In a stand of 172 for the first wicket, Matthew Hayden made only 38. Gilchrist’s catch and two stumpings were icing on the cake, preceeding a lamentable ending to the final.