DHAKA, April 12, 2019 (BSS) – From the first World Cup in 1975 to the
latest one in 2015, the tournament has seen a lot of changes. The number of
overs has been reduced from 60 to 50, colored clothing has been introduced,
and white balls and day-night matches appeared.
A total of 20 countries have played in the World Cup, but out of those
only seven have played in all the 11 editions of the tournament – Australia,
India, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand. The highest
number of 16 countries played in a single edition of the World Cup in 2007.
The 2019 World Cup will be the first tournament in a long time when there
will be no Associate Teams. The World Cup to be held in England will only
involve the 10 Test playing nations. Apart from the teams mentioned above,
South Africa, Bangladesh and Afghanistan will also be part of the tournament.
When it comes to the best team to play in the World Cup, that title has to
go to Australia. The Aussies have managed to win five World Cups, and they
are the only team to win the trophy on three consecutive occasions.
Apart from Australia, India and West Indies are the only other teams to
win the World Cup on more than one occasion.
Let us take a look at some of the key statistics from the quadrennial
tournament: Champions
1975 – West Indies
1979 – West Indies
1983 – India
1987 – Australia
1992 – Pakistan
1996 – Sri Lanka
1999 – Australia
2003 – Australia
2007 – Australia
2011 – India
2015 – Australia
Batting performances
417/6 by Australia against Afganistan in 2015 is the highest team total in
the World Cup.
36 by Canada against Sri Lanka in 2003 is the lowest team total in the
World Cup.
2278 runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar of India is the highest number of
runs scored by a player in the World Cup.
237*scored by Martin Guptill against West Indies is the highest individual
score by a player in the World Cup.
165 centuries have been scored in the World Cup.
26 centuries scored by Australia is the highest number centuries scored by
any team in the World Cup.
6 centuries scored by Sachin Tendulkar is the highest number of centuries
scored by a player in the World Cup.
15 half-centuries scored by Sachin Tendulkar is the highest number of
half-centuries scored by a player in the World Cup.
673 runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup is the highest
number of runs scored by a player in a single edition of the tournament.
Bowling performances
71 wickets taken by Glenn McGrath of Australia is the highest number of
wickets taken by a player in the World Cup.
7/15 by Glenn McGrath against Namibia in 2003 is the best bowling
performance by a player in the World Cup.
54 five-wicket hauls have been taken in the World Cup.
13 five-wicket hauls by Australia is the highest number of five-wicket
hauls by any team in the World Cup.
2 five-wicket hauls by Gary Gilmour of Australia, Vasbert Drakes of West
Indies, Ashantha de Mel of Sri Lanka, Shahid Afridi of Pakistan and Glenn
McGrath of Australia each is the highest number of five-wicket hauls taken by
a player in the World Cup.
26 wickets taken by Glenn McGrath in the 2007 World Cup is the highest
number of wickets taken by a player in a single edition of the tournament.
Wicketkeeping performances
54 dismissals by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka is the highest number of
dismissals by a wicket-keeper in the World Cup.
6 dismissals by Adam Gilchrist of Australia against Namibia in 2003 and by
Sarfraz Ahmed of Pakistan against South Africa in 2015 is the highest number
of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in an innings in the World Cup.
21 dismissals by Adam Gilchrist in the 2003 World Cup is the highest
number of dismissals by a wicket-keeper in a single edition of the
tournament.
Fielding performances
28 catches taken by Ricky Ponting of Australia is the highest number of
catches taken by a player in the World Cup.
4 catches taken by Mohammad Kaif of India against Sri Lanka in 2003, by
Soumya Sarkar of Bangladesh against Scotland in 2015 and by Umar Akmal of
Pakistan against Ireland in 2015 is the highest number of catches taken by a
player in a single match at the World Cup.
11 catches by Ricky Ponting in the 2003 World Cup is the highest number of
catches taken by a player in a single edition of the World Cup.