Top 5 Cricket World Cup Spells

You don’t need a shotgun or a bazooka or for that matter a rifle, but a dashing white cherry to win even the fiercest of all battles. If one masters the art of using this weapon he can easily intimidate even the greats and leave them utterly perplexed. Let us revisit the wonders that have been done with this priced weapon in the biggest stage of cricket that is undoubtedly the World Cup.

Andy Bichel (7-20 vs. England)

It was yet another good day for cricket as Australia came out to bowl against traditional arch rivals England. They never looked to gain momentum throughout their innings, courtesy the immaculate bowling by Andy Bichel. He was rewarded for some fine display of genuine swing bowling and discipline by figures of 7-20 which turned out to be the second best bowling figures in the world cup history. His rear guard action in the batting ensured that Australia didn’t face the blushes and reach home successfully.

Ashish Nehra (6-23 vs. England)

Indian bowlers who were constantly lamented for their lackluster bowling entering the tournament did a fine job silencing their critics this time around with a breathtaking display of fast bowling by Ashish Nehra. Both the teams entering the match were in a do or die scenario, so the pressure was on. India batted first and posted a total of 250 runs in their allotted 50 overs. As England came to bat Ashish Nehra started tormenting their batting lineup in such a way that 250 seemed like a 350 and England never seemed in a position to chase the target. These figures of 6 for 23 by Ashish Nehra proved to be the best figures by an Indian bowler in a world cup.

Shane Bond (6-23 vs. Australia)

It is a thrilling site to see a fast bowler coming with full strength and delivering at 150 kmph to the top batsmen in the world. We witnessed such a sight in 2003 world cup at Port Elizabeth where Shane Bond simply ran through the Australian batting lineup, which was a rare sight for everyone until Bevan and Bichel recovered them and took them to a respectable score of 215. Although the Kiwis ended up on the losing side, the spell is still remembered for its accuracy and lethalness.

Glenn McGrath (5-14 vs. West Indies)

Glenn McGrath, popularly known as ‘Pigeon’, bowled with a pinpoint accuracy throughout his glorious career. His 5/14 against West Indies at Manchester in 1999 was one of his best World-Cup performances. His spell was a reminder of the fact that to beat the Aussies you got to have something special. His unplayable bowling restricted the hapless windies to 110 and Aussies reached the target without much sweat.

Shaun Pollock (5-36 vs. Australia)

Shaun Pollock probably bowled the spell of his life against Australia in Birmingham in the semi-final of the 1999 world cup where he picked 5 for 36 against them. South Africa was the only team that had the caliber to match Australia in the tournament. Pollock’s prolific spell ensured that Aussies reach an ordinary total of 213, but the story had a tragic end as the match went right down the wire. It ended in a tie but Australia, having more points got through. It was yet another heartbreaking encounter for the Proteas.