Stats: 10 best bowling figures in World Cup history

The top 2 spots for the best bowling figures in World Cup history are occupied by two Australians. Glenn McGrath blew away a weak Namibia batting line-up in the 2003 edition of the tournament by taking 7 for 15 at Potchefstroom.

At the second position is Andy Bichel's 7 for 20, which occurred against England at Port Elizabeth in the same edition.

The number 4 and 5 positions are occupied by two left-arm pacemen. Gary Gilmour’s spell of 6 for 14 against England in the semifinal of the 1975 World Cup at Headingley comes in at the fourth position while Ashish Nehra’s incisive spell of 6 for 23 for India that ripped the heart out of England at Durban in 2003 comes in next.

The 2003 edition also saw another memorable performance by left-arm pacer Chaminda Vaas who took 6 for 25 versus Bangladesh at Pietermaritzburg and during the course of the spell also became the first bowler to pick up a hat-trick in the first over of an One-Day International.

Kemar Roach and Lasith Malinga feature in the list for their destructive six-wicket hauls against the Netherlands and Kenya respectively in the 2011 edition held in the subcontinent. Interestingly, both pacemen picked up hat-tricks during the course of their spells.

The other point to note out in the list is the absence of even a single spinner and the presence of just 3 bowlers from the Asian countries.

Rank Player Name Figures Opposition Venue 1 Glenn McGrath (Aus) 7 for 15 Namibia Potchefstroom 2 Andy Bichel (Aus) 7 for 20 England Port Elizabeth 3 Winston Davis (WI) 7 for 51 Australia Headingley, Leeds 4 Gary Gilmour (Aus) 6 for 14 England Headingley, Leeds 5 Ashish Nehra (Ind) 6 for 23 England Durban Shane Bond (NZ) 6 for 23 Australia Port Elizabeth 7 Chaminda Vaas (SL) 6 for 25 Bangladesh Pietermaritzburg 8 Kemar Roach (WI) 6 for 27 Netherlands New Delhi 9. Lasith Malinga (SL) 6 for 38 Kenya Premadasa Stadium, Colombo 10 Ken Macleay (Aus) 6 for 39 India Nottingham