10 greatest knocks by captains in World Cup history

With more power comes more responsibility. Come the occasion, the champions always rise. Keeping these cliches aside and coming to the context, a captain’s innings is always special. And when it comes in a World Cup, the value of such knocks cannot be measured in terms of numbers.Here are the top 10 such knocks from a captain in the global competition since it’s inception in 1975.

#10 100* - Martin Crowe v Australia, 1992

The New Zealand captain resurrected the innings after Australia got an early hold in the game at 53/3. Winning the toss and batting first, Crowe entered the batting crease at 13/2 and batted through to ensure that they had a defendable total of 248 against their neighbours.

It was a slow and steady innings, but a brave one that came off 134 balls not withstanding an injured knee. An 118-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ken Rutherford (57) became so crucial as the tournament favourites suffered a significant loss. The skipper employed spin early in the innings against which the Australians failed to get going.

In the end, the Kiwis won by a comfortable margin of 37 runs, registering a surprise result in the opening game of the 1992 edition at Eden Park, Auckland. The smart Crowe became a hero in the process.

#9 115* - Mahela Jayawardene v New Zealand, 2007

The talented right-hander came up with a century in the 2007 WC semi-final after a couple of wickets from James Franklin meant Sri Lanka had to come up with something special. Joining opener Upul Tharanga (73) at the crease, Jayawardene batted with astute purpose to set a winning total of 289 at Kingston, Jamaica.

It was an innings of precise planning as he only managed 17 from his first 47 deliveries. As the innings progressed, the Sri Lankan legend opened up to blast 75 off the last 35 balls he faced including 10 fours and 3 sixes. He finished on 115* (109) as even Stephen Fleming, the opposition captain walked up to congratulate his counterpart. In reply, New Zealand were bundled out for 208 with Muttiah Muralitharan capturing 4/31.

However, the real star of the game was undoubtedly Jayawardene, as the veteran was deservingly awarded the Man of the Match for one of the finest knocks in the history of World Cup.

#8 158 - Andrew Strauss v India, 2011

Not many expected England to compete in such an intense battle against India in the 2011 edition after a narrow win against Netherlands in their opening game. Skipper Andrew Strauss led from the front after a trademark Sachin Tendulkar ton (120 off 115) and contributions from the middle-order helped India to 338 all out in 49.5 overs.

Chasing a stiff total for the second time in a row, Strauss made sure he made the most of his good form by scoring a massive 158 (145) that put his side on track for an upset win before he became a one of Zaheer Khan’s twin strikes in the 43rd over. The skipper’s ton gave his side much some need inspiration as the tail wagged to help England level the scores.

The match ended in a tie, the 4th such instance in World Cup history, courtesy the left-hander’s uncharacteristic innings as he used the shorter boundaries at Bangalore to his advantage to pile up the runs.

#7 120* - Steve Waugh v South Africa, 1999

The Australian star stood up at a difficult time for his team after the first three wickets fell with just 48 on board in the chase of 272. The Headingley crowd witnessed one of the best tons scored in a World Cup match as Waugh was firm to send Australia into the semi-final.

The older of the Waugh brothers however survived a chance when Herschelle Gibbs spilled a catch by prematurely celebrating the dismissal at midwicket. Waugh reportedly told Gibbs: "How does it feel to drop the World Cup, Herschelle?"

The innings was of utmost importance as it also helped Australia leapfrog the Proteans that turned out to be decisive after a dramatic semi-final tie a few days later. In the company of Ricky Ponting, the captain raised a 126-run 4th wicket stand and was particularly harsh on Hansie Cronje and Nicky Boje on his way to the finishing line. Waugh remained unbeaten with 120 against his name off just 110 deliveries.

#6 181 - Vivian Richards v Sri Lanka, 1987

The great West Indian batsman was at his brutal best when he smashed 16 fours and 7 sixes in his knock of 181 (125) against the then minnows Sri Lanka at Karachi in 1987. Yes, the knock came against a toothless bowling attack and in the first innings, still at a strike rate of 144.80 back then was simply outstanding.

In fact, the Caribbean skipper’s knock remains as the highest score in a World Cup match by a captain. Entering the crease at a precarious 45/2, Richards stitched together a 182-run third wicket stand with Desmond Haynes (105 off 124). The right-hander was involved in an another century stand with Gus Logie, helping his side to 360/4 in 50 overs. In reply, the island nation could only muster 169/4 by the end of their allotted overs.

#5 140* - Ricky Ponting v India, 2003

The Australian No.3 simply took the game away from India in the finals of the 2003 edition after the openers provided a strong platform. The skipper was in full flow with the bat after being inserted to bat by Sourav Ganguly. His 140* came off just 121 balls enabling Australia to post a mighty total of 359/2.

As many as 8 sixes were scored in that innings by Ponting compared to just the four boundaries. Such was the level of aggression the Tasmanian displayed against the bowlers that the Indians wilted under pressure. Not a single bowler had answers to his onslaught and there was a disappointing and ironical sense of resignation from the Indian team altogether.

In reply, India were in the game till the fall of Rahul Dravid’s (47) wicket in the 31st over. Virender Sehwag’s 82 went in vain too as India were bowled out for 234.

#4 91* - MS Dhoni v Sri Lanka, 2011

The Indian wicket-keeper cum captain promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh in the final of the 2011 edition, an occasion that means everything for Indian cricket fans. Chasing a challenging total (275) on an occasion as big as this is definitely not an easy task. India were in a precarious situation as Virat Kolhi perished at 114/3, rescuing India from the initial setbacks that consumed both the openers – Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag (31/2).

In the company of his long time teammate Gautam Gambhir (97), the Ranchi cricketer took on the bowlers in his own calculative manner, bisecting the gaps at will to win India their second World Cup after a gap of 28 years. His 71-ball unbeaten innings consisted of 8 fours and 2 sixes including that iconic hit over mid-on to finish off the proceedings at Mumbai.

The decision to hold back Yuvraj Singh paid off, with Dhoni’s shots including a back foot heave against a wide short ball clearing the point boundary. Dhoni’s knock, albeit not being a century, ranks in as one among the best captains’ innings in WC.

#3 134* - Stephen Fleming v South Africa, 2003

The New Zealand captain played an innings to perfection in this rain-hit group stage fixture against the home side at the Wanderers. Chasing 307 for a win against a formidable bowling attack that included stars like Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini, Alan Donald, Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener, the left-hander helped Blackcaps to 182/1 when the Duckworth-Lewis ruling came into effect after the second such rain delay by the 31st over.

The match was then reduced to 39 overs and a further 44 runs were required off 51 balls for a win. Resuming the innings at 104, Fleming, who was in the form of his life, breezed past the revised target with 13 balls in hand with Nathan Astle finishing on an unbeaten 54 off 57 balls.

Notably, the left-hander scored four successive boundaries off Jacques Kallis just after a 15-minute delay owing to a power failure at the ground. Despite losing his opening partner Craig McMillan (25 off 32) at 89/1 at the start of the 15th over, Fleming was rock solid in his game. Fleming scored 21 out of the 27 boundaries in the New Zealand innings. A breathtaking knock indeed.

Incidentally, New Zealand’s next match was expected to be washed out and the match was more like a must-win game after losing against Sri Lanka in their opening fixture. And to realize that this knock came after a scintillating ton from the blade of Herschelle Gibbs 143 (141), it was no doubt an innings of a lifetime.

#2 102 - Clive Lloyd v Australia, 1975

It was the first ever World Cup final and West Indies were struggling at 50/3 when Clive Lloyd came to the rescue. The left-hander scored the first ever century in the finals of the mega event to lift his side to post 291/8 in 60 overs.

His 85-ball 102 will forever be remembered as it helped the Caribbeans to lift the crown. Keith Boyce’s 4/50 and a flurry of run outs ensured that the captain’s knock do not go waste. 12 boundaries and 2 sixes were taken off the Australian bowling attack that included Dennis Lillee, Gary Gilmour and Jeff Thomson at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

#1 175* - Kapil Dev v Zimbabwe, 1983

No prizes for guessing this.

India found themselves in an extremely troublesome situation with the scoreboard reading 17/5 at one stage in a must win game against the African nation. It has to be noted that India won the toss and chose to bat first.

Coming in to bat after the fall of the 4th wicket for 9 runs, the Indian skipper single-handedly took India to safety with an incredible knock that the world missed watching, courtesy of a broadcaster strike on that eventful day.

The captain remained unbeaten after blasting 16 fours and 6 sixes at Tunbridge Wells and was involved in a 126-run stand with Syed Kirmani who scored only 24 (56) of those. Some even describe the innings as the best from an Indian. That line tells stories about the importance and quality of Kapil Dev’s knock when you consider that India has three ODI double centuries to show for. Riding on that knock, India posted a winning total of 266 in 60 overs as India emerged victorious by 31 runs.

When realizing the fact that those 175 runs came off just 138 balls at a strike rate of 126.81, one has to appreciate its greatness. A true captain’s knock and one for the history books.