7 bowlers to pick up 5 wickets in World Cup knockout matches ft. Mohammed Shami

Not everyday you see a bowler pick up a five-wicket haul in a World Cup semi-final. Mohammed Shami dazzled viewers with an excellent display of fast bowling, as Team India humbled New Zealand by 70 runs in the semi-finals in Mumbai on Wednesday (November 15).

Batting first, the Men in Blue rode on centuries from Virat Kohli (117) and Shreyas Iyer (105) to post 397/4 in their 50 overs. Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 80, while KL Rahul provided the late flourish with a 20-ball 39*.

India's batting performance was overshadowed by Shami single-handedly during his record-breaking spell at the Wankhede Stadium on November 15. He returned with 7/57, the best by an Indian bowler in 50-overs cricket.

This is also one of the best performances by a bowler in a World Cup knockout match. Bagging a five-wicket haul in a knockout is not an easy task and it has been achieved only a few times so far in World Cups.

On that note, let's take a look at seven bowlers who have picked up five-wicket hauls in World Cup knockout matches.

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#1 Gary Gilmour - 6/14 vs England, 1975 World Cup semi-final

The left-handed fast bowler from New South Wales, known for his penetrative swing, recorded his best ODI figures in the 1975 World Cup semi-final in Leeds.

Opting to field first, Australia bowled out England for just 93 runs in 36.2 overs. Gary Gilmour was the chief architect of the demolition, recording figures of 6/14 in his 12 overs at an economy rate of 1.16. He picked up the first six English wickets that fell.

In response, the Aussies avoided a scare by chasing down the total in 28.4 overs and four wickets to spare. Gilmour was awarded the Player of the Match award for his match-winning spell.

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#2 Gary Gilmour - 5/48 vs West Indies, 1975 World Cup final

Gilmour continued his brilliant run in the World Cup, by picking up another five-wicket haul in the all-important final against the West Indies in Lord's.

The left-arm pacer starred with the ball despite the West Indies posting 291/8 in their 60 overs. Gilmour picked up a five-wicket haul, including the wickets of Clive Lloyd and Alvin Kallicharran.

However, his efforts went in vain as Australia fell 17 runs short in the run chase to finish as the runners-up.

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#3 Joel Garner - 5/38 vs England, 1979 World Cup final

The 6ft 8 inches fast bowler from Barbados is one of the most fearsome bowlers to have graced the game. He possessed raw pace and his ability to hurry up batters with bouncers made him a real threat.

Garner was at his absolute best in the 1979 World Cup final at Lord's. The West Indian fast bowler returned with 5/38 as they successfully defended 286 to win by 92 runs.

Garner knocked over England's middle order, dismissing Graham Gooch and David Gower to put them out of the contest from where they never recovered.

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#4 Craig McDermott - 5/44 vs Pakistan, 1987 World Cup semi-final

Despite having a start-stop career marred by injuries, Australia's Craig McDermott rose to fame during the late 1980s. His best performance came in the 1987 World Cup semi-final against Pakistan in Lahore.

Defending 267 runs, McDermott picked up wickets at different phases of the game to help the team bowl out the Men in Green for 249. He ran through the middle and lower order to return with figures of 5/44.

He was awarded the Player of the Match as Australia set up a final date with England, which they won by seven runs.

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#5 Shaun Pollock - 5/38 vs Australia, 1999 World Cup semi-final

The second semi-final of the 1999 World Cup between South Africa and Australia will go down as one of the darkest days in Proteas cricket. The in-famous top-four clash ended in a tie but the Aussies still made it to the final, as they had more points than the Proteas in the league stage of the tournament.

Although the Proteas walked out of the ground with their heads down, the match saw one of the best cricketing stars produce a spell of a lifetime.

Shaun Pollock recorded figures of 5/38 as the Proteas managed to restrict Australia to 213 runs. The right-arm pacer picked up the crucial wickets of Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan in the middle order to stem the flow of runs.

South Africa finished on 213 runs but had to return home from Birmingham, as they finished below Australia in the league stage.

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#6 Wahab Riaz - 5/46 vs India, 2011 World Cup semi-final

Two arch-rivals, India and Pakistan, locked horns in the second semi-final in front of a jam-packed Mohali crowd. The game lived up to the billing before the hosts emerged triumphant to make it to the final.

Bowling first, left-arm pacer Wahab Riaz stole the show for Pakistan with a five-wicket haul. Despite Sachin Tendulkar's heroic 85, Riaz managed to sneak in with wickets from the other end. His scalps included Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, and Zaheer Khan.

However, his inspired bowling went in vain as Pakistan failed to chase down India's 261-run target, falling short by 29 runs.

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#7 Mohammed Shami - 7/57 vs New Zealand, 2023 World Cup semi-final

Mohammed Shami and World Cups are a match made in heaven. Ever since he came into the playing XI, Shami has been nothing short of spectacular, scalping 23 wickets in just six matches at an average of 9.13 and an economy rate of 5.01.

The senior fast bowler took his game to a new level in the first semi-final against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. He returned with 7/57 from 9.5 overs, including the key wickets of Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell.

Shami was handed the Player of the Match award as the Men in Blue stormed into the final, scheduled to be played on Sunday (November 19) at the Narendra Modi Stadium.