Cricket World Cup: 4 interesting coincidences in the history of the competition

The 2019 World Cup will be played in England
The 2019 World Cup will be played in England

The World Cup is the most prestigious trophy in the history of cricket. Right from its inception in the year 1975 to its 11th edition in the year 2015, the cricket World Cup has seen some historic action.

While West Indies dominated the first two editions of the World Cup, India surprised one and all by winning their maiden trophy by beating West Indies in the finals of the 1983 World Cup. Australia won the first of their five World Cups in the year 1987 and have been the most consistent team in history. Pakistan won the tournament in the year 1992 after having their backs to the wall in the group stages and the journey of Sri Lanka of winning their solitary title in the year 1996 was an inspiring one. India became the first hosts to win the competition in 2011 and Australia followed their footsteps in the year 2015.

The Cricket World Cup has witnessed highs, lows, triumphs, and dejections over the years. The event has seen its own share of co-incidences too. Here is a look at four such instances


#4 Nuwan Kulasekara- Bowled the last ball of the 2011 World Cup and the first ball of the 2015 World Cup:

Nuwan Kulasekara bowled the last ball of the 2011 World Cup and the first ball of 2015 World Cup
Nuwan Kulasekara bowled the last ball of the 2011 World Cup and the first ball of 2015 World Cup

Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara holds the unique record of bowling the last ball of the 2011 World Cup and the first ball of the 2015 World Cup.

In the finals of the 2011 World Cup, Sri Lanka batted first and scored 274. India chased the total in 48.2 overs and M.S. Dhoni smashed Kulasekara for a six over long-on to guide India to their second World Cup triumph. The right-handed fast bowler had a forgetful night with the ball and conceded 64 runs in 8.2 overs without a wicket.

Four years later, the first ball of the 2015 World Cup was also bowled Kulasekara. It was another forgetful outing for the Sri Lankan bowler as he had unimpressive figures of 1-78 in 8 overs.

#3 Marvan Atapattu- Did not play a single game in 1996 as well as 2007 World Cup:

Marvan Atapattu did not feature in a single game in 1996 and 2007 World Cup
Marvan Atapattu did not feature in a single game in 1996 and 2007 World Cup

Marvan Atapattu did not feature in the playing XI in both the 1996 and 2007 World Cup despite being a part of the squad. While he was a rookie in the 1996 World Cup, indifferent form led to him not getting a chance in 2007.

It is interesting to note that Sri Lanka reached the finals of both those tournaments. The former Sri Lankan skipper is the only cricketer to miss out in the playing XI in two World Cup finals despite being a part of the traveling party.

While Sri Lanka triumphed in the 1996 World Cup by beating Australia at Lahore, Australia got the better of the Sri Lankan team in the 2007 World Cup final at Barbados.

It is really disappointing that a player of the stature of Marvan Atapattu who represented Sri Lanka in 268 ODIs and averaged 37.57 in 259 innings and scored 8529 runs with 13 centuries and 59 half-centuries to his name could not feature in a single game in two different World Cups.

#2 Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan: Different year, different country:

Morgan will lead England in 2019 World Cup
Morgan will lead England in 2019 World Cup

Ed Joyce represented England in the 2007 World Cup and Eoin Morgan wore the Irish Jersey that year in the Caribbean.

Four years down the line, the World Cup in 2011 was played in the sub-continent and this time around Joyce represented Ireland whereas Morgan played for England.

In the 2007 World Cup, Joyce scored 152 runs for England at an average of 30.40 with two half-centuries in five matches. In the same edition, Morgan had a torrid time with the bat and scored only 91 runs at a dismal average of 10.11.

In 2011, Joyce representing Ireland scored 176 runs at an average of 29.33 in 6 innings with a half-century against the West Indies. Morgan just played 3 innings for England in the 2011 World Cup but was extremely impressive as he scored 120 runs at an average of 40 which included 2 half centuries.

In 2015, Morgan captained England and Joyce also played for Ireland. In the upcoming edition, Eoin Morgan will again captain England on home soil whereas Ed Joyce has retired from international cricket.

#1 Graham Gooch- Lost 3 World Cup finals in 3 decades:

Graham Gooch lost three World Cup finals
Graham Gooch lost three World Cup finals

Losing a World Cup final is always disappointing. However, losing it three times across three decades must be really heartbreaking.

England legend Graham Gooch featured in three World Cup finals (1979, 1987, and 1992)and lost all of them.

In the 1979 World Cup, in pursuit of a target of 287, Gooch came into bat at the score of 135-2. He contributed 32 of 28 balls which included for boundaries. However, he was one of the 5 victims of Joel Garner and was dismissed when the team score was 183. England lost the next 7 wickets for 11 runs and were bundled out for 194.

Gooch was impressive in the 1987 World Cup and he scored 471 runs at an average of 58.88 and in the process scored one century and three half-centuries. In the finals against rivals Australia at the Eden Gardens, Gooch opening the batting scored 35. However, England felt short of the target by just seven runs.

The 1992 World Cup final was the hat-trick of defeats for Gooch who was captain of England that year. Opening the batting, Gooch could not capitalize after getting to a start and was dismissed by Mushtaq Ahmed on 29. England lost the finals to Pakistan by 22 runs and the dream of winning a World Cup never materialized for Gooch.

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Edited by Aayush Kataria