11 best all-round performances in Cricket World Cups

#2 Duncan Fletcher: 69* and 4-42 vs Australia, 1983 World Cup

Given that Zimbabwe were playing their first ever ODI and that Australia had already established themselves as a dominant force in world cricket, the Aussies were expected to easily win this game and make a winning start to the tournament.

However, Duncan Fletcher, the Zimbabwean skipper had other ideas as he led his team from the front by delivering a brilliant all-round performance. To everybody’s surprise, Zimbabwe humbled Australia by 13 runs in the end.

After winning the toss, Kim Hughes, the Australian skipper opted to field so as to allow his bowlers to make maximum use of the helpful conditions at Trent Bridge. Dennis Lillee and Graham Yallop seemed to have vindicated the faith their captain had placed in them as Zimbabwe were in tatters at 94/5. That is when Fletcher walked out to bat.

With able assistance from Kevin Curran and Iain Butchart, the Zimbabwean skipper stayed till the very end and took his team to a respectable total of 239 runs in their sixty overs. In the 84 deliveries he faced, he played an unbeaten innings of 69 runs.

Australia responded well as their openers put on 61 for the first wicket. In spite of Fletcher’s heroics with the bat, it looked like the Aussies would clinch the game with some clinical batting. Fletcher, though, was not done yet.

After coming in as second change, he picked up the first four Australian wickets as the men from down under lost their way. The other Zimbabwean bowlers rallied around their skipper as they gave very little away and restricted Australia to 226/7 in their sixty overs and staged one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.