ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Best pictures from the group stages

With the group stages of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup drawing to a close on Sunday, there is no better time than now to look back on what has been an exhilarating tournament so far. There was concern coming into the tournament about whether the group stages were too long and predictable, but substantial improvement from the Associate teams ensured that it was anything but the case.Afghanistan registered their first ever victory in World Cup history beating Scotland while Bangladesh created history by beating England and progressing to the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time ever. That aside, there were also numerous new feats achieved especially by the batsmen, with Chris Gayle became the 1st batsman to break the 200-run barrier in the history of World Cups.Here are the best pictures from the group stages of the 2015 World Cup:

#1 James Taylor argues with Australian players after umpiring howler - 14 February 2015

Every Cricket World Cup till now has had its fair share of umpiring controversies, and the current edition has been no different with the first contentious decision being on the opening day of the tournament itself. During the Pool A match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), James Taylor was given out LBW by umpire Aleem Dar on 98.

Taylor immediately reviewed the decision and replays showed that the ball was sliding down leg, as a result of which the decision was overturned.

However, the diminutive Englishman was still denied the opportunity of getting to a hundred as umpire Kumar Dharmasena wrongly ruled Taylors partner, James Anderson, run out after he was found short of his crease while the duo were attempting to sneak a leg bye.

According to ICC rules,the ball shouldve been deemed dead as soon as Dar adjudged Taylor to be out. The umpires were seemingly unaware of this being the case, leaving Taylor two runs short of what wouldve been a well-deserved maiden international ton.

#2 The Adelaide Oval during India vs Pakistan - 15 February 2015

This picturesque view of the Adelaide Oval during the match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan went viral on the internet, especially social media website Twitter, as India extended their unbeaten streak in World Cups to 6-0. Courtesy of a Virat Kohli century, India posted a total of 300/7 from their 50 overs, which Pakistan fell well short of as they were bundled out for 224.

There were suggestions as the match was coming to a conclusion that the Adelaide Oval towards the end looked a lot like the Indian flag. Well, what do you think?

#3 AB de Villiers\' run out proves costly against India - 22 February 2015

South Africa were considered strong favourites going into their Pool B encounter against India on February 22. Apart from having a side more suited to the conditions than India, one couldn’t discount the fact that India, notwithstanding their victory against arch-rivals Pakistan a week earlier, were in horrendous form having failed to win a single game during the immediately preceding series on Australian soil.

However, all that seemed to matter very little as opener Shikhar Dhawan hit the 8th century of his ODI career to propel the Indians to a score of 307 for 7 from 50 overs.

While South Africa didn’t start as well as they would’ve wanted, they were very much in the hunt until AB de Villiers, their talisman, was run out for 30 courtesy of a fantastic throw from Mohit Sharma in the outfield that left the South African skipper well short of his crease.

#4 The first double century in World Cup history - 24 February 2015

After enduring a horrid run in One-Day International (ODI) cricket for almost 3 years, Chris Gayle finally came to the party against Zimbabwe dispatching them to all parts of the Manuka Oval, Canberra, en route to his record-breaking 215 off just 147 balls.

He not only surpassed Gary Kirsten, who had made 188 against UAE in the 1996 edition, for the highest score in a World Cup match but also became the first double centurion in the tournament’s history.

In the process, he also joined the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Rohit Sharma as the only players to have scored a double ton in ODIs.

#5 From part-time cricketer to World Cup centurion - 25 February 2015

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) might not have the most skilled cricketers in the world, but what they do have, that too in abundance, is commitment and passion towards the game of cricket.

Middle-order batsman Shaiman Anwar epitomised this spirit during the course of the World Cup, playing with an infectious smile on his face right through. He also showed that he is more than capable with the willow in hand, scoring 311 runs from 6 matches at an average of 51.83 with his innings of 106 against Ireland being the highlight.

#6 Afghanistan\'s first ever World Cup win - 26 February 2015

Needing 211 for victory, Afghanistan were in deep trouble at 97 for 7 before Samiullah Shenwari played a magnificent knock of 96 from 147 deliveries to take the Afghanis to the brink of victory. However, a couple of wickets in quick succession towards the end left the last pair of Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan with 19 runs to get from exactly 19 balls.

The duo didn’t panic, though, and succeeded in granting the troubled nation their first ever World Cup victory, with Shapoor enjoying the honour of hitting the winning runs.

#7 AB de Villiers\' stunning 162* off 66 balls - 27 February 2015

AB de Villiers is without question the toughest batsman to bowl to in the world today, courtesy of his ability to hit the ball 360 degrees. While most batsmen can be restricted when forced to hit only towards a certain part of the ground, de Villiers has the skill to manoeuvre the ball to an area where there are no fielders at will.

The picture above is of him hitting a ramp shot for six over the short fine-leg fielder during his innings of 162* from 66 balls against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), proving to be an absolute nightmare for the West Indian bowlers in the process.

#8 Cool as ice from Kane Williamson against Australia - 28 February 2015

Billed as the two outstanding teams of the World Cup even at that early stage, there was immense anticipation surrounding this contest between the Trans-Tasman rivals. It can safely be said that the match completely lived up to the expectations as New Zealand overcame the Aussies by a solitary wicket in one of the best ODI matches of recent memory.

New Zealand bowled out Australia for a paltry total of 151, with left-arm seamer Trent Boult taking 5 wickets, and were cruising to victory at 78 for 2 before a tremendous burst of quick bowling by Mitchell Starc saw the Kiwis being reduced to 146/9 with 6 runs still to get.

However, No.3 Kane Williamson (45* off 42 balls) maintained his cool under pressure amidst all the carnage at the other end and smashed a six over long-on with minimum fuss at his first opportunity to see the New Zealanders through.

#9 Martin Crowe inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame - 28 February 2015

In what must’ve been a very emotional day for Martin Crowe and New Zealand cricket supporters, the former New Zealand captain was deservedly inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at Eden Park, Auckland, during the New Zealand-Australia match.

Crowe, who is currently battling for his life due to cancer, became just the 3rd New Zealander and the 79th overall to receive this coveted honour.

#10 Chris Gayle\'s epic stare at Mohammed Shami - 6 March 2015

During the Pool B World Cup match between India and West Indies, Chris Gayle gave the tournament one of its most memorable moments. The Indian bowlers were right on top of their game on a bouncy Perth wicket as they beat the outside edge of Gayle’s bat on numerous occasions, making the flamboyant left-hander look absolutely clueless.

One such occasion was the 2^nd delivery of the 7^th over when Mohammed Shami delivered a sharp bouncer that Gayle managed to thankfully evade at the last moment. The Jamaican followed it up with an epic stare, acknowledging the potency of the delivery, which went viral on the internet.

#11 Dale Steyn pulls off a blinder - 7 March 2015

Just in case there was any doubt, South African paceman Dale Steyn once again showed that he is among the most supremeathletes in the game of cricket today by pulling off a blinder to dismiss Ahmed Shehzad in the game against Pakistan.

Steyn ran at full tilt to try and reach achip over midwicket fromShehzad, but it seemed as though the ball would end up just evading him, until the 31-year-old somehow managed to dive full stretch the pluck the ball inches off the ground. The unnatural position that he finishes up inafter taking the catch perfectly illustrates the difficulty of the task.

#12 AB de Villiers watches on as South Africa collapse - 7 March 2015

According to many, one of the weaknesses that could hinder South Africa in their quest to finally win the World Cup is their over-reliance on a certain AB de Villiers. The Proteas most definitely possess some other great players like Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn in their ranks, but there’s also no question that de Villiers is a class above the rest as far as the ODI format is concerned.

This came to the fore when the 31-year-old stood tall among his peers with a 58-ball 77 while the rest of the South African batsmen wilted under the pressure of the Pakistan bowling.

This picture aptly sums up de Villiers’ frustration at seeing the other South African batsmen return to the pavilion one after the other. Eventually, he was left with too much to do and, despite all his efforts, was dismissed with the South Africans still needing 23 for victory, a number that was out of their reach.

#13 Glenn Maxwell\'s emotional celebration on scoring his first ODI century - 8 March 2015

Having got out in the 90s for Australia and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on far too many occasions for his liking, it was no surprise to see Glenn Maxwell celebrate in the aggressive manner that he did on reaching his first ODI hundred, against Sri Lanka. He generally comes across as someone who is free-spirited and doesn’t bother too much with milestones, but he showed how much getting to that first century mattered to him.

Considering that he has managed to endear cricket lovers around the world with his aggressive style of batting, one can only hope that his hundred was the first of many to come.

#14 Bangladesh reach the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time ever - 9 March 2015

While, on one side, there was England’s despair at failing to progress past the group stages, Bangladesh created history by making the knockout stages of a World Cup for the first time ever courtesy of their win over the English, and they were understandably elated.

The Bangladeshis have often been criticised for not having made any real strides in international cricket since their entry around a decade-and-a-half back, and one can only hope that they’ve turned the corner with this World Cup.

#15 Flying McCullum - 13 March 2015

Brendon McCullum has been a bundle of positive energy in all aspects of his game right from the very start of this World Cup. He has constantly looked for wickets with his aggressive field placings as captain, been intent on getting the team off to a rollicking start with the bat in hand and been willing to give his all on the field at all times.

When your captain throws himself around on the field in this manner just to save a run or two at the most, what option do the other players have but to follow suit?