Top 10 Greatest World Cup Innings Part One

With the group stage wrapping up, it’s time to look back at the top 10 batting performances of all time in the World Cup.

Part 1 will see a wrap of the innings deemed worthy of being 10-6 in this list.

10. Kapil Dev, 175* vs Zimbabwe, 1983

Many would baulk at the inclusion of Kapil Dev who dispatched the new-comers to international cricket in an 138 ball onslaught, finishing with 175 which included 16 fours and 6 maximums. But the innings meant so much more than just belting around the hapless Zimbabweans, who did boast Kevin Curran and Duncan Fletcher. It was a moment which changed the way Indian’s played one-day cricket, they realised that calculated risks could be taken and the run-rate would benefit. It had a massive impact on the way the game was viewed in India, and likely helped make it the religion it is today.

9. Sir Vivian Richards, 181 vs Sri Lanka, 1987

There use to be an ogre called Viv Richards who ruled the world with a mace they called a bat. Coming up against a Sri Lankan side that boasted a bowling attack of Vinothen John, Ravi Ratnayeke and the left-arm spin of Don Anurasiri, Richard’s showed his might, smashing 181 which included 16 fours and seven sixes, off just 125 balls with the last 81 runs had taken him just 33 balls. It would catapult the West Indies to 360/4, at the time a World Record for a 50 over fixture and was undoubtedly one of the best innings we saw from Viv in a World Cup.

8. Kevin O’Brien, 113 vs England, 2011

Kevin O’Brien’s innings against England in 2011 was the catalyst for one of the great upsets in World Cup history. Set 328 to win against one of the top nations in world cricket, many assumed it would be too much to ask of the minnow nation. Instead, Kevin O’Brien, alongside tail-enders Alex Cusack (47) and John Mooney (33), went about pulling off a remarkable run-chase. O’Brien set the record for the fastest World Cup century, scoring 113 off 63 balls, which included 13 fours and 6 sixes. It was his second ODI century, and his last, but it was one that many of the cricketing world won’t forget about for a long time.

7. Adam Gilchrist, 149 vs Sri Lanka, 2007

The now infamous squash ball innings, where Adam Gilchrist batted with a squash ball in his glove, is the first of our top 10 innings to have occurred in a World Cup final. Gilchrist would smash 149 off just 104 balls, including 13 fours and 8 sixes in a reduced match (38 overs) that Australia would eventually win by 53 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system. The knock was at the time just the third century to be scored in a World Cup final, after Viv Richards 138 against Sri Lanka in 1979 and Ricky Ponting’s effort in 2003 against India.

6. John Davison, 111 vs West Indies, 2003

John Davison, Canada’s greatest ever cricketer, would set the record for fastest ever century in a World Cup, as he passed three figures off just 67 balls. It was the highlight of Davison’s career that most would remember but he was in fact a very talented off-spinner who has the second best first-class international figures in history, taking 17 for 137for Canada against the USA. On this day however, he was the star in a losing cause, with Canada posting only 202 despite Davison’s heroics, with Brian Lara ensuring the total was chased down in just over 20 overs.

Part Two will be published on Sunday 30th June, before we move into the Top 10 Bowling Performances.