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The ODI World Cup 2023 is not sacrificing in producing fantastic matches, thus cricket fans are now enjoying top-notch cricketing activity.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the hosts India played their first match in this championship versus Australia after four games. Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, called the toss and decided to bat first in their opening game.
India had a strong start with the ball after losing the toss, as their top pacer Jasprit Bumrah removed dangerous Australian opener Mitchell Marsh for a six-ball duck. Marsh returned to the pavilion without scoring any runs for the second time in his World Cup history. He lost his wicket on a duck for the first time in his career as an opener. Ishan Kishan was also out for a duck during the Indian innings, making him the first Indian opener to set an unfavorable record.
Few rarely do the first two or any of the first three batters get out without posing any serious threat to the scorer, as teams want their openers to get out to a strong start and put the opposition under pressure. The’most Ducks’ club in the history of the ODI World Cup now includes some illustrious players. It’s time to find out which World Cup openers have amassed the most ducks in similar fashion.
Here are the World Cup openers with the most ducks:
1. Fakhar Zaman (PAK)- 2 Ducks
Since 2017, Fakhar Zaman has served Pakistan, and he is once more a member of the 2023 ODI World Cup team for Pakistan. Pakistan finished the round-robin stage of the 2019 World Cup with just five victories and three loses in nine games. With only 186 runs scored in eight games at an average of 23.25, Zaman was unable to uphold his place in the lineup.
In the match, the southpaw twice got out on a duck. Pakistan needed Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq to get off to a steady start as they chased 308 in the crucial match against Australia at the County Ground. But Zaman lost his wicket on a zero against Pat Cummins after losing his composure.
The player from Mardan once more fell short of expectations in the crucial Headingley matchup with Afghanistan. Zaman’s nerves were allayed when he was dismissed on another duck, despite Pakistan chasing down 228 in the final over and winning the game by three wickets.
2. Tamim Iqbal (BAN)- 3 Ducks
In his ODI World Cup career, Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh has recorded three ducks. He received two dismissals on noughts during the 2011 World Cup. At the West Indies match in Mirpur, he was dismissed on a nought for the first time. The game is renowned for Bangladesh’s disastrous nine-wicket defeat against the Caribbeans.
In the match, Tamim too came up short, throwing his wicket on the third pitch. Tamim failed to score against the Netherlands at Chattogram after the encounter against the Windies. When his team was attempting to reach 161 runs, he fell this time on the fourth delivery of the game.
At the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during their World Cup match in 2015, Sri Lanka set Bangladesh a 333-point aim. On the second ball of the innings, Tamim gave up while attempting to reach the enormous goal by hitting a zero in front of Laith Malinga.
3. William Porterfield (IRE)- 3 Ducks
Between 2007 and 2015, former Ireland captain William Porterfield participated in three World Cups and amassed three ducks throughout this time. He returned to the pavilion on zero after facing six balls in his 2007 debut World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Kingston. Cricket fans kept thinking about the match since both teams put up a great fight, but it ended in a tie.
In Kingston against the West Indies, the Irish starting pitcher once more had a dismal performance. On a zero, the left-handed batter conceded his wicket to Daren Powell. In the 2011 World Cup, Porterfield led the Irish team as they defeated England in Bengaluru by chasing down a target of 328.
Kevin O’Brien’s valiant knock of 113 off 63 throughout the game will live in infamy. Earlier in the same game, under pressure, captain Porterfield conceded his wicket to James Anderson on the opening pitch of the innings.
4. Kris Srikkanth (IND)- 4 Ducks
India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team had Kris Srikkanth as a player. During the team’s championship victory, he participated in eight games and scored 156 runs. He was excluded from the runs in the group round. India defeated Zimbabwe by 31 runs in the competition’s 20th game at Tunbridge Wells.
India under pressure in this game as they lost five batters, resulting in a 17-point score. Sunil Gavaskar, Srikkanth’s opening partner, and they both suffered a nil-wicket loss. The squad was led to victory by captain Kapil Dev, who handled the crisis admirably. Dev scored 175 points out of 138 total in the game.
In the 1992 World Cup, Srikkanth seemed absolutely colorless. Only 117 runs, at a poor average of 16.71, were amassed by the veteran in eight games. He was unable to score even one run against top teams like Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Being the Indian batter with the most World Cup ducks was a result of his lackluster performance in the contest.
5. Nathan Astle (NZ)- 5 Ducks
One of the best openers to ever play the game of cricket was Nathan Astle. For 12 years, from 1995 to 2007, the star right-handed batter represented New Zealand. He is fourth among all scorers in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) with 7090 runs, 16 tons, and 41 fifties in 217 innings across 223 games.
His World Cup performance, though, has been average. He has only amassed 403 runs with two century and a fifty in 22 games during the competition. Along with Ijaz Ahmed of Pakistan, he is the World Cup batter with the most ducks. With a century against England in Ahmedabad in 1996, Astle earned his World Cup debut.
Following his dismissal on a duck in the following round against the Netherlands, he failed to reach double digits once more in the competition. Astle made his final World Cup appearance in 2003, and this time, he amassed three ducks in the competition.
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