Win Projections to be updated soon
For any player, scoring a tonne of goals against a strong opponent during the World Cup is a moment to be proud of. When a batter maintains composure and hits a century in a high-stakes match on the World Cup stage, he expects his team to capitalise on his performance and destroy the opposition. However, the gamer may not always get their desired results.
Some World Cup players have experienced heartbreak after scoring hundreds but seeing their sides lose the game despite their achievements. Many Pakistan cricket fans became discouraged when their team fell to the West Indies by eight wickets in the 1992 World Cup, despite Ramiz Raja scoring an unbeaten 102.
There have been other instances in the World Cup where a batter’s tonne has been wasted. There are numerous times in World Cup history where batters produced brilliant hundreds but their teams were unable to capitalise on their efforts.
Five tonnes that were used in lost World Cup campaigns
1. Aamer Sohail’s 111 against South Africa in 1996
Pakistan was the defending champion in 1996, and they aimed to top their success from 1992. They had a successful start to their campaign as one of the hosts with convincing wins over the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
After a few victories, they squared up against South Africa, one of the world’s top teams, at Karachi’s National Stadium. Wasim Akram, the captain of Pakistan, won the toss in the crucial match and decided to open the batting. Aamer Sohail, the opener, came up and produced a confident performance of 111 runs off of 139 deliveries against the disciplined bowling.
The Men in Green scored a respectable total of 242 runs on the scoreboard thanks to the southpaw’s strong innings. South Africa achieved the goal in 44.2 overs in response to Pakistan. Hansie Cronje, the captain, led the team home with an unbroken 45-run innings, while Gary Kirsten and Daryll Cullinan each contributed significant 44 and 65-run innings.
2. Ricky Ponting‘s 104 against India in 2011
In the 2011 World Cup, Australia was seeded as the defending champion. Their performance wasn’t even close to that of the 2003 and 2007 editions following the league round, though. The Men in Yellow qualified for the quarterfinals to play India in Ahmedabad with four victories in six games.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting chose to bat first after winning the toss in the featured match. Captain Ponting took matters into his own hands and scored a beautiful century to help his team put 260 runs on the board after openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin made a steady start.
At a time when Australian middle-order hitters Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, and Cameron White were cheaply sent back to the pavilion, Ponting played a remarkable knock of 104 off 118. Although Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina produced match-winning innings of 57 (65) and 34 (28) respectively, India won the match with 14 balls remaining, negating the veteran’s efforts to preserve Australia.
3. Mahela Jayawardene’s 103 against India in 2011
One of the strongest teams at the 2011 World Cup was Sri Lanka. They qualified for the Wankhede Stadium final after defeating New Zealand in Colombo by a comfortable margin of five wickets. They played India in the championship match after India defeated Pakistan in the semifinal at Mohali. Luck was on Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara’s side on this particular day as he chose to bat first after winning the toss against MS Dhoni.
After the top-order batters got off to a poor start, Mahela Jayawardene made use of his skill and hit some beautiful shots against the Indian bowlers. The seasoned player led his team to a respectable total of 275 by forming some crucial alliances with hitters in the middle of the order. On a crucial day, Jayawardene struck a century, becoming the sixth batter to reach a century in the World Cup finals.
The great Sri Lankan batsman returned to the pavilion after scoring an unbeaten 103 off 88. But in the end, India prevailed by six wickets to win the match and secure the coveted trophy for the second time. Both MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir produced crucial innings of 97 (122) and 91 (79), respectively, which significantly aided in their team’s historic victory.
4. Saeed Anwar’s 101 against India in 2003
Sachin Tendulkar’s outstanding batting performance during India and Pakistan’s 2003 World Cup match is a highlight of the tournament. The Master Blaster spearheaded the attack on Pakistan’s bowlers as they attempted to reach the lofty score of 274 in Centurion. The Men in Blue crushed Pakistan by six wickets, riding on his outstanding 98 runs off just 75 deliveries.
However, Tendulkar wasn’t the only player in that well-known game to draw attention to himself. Prior to India’s innings, Pakistan also outplayed the opposition with their aggressive batting, which was made possible by the outstanding batting display of their opener Saeed Anwar.
Anwar destroyed India’s bowling unit in the intense game and went on to produce a stunning century. His innings ended with a score of 101 off 126, and thanks to his magnificent performance, Pakistan was able to set their archrivals a respectable goal of 274 runs.
5. Sachin Tendulkar’s 111 vs South Africa in 2011
Under MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar made a significant bat-related contribution to India’s 2011 World Cup victory. He finished the championship as the second-highest run scorer in the competition, behind Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, with 482 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 91.98.
In knockout matches, Dhoni and his team played disciplined cricket, which helped them win the historic championship. At the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium (VCA) Stadium, South Africa defeated India by three wickets in the league round after India failed to play well.
The Men in Blue won the toss and decided to bat first against the Proteas, scoring 296 runs in 48.4 overs. Tendulkar was essential in enabling India put up a strong total on the board, scoring 111 runs off just 101 balls. Tendulkar’s brilliant batting performances were in vain because the Indian bowlers were unable to reduce the score. Ashish Nehra’s inability to contain 13 runs in the game’s final over is another notable aspect of the contest.
India
