Presenting the unbreakable records at ICC Cricket World Cups
The 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup will be played in India in October-November. This will be the 13th edition of the global event with 10 teams in contention to taste glory. England will start as defending champions, having clinched the 2019 edition. Australia, India, and Pakistan are among the other favorites to take the title. Here we present the unbreakable records at WC.
Four successive tons in World Cup
During the 2015 ODI World Cup, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara slammed centuries in four consecutive matches. His scores read 105* (vs Bangladesh), 117*(vs England), 104 (vs Australia), and 124 (vs Scotland). No other batter has whacked four successive tons in ODI cricket. Indian batter Rohit Sharma came close to this record by hammering three successive tons in the 2019 World Cup.
6 sixes in an over in World Cup
In 2007, South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs took the cricketing world by storm as he struck 6 sixes in an over. Gibbs struck Netherlands' Daan van Bunge during the 2007 World Cup. Indian batter Yuvraj Singh replicated this months later in the inaugural T20 World Cup edition. Gibbs remains the only batter to have smashed 6 maximums in an over in ODI WCs.
Four wickets in four balls
There has been only one instance of a bowler taking four wickets in successive deliveries in ODIs. Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga accomplished the milestone against South Africa in the 2007 WC in Guyana. Shaun Pollock, Andre Hall, Jacques Kallis, and Makhaya Ntini were his victims in the double hat-trick. Unfortunately for Malinga, SA won the duel by one wicket.
Highest individual score in the tournament
Only two double-centuries have been recorded in the ODI World Cup, with both of them coming days apart in the 2015 edition. On February 2015, Universe Boss Chris Gayle became the first-ever double-centurion in the tournament, having smacked 215 against Zimbabwe. Next month, New Zealand's Martin Guptill surpassed this score with a 237*-run knock against West Indies. This remains the highest individual WC score.
Most wickets in an edition
Australian speed merchant Mitchell Starc finished the 2019 WC as the highest wicket-taker (27 wickets in 10 matches). No other bowler has taken more wickets in a single edition of the WC. Starc's compatriot Glenn McGrath is next on the list with 26 wickets. With numerous factors favoring batters nowadays, Starc is likely to stay at the pinnacle for a while.
Most successive wins in ODI WC
Australia hold the record for winning the most consecutive WC matches. They won 27 back-to-back matches between June 20, 1999, and March 19, 2011. The Men in Yellow won three titles in this process. Australia also have the highest win percentage in the World Cup (74.73). They have won 69 out of 94 World Cup encounters, having lost just 23 (Tied: 1, NR: 1).
