ICC World Cup 2011
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Three in three for Australia: Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden celebrate the win
Three in three for Australia: Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden celebrate the win © Getty Images

World Cup - 2007

Dark and dreary

It was a mostly forgettable World Cup for all but Adam Gilchrist's manic, squash-ball-aided innings in the final. The first World Cup in the West Indies was supposed to be a celebration of Caribbean cricket culture but Bob Woolmer's tragic death; the alienation of local fans thanks to over-priced tickets, far-away stadiums and draconian regulations; India's and Pakistan's early exits; the painfully long schedule; and the farcical end, in near-darkness, ensured few would remember it fondly...


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Player Mat Runs HS Ave SR
ML Hayden (Aus) 11 659 158 73.22 101.07
DPMD Jayawardene (SL) 11 548 115* 60.88 85.09
RT Ponting (Aus) 11 539 113 67.37 95.39
SB Styris (NZ) 10 499 111* 83.16 83.44
JH Kallis (SA) 10 485 128"* 80.83 83.91
Player Mat Wkts BBI Ave Econ
GD McGrath (Aus) 11 26 3/14 13.73 4.41
M Muralitharan (SL) 10 23 4/19 15.26 4.14
SW Tait (Aus) 11 23 4/39 20.30 5.52
GB Hogg (Aus) 11 21 4/27 15.80 4.00
SL Malinga (SL) 8 18 4/54 15.77 4.86
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Glenn McGrath retired after this World Cup as his team's highest one-day wicket-taker. Who was the other bowler to do likewise?

a. Waqar Younis b. Shaun Pollock c. Anil Kumble

Gibbs goes for broke Midway through the 30th over, from the hapless Dan van Bunge, it was clear Herschelle Gibbs was going for a record that had always been considered elusive. His six sixes weren't miscues, but conventional shots they were not. Smears one and all, over long-off, long-on and midwicket, it was arguably some of the most reckless driving ever seen on a cricket pitch...


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A spectacular choke
Ireland v Zimbabwe, Kingston
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'We want to prove a point every time we play'
How We Won the World Cup: 2007, part one: Nathan Bracken on Australia's philosophy in the 2007 World Cup, and Hayden's marauding century ()
'We didn't want close games and we didn't want to lose'
How We Won the World Cup: 2007, part two: Nathan Bracken on not taking any game lightly, the satisfaction of beating England, and the dress-rehearsal to the final ()
'I probably bowled 150 balls for that one ball'
How We Won the World Cup: 2007, part three: Nathan Bracken on working towards dismissing Graeme Smith, and then beating South Africa to reach the final ()
'McGrath was very aggressive. He wanted to dominate in his last tournament'
How We Won the World Cup: 2007, part four: Nathan Bracken on Gilchrist's hundred and the umpires' bloopers in the final, and the impact of McGrath and Buchanan on Australia ()
'There was no fear in Gilchrist's batting'
Great World Cup Performances: Ian Chappell on how Australia's opener set them up for their third consecutive title win ()

Batting with a squash ball inside your glove can be a painful experience, but not for Gilchrist. This was his third scene-stealer in consecutive World Cup finals. But nothing quite compared to this. He set the tone by clubbing Chaminda Vaas for four and six in the second over and never looked back...


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