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Who made the first duck in the World Cup?

Also: the first five-for, hat-trick, tie, and hundred

Nikita Bastian
Nikita Bastian
09-Nov-2014
Dennis Amiss helped England flatten India in World Cup game No. 1  •  PA Photos

Dennis Amiss helped England flatten India in World Cup game No. 1  •  PA Photos

The first hundred

Dennis Amiss
England v India, Lord's, June 7, 1975

England opener Dennis Amiss seemed to have a habit of scoring centuries in landmark (for himself or his team) one-dayers. Averaging an impressive 47.72, he hit four tons in 18 ODIs, including one on debut, one in his last match, and one in the first ever World Cup game. That hundred - 137 off 147 with 18 fours - helped England, batting first, to rake up what was at the time the highest total in a 60-over game played in England: 334 for 4. A big feature of his knock was his timing - which India's batsmen miserably failed to emulate as they crawled to 132 for 3 in reply.

The first five-wicket haul

Dennis Lillee
Australia v Pakistan, Headingley, June 7, 1975

On the same day, another Dennis claimed the first five-for in World Cup history. Dennis Lillee turned a promising Pakistan chase on its head with a late, pacy burst on his way to 5 for 34 in 12 overs. In what was officially World Cup game No. 3, Australia got to 278 for 7 in their 60, courtesy solid cameos from their top order, followed by an unbeaten 80 from Ross Edwards. Then, after a wobble, Majid Khan and Asif Iqbal took a few risks but got the chase back on track with half-centuries. After 40, Pakistan were 172 for 4, but it soon unravelled; Lillee reproduced the intimidating speeds he had managed in the early '70s, before a stress fracture of the back, to send Pakistan from 181 for 4 to 205 all out.

The first hat-trick

Chetan Sharma
India v New Zealand, Nagpur, October 31, 1987

Fast-forward three World Cups, and the the showpiece ODI event still did not boast of a hat-trick. In fact, ODI hat-tricks were rare - in 16 years, the format had produced two. An Indian bowler had never done so. Enter medium-pacer Chetan Sharma. In India's final group game of the 1987 World Cup, against New Zealand, he had bowled five ordinary overs. In his sixth, he bowled the unplayable indipper he was known to be able to produce from time to time - thrice. The set Ken Rutherford got once such ball and was bowled. Ian Smith got the same treatment first ball, this one keeping a bit low as well. With the Nagpur crowd going crazy, Chetan fired in another on the stumps, a bit fuller, against Ewen Chatfield who shuffled across and was bowled. India went on win the match and top their group.

The first tie

Australia v South Africa, semi-final, Edgbaston, June 17, 1999
It took till the penultimate game of the seventh World Cup for two sides to emerge from a contest without an outright victory. When it finally happened, it produced arguably the most iconic moment in all ODI cricket: that run out of Allan Donald. Donald and Shaun Pollock had kept Australia to 213, and South Africa were in control at 145 for 4 in the 41st, before a slide began. Lance Klusener did what he usually did, though, and hit his way out of a corner. In the 49th over, Paul Reiffel parried one from Klusener (who by now had the No. 11, Donald, for company) over the boundary for six, and South Africa needed nine off six.
Klusener, despite being a predominantly leg-side hitter, carved two from Damien Fleming through off to tie the scores. One off four. Klusener pulled to Darren Lehmann at mid-on, and had he hit the stumps, Donald would have been run out at the non-striker's end. One off three. A yorker, which Klusener hit towards mid-off and set off. Donald didn't. By the time he did, Mark Waugh had got the ball to Fleming, who underarmed to Adam Gilchrist, who whipped off the bails with Donald well short. Australia were in the final on a superior Super Six net run rate. South Africa were heartbroken.

The first duck

Harilal Shah
East Africa v New Zealand, Edgbaston, June 7, 1975

Three ODIs, six runs and an international career that lasted 56 balls. Those stats belong to East Africa captain Harilal Shah. Still, he has a piece of World Cup history all to himself: he got the tournament's first duck. It came in World Cup match No. 2, against New Zealand, even as his team fell away to 128 for 8 in response to 309 for 5. Harilal was out for a duck in the following game as well, before making a 53-ball 6.

Nikita Bastian is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo