A is for\u2026 Aravinda<\/strong><\/h3>\nBow-legged and hook-nosed, 5ft-nothing in his best spikes and decked out in random bits of kit from the team bag, Aravinda de Silva exhibited a kind of dishevelled, Chaplin-esque genius through much of the \u201990s that, what with him being Sri Lankan, meant he was taken for granted \u2013 until one night in Lahore when the full sweep of his magics was revealed. It was 1996, and Sri Lanka had found themselves in the World Cup final, only to face, wait for it, Australia<\/em>.<\/p>\nThe bad people batted first, got a few, and then kicked sand in the face of Sri Lanka\u2019s top order. It\u2019s 23-2 when our guy waddles out, pads round his ankles, borrowed bat in hand. This is Sri Lanka, remember; with four wins from five full tournaments before this one. Three hours later, Aravinda\u2019s strummed the most beautiful hundred you\u2019ve ever seen, taking them to a victory that remains to this day the most exquisite in World Cup history.<\/p>\n
B is for\u2026\u00a0Boycs & Brears<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhite shirts, red balls, bushy sideboards, grumpy patrons: welcome to World Cups in late-\u201970s England. We\u2019re back at Lord\u2019s again, where the last vestiges of imperialism dictate that finals must<\/em> be held \u2013 and Viv Richards has already swaggered to 138 not out, scooping his final ball into the Tavern to take West Indies to 286 from their 60 overs.<\/p>\nIn reply, England\u2019s freewheeling openers, Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley, come barrelling down the steps to unfurl their full repertoire of leaves, blocks, nurdles and prods across 130 time-elasticating minutes, inching the score along to 129 before Brears, clattering along at a strike rate of 49, finally gives up the ghost. Boycs follows him soon after, his 57 from 105 balls containing the grand total of three boundary fours, all of which leaves the middle order (Gooch, Gower, Botham et al) with too much to do, and England\u2019s awful record in finals has begun: before the 2019 watershed, it would read played four, lost four.<\/p>\n
C is for\u2026 Crowe<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Martin]( "\\"Martin")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Martin Crowe prepares to play for New Zealand at the Cricket World Cup<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAh, Martin Crowe, the stylist\u2019s stylist, strands of bandana dangling down his back, a touch player so filthy that he came with an R rating. The New Zealander, cousin of Russell, was the<\/em> batter of the 1992 World Cup, beginning with an immaculate ton against Australia and strolling towards another in the semi-final before a hamstring twang restricted him in the final overs. Crowe\u2019s injury gave Pakistan\u2019s batters a puncher\u2019s chance, and by that stage Imran\u2019s boys were throwing haymakers at will. New Zealand have still never won it. In retirement, Crowe turned his beautiful mind to writing on the game.<\/p>\nD is for\u2026 Democracy (Death of)<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 2003 World Cup was politically hot. Staged in Africa for the first time, the build-up played out against the worsening situation in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. On the eve of the first match, prominent Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga got together. They could no longer stand aside. On the eve of the first match, they released a statement mourning the \u201cdeath of democracy\u201d in their country. Hours later, they took to the field at Harare, a stone\u2019s throw from Mugabe\u2019s residence, with strips of black insulating tape wrapped around the shirts on their upper arms. \u201cOne white Zimbabwean and one black one operating together gave the message the most eloquent balance,\u201d Flower would say, breaking his silence years later.<\/p>\n
The protest, broadcast around the world, put England, who were due to face Zimbabwe in Harare, in a desperate position. Captain Nasser Hussain<\/a> was recast as diplomat-negotiator, managing the British government\u2019s entreaties to boycott the game, against the ICC\u2019s threats to nail them if they did. At the eleventh-hour, England pulled out of the fixture, thus forfeiting the result to leave their World Cup hopes in tatters, while Flower and Olonga would flee for South Africa amid a slew of death threats. Hussain later wrote that they \u201cproved to be great men by what they have done\u201d.<\/p> E is for\u2026 Eden Gardens<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndian cricket\u2019s spiritual home in Kolkata was destroyed by their own fans at the fag-end of a disastrous semi-final against Sri Lanka in 1996. With India 120-8 chasing 252, the fans began chucking bottles onto the field and setting fires in the stands. The game had to be abandoned, with Sri Lanka handed the win by default. In the messy aftermath, the house of skipper Mohammad Azharuddin \u2013 who had been fiercely criticised for fielding first \u2013 had to be placed under armed guard.<\/p>\n
F is for\u2026 Floppy Hats <\/strong><\/h3>\nNo better sight in cricket than the floppy sunhat \u2013 from the sublime of Graham Gooch\u2019s iconic white floppy in the heat of Chennai in 1987, sweeping India\u2019s spinners to secure England a place in the final, to the ridiculous of Sultan Zarawani, UAE skipper, swaggering out to face an unbridled Allan Donald in his own grey number. A disgruntled Donald duly banged one in halfway down, and Zarawani, not known for his prowess against the short ball, ducked right into it. He emerged a little groggily to take his place in World Cup legend, cheerfully retiring after the tournament to spend more time with his fleet of expensive cars.<\/p>\n
G is for\u2026 Gavaskar<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe godfather of Indian cricket didn\u2019t much fancy the World Cup, and on opening day in 1975, opted against even attempting to chase down England\u2019s 334 in 60 overs, sitting on his bat for four agonising hours to finish 36 not out from 174 balls. No one quite knew why. Certain rumours circled that he was protesting against selection, others that he felt the team had been disrespected. Whatever the reasons, it was a grim scene.<\/p>\n
Ted Dexter, on commentary, demanded formal censure, while the India team manager GS Ramchand duly found his tongue, telling the Daily Express: \u201cIt was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen\u2026 his excuse [to me] was, the wicket was too slow to play shots, but that was a stupid thing to say after England had scored 334. The entire party is upset about it. Our national pride is too important to be thrown away like this.\u201d Years later, Sunil Gavaskar said he couldn\u2019t really explain it either.<\/p>\n
H is for\u2026 Haryana Hurricane<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"India]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> India fans storm the pitch as they win the Cricket World Cup final in 1983<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAKA Kapil Dev, whose steepling catch running back from square leg to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 final (yep, at Lord\u2019s again) helped take India to an improbable maiden World Cup win, transforming the game\u2019s popularity overnight. The rest is history.<\/p>\n
I is for\u2026 Ireland <\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cEvery now and again someone wakes up and simply has the best day of their life,\u201d wrote Graeme Swann in his autobiography. \u201cKevin O\u2019Brien was that guy against us.\u201d At Bangalore in 2011, no one gave Ireland a sniff after they were reduced to 111-5 in reply to England\u2019s 327-8, but from that seemingly hopeless situation blossomed a knock for the ages \u2013 with the match all but gone, O\u2019Brien, the beefy 26-year-old all-rounder from Dublin, decided to chance his arm. As the wheels came off for England in the field, he reached his century in just 50 balls, the fastest hundred in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
When O\u2019Brien was finally dismissed for 113 in the 49th over, having scripted the highest successful run-chase in a World Cup, he\u2019d hit 13 fours and six sixes. \u201cI remember at one stage looking up and I was 80 off 40 balls, and I was like, \u2018Where did that come from?’\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt was pretty surreal.\u201d For Ireland, it was another prize scalp which helped set in motion Ireland\u2019s promotion to Full Member status in 2018. Sadly, they won\u2019t be back in India for this one.<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
J is for\u2026 Jayasuriya<\/strong><\/h3>\nSanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, freewheelers both, changed the face of white ball batting across a few wild weeks in 1996. Striking at 131 and 140 respectively, they marmalised new-ball attacks in the opening overs en route to Sri Lanka\u2019s spectacular triumph in the final. Jayasuriya was the main man, making 221 runs in the tournament, including a superb 82 (44) in the quarter-final against poor old England, whose cohort of honest medium-pacers wasn\u2019t quite the thing on a flat one at Faisalabad.<\/p>\n
K is for\u2026 Kenya<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Simbas have made five appearances at the World Cup, making their mark at their debut tournament in 1996 when they turned over a star-studded West Indies side at Pune. But it\u2019s their exploits in the 2003 edition, when they served as co-hosts with South Africa and Zimbabwe, for which they\u2019re best remembered, defeating Canada, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe during their fairy tale run to the semi-finals \u2013 the only time in the tournament\u2019s history that a non-Test nation has reached the last four.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been little for the Kenyans to cheer since, though. In 2004, their talisman Maurice Odumbe was banned for match-fixing<\/a> and disputes between the national board and senior players led to an alarming decline, with Kenya losing their ODI status in 2014 and failing to qualify for the World Cup the following year. At the time of writing, they are ranked 29th in the ICC\u2019s T20I rankings, below Jersey, Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\nL is for\u2026 Lloyd<\/strong><\/h3>\nA two-time World Cup-winning captain, Clive Lloyd masterminded West Indies\u2019 triumphant campaign at the inaugural tournament in 1975, hitting a majestic 102 from 85 balls at Lord\u2019s \u2013 his first and only ODI century \u2013 to lay the foundations for a 17-run win over Australia. Four years later, \u2018Supercat\u2019 led from the front once again, averaging 61.50 across the tournament to make it two in two for the Windies, humbling England in the final. One of the game\u2019s great captains, he turned the previously disjointed Caribbean islands into a cohesive, world-conquering force.<\/p>\n
M is for\u2026 Margins (the barest of)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Jos]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Jos Buttler runs out Martin Guptill in the Cricket World Cup final 2019<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe greatest finish to the greatest game, capped by the greatest piece of off-the-cuff commentary. Ian Smith used to keep wicket for New Zealand before taking tup the mic, and it was his fate to be there at the most heart-breaking sporting moment in their history. Jason Roy has gathered and arrowed a throw on the bounce to Jos Buttler, who breaks the stumps with Martin Guptill, sprawling, two yards short.<\/p>\n
Up in the Lord\u2019s media centre, bent double over the desk, Smith finds the perfect words for the maddest time. \u201cEngland have won the World Cup by the barest of margins<\/em>.\u201d Eleven unimprovable words, as indelible as the moment itself, delivered by the undisputed commentator of the tournament. \u201cThe two Ians \u2013 Smith and Bishop \u2013 should be made to commentate on the last half hour of every cricket match,\u201d Nasser Hussain later tweeted.<\/p>\nN is for\u2026 Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\nBas de Leede knew what was needed, and what was at stake. Chase down Scotland\u2019s 277 inside 44 overs at Bulawayo, and his country would be at their fourth World Cup. He\u2019d already shot out five Scottish batters with his seamers; now he proceeded to play one of the most gutsy ODI knocks of the century. His 123 from 92 balls nailed the chase, booked the Netherlands a place at the big show and made him just the fourth player in ODI history to take a five-for and hit a century in the same game. You may not have seen much of Bas yet. You will do soon.<\/p>\n
O is for\u2026 Over (as in All Over The World)<\/strong><\/h3>\nDave Stewart used to be one half of Eurythmics. By 1999, he\u2019d settled into the paunchy middle years, his best work behind him, when cricket came a calling. His brief? To pen a rousing anthem for the World Cup in England, capturing all the colour and vibrancy of this most beautiful of games. So Dave got to work. Cricketers wear white, right? (Not in this tournament, but no matter.) And who else wears white? Why, the inmates in One Flew Over The Cuckoo\u2019s Nest!<\/p>\n
Thus, a plan was hatched to stage the video in, well, an asylum, and for Dave, naturally enough, to break the inmates free. He then drives them all \u2013 plus a single, random woman that Dave has seized from her front garden \u2013 to an abandoned rec somewhere for a chilly, overcast game of bat and ball. \u201cThe sun is up,\u201d sings Dave plaintively over a strangely muted carnival chant. \u201cThe sky is red. No grey clouds inside your head. Heroes come and heroes go. A wise man watched the river flow.\u201d The message is a little confused. As indeed was the timing of its release: England were already knocked out of the tournament by the time it hit the shops. Copies remained unsold.<\/p>\n
P is for\u2026 Pyjamas<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe \u201992 World Cup hit different. There wasn\u2019t much that this one didn\u2019t have going for it. Most of the matches were in Australia, the spiritual soul of ODI cricket since Kerry Packer\u2019s late-\u201970s revolution, with the rest in New Zealand. It had pinch hitters, spinners opening the bowling and fielding from another planet. It had leg-spinners altering the course of big matches, and reverse-swing clinching them. It had two white balls, one at each end, for fast bowlers to wreak havoc with. It had South Africa\u2019s readmission after 22 years in the sporting wilderness, expanding the show to incorporate a ninth team, and it would all end in Melbourne: in a night-time coalescence between Pakistan and England, beamed around the world for the very first time.<\/p>\n
In just about every conceivable way, this was a portal into cricket\u2019s future, and nowhere was it more obvious than the attire: the whole thing was a riot of black screens, white balls and garishly coloured pyjamas. The shirts, regularly reprised as retro kits, are truly iconic.<\/p>\n
Q is for\u2026 Qualifiers<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you want real jeopardy, don\u2019t watch the World Cup \u2013 watch the qualifiers. <\/em>This year\u2019s stress-fest took place in Zimbabwe across two weeks of unending drama, after which the Netherlands and Sri Lanka emerged as the only two teams to make it to the showpiece. Left on the canvas, diminished as never before, were the cricketers of the West Indies, once the most dominant team in the game, now reduced to bit part actors on the other stage. Ditto Scotland and Ireland, both of whom missed out on final qualification.<\/p>\nR is for\u2026 Rain Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Rain]( "\\"Rain")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Rain and cricket. Cricket and rain. The ultimate partnership.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe shot itself was coolly played: in the midst of a tropical downpour, South Africa\u2019s Mark Boucher, believing his team to be ahead of the rain-adjusted required score, rolled his wrists on a Murali off-break, smothering the spin, no dramas at all. Only in the moments after the shot did the reality reveal itself that South Africa actually still needed one more run<\/em>; as it was, they were merely tying with Sri Lanka \u2013 and a tie would see them dumped out of their own tournament.<\/p>\nThe umpires scampered off seconds after Boucher\u2019s desperate miscalculation, and with the rain setting in, they never got back on \u2013 South Africa were out of their own event before the knockout stage. And all this after the shocker in 1992, when an 11-minute break for a shower combined with a terribly thought-out rain rule to reduce South Africa\u2019s target against England in the semi-final from 22 from 13 balls to 21 from one<\/em>. Though blameless in 1992, the 2003 error was all on them.<\/p>\nS is for\u2026 Shoulders <\/strong><\/h3>\nIn the exultant scenes following India\u2019s second world title in 2011, the great Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates one last time. One of the players beneath him was Virat Kohli, a young pup making his way in the game, with an eye for a soundbite as sharp as his back-foot punch. \u201cSachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cIt is time we carried him on our<\/em> shoulders.\u201d In that moment, the torch was passed, and a thousand endorsement contracts drawn up.<\/p>\nT is for\u2026 Tigers (Cornered)<\/strong><\/h3>\nPakistan\u2019s triumph in 1992 was intrinsically Imran Khan\u2019s. He was old by cricketing standards, pushing 40. He had run the show with as near as anyone got to complete autonomy in Pakistan cricket and achieved, in the words of his biographer Christopher Sandford, something akin to a sporting miracle, \u201ctransforming the perennial cabaret turn of the international circuit into the hyper-aggressive fighting unit that would lift the World Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n
The turning point had come against Australia, in a must-win game following a sluggish first few matches. Imran emerged for the toss in a T-shirt bearing an image of a tiger about to pounce. Play like this, he had told his team, pointing to his chest, and Pakistan would win the tournament. Two weeks later, his prophesy would come to fruition.<\/p>\n
U is for\u2026 Upsets<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn 2007, when Bangladesh beat India to knock them out, the financial consequences of India\u2019s early exit were so dire that the powers-that-be sought to change the format to protect cricket\u2019s one true megapower from being caught short again. Upsets may not be good for business, but they remain the most tantalising part of a world tournament. Ever since a data systems manager called Duncan Fletcher masterminded Zimbabwe\u2019s defeat of Australia in 1983, the game has thrived off its giant-killings. This year, Afghanistan and the Netherlands lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce.<\/p>\n
V is for\u2026 Veletta<\/strong><\/h3>\nMike Veletta, anyone? No? Unmasked revolutionary blowing up the establishment at Eden Gardens? His 31-ball 45* in Australia\u2019s innings in the \u201987 final, helping them up to 253, must go down as one of the great World Cup cameos. In reply, England fell seven runs short \u2013 Mike Gatting\u2019s wonderfully awful reverse sweep to spark the collapse will never be forgotten \u2013 and though Micky V didn\u2019t do much else after that, he could always say that he lit the fuse on Australia\u2019s World Cup story.<\/p>\n
W is for\u2026 Woolmer<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn innovative all-rounder in a playing career which included 19 Tests and six ODIs for England, Bob Woolmer went on to become a groundbreaking coach for Warwickshire, South Africa and Pakistan. A progressive thinker who championed the reverse sweep and the use of computer analysis, his South African side came agonisingly close to reaching the final of the 1999 World Cup, losing out to Australia in a dramatic semi-final at Edgbaston, after which Woolmer resigned from his post. He returned to international cricket with Pakistan in 2004, serving as their head coach at the 2007 World Cup, but tragedy struck on 18th March, the day after his team had been knocked out of the tournament following a shock defeat to Ireland, when Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
Jamaican police opened a murder investigation after a pathologist\u2019s report claimed the 58-year-old had died of asphyxia via manual strangulation, but it was later found he had been suffering from health problems and had died of natural causes. \u201cAs a coach and mentor, Bob Woolmer had everything,\u201d said Mohammad Yousuf, who played under Woolmer for Pakistan, speaking on the 15th anniversary of his death. \u201cHe was a top motivator and would always back his players. He was a great guy and a great coach. Bob Woolmer will remain the No.1 coach in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
X is for\u2026 X<\/strong><\/h3>\nTen teams. Ten<\/em>. Not that<\/em> many, is it? Not especially worldly<\/em>. There used to be more, but the suits put paid to that. After all, fewer teams means less chance of an upset, right? And the big teams staying around for longer means more of that lovely advertising revenue. One of the few consolations of that politically limp decision is, at least, clarity of format: this time everyone plays everyone, and then it\u2019s your semis, before the final on 19th November, to be held at that 130,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad, the one named after India\u2019s current prime minister \u2013 a figure, incidentally, you are likely to see quite a lot of over the next two months. At least in four years\u2019 time we\u2019ll be back up to the dizzying heights of 14 teams.<\/p>\nY is for\u2026 Yellow<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Australia]( "\\"Australia")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Australia win the Cricket World Cup final in 1999<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nFive times, the Aussies have won it. That\u2019s three times more than anyone else. Three times in a row from 1999 to 2007, with the other two basically won by accident. They go into this one with multiple injuries, one good spinner (Adam Zampa, who\u2019s just equalled the record for the most runs conceded in an ODI) and a messy top order. They\u2019ll probably win it.<\/p>\n
Z is for\u2026 Zulu<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 1999 World Cup was a peculiar tournament. South Africa and Australia were easily the best teams, and in the vast hulking form of Lance Klusener \u2013 \u2018Zulu\u2019 to his mates \u2013 the Proteas had their trump card. Across a chilly month in early summer, Klusener singlehandedly patented the barrelling finisher role in ODI cricket, smashing 250 runs from 214 balls with five not outs to propel South Africa into a showdown against the Aussies at Edgbaston.<\/p>\n
The semi-final is pure folklore. Australia looked to have the game sewn up before Klusener battered the seamers for 31 from his first 15 balls to bring the scores level. With four balls remaining, he skewed a drive past Damien Fleming and set off for the winning run only to find his partner Allan Donald rooted to the spot. Klusener was almost level with Donald at the non-striker\u2019s end by the time Donald set off. Adam Gilchrist completed the run out \u2013 via a relay throw involving Mark Waugh and Fleming \u2013 to secure a tie, and Australia sailed into the final by virtue of their superior net run rate. \u201cI could have maybe been a little more patient,\u201d Klusener later said. \u201cBut hindsight is a brilliant science.\u201d<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a> or\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/b><\/a>, or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\nTry Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013 subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37637,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
The bad people batted first, got a few, and then kicked sand in the face of Sri Lanka\u2019s top order. It\u2019s 23-2 when our guy waddles out, pads round his ankles, borrowed bat in hand. This is Sri Lanka, remember; with four wins from five full tournaments before this one. Three hours later, Aravinda\u2019s strummed the most beautiful hundred you\u2019ve ever seen, taking them to a victory that remains to this day the most exquisite in World Cup history.<\/p>\n
B is for\u2026\u00a0Boycs & Brears<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhite shirts, red balls, bushy sideboards, grumpy patrons: welcome to World Cups in late-\u201970s England. We\u2019re back at Lord\u2019s again, where the last vestiges of imperialism dictate that finals must<\/em> be held \u2013 and Viv Richards has already swaggered to 138 not out, scooping his final ball into the Tavern to take West Indies to 286 from their 60 overs.<\/p>\nIn reply, England\u2019s freewheeling openers, Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley, come barrelling down the steps to unfurl their full repertoire of leaves, blocks, nurdles and prods across 130 time-elasticating minutes, inching the score along to 129 before Brears, clattering along at a strike rate of 49, finally gives up the ghost. Boycs follows him soon after, his 57 from 105 balls containing the grand total of three boundary fours, all of which leaves the middle order (Gooch, Gower, Botham et al) with too much to do, and England\u2019s awful record in finals has begun: before the 2019 watershed, it would read played four, lost four.<\/p>\n
C is for\u2026 Crowe<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Martin]( "\\"Martin")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Martin Crowe prepares to play for New Zealand at the Cricket World Cup<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAh, Martin Crowe, the stylist\u2019s stylist, strands of bandana dangling down his back, a touch player so filthy that he came with an R rating. The New Zealander, cousin of Russell, was the<\/em> batter of the 1992 World Cup, beginning with an immaculate ton against Australia and strolling towards another in the semi-final before a hamstring twang restricted him in the final overs. Crowe\u2019s injury gave Pakistan\u2019s batters a puncher\u2019s chance, and by that stage Imran\u2019s boys were throwing haymakers at will. New Zealand have still never won it. In retirement, Crowe turned his beautiful mind to writing on the game.<\/p>\nD is for\u2026 Democracy (Death of)<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 2003 World Cup was politically hot. Staged in Africa for the first time, the build-up played out against the worsening situation in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. On the eve of the first match, prominent Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga got together. They could no longer stand aside. On the eve of the first match, they released a statement mourning the \u201cdeath of democracy\u201d in their country. Hours later, they took to the field at Harare, a stone\u2019s throw from Mugabe\u2019s residence, with strips of black insulating tape wrapped around the shirts on their upper arms. \u201cOne white Zimbabwean and one black one operating together gave the message the most eloquent balance,\u201d Flower would say, breaking his silence years later.<\/p>\n
The protest, broadcast around the world, put England, who were due to face Zimbabwe in Harare, in a desperate position. Captain Nasser Hussain<\/a> was recast as diplomat-negotiator, managing the British government\u2019s entreaties to boycott the game, against the ICC\u2019s threats to nail them if they did. At the eleventh-hour, England pulled out of the fixture, thus forfeiting the result to leave their World Cup hopes in tatters, while Flower and Olonga would flee for South Africa amid a slew of death threats. Hussain later wrote that they \u201cproved to be great men by what they have done\u201d.<\/p> E is for\u2026 Eden Gardens<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndian cricket\u2019s spiritual home in Kolkata was destroyed by their own fans at the fag-end of a disastrous semi-final against Sri Lanka in 1996. With India 120-8 chasing 252, the fans began chucking bottles onto the field and setting fires in the stands. The game had to be abandoned, with Sri Lanka handed the win by default. In the messy aftermath, the house of skipper Mohammad Azharuddin \u2013 who had been fiercely criticised for fielding first \u2013 had to be placed under armed guard.<\/p>\n
F is for\u2026 Floppy Hats <\/strong><\/h3>\nNo better sight in cricket than the floppy sunhat \u2013 from the sublime of Graham Gooch\u2019s iconic white floppy in the heat of Chennai in 1987, sweeping India\u2019s spinners to secure England a place in the final, to the ridiculous of Sultan Zarawani, UAE skipper, swaggering out to face an unbridled Allan Donald in his own grey number. A disgruntled Donald duly banged one in halfway down, and Zarawani, not known for his prowess against the short ball, ducked right into it. He emerged a little groggily to take his place in World Cup legend, cheerfully retiring after the tournament to spend more time with his fleet of expensive cars.<\/p>\n
G is for\u2026 Gavaskar<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe godfather of Indian cricket didn\u2019t much fancy the World Cup, and on opening day in 1975, opted against even attempting to chase down England\u2019s 334 in 60 overs, sitting on his bat for four agonising hours to finish 36 not out from 174 balls. No one quite knew why. Certain rumours circled that he was protesting against selection, others that he felt the team had been disrespected. Whatever the reasons, it was a grim scene.<\/p>\n
Ted Dexter, on commentary, demanded formal censure, while the India team manager GS Ramchand duly found his tongue, telling the Daily Express: \u201cIt was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen\u2026 his excuse [to me] was, the wicket was too slow to play shots, but that was a stupid thing to say after England had scored 334. The entire party is upset about it. Our national pride is too important to be thrown away like this.\u201d Years later, Sunil Gavaskar said he couldn\u2019t really explain it either.<\/p>\n
H is for\u2026 Haryana Hurricane<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"India]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> India fans storm the pitch as they win the Cricket World Cup final in 1983<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAKA Kapil Dev, whose steepling catch running back from square leg to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 final (yep, at Lord\u2019s again) helped take India to an improbable maiden World Cup win, transforming the game\u2019s popularity overnight. The rest is history.<\/p>\n
I is for\u2026 Ireland <\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cEvery now and again someone wakes up and simply has the best day of their life,\u201d wrote Graeme Swann in his autobiography. \u201cKevin O\u2019Brien was that guy against us.\u201d At Bangalore in 2011, no one gave Ireland a sniff after they were reduced to 111-5 in reply to England\u2019s 327-8, but from that seemingly hopeless situation blossomed a knock for the ages \u2013 with the match all but gone, O\u2019Brien, the beefy 26-year-old all-rounder from Dublin, decided to chance his arm. As the wheels came off for England in the field, he reached his century in just 50 balls, the fastest hundred in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
When O\u2019Brien was finally dismissed for 113 in the 49th over, having scripted the highest successful run-chase in a World Cup, he\u2019d hit 13 fours and six sixes. \u201cI remember at one stage looking up and I was 80 off 40 balls, and I was like, \u2018Where did that come from?’\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt was pretty surreal.\u201d For Ireland, it was another prize scalp which helped set in motion Ireland\u2019s promotion to Full Member status in 2018. Sadly, they won\u2019t be back in India for this one.<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
J is for\u2026 Jayasuriya<\/strong><\/h3>\nSanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, freewheelers both, changed the face of white ball batting across a few wild weeks in 1996. Striking at 131 and 140 respectively, they marmalised new-ball attacks in the opening overs en route to Sri Lanka\u2019s spectacular triumph in the final. Jayasuriya was the main man, making 221 runs in the tournament, including a superb 82 (44) in the quarter-final against poor old England, whose cohort of honest medium-pacers wasn\u2019t quite the thing on a flat one at Faisalabad.<\/p>\n
K is for\u2026 Kenya<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Simbas have made five appearances at the World Cup, making their mark at their debut tournament in 1996 when they turned over a star-studded West Indies side at Pune. But it\u2019s their exploits in the 2003 edition, when they served as co-hosts with South Africa and Zimbabwe, for which they\u2019re best remembered, defeating Canada, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe during their fairy tale run to the semi-finals \u2013 the only time in the tournament\u2019s history that a non-Test nation has reached the last four.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been little for the Kenyans to cheer since, though. In 2004, their talisman Maurice Odumbe was banned for match-fixing<\/a> and disputes between the national board and senior players led to an alarming decline, with Kenya losing their ODI status in 2014 and failing to qualify for the World Cup the following year. At the time of writing, they are ranked 29th in the ICC\u2019s T20I rankings, below Jersey, Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\nL is for\u2026 Lloyd<\/strong><\/h3>\nA two-time World Cup-winning captain, Clive Lloyd masterminded West Indies\u2019 triumphant campaign at the inaugural tournament in 1975, hitting a majestic 102 from 85 balls at Lord\u2019s \u2013 his first and only ODI century \u2013 to lay the foundations for a 17-run win over Australia. Four years later, \u2018Supercat\u2019 led from the front once again, averaging 61.50 across the tournament to make it two in two for the Windies, humbling England in the final. One of the game\u2019s great captains, he turned the previously disjointed Caribbean islands into a cohesive, world-conquering force.<\/p>\n
M is for\u2026 Margins (the barest of)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Jos]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Jos Buttler runs out Martin Guptill in the Cricket World Cup final 2019<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe greatest finish to the greatest game, capped by the greatest piece of off-the-cuff commentary. Ian Smith used to keep wicket for New Zealand before taking tup the mic, and it was his fate to be there at the most heart-breaking sporting moment in their history. Jason Roy has gathered and arrowed a throw on the bounce to Jos Buttler, who breaks the stumps with Martin Guptill, sprawling, two yards short.<\/p>\n
Up in the Lord\u2019s media centre, bent double over the desk, Smith finds the perfect words for the maddest time. \u201cEngland have won the World Cup by the barest of margins<\/em>.\u201d Eleven unimprovable words, as indelible as the moment itself, delivered by the undisputed commentator of the tournament. \u201cThe two Ians \u2013 Smith and Bishop \u2013 should be made to commentate on the last half hour of every cricket match,\u201d Nasser Hussain later tweeted.<\/p>\nN is for\u2026 Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\nBas de Leede knew what was needed, and what was at stake. Chase down Scotland\u2019s 277 inside 44 overs at Bulawayo, and his country would be at their fourth World Cup. He\u2019d already shot out five Scottish batters with his seamers; now he proceeded to play one of the most gutsy ODI knocks of the century. His 123 from 92 balls nailed the chase, booked the Netherlands a place at the big show and made him just the fourth player in ODI history to take a five-for and hit a century in the same game. You may not have seen much of Bas yet. You will do soon.<\/p>\n
O is for\u2026 Over (as in All Over The World)<\/strong><\/h3>\nDave Stewart used to be one half of Eurythmics. By 1999, he\u2019d settled into the paunchy middle years, his best work behind him, when cricket came a calling. His brief? To pen a rousing anthem for the World Cup in England, capturing all the colour and vibrancy of this most beautiful of games. So Dave got to work. Cricketers wear white, right? (Not in this tournament, but no matter.) And who else wears white? Why, the inmates in One Flew Over The Cuckoo\u2019s Nest!<\/p>\n
Thus, a plan was hatched to stage the video in, well, an asylum, and for Dave, naturally enough, to break the inmates free. He then drives them all \u2013 plus a single, random woman that Dave has seized from her front garden \u2013 to an abandoned rec somewhere for a chilly, overcast game of bat and ball. \u201cThe sun is up,\u201d sings Dave plaintively over a strangely muted carnival chant. \u201cThe sky is red. No grey clouds inside your head. Heroes come and heroes go. A wise man watched the river flow.\u201d The message is a little confused. As indeed was the timing of its release: England were already knocked out of the tournament by the time it hit the shops. Copies remained unsold.<\/p>\n
P is for\u2026 Pyjamas<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe \u201992 World Cup hit different. There wasn\u2019t much that this one didn\u2019t have going for it. Most of the matches were in Australia, the spiritual soul of ODI cricket since Kerry Packer\u2019s late-\u201970s revolution, with the rest in New Zealand. It had pinch hitters, spinners opening the bowling and fielding from another planet. It had leg-spinners altering the course of big matches, and reverse-swing clinching them. It had two white balls, one at each end, for fast bowlers to wreak havoc with. It had South Africa\u2019s readmission after 22 years in the sporting wilderness, expanding the show to incorporate a ninth team, and it would all end in Melbourne: in a night-time coalescence between Pakistan and England, beamed around the world for the very first time.<\/p>\n
In just about every conceivable way, this was a portal into cricket\u2019s future, and nowhere was it more obvious than the attire: the whole thing was a riot of black screens, white balls and garishly coloured pyjamas. The shirts, regularly reprised as retro kits, are truly iconic.<\/p>\n
Q is for\u2026 Qualifiers<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you want real jeopardy, don\u2019t watch the World Cup \u2013 watch the qualifiers. <\/em>This year\u2019s stress-fest took place in Zimbabwe across two weeks of unending drama, after which the Netherlands and Sri Lanka emerged as the only two teams to make it to the showpiece. Left on the canvas, diminished as never before, were the cricketers of the West Indies, once the most dominant team in the game, now reduced to bit part actors on the other stage. Ditto Scotland and Ireland, both of whom missed out on final qualification.<\/p>\nR is for\u2026 Rain Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Rain]( "\\"Rain")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Rain and cricket. Cricket and rain. The ultimate partnership.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe shot itself was coolly played: in the midst of a tropical downpour, South Africa\u2019s Mark Boucher, believing his team to be ahead of the rain-adjusted required score, rolled his wrists on a Murali off-break, smothering the spin, no dramas at all. Only in the moments after the shot did the reality reveal itself that South Africa actually still needed one more run<\/em>; as it was, they were merely tying with Sri Lanka \u2013 and a tie would see them dumped out of their own tournament.<\/p>\nThe umpires scampered off seconds after Boucher\u2019s desperate miscalculation, and with the rain setting in, they never got back on \u2013 South Africa were out of their own event before the knockout stage. And all this after the shocker in 1992, when an 11-minute break for a shower combined with a terribly thought-out rain rule to reduce South Africa\u2019s target against England in the semi-final from 22 from 13 balls to 21 from one<\/em>. Though blameless in 1992, the 2003 error was all on them.<\/p>\nS is for\u2026 Shoulders <\/strong><\/h3>\nIn the exultant scenes following India\u2019s second world title in 2011, the great Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates one last time. One of the players beneath him was Virat Kohli, a young pup making his way in the game, with an eye for a soundbite as sharp as his back-foot punch. \u201cSachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cIt is time we carried him on our<\/em> shoulders.\u201d In that moment, the torch was passed, and a thousand endorsement contracts drawn up.<\/p>\nT is for\u2026 Tigers (Cornered)<\/strong><\/h3>\nPakistan\u2019s triumph in 1992 was intrinsically Imran Khan\u2019s. He was old by cricketing standards, pushing 40. He had run the show with as near as anyone got to complete autonomy in Pakistan cricket and achieved, in the words of his biographer Christopher Sandford, something akin to a sporting miracle, \u201ctransforming the perennial cabaret turn of the international circuit into the hyper-aggressive fighting unit that would lift the World Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n
The turning point had come against Australia, in a must-win game following a sluggish first few matches. Imran emerged for the toss in a T-shirt bearing an image of a tiger about to pounce. Play like this, he had told his team, pointing to his chest, and Pakistan would win the tournament. Two weeks later, his prophesy would come to fruition.<\/p>\n
U is for\u2026 Upsets<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn 2007, when Bangladesh beat India to knock them out, the financial consequences of India\u2019s early exit were so dire that the powers-that-be sought to change the format to protect cricket\u2019s one true megapower from being caught short again. Upsets may not be good for business, but they remain the most tantalising part of a world tournament. Ever since a data systems manager called Duncan Fletcher masterminded Zimbabwe\u2019s defeat of Australia in 1983, the game has thrived off its giant-killings. This year, Afghanistan and the Netherlands lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce.<\/p>\n
V is for\u2026 Veletta<\/strong><\/h3>\nMike Veletta, anyone? No? Unmasked revolutionary blowing up the establishment at Eden Gardens? His 31-ball 45* in Australia\u2019s innings in the \u201987 final, helping them up to 253, must go down as one of the great World Cup cameos. In reply, England fell seven runs short \u2013 Mike Gatting\u2019s wonderfully awful reverse sweep to spark the collapse will never be forgotten \u2013 and though Micky V didn\u2019t do much else after that, he could always say that he lit the fuse on Australia\u2019s World Cup story.<\/p>\n
W is for\u2026 Woolmer<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn innovative all-rounder in a playing career which included 19 Tests and six ODIs for England, Bob Woolmer went on to become a groundbreaking coach for Warwickshire, South Africa and Pakistan. A progressive thinker who championed the reverse sweep and the use of computer analysis, his South African side came agonisingly close to reaching the final of the 1999 World Cup, losing out to Australia in a dramatic semi-final at Edgbaston, after which Woolmer resigned from his post. He returned to international cricket with Pakistan in 2004, serving as their head coach at the 2007 World Cup, but tragedy struck on 18th March, the day after his team had been knocked out of the tournament following a shock defeat to Ireland, when Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
Jamaican police opened a murder investigation after a pathologist\u2019s report claimed the 58-year-old had died of asphyxia via manual strangulation, but it was later found he had been suffering from health problems and had died of natural causes. \u201cAs a coach and mentor, Bob Woolmer had everything,\u201d said Mohammad Yousuf, who played under Woolmer for Pakistan, speaking on the 15th anniversary of his death. \u201cHe was a top motivator and would always back his players. He was a great guy and a great coach. Bob Woolmer will remain the No.1 coach in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
X is for\u2026 X<\/strong><\/h3>\nTen teams. Ten<\/em>. Not that<\/em> many, is it? Not especially worldly<\/em>. There used to be more, but the suits put paid to that. After all, fewer teams means less chance of an upset, right? And the big teams staying around for longer means more of that lovely advertising revenue. One of the few consolations of that politically limp decision is, at least, clarity of format: this time everyone plays everyone, and then it\u2019s your semis, before the final on 19th November, to be held at that 130,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad, the one named after India\u2019s current prime minister \u2013 a figure, incidentally, you are likely to see quite a lot of over the next two months. At least in four years\u2019 time we\u2019ll be back up to the dizzying heights of 14 teams.<\/p>\nY is for\u2026 Yellow<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Australia]( "\\"Australia")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Australia win the Cricket World Cup final in 1999<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nFive times, the Aussies have won it. That\u2019s three times more than anyone else. Three times in a row from 1999 to 2007, with the other two basically won by accident. They go into this one with multiple injuries, one good spinner (Adam Zampa, who\u2019s just equalled the record for the most runs conceded in an ODI) and a messy top order. They\u2019ll probably win it.<\/p>\n
Z is for\u2026 Zulu<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 1999 World Cup was a peculiar tournament. South Africa and Australia were easily the best teams, and in the vast hulking form of Lance Klusener \u2013 \u2018Zulu\u2019 to his mates \u2013 the Proteas had their trump card. Across a chilly month in early summer, Klusener singlehandedly patented the barrelling finisher role in ODI cricket, smashing 250 runs from 214 balls with five not outs to propel South Africa into a showdown against the Aussies at Edgbaston.<\/p>\n
The semi-final is pure folklore. Australia looked to have the game sewn up before Klusener battered the seamers for 31 from his first 15 balls to bring the scores level. With four balls remaining, he skewed a drive past Damien Fleming and set off for the winning run only to find his partner Allan Donald rooted to the spot. Klusener was almost level with Donald at the non-striker\u2019s end by the time Donald set off. Adam Gilchrist completed the run out \u2013 via a relay throw involving Mark Waugh and Fleming \u2013 to secure a tie, and Australia sailed into the final by virtue of their superior net run rate. \u201cI could have maybe been a little more patient,\u201d Klusener later said. \u201cBut hindsight is a brilliant science.\u201d<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a> or\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/b><\/a>, or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\nTry Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013 subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37637,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
In reply, England\u2019s freewheeling openers, Geoffrey Boycott and Mike Brearley, come barrelling down the steps to unfurl their full repertoire of leaves, blocks, nurdles and prods across 130 time-elasticating minutes, inching the score along to 129 before Brears, clattering along at a strike rate of 49, finally gives up the ghost. Boycs follows him soon after, his 57 from 105 balls containing the grand total of three boundary fours, all of which leaves the middle order (Gooch, Gower, Botham et al) with too much to do, and England\u2019s awful record in finals has begun: before the 2019 watershed, it would read played four, lost four.<\/p>\n
C is for\u2026 Crowe<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Martin]( "\\"Martin")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Martin Crowe prepares to play for New Zealand at the Cricket World Cup<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAh, Martin Crowe, the stylist\u2019s stylist, strands of bandana dangling down his back, a touch player so filthy that he came with an R rating. The New Zealander, cousin of Russell, was the<\/em> batter of the 1992 World Cup, beginning with an immaculate ton against Australia and strolling towards another in the semi-final before a hamstring twang restricted him in the final overs. Crowe\u2019s injury gave Pakistan\u2019s batters a puncher\u2019s chance, and by that stage Imran\u2019s boys were throwing haymakers at will. New Zealand have still never won it. In retirement, Crowe turned his beautiful mind to writing on the game.<\/p>\nD is for\u2026 Democracy (Death of)<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 2003 World Cup was politically hot. Staged in Africa for the first time, the build-up played out against the worsening situation in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. On the eve of the first match, prominent Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga got together. They could no longer stand aside. On the eve of the first match, they released a statement mourning the \u201cdeath of democracy\u201d in their country. Hours later, they took to the field at Harare, a stone\u2019s throw from Mugabe\u2019s residence, with strips of black insulating tape wrapped around the shirts on their upper arms. \u201cOne white Zimbabwean and one black one operating together gave the message the most eloquent balance,\u201d Flower would say, breaking his silence years later.<\/p>\n
The protest, broadcast around the world, put England, who were due to face Zimbabwe in Harare, in a desperate position. Captain Nasser Hussain<\/a> was recast as diplomat-negotiator, managing the British government\u2019s entreaties to boycott the game, against the ICC\u2019s threats to nail them if they did. At the eleventh-hour, England pulled out of the fixture, thus forfeiting the result to leave their World Cup hopes in tatters, while Flower and Olonga would flee for South Africa amid a slew of death threats. Hussain later wrote that they \u201cproved to be great men by what they have done\u201d.<\/p> E is for\u2026 Eden Gardens<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndian cricket\u2019s spiritual home in Kolkata was destroyed by their own fans at the fag-end of a disastrous semi-final against Sri Lanka in 1996. With India 120-8 chasing 252, the fans began chucking bottles onto the field and setting fires in the stands. The game had to be abandoned, with Sri Lanka handed the win by default. In the messy aftermath, the house of skipper Mohammad Azharuddin \u2013 who had been fiercely criticised for fielding first \u2013 had to be placed under armed guard.<\/p>\n
F is for\u2026 Floppy Hats <\/strong><\/h3>\nNo better sight in cricket than the floppy sunhat \u2013 from the sublime of Graham Gooch\u2019s iconic white floppy in the heat of Chennai in 1987, sweeping India\u2019s spinners to secure England a place in the final, to the ridiculous of Sultan Zarawani, UAE skipper, swaggering out to face an unbridled Allan Donald in his own grey number. A disgruntled Donald duly banged one in halfway down, and Zarawani, not known for his prowess against the short ball, ducked right into it. He emerged a little groggily to take his place in World Cup legend, cheerfully retiring after the tournament to spend more time with his fleet of expensive cars.<\/p>\n
G is for\u2026 Gavaskar<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe godfather of Indian cricket didn\u2019t much fancy the World Cup, and on opening day in 1975, opted against even attempting to chase down England\u2019s 334 in 60 overs, sitting on his bat for four agonising hours to finish 36 not out from 174 balls. No one quite knew why. Certain rumours circled that he was protesting against selection, others that he felt the team had been disrespected. Whatever the reasons, it was a grim scene.<\/p>\n
Ted Dexter, on commentary, demanded formal censure, while the India team manager GS Ramchand duly found his tongue, telling the Daily Express: \u201cIt was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen\u2026 his excuse [to me] was, the wicket was too slow to play shots, but that was a stupid thing to say after England had scored 334. The entire party is upset about it. Our national pride is too important to be thrown away like this.\u201d Years later, Sunil Gavaskar said he couldn\u2019t really explain it either.<\/p>\n
H is for\u2026 Haryana Hurricane<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"India]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> India fans storm the pitch as they win the Cricket World Cup final in 1983<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nAKA Kapil Dev, whose steepling catch running back from square leg to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 final (yep, at Lord\u2019s again) helped take India to an improbable maiden World Cup win, transforming the game\u2019s popularity overnight. The rest is history.<\/p>\n
I is for\u2026 Ireland <\/strong><\/h3>\n\u201cEvery now and again someone wakes up and simply has the best day of their life,\u201d wrote Graeme Swann in his autobiography. \u201cKevin O\u2019Brien was that guy against us.\u201d At Bangalore in 2011, no one gave Ireland a sniff after they were reduced to 111-5 in reply to England\u2019s 327-8, but from that seemingly hopeless situation blossomed a knock for the ages \u2013 with the match all but gone, O\u2019Brien, the beefy 26-year-old all-rounder from Dublin, decided to chance his arm. As the wheels came off for England in the field, he reached his century in just 50 balls, the fastest hundred in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
When O\u2019Brien was finally dismissed for 113 in the 49th over, having scripted the highest successful run-chase in a World Cup, he\u2019d hit 13 fours and six sixes. \u201cI remember at one stage looking up and I was 80 off 40 balls, and I was like, \u2018Where did that come from?’\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt was pretty surreal.\u201d For Ireland, it was another prize scalp which helped set in motion Ireland\u2019s promotion to Full Member status in 2018. Sadly, they won\u2019t be back in India for this one.<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
J is for\u2026 Jayasuriya<\/strong><\/h3>\nSanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, freewheelers both, changed the face of white ball batting across a few wild weeks in 1996. Striking at 131 and 140 respectively, they marmalised new-ball attacks in the opening overs en route to Sri Lanka\u2019s spectacular triumph in the final. Jayasuriya was the main man, making 221 runs in the tournament, including a superb 82 (44) in the quarter-final against poor old England, whose cohort of honest medium-pacers wasn\u2019t quite the thing on a flat one at Faisalabad.<\/p>\n
K is for\u2026 Kenya<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe Simbas have made five appearances at the World Cup, making their mark at their debut tournament in 1996 when they turned over a star-studded West Indies side at Pune. But it\u2019s their exploits in the 2003 edition, when they served as co-hosts with South Africa and Zimbabwe, for which they\u2019re best remembered, defeating Canada, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe during their fairy tale run to the semi-finals \u2013 the only time in the tournament\u2019s history that a non-Test nation has reached the last four.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been little for the Kenyans to cheer since, though. In 2004, their talisman Maurice Odumbe was banned for match-fixing<\/a> and disputes between the national board and senior players led to an alarming decline, with Kenya losing their ODI status in 2014 and failing to qualify for the World Cup the following year. At the time of writing, they are ranked 29th in the ICC\u2019s T20I rankings, below Jersey, Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\nL is for\u2026 Lloyd<\/strong><\/h3>\nA two-time World Cup-winning captain, Clive Lloyd masterminded West Indies\u2019 triumphant campaign at the inaugural tournament in 1975, hitting a majestic 102 from 85 balls at Lord\u2019s \u2013 his first and only ODI century \u2013 to lay the foundations for a 17-run win over Australia. Four years later, \u2018Supercat\u2019 led from the front once again, averaging 61.50 across the tournament to make it two in two for the Windies, humbling England in the final. One of the game\u2019s great captains, he turned the previously disjointed Caribbean islands into a cohesive, world-conquering force.<\/p>\n
M is for\u2026 Margins (the barest of)<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Jos]( "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Jos Buttler runs out Martin Guptill in the Cricket World Cup final 2019<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe greatest finish to the greatest game, capped by the greatest piece of off-the-cuff commentary. Ian Smith used to keep wicket for New Zealand before taking tup the mic, and it was his fate to be there at the most heart-breaking sporting moment in their history. Jason Roy has gathered and arrowed a throw on the bounce to Jos Buttler, who breaks the stumps with Martin Guptill, sprawling, two yards short.<\/p>\n
Up in the Lord\u2019s media centre, bent double over the desk, Smith finds the perfect words for the maddest time. \u201cEngland have won the World Cup by the barest of margins<\/em>.\u201d Eleven unimprovable words, as indelible as the moment itself, delivered by the undisputed commentator of the tournament. \u201cThe two Ians \u2013 Smith and Bishop \u2013 should be made to commentate on the last half hour of every cricket match,\u201d Nasser Hussain later tweeted.<\/p>\nN is for\u2026 Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\nBas de Leede knew what was needed, and what was at stake. Chase down Scotland\u2019s 277 inside 44 overs at Bulawayo, and his country would be at their fourth World Cup. He\u2019d already shot out five Scottish batters with his seamers; now he proceeded to play one of the most gutsy ODI knocks of the century. His 123 from 92 balls nailed the chase, booked the Netherlands a place at the big show and made him just the fourth player in ODI history to take a five-for and hit a century in the same game. You may not have seen much of Bas yet. You will do soon.<\/p>\n
O is for\u2026 Over (as in All Over The World)<\/strong><\/h3>\nDave Stewart used to be one half of Eurythmics. By 1999, he\u2019d settled into the paunchy middle years, his best work behind him, when cricket came a calling. His brief? To pen a rousing anthem for the World Cup in England, capturing all the colour and vibrancy of this most beautiful of games. So Dave got to work. Cricketers wear white, right? (Not in this tournament, but no matter.) And who else wears white? Why, the inmates in One Flew Over The Cuckoo\u2019s Nest!<\/p>\n
Thus, a plan was hatched to stage the video in, well, an asylum, and for Dave, naturally enough, to break the inmates free. He then drives them all \u2013 plus a single, random woman that Dave has seized from her front garden \u2013 to an abandoned rec somewhere for a chilly, overcast game of bat and ball. \u201cThe sun is up,\u201d sings Dave plaintively over a strangely muted carnival chant. \u201cThe sky is red. No grey clouds inside your head. Heroes come and heroes go. A wise man watched the river flow.\u201d The message is a little confused. As indeed was the timing of its release: England were already knocked out of the tournament by the time it hit the shops. Copies remained unsold.<\/p>\n
P is for\u2026 Pyjamas<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe \u201992 World Cup hit different. There wasn\u2019t much that this one didn\u2019t have going for it. Most of the matches were in Australia, the spiritual soul of ODI cricket since Kerry Packer\u2019s late-\u201970s revolution, with the rest in New Zealand. It had pinch hitters, spinners opening the bowling and fielding from another planet. It had leg-spinners altering the course of big matches, and reverse-swing clinching them. It had two white balls, one at each end, for fast bowlers to wreak havoc with. It had South Africa\u2019s readmission after 22 years in the sporting wilderness, expanding the show to incorporate a ninth team, and it would all end in Melbourne: in a night-time coalescence between Pakistan and England, beamed around the world for the very first time.<\/p>\n
In just about every conceivable way, this was a portal into cricket\u2019s future, and nowhere was it more obvious than the attire: the whole thing was a riot of black screens, white balls and garishly coloured pyjamas. The shirts, regularly reprised as retro kits, are truly iconic.<\/p>\n
Q is for\u2026 Qualifiers<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf you want real jeopardy, don\u2019t watch the World Cup \u2013 watch the qualifiers. <\/em>This year\u2019s stress-fest took place in Zimbabwe across two weeks of unending drama, after which the Netherlands and Sri Lanka emerged as the only two teams to make it to the showpiece. Left on the canvas, diminished as never before, were the cricketers of the West Indies, once the most dominant team in the game, now reduced to bit part actors on the other stage. Ditto Scotland and Ireland, both of whom missed out on final qualification.<\/p>\nR is for\u2026 Rain Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Rain]( "\\"Rain")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Rain and cricket. Cricket and rain. The ultimate partnership.<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe shot itself was coolly played: in the midst of a tropical downpour, South Africa\u2019s Mark Boucher, believing his team to be ahead of the rain-adjusted required score, rolled his wrists on a Murali off-break, smothering the spin, no dramas at all. Only in the moments after the shot did the reality reveal itself that South Africa actually still needed one more run<\/em>; as it was, they were merely tying with Sri Lanka \u2013 and a tie would see them dumped out of their own tournament.<\/p>\nThe umpires scampered off seconds after Boucher\u2019s desperate miscalculation, and with the rain setting in, they never got back on \u2013 South Africa were out of their own event before the knockout stage. And all this after the shocker in 1992, when an 11-minute break for a shower combined with a terribly thought-out rain rule to reduce South Africa\u2019s target against England in the semi-final from 22 from 13 balls to 21 from one<\/em>. Though blameless in 1992, the 2003 error was all on them.<\/p>\nS is for\u2026 Shoulders <\/strong><\/h3>\nIn the exultant scenes following India\u2019s second world title in 2011, the great Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates one last time. One of the players beneath him was Virat Kohli, a young pup making his way in the game, with an eye for a soundbite as sharp as his back-foot punch. \u201cSachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cIt is time we carried him on our<\/em> shoulders.\u201d In that moment, the torch was passed, and a thousand endorsement contracts drawn up.<\/p>\nT is for\u2026 Tigers (Cornered)<\/strong><\/h3>\nPakistan\u2019s triumph in 1992 was intrinsically Imran Khan\u2019s. He was old by cricketing standards, pushing 40. He had run the show with as near as anyone got to complete autonomy in Pakistan cricket and achieved, in the words of his biographer Christopher Sandford, something akin to a sporting miracle, \u201ctransforming the perennial cabaret turn of the international circuit into the hyper-aggressive fighting unit that would lift the World Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n
The turning point had come against Australia, in a must-win game following a sluggish first few matches. Imran emerged for the toss in a T-shirt bearing an image of a tiger about to pounce. Play like this, he had told his team, pointing to his chest, and Pakistan would win the tournament. Two weeks later, his prophesy would come to fruition.<\/p>\n
U is for\u2026 Upsets<\/strong><\/h3>\nIn 2007, when Bangladesh beat India to knock them out, the financial consequences of India\u2019s early exit were so dire that the powers-that-be sought to change the format to protect cricket\u2019s one true megapower from being caught short again. Upsets may not be good for business, but they remain the most tantalising part of a world tournament. Ever since a data systems manager called Duncan Fletcher masterminded Zimbabwe\u2019s defeat of Australia in 1983, the game has thrived off its giant-killings. This year, Afghanistan and the Netherlands lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce.<\/p>\n
V is for\u2026 Veletta<\/strong><\/h3>\nMike Veletta, anyone? No? Unmasked revolutionary blowing up the establishment at Eden Gardens? His 31-ball 45* in Australia\u2019s innings in the \u201987 final, helping them up to 253, must go down as one of the great World Cup cameos. In reply, England fell seven runs short \u2013 Mike Gatting\u2019s wonderfully awful reverse sweep to spark the collapse will never be forgotten \u2013 and though Micky V didn\u2019t do much else after that, he could always say that he lit the fuse on Australia\u2019s World Cup story.<\/p>\n
W is for\u2026 Woolmer<\/strong><\/h3>\nAn innovative all-rounder in a playing career which included 19 Tests and six ODIs for England, Bob Woolmer went on to become a groundbreaking coach for Warwickshire, South Africa and Pakistan. A progressive thinker who championed the reverse sweep and the use of computer analysis, his South African side came agonisingly close to reaching the final of the 1999 World Cup, losing out to Australia in a dramatic semi-final at Edgbaston, after which Woolmer resigned from his post. He returned to international cricket with Pakistan in 2004, serving as their head coach at the 2007 World Cup, but tragedy struck on 18th March, the day after his team had been knocked out of the tournament following a shock defeat to Ireland, when Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.<\/p>\n
Jamaican police opened a murder investigation after a pathologist\u2019s report claimed the 58-year-old had died of asphyxia via manual strangulation, but it was later found he had been suffering from health problems and had died of natural causes. \u201cAs a coach and mentor, Bob Woolmer had everything,\u201d said Mohammad Yousuf, who played under Woolmer for Pakistan, speaking on the 15th anniversary of his death. \u201cHe was a top motivator and would always back his players. He was a great guy and a great coach. Bob Woolmer will remain the No.1 coach in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
X is for\u2026 X<\/strong><\/h3>\nTen teams. Ten<\/em>. Not that<\/em> many, is it? Not especially worldly<\/em>. There used to be more, but the suits put paid to that. After all, fewer teams means less chance of an upset, right? And the big teams staying around for longer means more of that lovely advertising revenue. One of the few consolations of that politically limp decision is, at least, clarity of format: this time everyone plays everyone, and then it\u2019s your semis, before the final on 19th November, to be held at that 130,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad, the one named after India\u2019s current prime minister \u2013 a figure, incidentally, you are likely to see quite a lot of over the next two months. At least in four years\u2019 time we\u2019ll be back up to the dizzying heights of 14 teams.<\/p>\nY is for\u2026 Yellow<\/strong><\/h3>\n ![\"Australia]( "\\"Australia")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div> Australia win the Cricket World Cup final in 1999<\/span><\/figcaption> Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nFive times, the Aussies have won it. That\u2019s three times more than anyone else. Three times in a row from 1999 to 2007, with the other two basically won by accident. They go into this one with multiple injuries, one good spinner (Adam Zampa, who\u2019s just equalled the record for the most runs conceded in an ODI) and a messy top order. They\u2019ll probably win it.<\/p>\n
Z is for\u2026 Zulu<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe 1999 World Cup was a peculiar tournament. South Africa and Australia were easily the best teams, and in the vast hulking form of Lance Klusener \u2013 \u2018Zulu\u2019 to his mates \u2013 the Proteas had their trump card. Across a chilly month in early summer, Klusener singlehandedly patented the barrelling finisher role in ODI cricket, smashing 250 runs from 214 balls with five not outs to propel South Africa into a showdown against the Aussies at Edgbaston.<\/p>\n
The semi-final is pure folklore. Australia looked to have the game sewn up before Klusener battered the seamers for 31 from his first 15 balls to bring the scores level. With four balls remaining, he skewed a drive past Damien Fleming and set off for the winning run only to find his partner Allan Donald rooted to the spot. Klusener was almost level with Donald at the non-striker\u2019s end by the time Donald set off. Adam Gilchrist completed the run out \u2013 via a relay throw involving Mark Waugh and Fleming \u2013 to secure a tie, and Australia sailed into the final by virtue of their superior net run rate. \u201cI could have maybe been a little more patient,\u201d Klusener later said. \u201cBut hindsight is a brilliant science.\u201d<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nNot only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\nEnter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a> or\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/b><\/a>, or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\nTry Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013 subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37637,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/Martin-Crowe-993e56c.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C408\" "\\"Martin")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Ah, Martin Crowe, the stylist\u2019s stylist, strands of bandana dangling down his back, a touch player so filthy that he came with an R rating. The New Zealander, cousin of Russell, was the<\/em> batter of the 1992 World Cup, beginning with an immaculate ton against Australia and strolling towards another in the semi-final before a hamstring twang restricted him in the final overs. Crowe\u2019s injury gave Pakistan\u2019s batters a puncher\u2019s chance, and by that stage Imran\u2019s boys were throwing haymakers at will. New Zealand have still never won it. In retirement, Crowe turned his beautiful mind to writing on the game.<\/p>\n The 2003 World Cup was politically hot. Staged in Africa for the first time, the build-up played out against the worsening situation in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe. On the eve of the first match, prominent Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga got together. They could no longer stand aside. On the eve of the first match, they released a statement mourning the \u201cdeath of democracy\u201d in their country. Hours later, they took to the field at Harare, a stone\u2019s throw from Mugabe\u2019s residence, with strips of black insulating tape wrapped around the shirts on their upper arms. \u201cOne white Zimbabwean and one black one operating together gave the message the most eloquent balance,\u201d Flower would say, breaking his silence years later.<\/p>\n The protest, broadcast around the world, put England, who were due to face Zimbabwe in Harare, in a desperate position. Captain Nasser Hussain<\/a> was recast as diplomat-negotiator, managing the British government\u2019s entreaties to boycott the game, against the ICC\u2019s threats to nail them if they did. At the eleventh-hour, England pulled out of the fixture, thus forfeiting the result to leave their World Cup hopes in tatters, while Flower and Olonga would flee for South Africa amid a slew of death threats. Hussain later wrote that they \u201cproved to be great men by what they have done\u201d.<\/p> Indian cricket\u2019s spiritual home in Kolkata was destroyed by their own fans at the fag-end of a disastrous semi-final against Sri Lanka in 1996. With India 120-8 chasing 252, the fans began chucking bottles onto the field and setting fires in the stands. The game had to be abandoned, with Sri Lanka handed the win by default. In the messy aftermath, the house of skipper Mohammad Azharuddin \u2013 who had been fiercely criticised for fielding first \u2013 had to be placed under armed guard.<\/p>\n No better sight in cricket than the floppy sunhat \u2013 from the sublime of Graham Gooch\u2019s iconic white floppy in the heat of Chennai in 1987, sweeping India\u2019s spinners to secure England a place in the final, to the ridiculous of Sultan Zarawani, UAE skipper, swaggering out to face an unbridled Allan Donald in his own grey number. A disgruntled Donald duly banged one in halfway down, and Zarawani, not known for his prowess against the short ball, ducked right into it. He emerged a little groggily to take his place in World Cup legend, cheerfully retiring after the tournament to spend more time with his fleet of expensive cars.<\/p>\n The godfather of Indian cricket didn\u2019t much fancy the World Cup, and on opening day in 1975, opted against even attempting to chase down England\u2019s 334 in 60 overs, sitting on his bat for four agonising hours to finish 36 not out from 174 balls. No one quite knew why. Certain rumours circled that he was protesting against selection, others that he felt the team had been disrespected. Whatever the reasons, it was a grim scene.<\/p>\n Ted Dexter, on commentary, demanded formal censure, while the India team manager GS Ramchand duly found his tongue, telling the Daily Express: \u201cIt was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen\u2026 his excuse [to me] was, the wicket was too slow to play shots, but that was a stupid thing to say after England had scored 334. The entire party is upset about it. Our national pride is too important to be thrown away like this.\u201d Years later, Sunil Gavaskar said he couldn\u2019t really explain it either.<\/p>\n AKA Kapil Dev, whose steepling catch running back from square leg to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 final (yep, at Lord\u2019s again) helped take India to an improbable maiden World Cup win, transforming the game\u2019s popularity overnight. The rest is history.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery now and again someone wakes up and simply has the best day of their life,\u201d wrote Graeme Swann in his autobiography. \u201cKevin O\u2019Brien was that guy against us.\u201d At Bangalore in 2011, no one gave Ireland a sniff after they were reduced to 111-5 in reply to England\u2019s 327-8, but from that seemingly hopeless situation blossomed a knock for the ages \u2013 with the match all but gone, O\u2019Brien, the beefy 26-year-old all-rounder from Dublin, decided to chance his arm. As the wheels came off for England in the field, he reached his century in just 50 balls, the fastest hundred in the tournament\u2019s history.<\/p>\n When O\u2019Brien was finally dismissed for 113 in the 49th over, having scripted the highest successful run-chase in a World Cup, he\u2019d hit 13 fours and six sixes. \u201cI remember at one stage looking up and I was 80 off 40 balls, and I was like, \u2018Where did that come from?’\u201d said O\u2019Brien. \u201cIt was pretty surreal.\u201d For Ireland, it was another prize scalp which helped set in motion Ireland\u2019s promotion to Full Member status in 2018. Sadly, they won\u2019t be back in India for this one.<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Not only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\n Enter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana, freewheelers both, changed the face of white ball batting across a few wild weeks in 1996. Striking at 131 and 140 respectively, they marmalised new-ball attacks in the opening overs en route to Sri Lanka\u2019s spectacular triumph in the final. Jayasuriya was the main man, making 221 runs in the tournament, including a superb 82 (44) in the quarter-final against poor old England, whose cohort of honest medium-pacers wasn\u2019t quite the thing on a flat one at Faisalabad.<\/p>\n The Simbas have made five appearances at the World Cup, making their mark at their debut tournament in 1996 when they turned over a star-studded West Indies side at Pune. But it\u2019s their exploits in the 2003 edition, when they served as co-hosts with South Africa and Zimbabwe, for which they\u2019re best remembered, defeating Canada, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe during their fairy tale run to the semi-finals \u2013 the only time in the tournament\u2019s history that a non-Test nation has reached the last four.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been little for the Kenyans to cheer since, though. In 2004, their talisman Maurice Odumbe was banned for match-fixing<\/a> and disputes between the national board and senior players led to an alarming decline, with Kenya losing their ODI status in 2014 and failing to qualify for the World Cup the following year. At the time of writing, they are ranked 29th in the ICC\u2019s T20I rankings, below Jersey, Kuwait and Bahrain.<\/p>\n A two-time World Cup-winning captain, Clive Lloyd masterminded West Indies\u2019 triumphant campaign at the inaugural tournament in 1975, hitting a majestic 102 from 85 balls at Lord\u2019s \u2013 his first and only ODI century \u2013 to lay the foundations for a 17-run win over Australia. Four years later, \u2018Supercat\u2019 led from the front once again, averaging 61.50 across the tournament to make it two in two for the Windies, humbling England in the final. One of the game\u2019s great captains, he turned the previously disjointed Caribbean islands into a cohesive, world-conquering force.<\/p>\n The greatest finish to the greatest game, capped by the greatest piece of off-the-cuff commentary. Ian Smith used to keep wicket for New Zealand before taking tup the mic, and it was his fate to be there at the most heart-breaking sporting moment in their history. Jason Roy has gathered and arrowed a throw on the bounce to Jos Buttler, who breaks the stumps with Martin Guptill, sprawling, two yards short.<\/p>\n Up in the Lord\u2019s media centre, bent double over the desk, Smith finds the perfect words for the maddest time. \u201cEngland have won the World Cup by the barest of margins<\/em>.\u201d Eleven unimprovable words, as indelible as the moment itself, delivered by the undisputed commentator of the tournament. \u201cThe two Ians \u2013 Smith and Bishop \u2013 should be made to commentate on the last half hour of every cricket match,\u201d Nasser Hussain later tweeted.<\/p>\n Bas de Leede knew what was needed, and what was at stake. Chase down Scotland\u2019s 277 inside 44 overs at Bulawayo, and his country would be at their fourth World Cup. He\u2019d already shot out five Scottish batters with his seamers; now he proceeded to play one of the most gutsy ODI knocks of the century. His 123 from 92 balls nailed the chase, booked the Netherlands a place at the big show and made him just the fourth player in ODI history to take a five-for and hit a century in the same game. You may not have seen much of Bas yet. You will do soon.<\/p>\n Dave Stewart used to be one half of Eurythmics. By 1999, he\u2019d settled into the paunchy middle years, his best work behind him, when cricket came a calling. His brief? To pen a rousing anthem for the World Cup in England, capturing all the colour and vibrancy of this most beautiful of games. So Dave got to work. Cricketers wear white, right? (Not in this tournament, but no matter.) And who else wears white? Why, the inmates in One Flew Over The Cuckoo\u2019s Nest!<\/p>\n Thus, a plan was hatched to stage the video in, well, an asylum, and for Dave, naturally enough, to break the inmates free. He then drives them all \u2013 plus a single, random woman that Dave has seized from her front garden \u2013 to an abandoned rec somewhere for a chilly, overcast game of bat and ball. \u201cThe sun is up,\u201d sings Dave plaintively over a strangely muted carnival chant. \u201cThe sky is red. No grey clouds inside your head. Heroes come and heroes go. A wise man watched the river flow.\u201d The message is a little confused. As indeed was the timing of its release: England were already knocked out of the tournament by the time it hit the shops. Copies remained unsold.<\/p>\n The \u201992 World Cup hit different. There wasn\u2019t much that this one didn\u2019t have going for it. Most of the matches were in Australia, the spiritual soul of ODI cricket since Kerry Packer\u2019s late-\u201970s revolution, with the rest in New Zealand. It had pinch hitters, spinners opening the bowling and fielding from another planet. It had leg-spinners altering the course of big matches, and reverse-swing clinching them. It had two white balls, one at each end, for fast bowlers to wreak havoc with. It had South Africa\u2019s readmission after 22 years in the sporting wilderness, expanding the show to incorporate a ninth team, and it would all end in Melbourne: in a night-time coalescence between Pakistan and England, beamed around the world for the very first time.<\/p>\n In just about every conceivable way, this was a portal into cricket\u2019s future, and nowhere was it more obvious than the attire: the whole thing was a riot of black screens, white balls and garishly coloured pyjamas. The shirts, regularly reprised as retro kits, are truly iconic.<\/p>\n If you want real jeopardy, don\u2019t watch the World Cup \u2013 watch the qualifiers. <\/em>This year\u2019s stress-fest took place in Zimbabwe across two weeks of unending drama, after which the Netherlands and Sri Lanka emerged as the only two teams to make it to the showpiece. Left on the canvas, diminished as never before, were the cricketers of the West Indies, once the most dominant team in the game, now reduced to bit part actors on the other stage. Ditto Scotland and Ireland, both of whom missed out on final qualification.<\/p>\n The shot itself was coolly played: in the midst of a tropical downpour, South Africa\u2019s Mark Boucher, believing his team to be ahead of the rain-adjusted required score, rolled his wrists on a Murali off-break, smothering the spin, no dramas at all. Only in the moments after the shot did the reality reveal itself that South Africa actually still needed one more run<\/em>; as it was, they were merely tying with Sri Lanka \u2013 and a tie would see them dumped out of their own tournament.<\/p>\n The umpires scampered off seconds after Boucher\u2019s desperate miscalculation, and with the rain setting in, they never got back on \u2013 South Africa were out of their own event before the knockout stage. And all this after the shocker in 1992, when an 11-minute break for a shower combined with a terribly thought-out rain rule to reduce South Africa\u2019s target against England in the semi-final from 22 from 13 balls to 21 from one<\/em>. Though blameless in 1992, the 2003 error was all on them.<\/p>\n In the exultant scenes following India\u2019s second world title in 2011, the great Mumbaikar Sachin Tendulkar was hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates one last time. One of the players beneath him was Virat Kohli, a young pup making his way in the game, with an eye for a soundbite as sharp as his back-foot punch. \u201cSachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years,\u201d he told the cameras. \u201cIt is time we carried him on our<\/em> shoulders.\u201d In that moment, the torch was passed, and a thousand endorsement contracts drawn up.<\/p>\n Pakistan\u2019s triumph in 1992 was intrinsically Imran Khan\u2019s. He was old by cricketing standards, pushing 40. He had run the show with as near as anyone got to complete autonomy in Pakistan cricket and achieved, in the words of his biographer Christopher Sandford, something akin to a sporting miracle, \u201ctransforming the perennial cabaret turn of the international circuit into the hyper-aggressive fighting unit that would lift the World Cup\u201d.<\/p>\n The turning point had come against Australia, in a must-win game following a sluggish first few matches. Imran emerged for the toss in a T-shirt bearing an image of a tiger about to pounce. Play like this, he had told his team, pointing to his chest, and Pakistan would win the tournament. Two weeks later, his prophesy would come to fruition.<\/p>\n In 2007, when Bangladesh beat India to knock them out, the financial consequences of India\u2019s early exit were so dire that the powers-that-be sought to change the format to protect cricket\u2019s one true megapower from being caught short again. Upsets may not be good for business, but they remain the most tantalising part of a world tournament. Ever since a data systems manager called Duncan Fletcher masterminded Zimbabwe\u2019s defeat of Australia in 1983, the game has thrived off its giant-killings. This year, Afghanistan and the Netherlands lurk in the shadows, ready to pounce.<\/p>\n Mike Veletta, anyone? No? Unmasked revolutionary blowing up the establishment at Eden Gardens? His 31-ball 45* in Australia\u2019s innings in the \u201987 final, helping them up to 253, must go down as one of the great World Cup cameos. In reply, England fell seven runs short \u2013 Mike Gatting\u2019s wonderfully awful reverse sweep to spark the collapse will never be forgotten \u2013 and though Micky V didn\u2019t do much else after that, he could always say that he lit the fuse on Australia\u2019s World Cup story.<\/p>\n An innovative all-rounder in a playing career which included 19 Tests and six ODIs for England, Bob Woolmer went on to become a groundbreaking coach for Warwickshire, South Africa and Pakistan. A progressive thinker who championed the reverse sweep and the use of computer analysis, his South African side came agonisingly close to reaching the final of the 1999 World Cup, losing out to Australia in a dramatic semi-final at Edgbaston, after which Woolmer resigned from his post. He returned to international cricket with Pakistan in 2004, serving as their head coach at the 2007 World Cup, but tragedy struck on 18th March, the day after his team had been knocked out of the tournament following a shock defeat to Ireland, when Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room at the Pegasus Hotel in Jamaica.<\/p>\n Jamaican police opened a murder investigation after a pathologist\u2019s report claimed the 58-year-old had died of asphyxia via manual strangulation, but it was later found he had been suffering from health problems and had died of natural causes. \u201cAs a coach and mentor, Bob Woolmer had everything,\u201d said Mohammad Yousuf, who played under Woolmer for Pakistan, speaking on the 15th anniversary of his death. \u201cHe was a top motivator and would always back his players. He was a great guy and a great coach. Bob Woolmer will remain the No.1 coach in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Ten teams. Ten<\/em>. Not that<\/em> many, is it? Not especially worldly<\/em>. There used to be more, but the suits put paid to that. After all, fewer teams means less chance of an upset, right? And the big teams staying around for longer means more of that lovely advertising revenue. One of the few consolations of that politically limp decision is, at least, clarity of format: this time everyone plays everyone, and then it\u2019s your semis, before the final on 19th November, to be held at that 130,000-seater stadium in Ahmedabad, the one named after India\u2019s current prime minister \u2013 a figure, incidentally, you are likely to see quite a lot of over the next two months. At least in four years\u2019 time we\u2019ll be back up to the dizzying heights of 14 teams.<\/p>\n Five times, the Aussies have won it. That\u2019s three times more than anyone else. Three times in a row from 1999 to 2007, with the other two basically won by accident. They go into this one with multiple injuries, one good spinner (Adam Zampa, who\u2019s just equalled the record for the most runs conceded in an ODI) and a messy top order. They\u2019ll probably win it.<\/p>\n The 1999 World Cup was a peculiar tournament. South Africa and Australia were easily the best teams, and in the vast hulking form of Lance Klusener \u2013 \u2018Zulu\u2019 to his mates \u2013 the Proteas had their trump card. Across a chilly month in early summer, Klusener singlehandedly patented the barrelling finisher role in ODI cricket, smashing 250 runs from 214 balls with five not outs to propel South Africa into a showdown against the Aussies at Edgbaston.<\/p>\n The semi-final is pure folklore. Australia looked to have the game sewn up before Klusener battered the seamers for 31 from his first 15 balls to bring the scores level. With four balls remaining, he skewed a drive past Damien Fleming and set off for the winning run only to find his partner Allan Donald rooted to the spot. Klusener was almost level with Donald at the non-striker\u2019s end by the time Donald set off. Adam Gilchrist completed the run out \u2013 via a relay throw involving Mark Waugh and Fleming \u2013 to secure a tie, and Australia sailed into the final by virtue of their superior net run rate. \u201cI could have maybe been a little more patient,\u201d Klusener later said. \u201cBut hindsight is a brilliant science.\u201d<\/p>\n OFFER FOR RADIO TIMES READERS: Subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly today for \u00a345.99<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Not only will you save 30% off the equivalent single issue price but you\u2019ll also receive a free storage binder (RRP \u00a313.99 \u2013 conveniently, holds 10 magazines!) PLUS a free copy of The Best of First Five Years of The Nightwatchman, Wisden\u2019s cricket quarterly (RRP \u00a315).<\/em><\/p>\n Enter the code RADIOWIS <\/strong>at the checkout<\/a> to get the offer.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a> or\u00a0Streaming Guide<\/b><\/a>, or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only \u00a310, PLUS a \u00a310 John Lewis and Partners voucher delivered to your home \u2013 subscribe now<\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":37637,"template":"","categories":[1,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/10\/the-a-z-of-the-cricket-world-cup-cult-heroes-magic-moments-and-the-barest-of-margins-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Wisden Cricket Monthly have produced an A-Z of the Cricket World Cup, celebrating the weird and wonderful, the disastrous and the magical.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/37636"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}D is for\u2026 Democracy (Death of)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
E is for\u2026 Eden Gardens<\/strong><\/h3>\n
F is for\u2026 Floppy Hats <\/strong><\/h3>\n
G is for\u2026 Gavaskar<\/strong><\/h3>\n
H is for\u2026 Haryana Hurricane<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"India](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/India-win-fcf91ef.jpg?quality=90&crop=32px%2C0px%2C4829px%2C3217px&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>I is for\u2026 Ireland <\/strong><\/h3>\n
J is for\u2026 Jayasuriya<\/strong><\/h3>\n
K is for\u2026 Kenya<\/strong><\/h3>\n
L is for\u2026 Lloyd<\/strong><\/h3>\n
M is for\u2026 Margins (the barest of)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Jos](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/Barest-of-margins-3e00aef.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C386\" "\\"Cricket")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>N is for\u2026 Netherlands<\/strong><\/h3>\n
O is for\u2026 Over (as in All Over The World)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
P is for\u2026 Pyjamas<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Q is for\u2026 Qualifiers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
R is for\u2026 Rain Rules<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Rain](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/Rain-89e8dbf.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Rain")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>S is for\u2026 Shoulders <\/strong><\/h3>\n
T is for\u2026 Tigers (Cornered)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
U is for\u2026 Upsets<\/strong><\/h3>\n
V is for\u2026 Veletta<\/strong><\/h3>\n
W is for\u2026 Woolmer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
X is for\u2026 X<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Y is for\u2026 Yellow<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Australia](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/10\/Australia-924e222.jpg?quality=90&resize=608%2C413\" "\\"Australia")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>Z is for\u2026 Zulu<\/strong><\/h3>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"