i/ˈɑːmɨdəbɑːd/ also known as Amdavad 
) is the largest city and former capital of the Indian state of Gujarat. The city is an administrative centre of Ahmedabad district as well as the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court is in Ahmedabad. It was founded on 26 February 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah to serve as the capital of the Gujarat Sultanate, and was named after him. With a city population of more than 5.5 million and an extended population of 6.3 million it is the fifth largest city and seventh largest metropolitan area of India. Ahmedabad is located on the banks of the River Sabarmati, 32 km (20 mi) from the state capital Gandhinagar.
/əˈstreɪljə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent as well as the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
i/ˈbɑːŋɡlədɛʃ/ or i/bæŋɡləˈdɛʃ/ (Anglicized pronunciation); Bengali: বাংলাদেশ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Bengali: গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ Gônoprojatontri Bangladesh) is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India and Burma and by the Bay of Bengal to the south. The capital (and largest city) is Dhaka, located in central Bangladesh. The official state language is Bengali. The name Bangladesh means "Land of Bengal" or "Country of Bengal" the in the Bengali language, from Bangla "Bengal" and desh holding a dual meaning of "land" and "country" as English "country," German land, French pays, etc.
i/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.
pronunciation (help·info) English: Nagpore) is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune. With a population of 2,405,421 (2011) Nagpur Metropolitan Area is the 13th largest urban conglomeration in India. It has also recently been ranked as the cleanest city and the second greenest city of India after Bangalore. In addition to being the seat of annual winter session of Maharashtra state assembly "Vidhan Sabha", [Nagpur] is also a major commercial and political center of the Vidarbha region of [Maharashtra], and is also famous throughout the country as "Orange City" for being a major trade center of oranges that are cultivated in the region. In addition, the city also derives political importance from being the headquarters for the Hindu nationalist organisation RSS and an important location for the Dalit Buddhist movement.
i/ˈnjuː dɛli/ is the capital city of India. As the national capital, New Delhi is the seat of executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of the Government of India. It also serves as the centre of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory.
i/ˈpækɨstæn/ or i/pɑːkiˈstɑːn/; Urdu: پاکستان) (Urdu pronunciation: [paːkɪˈst̪aːn] (
listen)), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a sovereign country in South Asia. It sits at the crossroads of the strategically important regions of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046-kilometre (650 mi) coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by India to the east, Afghanistan to the west and north, Iran to the southwest and China in the far northeast. It is separated from Tajikistan by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor in the north, and it shares a marine border with Oman.
i/ʃriː ˈlɑːŋkə/, /sriːˈlɑːŋkə/, or /sriːˈlæŋkə/;Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාව, Tamil: இலங்கை), is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Known until 1972 as Ceylon ( /sɨˈlɒn/, /seɪˈlɒn/, or /siːˈlɒn/), Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.
pronunciation (help·info) (born 7 July 1981) is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings cricket team. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka.
pronunciation (help·info); born 24 April 1973) is an Indian cricketer widely considered to be one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He is the leading run-scorer and century maker in Test and one-day international cricket. He is the first player to score a double century in ODI cricket. In 2002, just 12 years into his career, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, behind Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one-day-international (ODI) batsman of all time, behind Viv Richards. Tendulkar was a part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup winning Indian team in the later part of his career, his first such win in six World Cup appearances for India. He is currently nominated for receiving the Bharat Ratna award. 
pronunciation (help·info) (born 12 December 1981) is an Indian cricketer, and the son of former Indian fast bowler and Punjabi movie star Yograj Singh. He has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000 (ODIs) and played his first Test match in 2003. He was the vice-captain of the ODI team from late-2007 to late-2008. At the 2007 World Twenty20 he hit six sixes in an over against England's Stuart Broad—a feat performed only three times previously in any form of senior cricket, and previously never in an international match between two Test cricket nations. He was named the Man of the Tournament in the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
pronunciation (help·info) (Marathi: झहीर खान; born 7 October 1978) is an Indian cricketer who has been a member of the Indian cricket team since 2000. A left arm fast-medium bowler, Zaheer is known for his ability to swing the ball both ways, and as a batsman also holds the record for the highest Test score by a No. 11. After leading the Indian pace attack for much of the early 2000s, recurring hamstring injuries in 2003 and 2004 forced him out of the team, and after returning for a year, he was dropped again in late 2005. Strong performances on the domestic circuit have seen him recalled to the team as its leading pace bowler. Zaheer can also use reverse swing.
![Josh-e-Junoon - Cricket World Cup 2011- Official Video by Ali Azmat and LU [HQ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20130108130236im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/h0PUkMvpNMk/default.jpg "Josh-e-Junoon - Cricket World Cup 2011- Official Video by Ali Azmat and LU [HQ]")
| ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 200px Official Logo of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. |
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| Dates | 19 February – 2 April | ||
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council | ||
| Cricket format | One-Day International | ||
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout | ||
| Host(s) |  India Sri Lanka Bangladesh |
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| Champions | India (2nd title) |
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| Participants | 14 (from 104 entrants) | ||
| Matches played | 49 | ||
| Man of the Series | Yuvraj Singh (Ind) |
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| Most runs | Tillakaratne Dilshan (500) |
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| Most wickets |  Shahid Afridi (21) Zaheer Khan (21) |
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| Official website | cricket.yahoo.com | ||
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The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup. The World Cup was also due to be co-hosted by Pakistan, but in the wake of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to remove Pakistan from the hosting countries.[1] The headquarters of the organising committee were originally situated in Lahore, but have now been shifted to Mumbai.[2] Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final.[3] Eight of Pakistan's matches (including the semi-final) were awarded to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.[4]
All matches in the World Cup were accorded One Day International status, with all matches being played over 50 overs. Fourteen national cricket teams competed in the tournament, including ten full members and four associate members.[5] The World Cup took place between 19 February and 2 April 2011, with the first match played on 19 February 2011 with co-hosts India and Bangladesh facing off at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka.[6] The opening ceremony was held on 17 February 2011 at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, two days before the start of the tournament,[7] with the final on 2 April 2011 between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
India won the tournament defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final in Mumbai and also became the first nation to win the Cricket World Cup final on home soil.[8][9] India's Yuvraj Singh was declared the man of the tournament.[10]
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The ICC originally announced its decision as to which countries would host the 2011 World Cup on 30 April 2006. Australia and New Zealand also bid for the tournament, and a successful Australasian bid for the 2011 World Cup would have seen a 50–50 split in games, with the final still up for negotiation. The Trans–Tasman bid, Beyond Boundaries, was the only bid for 2011 delivered to ICC headquarters in Dubai ahead of the 1 March deadline. Considerable merits of the Australasian bid were the superior venues and infrastructure and the total support of both the New Zealand and Australian governments on tax and customs issues during the tournament, according to Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland.[11] The New Zealand government had also given assurance that Zimbabwe would be allowed to compete in the tournament, following political discussions in the country over whether their cricket team should be allowed to tour Zimbabwe in 2005.
ICC President Ehsan Mani said the extra time taken by the Asian bloc to hand over its bid compliance book had harmed the four-nation bid. However, when the time came to vote, Asia won the hosting rights by seven votes to three.[11] The Pakistan Cricket Board has revealed that it was the vote of the West Indies Cricket Board that swung the matter, as the Asian bid had the support of the four bidding countries along with South Africa and Zimbabwe.[12] It was reported in Pakistani newspaper Dawn that the Asian countries promised to hold fund-raising events for West Indian cricket during the 2007 World Cup, which may have influenced the vote.[13] However, chairman of the Monitoring Committee of the Asian bid, I. S. Bindra, said it was their promise of extra profits in the region of US$400 million that swung the vote,[14] that there "was no quid pro quo for their support",[15] and that playing the West Indies had "nothing to do with the World Cup bid".[15]
The ICC prefers to rotate World venues between major cricket playing nations. The World Cups have been hosted by England (three times: 1975, 1979, 1983), India/Pakistan (1987), Australia/New Zealand (1992), India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka (1996), England/Netherlands (1999), South Africa/Zimbabwe/Kenya (2003) and West Indies (2007). For the 2011 World Cup Australia/New Zealand were a strong contender ahead of India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka/Bangladesh because they had not hosted a World Cup since 1992. In the final voting India won because they argued that since they were a bigger group of countries they should be assigned a World Cup more frequently. Australia/New Zealand were awarded the 2015 World Cup.
Late in 2007, the four host nations agreed upon a revised format for the 2011 World Cup identical to the 1996 World Cup, the only change being the number of teams: it was 12 in 1996 and 14 in 2011. The first round of the tournament will be a round-robin in which the 14 teams are divided into two groups of 7 teams each. The 7 teams play each other once with the top 4 from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.[16] The format ensured that each team got to play a minimum of 6 matches even if they were ruled out of the tournament due to early defeats.
As per ICC regulations, all 10 full members automatically qualify for the World Cup, including Zimbabwe who have given up their Test playing status until the standard of their team improves.[17]
The ICC also organised a qualifying tournament in South Africa to determine which Associate teams would participate in 2011 event. Ireland, who had been the best performing Associate nation since the last World Cup, won the tournament, beating Canada in the final. The Netherlands and Kenya also qualified by virtue of finishing third and fourth respectively.[18]
The following 14 teams qualified for the final tournament.
| Group A | Group B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Rank | Team |
| Full Members | |||
| 1 |  Australia |
2 | India |
| 3 | Pakistan |
4 |  South Africa |
| 5 |  New Zealand |
6 |  England |
| 7 | Sri Lanka |
8 |  West Indies |
| 9 |  Zimbabwe |
10 | Bangladesh |
| Associate Members | |||
| 11 |  Canada |
12 |  Ireland |
| 13 |  Kenya |
14 |  Netherlands |
In April 2009 the ICC announced that Pakistan had lost its right to co-host the 2011 World Cup due to ongoing concerns about the "uncertain security situation" prevailing in the country, especially in the aftermath of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore.[19][20]
It is estimated that the PCB will lose $10.5 million due to the tournament being taken away from them.[21] This figure only includes the match-fee of $750,000 per match guaranteed by the ICC. The overall loss to the PCB and the Pakistani economy is expected to be much greater.
On 9 April 2009, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt revealed that they had issued a legal notice to oppose ICC's decision.[22] However, the ICC claims that PCB is still a co-host and they have only shifted the matches out of Pakistan.[23] Pakistan had proposed that South Asia host the 2015 World Cup and Australia/New Zealand host 2011, however this option did not find favour with their co-hosts and hence didn't materialise.[24]
On 11 April 2005, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan announced an agreement about the allocation of games.[25] The original plan involved India hosting the final, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka would host the semi-finals.[26] and the opening ceremony will take place in Bangladesh.[27]
After being stripped of its co-host status, Pakistan made the bid to host its home games in the cities of UAE as a neutral home venue. This is a result of Pakistan playing matches in the preceding months in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The pitches in these stadiums have also been developed to suit the Pakistani players.
However, on 28 April 2009, the ICC announced the re-allocation of matches originally intended to be played in Pakistan. As a result, India hosted 29 matches across eight venues including the final and one semi-final; Sri Lanka hosted 12 in three venues, including one semi-final; while Bangladesh staged eight at two grounds as well as the opening ceremony on 17 February 2011.[28]
On 1 June 2010, the first phase of tickets for the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were put on sale following a meeting of the tournament's Central Organising Committee in Mumbai. The tickets were priced affordably, with the cheapest costing 20 US cents in Sri Lanka, the committee said.[29] In January 2011, the ICC declared the Eden Gardens ground in Kolkata, India to be unfit and unlikely to be complete by 27 February when it was scheduled to host a match between India and England. As a result, the match was moved to Bangalore.[30]
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The World Cup has grown as a media event with each tournament. The International Cricket Council had sold the rights for broadcasting of the 2011 Cricket World Cup for around US$ 2 billion to ESPN Star Sports and Star Cricket. At least two billion people from more than 180 countries around the world tuned into the tournament. This was the first time that the ICC Cricket World Cup was broadcast in High Definition format and was covered by at least 27 cameras, including such innovative features as movable slips cameras and new, low 45-degree field cameras.
Other technological advances for the tournament included the first time that an ICC event will have the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) thus further enhanced the overall presentation of the game. The ICC Cricket World Cup was also be shown across platforms such as online and mobile 3G.[31]
The official song of the 2011 Cricket World Cup has three versions, in Bengali, Hindi and Sinhala in accordance with the three hosting countries.[32] "De Ghuma Ke" is the Hindi version composed by the trio of Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy.[33] It incorporates an array of Indian rhythms, as well as elements of rock and hip-hop. The Sinhales version, "Sinha Udaane", was adapted by Sri Lankan R&B and hip hop artist Ranidu Lankage and composed by Shehan Galahitiyawa, one of the leading lyricists in the country.[34] Both songs was performed at the opening ceremony of the tournament, which was held in Bangladesh on 17 February 2011. Sinha Udaane was performed by Lankage.[35]
The official event ambassador for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 was Sachin Tendulkar,[36] promoting various ICC initiatives for the tournament.
Stumpy, a young elephant, is the official mascot for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.[37] He was unveiled at a function in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Friday, 2 April 2010.[38] The official name of the mascot was released on Monday, 2 August 2010 after an online competition conducted by the International Cricket Council in the last week of July 2010.[39]
The Opening Ceremony was held in Bangladesh. The venue for the opening ceremony was Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event took place on 17 February 2011, 2 days prior to the first match of the World Cup.
The 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team would be taking home a prize money of US$ 3 million and US$ 1.5 million for runner-up, with the International Cricket Council deciding to double the total allocation for the coveted tournament to US$ 10 million. The winning team will also take home a replica of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy, that has been awarded since 1999. The decision was taken at the ICC Board meeting which was held in Dubai on April 20, 2010.[40][41] The total prize money on offer for the tournament for the teams placing from 1st to 8th is US$7.48 million. The prize money was distributed as follows[42]:
All the Indian stadiums for the 2011 World Cup had been finalized [43] earlier, and the venues of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were finalised in late October 2009. All the venues of the 2011 Cricket World Cup were announced on 2 November 2009 in Mumbai by the International Cricket Council. Two new stadiums in Sri Lanka have been constructed exclusively for the 2011 World Cup. They are located in Kandy and Hambantota.[44]
 India |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kolkata | Chennai | New Delhi | Nagpur | Ahmedabad |
| Eden Gardens | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium | Feroz Shah Kotla | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium |
Sardar Patel Stadium |
| Capacity: 90,000 | Capacity: 45,000 | Capacity: 48,000 | Capacity: 44,000 | Capacity: 48,000 |
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125px |  |
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| Mumbai | Mohali | Bangalore | ||
| Wankhede Stadium | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium |
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 33,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 40,000 | ||
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 Sri Lanka |
 Bangladesh |
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| Colombo | Pallekele | Hambantota | Chittagong | Dhaka |
| R. Premadasa Stadium | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium |
Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium |
Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium |
Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium |
| Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 35,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 25,000 |
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Venues in Sri Lanka
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Venues in Bangladesh
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The Umpire selection panel selected 18 umpires excluding a reserve umpire, Enamul Haque (Bangladesh) to officiate at the World Cup: 5 from Australia, 6 from Asia, 3 from England, 2 from New Zealand and 1 each from South Africa and West Indies.
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Each country, before selecting their final squads chose a 30-member preliminary squad for the tournament which then would be cut down to 15. All the 14 teams announced their final squad before 19 January 2011.
The following 14 warm-up matches were played before the World Cup started.[45][46] For statistical purposes, these matches are not considered to be One Day Internationals.
| 12 February 2011 Scorecard |
West Indies 253/8 (50 overs) |
v | Kenya 192 (45.3 overs) |
West Indies won by 61 runs R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 12 February 2011 Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 351/5 (50 overs) |
v | Netherlands 195 (47.3 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 156 runs Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo |
| 12 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Canada 112 (37.3 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 113/1 (19.2 overs) |
Bangladesh won by 9 wickets Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong |
| 12 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
New Zealand 311/6 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 279 (48.2 overs) |
New Zealand won by 32 runs Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 12 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 152 (41.5 overs) |
v | South Africa 153/2 (23.3 overs) |
South Africa won by 8 wickets MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| 13 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 214 (44.3 overs) |
v | Australia 176 (37.5 overs) |
India won by 38 runs M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 15 February 2011 Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 244/8 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 245/6 (49.3 overs) |
Ireland won by 4 wickets Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 15 February 2011 Scorecard |
Kenya 263/5 (50 overs) |
v | Netherlands 264/8 (49.1 overs) |
Netherlands won by 2 wickets Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo |
| 15 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Pakistan 285/9 (50 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 196 (41.4 overs) |
Pakistan won by 89 runs Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 15 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Australia 217 (47.1 overs) |
v | South Africa 218/1 (44.2 overs) |
South Africa won by 9 wickets M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 15 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
West Indies 281 (50 overs) |
v | Sri Lanka 282/6 (47.3 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 16 February 2011 Scorecard |
England 243 (49.4 overs) |
v | Canada 227 (46.1 overs) |
England won by 16 runs Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah |
| 16 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 360/5 (50 overs) |
v | New Zealand 243 (43.1 overs) |
India won by 117 runs MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| 18 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
England 273 (49.4 overs) |
v | Pakistan 206 (46.1 overs) |
England won by 67 runs Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah |
The top four teams from the two groups qualified for the quarter finals.
The top four teams from each group qualify for the Quarter finals (indicated in green)
| 20 February 2011 Scorecard |
Kenya 69 (23.5 overs) |
v | New Zealand 72/0 (8 overs) |
New Zealand won by 10 wickets MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| 20 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 332/7 (50 overs) |
v | Canada 122 (36.5 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 210 runs Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota |
| 21 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Australia 262/6 (50 overs) |
v | Zimbabwe 171 (46.2 overs) |
Australia won by 91 runs Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad |
| 23 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Pakistan 317/7 (50 overs) |
v | Kenya 112 (33.1 overs) |
Pakistan won by 205 runs Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota |
| 25 February 2011 Scorecard |
New Zealand 206 (45.1 overs) |
v | Australia 207/3 (34 overs) |
Australia won by 7 wickets Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 26 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Pakistan 277/7 (50 overs) |
v | Sri Lanka 266/9 (50 overs) |
Pakistan won by 11 runs R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 28 February 2011 Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 298/9 (50 overs) |
v | Canada 123 (42.1 overs) |
Zimbabwe won by 175 runs Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 1 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Kenya 142 (43.4 overs) |
v | Sri Lanka 146/1 (18.4 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 3 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Pakistan 184 (43 overs) |
v | Canada 138 (42.5 overs) |
Pakistan won by 46 runs R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 4 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 162 (46.2 overs) |
v | New Zealand 166/0 (33.3 overs) |
New Zealand won by 10 wickets Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad |
| 5 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 146/3 (32.5 overs) |
v | Australia |
Match abandoned R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 7 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Kenya 198 (50 overs) |
v | Canada 199/5 (45.3 overs) |
Canada won by 5 wickets Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi |
| 8 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
New Zealand 302/7 (50 overs) |
v | Pakistan 192 (41.4 overs) |
New Zealand won by 110 runs Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy |
| 10 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 327/6 (50 overs) |
v | Zimbabwe 188 (39 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 139 runs Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy |
| 13 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
New Zealand 358/6 (50 overs) |
v | Canada 261/9 (50 overs) |
New Zealand won by 97 runs Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 13 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Australia 324/6 (50 overs) |
v | Kenya 264/6 (50 overs) |
Australia won by 60 runs M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 14 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 151/7 (39.4/39.4 overs) |
v | Pakistan 164/3 (34.1/38 overs) |
Pakistan won by 7 wickets Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy |
| 16 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Canada 211 (45.4 overs) |
v | Australia 212/3 (34.5 overs) |
Australia won by 7 wickets M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 18 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 265/9 (50 overs) |
v | New Zealand 153 (35 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 112 runs Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
| 19 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Australia 176 (46.4 overs) |
v | Pakistan 178/6 (41 overs) |
Pakistan won by 4 wickets R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 20 March 2011 Scorecard |
Zimbabwe 308/6 (50 overs) |
v | Kenya 147 (36 overs) |
Zimbabwe won by 161 runs Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | NRR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +2.026 | 10 |
| India |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | +0.900 | 9 |
| England |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +0.072 | 7 |
| West Indies |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +1.066 | 6 |
| Bangladesh |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | –1.361 | 6 |
| Ireland |
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | –0.696 | 4 |
| Netherlands |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | –2.045 | 0 |
The top four teams from each group qualify for the Quarter finals (indicated in green)
| 19 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 370/4 (50 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 283/9 (50 overs) |
India won by 87 runs Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 22 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Netherlands 292/6 (50 overs) |
v | England 296/4 (48.4 overs) |
England won by 6 wickets Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 24 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
West Indies 222 (47.3 overs) |
v | South Africa 223/3 (42.5 overs) |
South Africa won by 7 wickets Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi |
| 25 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Bangladesh 205 (49.2 overs) |
v | Ireland 178 (45 overs) |
Bangladesh won by 27 runs Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 27 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 338 (49.5 overs) |
v | England 338/8 (50 overs) |
Match tied M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 28 February 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
West Indies 330/8 (50 overs) |
v | Netherlands 115 (31.3 overs) |
West Indies won by 215 runs Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi |
| 2 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
England 327/8 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 329/7 (49.1 overs) |
Ireland won by 3 wickets M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 3 March 2011 Scorecard |
South Africa 351/5 (50 overs) |
v | Netherlands 120 (34.5 overs) |
South Africa won by 231 runs Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Punjab |
| 4 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Bangladesh 58 (18.5 overs) |
v | West Indies 59/1 (12.2 overs) |
West Indies won by 9 wickets Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 6 March 2011 Scorecard |
England 171 (45.4 overs) |
v | South Africa 165 (47.4 overs) |
England won by 6 runs MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| 6 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Ireland 207 (47.5 overs) |
v | India 210/5 (46.0 overs) |
India won by 5 wickets M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore |
| 9 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Netherlands 189 (46.4 overs) |
v | India 191/5 (36.3 overs) |
India won by 5 wickets Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi |
| 11 March 2011 Scorecard |
West Indies 275 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 231 (49 overs) |
West Indies won by 44 runs Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Punjab |
| 11 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
England 225 (49.4 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 227/8 (49 overs) |
Bangladesh won by 2 wickets Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong |
| 12 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 296 (48.4 overs) |
v | South Africa 300/7 (49.4 overs) |
South Africa won by 3 wickets Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur |
| 14 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Netherlands 160 (46.2 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 166/4 (40.2 overs) |
Bangladesh won by 6 wickets Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong |
| 15 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
South Africa 272/7 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 141 (33.2 overs) |
South Africa won by 131 runs Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 17 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
England 243 (48.4 overs) |
v | West Indies 225 (44.4 overs) |
England won by 18 runs MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| 18 March 2011 Scorecard |
Netherlands 306 (50 overs) |
v | Ireland 307/4 (47.4 overs) |
Ireland won by 6 wickets Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| 19 March 2011 Scorecard |
South Africa 284/8 (50 overs) |
v | Bangladesh 78 (28 overs) |
South Africa won by 206 runs Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 20 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 268 (49.1 overs) |
v | West Indies 188 (43 overs) |
India won by 80 runs MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 23 March – Dhaka, Bangladesh | ||||||||||
| West Indies |
112 | |||||||||
| 30 March – Mohali, India | ||||||||||
| Pakistan |
113/0 | |||||||||
| Pakistan |
231 | |||||||||
| 24 March – Ahmedabad, India | ||||||||||
| India |
260/9 | |||||||||
| Australia |
260/6 | |||||||||
| 2 April – Mumbai, India | ||||||||||
| India |
261/5 | |||||||||
| India |
277/4 | |||||||||
| 25 March – Dhaka, Bangladesh | ||||||||||
| Sri Lanka |
274/6 | |||||||||
| New Zealand |
221/8 | |||||||||
| 29 March – Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||
| South Africa |
172 | |||||||||
| New Zealand |
217 | |||||||||
| 26 March – Colombo, Sri Lanka | ||||||||||
| Sri Lanka |
220/5 | |||||||||
| England |
229/6 | |||||||||
| Sri Lanka |
231/0 | |||||||||
| 23 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
West Indies 112 (43.3 overs) |
v | Pakistan 113/0 (20.5 overs) |
Pakistan won by 10 wickets Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 24 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Australia 260/6 (50 overs) |
v | India 261/5 (47.4 overs) |
India won by 5 wickets Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad |
| 25 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
New Zealand 221/8 (50 overs) |
v | South Africa 172 (43.2 overs) |
New Zealand won by 49 runs Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka |
| 26 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
England 229/6 (50 overs) |
v | Sri Lanka 231/0 (39.3 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 29 March 2011 Scorecard |
New Zealand 217 (48.5 overs) |
v | Sri Lanka 220/5 (47.5 overs) |
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
| 30 March 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
India 260/9 (50 overs) |
v | Pakistan 231(49.5 overs) |
India won by 29 runs Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Punjab |
| 2 April 2011 (D/N) Scorecard |
Sri Lanka 274/6 (50 overs) |
v | India 277/4 (48.2 overs) |
India won by 6 wickets Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
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| ICC Cricket World Cup | |
|---|---|
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Format | One Day International |
| First tournament | 1975, England |
| Last tournament | 2011, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka |
| Next tournament | 2015, Australia and New Zealand |
| Tournament format | multiple (refer to article) |
| Number of teams | 19 |
| Current champion | India (2 titles) |
| Most successful | Australia (4 titles) |
| Most runs | Sachin Tendulkar (2,278) |
| Most wickets | Glenn McGrath (71) |
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years. The tournament is the world's fourth-largest and fourth-most-viewed sporting event.[1][2] According to the ICC, it is the most important tournament and the pinnacle of achievement in the sport.[3][4] The first Cricket World Cup contest was organised in England in 1975. A separate Women's Cricket World Cup has been held every four years since 1973.
The finals of the Cricket World Cup are contested by all ten Test-playing and ODI-playing nations, together with other nations that qualify through the World Cup Qualifier. Australia has been the most successful of the five teams to have won the tournament, taking four titles. The West Indies and India have won twice, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won once.
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was co-hosted by Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2, 2011. 14 countries participated in the tournament. India won the cup by defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final in Mumbai on 2 April and became the first team to win the World Cup final on home soil.[5]
Contents |
The first ever international cricket match was played between Canada and the United States, on the 24 and 25 September 1844. However, the first credited Test match was played in 1877 between Australia and England, and the two teams competed regularly for The Ashes in subsequent years. South Africa was admitted to Test status in 1889.[6] Representative cricket teams were selected to tour each other, resulting in bilateral competition. Cricket was also included as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain defeated France to win the gold medal.[7] This was the only appearance of cricket at the Summer Olympics.
The first multilateral competition at international level was the 1912 Triangular Tournament, a Test cricket tournament played in England between all three Test-playing nations at the time: England, Australia and South Africa. The event was not a success: the summer was exceptionally wet, making play difficult on damp uncovered pitches, and attendances were poor, attributed to a "surfeit of cricket".[8] In subsequent years, international Test cricket has generally been organised as bilateral series: a multilateral Test tournament was not organised again until the quadrangular Asian Test Championship in 1999.
The number of nations playing Test cricket increased gradually over the years, with the addition of West Indies in 1928, New Zealand in 1930, India in 1932, and Pakistan in 1952, but international cricket continued to be played as bilateral Test matches over three, four or five days.
In the early 1960s, English county cricket teams began playing a shortened version of cricket which only lasted for one day. Starting in 1962 with a four-team knockout competition known as the Midlands Knock-Out Cup,[9] and continuing with the inaugural Gillette Cup in 1963, one-day cricket grew in popularity in England. A national Sunday League was formed in 1969. The first One-Day International event was played on the fifth day of a rain-aborted Test match between England and Australia at Melbourne in 1971, to fill the time available and as compensation for the frustrated crowd. It was a forty over match with eight balls per over.[10] In the late 1970s, Kerry Packer established the rival World Series Cricket (WSC) competition, and it introduced many of the features of One Day International cricket that are now commonplace, including coloured uniforms, matches played at night under floodlights with a white ball and dark sight screens, and, for television broadcasts, multiple camera angles, effects microphones to capture sounds from the players on the pitch, and on-screen graphics. The first of the matches with coloured uniforms was the WSC Australians in wattle gold versus WSC West Indians in coral pink, played at VFL Park in Melbourne on 17 January 1979. It was credited[by whom?] with making cricket a more professional sport. The success and popularity of the domestic one-day competitions in England and other parts of the world, as well as the early One-Day Internationals, prompted the ICC to consider organising a Cricket World Cup.[11]
The inaugural Cricket World Cup was hosted in 1975 by England, the only nation able to put forward the resources to stage an event of such magnitude at that time. The 1975 tournament started on 7 June.[12] The first three events were held in England and officially known as the Prudential Cup after the sponsors Prudential plc. The matches consisted of 60 six-ball overs per team, played during the daytime in traditional form, with the players wearing cricket whites and using red cricket balls.[13]
Eight teams participated in the first tournament: Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and the West Indies (the six Test nations at the time), together with Sri Lanka and a composite team from East Africa.[14] One notable omission was South Africa, who were banned from international cricket due to apartheid. The tournament was won by the West Indies, who defeated Australia by 17 runs in the final at Lord's.[14]
The 1979 World Cup saw the introduction of the ICC Trophy competition to select non-Test playing teams for the World Cup,[15] with Sri Lanka and Canada qualifying.[16] West Indies won a second consecutive World Cup tournament, defeating the hosts, England, by 92 runs in the final. At a meeting which followed the World Cup, the International Cricket Conference agreed to make the competition a quadrennial event.[16]
The 1983 event was hosted by England for a third consecutive time. By this time, Sri Lanka had become a Test-playing nation, and Zimbabwe qualified through the ICC Trophy. A fielding circle was introduced, 30 yards (27 m) away from the stumps. Four fieldsmen needed to be inside it at all times.[17] India, an outsider quoted at 66–1 to win by bookmakers before the competition began, were crowned champions after upsetting the West Indies by 43 runs in the final.[11][18]
The 1987 tournament, named the Reliance World Cup after their Indian sponsors, was held in India and Pakistan, the first time that the competition was held outside England. The games were reduced from 60 to 50 overs per innings, the current standard, because of the shorter daylight hours in the Indian subcontinent compared with England's summer.[19] Australia won the championship by defeating England by 7 runs in the final, the closest margin in World Cup final history.[20][21]
The 1992 World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand, introduced many changes to the game, such as coloured clothing, white balls, day/night matches, and an alteration to the fielding restrictions. The South African cricket team participated in the event for the first time, following the fall of the apartheid regime and the end of the international sports boycott.[22] Pakistan overcame a dismal start to emerge as winners, defeating England by 22 runs in the final.[23]
The 1996 championship was held in the Indian subcontinent for a second time, with the inclusion of Sri Lanka as host for some of its group stage matches.[24] In the semi-final, Sri Lanka, heading towards a crushing victory over India at Eden Gardens (Calcutta) after their hosts lost eight wickets while scoring 120 runs in pursuit of 254, were awarded victory by default after crowd unrest broke out in protest against the Indian performance.[25] Sri Lanka went on to win their maiden championship by defeating Australia by seven wickets in the final, which was held in Lahore.[26]
In 1999 the event was hosted by England, with some matches also being held in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Netherlands.[27][28] Australia qualified for the semi-finals after reaching their target in their Super 6 match against South Africa off the final over of the match.[29] They then proceeded to the final with a tied match in the semi-final (also against South Africa) where a mix-up between South African batsmen Lance Klusener and Allan Donald saw Donald drop his bat and stranded mid-pitch to be run out. In the final, Australia dismissed Pakistan for 132 and then reached the target in less than 20 overs, with eight wickets in hand.[30]
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya hosted the 2003 World Cup. The number of teams participating in the event increased from twelve to fourteen. Kenya's victories over Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, among others – and a forfeit by the New Zealand team, which refused to play in Kenya because of security concerns – enabled Kenya to reach the semi-finals, the best result by an associate. In the final, Australia made 359 runs for the loss of two wickets, the largest ever total in a final, defeating India by 125 runs.[31][32]
In 2007 the tournament was hosted by the West Indies; the Cricket World Cup became the first such tournament to be hosted on all six populated continents.[33] Bangladesh progressed to the second round for the first time, after defeating India, and they later went on to defeat South Africa in the second round.[34] Ireland making their World Cup debut tied with Zimbabwe and defeated Pakistan to progress to the second round, where they went on to defeating Bangladesh to get promoted to the main ODI table.[35] Following their defeat to Ireland, the Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room; it was later found out that he died of heart failure,[36] though his death may not have been a direct result of the match's outcome. Australia defeated Sri Lanka in the final by 53 runs (D/L), in farcical light conditions, extending their undefeated run in the World Cup to 29 matches and winning three straight World Cups.[37]
The 2011 Cricket World Cup was jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Pakistan were stripped of their hosting rights following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, with the games originally scheduled for Pakistan redistributed to the other host countries.
The 2011 World Cup was the tenth edition of the tournament. Fourteen teams participated, split into two pools of seven teams each. The top four teams from each group qualified for the quarter-finals. India won their second World Cup title by beating Sri Lanka in the finals.
The next World Cups will be hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015, and England and Wales in 2019.
The Test-playing nations qualify automatically for the World Cup main event, while the other teams have to qualify through a series of preliminary qualifying tournaments. The One Day International playing nations automatically enter the final qualification tournament, the World Cup Qualifier, along with other nations who have qualified through separate competitions.
Qualifying tournaments were introduced for the second World Cup, where two of the eight places in the finals were awarded to the leading teams in the ICC Trophy.[15] The number of teams selected through the ICC Trophy has varied throughout the years; currently, six teams are selected for the Cricket World Cup. The World Cricket League (administered by the International Cricket Council) is the qualification system provided to allow the Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC more opportunities to qualify.The name "ICC Trophy" has been changed to "ICC World Cup Qualifier".[38]
Under the current qualifying process, the World Cricket League, all 91 Associate and Affiliate members of the ICC are able to qualify for the World Cup. Associate and Affiliate members must play between two and five stages in the ICC World Cricket League to qualify for the World Cup finals, depending on the Division in which they start the qualifying process.
Process summary in chronological order:
The format of the Cricket World Cup has changed greatly over the course of its history. Each of the first four tournaments was played by eight teams, divided into two groups of four.[39] There, competition comprised two stages, a group stage and a knock-out stage. The four teams in each group played each other in the round-robin group stage, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals played against each other in the final. With the return of South Africa in 1992 after the ending of the apartheid boycott, nine teams played each other once in the group phase, and the top four teams progressed to the semi-finals.[40] The tournament was further expanded in 1996, with two groups of six teams.[41] The top four teams from each group progressed to quarter-finals and semi-finals.
A new format was used for the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. The teams were split into two pools, with the top three teams in each pool advancing to the Super 6.[42] The "Super 6" teams played the three other teams that advanced from the other group. As they advanced, the teams carried their points forward from previous matches against other teams advancing alongside them, giving them an incentive to perform well in the group stages.[42] The top four teams from the "Super 6" stage progressed to the semi-finals, with winners playing in the final.
The last format used in the 2007 World Cup, features 16 teams allocated into four groups of four.[43] Within each group, the teams play each other in a round-robin format. Teams earn points for wins and half-points for ties. The top two teams from each group move forward to the Super 8 round. The "Super 8" teams play the other six teams that progressed from the different groups. Teams earned points in the same way as the group stage, but carrying their points forward from previous matches against the other teams who qualified from the same group to the "Super 8" stage.[44] The top four teams from the "Super 8" round advance to the semi-finals, and the winners of the semi-finals play in the final.
The current format, approved by ICC to be used in 2011 World Cup, features 14 teams allocated. Within each group, the teams will play in a round-robin format. The top four teams from each group will proceed to the knock out stage playing quarter-finals. Winners of the quarter-finals will play semi-finals and the winning semi-finalists will play in the final.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy is presented to the winners of the World Cup finals. The current trophy was created for the 1999 championships, and was the first permanent prize in the tournament's history; prior to this, different trophies were made for each World Cup.[45] The trophy was designed and produced in London by a team of craftsmen from Garrard & Co over a period of two months.
The current trophy is made from silver and gild, and features a golden globe held up by three silver columns. The columns, shaped as stumps and bails, represent the three fundamental aspects of cricket: batting, bowling and fielding, while the globe characterises a cricket ball.[46] It stands 60 cm high and weighs approximately 11 kilograms. The names of the previous winners are engraved on the base of the trophy, with space for a total of twenty inscriptions.
The original trophy is kept by the ICC. A replica, which differs only in the inscriptions, is permanently awarded to the winning team.
The tournament is the world's third largest (with only the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics exceeding it), being televised in over 200 countries to over 2.2 billion television viewers.[1][2][47][48] Television rights, mainly for the 2011 and 2015 World Cup, were sold for over US$1.1 billion,[49] and sponsorship rights were sold for a further US$500 million.[50] The 2003 Cricket World Cup matches were attended by 626,845 people,[51] while the 2007 Cricket World Cup sold more than 672,000 tickets and recorded the highest ticketing revenue for a Cricket World Cup.[52][53]
Successive World Cup tournaments have generated increasing media attention as One-Day International cricket has become more established. The 2003 World Cup in South Africa was the first to sport a mascot, Dazzler the zebra. An orange raccoon-like creature known as Mello was the mascot for the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Stumpy, a blue elephant was the mascot for the 2011 World Cup.[54]
The International Cricket Council's executive committee votes for the hosts of the tournament after examining the bids made by the nations keen to hold a Cricket World Cup.[55]
England hosted the first three competitions. The ICC decided that England should host the first tournament because it was ready to devote the resources required to organising the inaugural event.[12] India volunteered to host the third Cricket World Cup, but most ICC members believed England to be a more suitable venue because the longer period of daylight in England in June[56] meant that a match could be completed in one day.[57] The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the first hosted outside England, held in Pakistan and India.
Many of the tournaments have been jointly hosted by nations from the same geographical region, such as South Asia in 1987, 1996 and 2011, Australasia in 1992, Southern Africa in 2003 and West Indies in 2007.
Nineteen nations have qualified for the finals of the Cricket World Cup at least once (excluding qualification tournaments). Seven teams have competed in every finals tournament, five of which have won the title.[11] The West Indies won the first two tournaments, and Australia has won four, India has won two, while Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won once. The West Indies (1975 and 1979) and Australia (1999, 2003 and 2007) are the only nations to have won consecutive titles.[11] Australia has played in 6 of the 10 final matches (1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007). England has yet to win the World Cup, but has been runners-up three times (1979, 1987, 1992). The best result by a non-Test playing nation is the semi-final appearance by Kenya in the 2003 tournament; while the best result by a non-Test playing team on their debut is the Super 8 (second round) by Ireland in 2007.[11]
Sri Lanka, who co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup, was the first host to win the tournament, though the final was held in Pakistan.[11] India won the 2011 as host and was the first team to win in a final played in their own country.[58] Other countries which have achieved or equalled their best World Cup results while co-hosting the tournament are New Zealand, semi-finalists in 1992; Zimbabwe, reaching the Super Six in 2003; and Kenya, semi-finalists in 2003.[11] In 1987, co-hosts India and Pakistan both reached the semi-finals, but were eliminated by Australia and England respectively.[11]
| Year | Teams |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 8 teams |
| 1979 | 8 teams |
| 1983 | 8 teams |
| 1987 | 8 teams |
| 1992 | 9 teams |
| 1996 | 12 teams |
| 1999 | 12 teams |
| 2003 | 14 teams |
| 2007 | 16 teams |
| 2011 | 14 teams |
| 2015 | 14 teams |
| 2019 | 16 |
| Year | Teams |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Australia, East Africa†, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies |
| 1979 | Canada |
| 1983 | Zimbabwe |
| 1987 | none |
| 1992 | South Africa |
| 1996 | Kenya, Netherlands,  United Arab Emirates |
| 1999 | Bangladesh,  Scotland |
| 2003 |  Namibia |
| 2007 |  Bermuda, Ireland |
| 2011 | none |
†No longer exists.
The table below provides an overview of the performances of teams over past World Cups, as of the end of the 2011 tournament. Teams are sorted by best performance, then total number of wins, then total number of games, then by alphabetical order.
| Team | Appearances | Best result | Statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | First | Latest | Played | Won | Lost | Tie | NR | ||
| Australia |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Champions (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007) | 76 | 55 | 19 | 1 | 1 |
| India |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Champions (1983, 2011) | 67 | 39 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| West Indies |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Champions (1975, 1979) | 64 | 38 | 25 | 0 | 1 |
| Pakistan |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Champions (1992) | 64 | 36 | 26 | 0 | 2 |
| Sri Lanka |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Champions (1996) | 66 | 31 | 31 | 1 | 2 |
| England |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Runners-up (1979, 1987, 1992) | 66 | 39 | 25 | 1 | 1 |
| New Zealand |
10 | 1975 | 2011 | Semifinals (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999, 2007, 2011) | 70 | 40 | 29 | 0 | 1 |
| South Africa |
6 | 1992 | 2011 | Semifinals (1992, 1999, 2007) | 47 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Kenya |
5 | 1996 | 2011 | Semifinals (2003) | 29 | 6 | 22 | 0 | 1 |
| Zimbabwe |
8 | 1983 | 2011 | Super Six (1999, 2003) | 51 | 10 | 37 | 1 | 3 |
| Bangladesh |
4 | 1999 | 2011 | Super 8 (2007) | 26 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 1 |
| Ireland |
2 | 2007 | 2011 | Super 8 (2007) | 15 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Canada |
4 | 1979 | 2011 | Group Stage | 18 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands |
4 | 1996 | 2011 | Group Stage | 20 | 2 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| United Arab Emirates |
1 | 1996 | 1996 | Group Stage | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Bermuda |
1 | 2007 | 2007 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Namibia |
1 | 2003 | 2003 | Group Stage | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Scotland |
2 | 1999 | 2007 | Group Stage | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| East Africa† | 1 | 1975 | 1975 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
†No longer exists.
Comprehensive team results of over past World Cups.
†No longer exists. |
Since 1992, one player has been declared as "Man of the Tournament" at the end of the World Cup finals:[59]
| Year | Player | Performance details |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Martin Crowe |
456 runs |
| 1996 | Sanath Jayasuriya |
221 runs and 7 wickets |
| 1999 | Lance Klusener |
281 runs and 17 wickets |
| 2003 | Sachin Tendulkar |
673 runs and 2 wickets |
| 2007 | Glenn McGrath |
26 wickets |
| 2011 | Yuvraj Singh |
362 runs and 15 wickets |
Previously, there was no tournament award, although Man of the Match awards have always been given for individual matches. Winning the Man of the Match in the final is logically noteworthy, as this indicates the player deemed to have played the biggest part in the World Cup final. To date the award has always gone to a member of the winning side. The Man of the Match award in the final of the competition has been awarded to:[59]
| Year | Player | Performance details |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Clive Lloyd |
102 runs |
| 1979 | Viv Richards |
138* |
| 1983 | Mohinder Amarnath |
3/12 and 26 |
| 1987 | David Boon |
75 runs |
| 1992 | Wasim Akram |
33 and 3/49 |
| 1996 | Aravinda de Silva |
107* and 3/42 |
| 1999 | Shane Warne |
4/33 |
| 2003 | Ricky Ponting |
140* |
| 2007 | Adam Gilchrist |
149 |
| 2011 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
91* |
| World Cup records[60] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Batting | ||
| Most runs | Sachin Tendulkar |
2278 (1992–2011) |
| Highest average (min. 20 inns.) | Viv Richards |
63.31 (1975–1987) |
| Highest score | Gary Kirsten v UAE |
188* (1996) |
| Highest partnership | Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid (2nd wicket) v Sri Lanka |
318 (1999) |
| Most runs in a tournament | Sachin Tendulkar |
673 (2003) |
| Bowling | ||
| Most wickets | Glenn McGrath |
71 (1996–2007) |
| Lowest average (min. 1000 balls bowled) | Glenn McGrath |
19.21 (1996–2007) |
| Best bowling figures | Glenn McGrath v Namibia |
7/15 (2003) |
| Most wickets in a tournament | Glenn McGrath |
26 (2007) |
| Fielding | ||
| Most dismissals (wicket-keeper) | Adam Gilchrist |
39 (1999–2007) |
| Most catches (fielder) | Ricky Ponting |
28 (1996–2011) |
| Team | ||
| Highest score | India v Bermuda |
413/5 (2007) |
| Lowest score | Canada v Sri Lanka |
36 (2003) |
| Highest win % | Australia |
74% (Played 76, Won 55) |
| Most consecutive wins | Australia |
26 (1999–2011) |
| Most consecutive tournament wins | Australia |
3 (1999–2007)[61] |
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A World Cup is a type of sporting competition.
World Cup commonly refers to:
World Cup can also refer to:
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This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. |
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This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (September 2011) |
ICC cricket season from April 2011 to August 2011.[1]
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| Group Stage | ||||||||
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| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
| 1st Match | 8 April |  Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | Bermuda |
David Hemp | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | Papua New Guinea by 43 runs |
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| 2nd Match | 8 April |  Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar |  Uganda |
Akbar Baig | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | Hong Kong by 26 runs |
|
| 3rd Match | 8 April | Namibia |
Craig Williams | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | United Arab Emirates by 1 wicket |
|
| 4th Match | 9 April | Bermuda |
David Hemp | Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | Bermuda by 69 runs |
|
| 5th Match | 9 April | Namibia |
Craig Williams | Uganda |
Akbar Baig | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Namibia by 205 runs |
|
| 6th Match | 9 April | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | United Arab Emirates by 114 runs |
|
| 7th Match | 11 April | Uganda |
Davis Arinaitwe | Bermuda |
David Hemp | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Uganda by 74 runs |
|
| 8th Match | 11 April | Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | Namibia |
Craig Williams | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | Namibia by 8 wickets |
|
| 9th Match | 11 April | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | United Arab Emirates by 19 runs |
|
| 10th Match | 12 April | Namibia |
Craig Williams | Bermuda |
David Hemp | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | Bermuda by 86 runs |
|
| 11th Match | 12 April | Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | Papua New Guinea by 43 runs |
|
| 12th Match | 12 April | Uganda |
Davis Arinaitwe | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | United Arab Emirates by 8 wickets |
|
| 13th Match | 14 April | Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar | Namibia |
Craig Williams | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | Namibia by 3 wickets |
|
| 14th Match | 14 April | Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | Uganda |
Davis Arinaitwe | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | Papua New Guinea by 1 runs |
|
| 15th Match | 14 April | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | Bermuda |
David Hemp | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | United Arab Emirates by 43 runs |
|
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th place playoff | ||||||||
| 16th Match | 15 April | Bermuda |
David Hemp | Uganda |
Danniel Ruyange | ICC Global Cricket Academy Ground No 2, Dubai | Uganda by 6 wickets |
|
| 3rd place playoff | ||||||||
| 17th Match | 15 April | Papua New Guinea |
Rarva Dikana | Hong Kong |
Najeeb Amar | ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai | Papua New Guinea by 127 runs |
|
| Final | ||||||||
| 18th Match | 15 April | Namibia |
Craig Williams | United Arab Emirates |
Khurram Khan | Dubai International Cricket Stadium | United Arab Emirates by 5 wickets |
|
| ODI Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3149 | 9 April | Shakib Al Hasan | Michael Clarke | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka | Australia by 60 runs |
|||
| ODI 3150 | 11 April | Shakib Al Hasan | Michael Clarke | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka | Australia by 9 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3151 | 13 April | Shakib Al Hasan | Michael Clarke | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka | Australia by 66 runs |
|||
| T20I | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| T20I 199 | 21 April | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | West Indies by 7 runs |
|||
| ODI Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3152 | 23 April | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Pakistan by 8 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3153 | 25 April | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Pakistan by 7 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3154 | 28 April | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados | Pakistan by 3 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3155 | 2 May | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados | West Indies by 1 run (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3156 | 5 May | Darren Sammy | Shahid Afridi | Providence Stadium, Guyana | West Indies by 10 wickets |
|||
| Test Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 1992 | 12–16 May | Darren Sammy | Misbah-ul-Haq | Providence Stadium, Guyana | West Indies by 40 runs |
|||
| Test 1993 | 20–24 May | Darren Sammy | Misbah-ul-Haq | Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts | Pakistan by 196 runs |
|||
|
|
| Group Stage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
| 1st Match | 1 May |  Botswana |
Akrum Chand |  Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Kuwait by 3 wickets |
|
| 2nd Match | 1 May |  Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi |  Germany |
Asif Khan | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Germany by 9 wickets |
|
| 3rd Match | 1 May |  Norway |
Damien Shortis |  Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Nigeria by 5 wickets |
|
| 4th Match | 2 May | Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi | Botswana |
Akrum Chand | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Botswana by 8 wickets |
|
| 5th Match | 2 May | Germany |
Asif Khan | Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Nigeria by 2 wickets |
|
| 6th Match | 2 May | Norway |
Iram Dawood | Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Kuwait by 7 wickets |
|
| 7th Match | 4 May | Germany |
Asif Khan) | Botswana |
Akrum Chand | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Botswana by 2 wickets |
|
| 8th Match | 4 May | Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Kuwait by 9 wickets |
|
| 9th Match | 4 May | Norway |
Damien Shortis | Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Norway by 53 runs |
|
| 10th Match | 5 May | Norway |
Damien Shortis | Botswana |
Akrum Chand | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Botswana by 8 wickets |
|
| 11th Match | 5 May | Germany |
Rana-Javed Iqbal | Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Germany by 11 runs |
|
| 12th Match | 5 May | Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Nigeria by 90 runs |
|
| 13th Match | 7 May | Botswana |
Akrum Chand | Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Nigeria by 8 wickets (D/L) |
|
| 14th Match | 7 May | Germany |
Asif Khan | Norway |
Damien Shortis | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Germany by 18 runs (D/L) |
|
| 15th Match | 7 May | Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi | Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Match abandoned without a ball bowled | |
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th place playoff | ||||||||
| 16th Match | 8 May | Norway |
Damien Shortis | Japan |
Masaomi Kobayashi | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 2, Gaborone | Norway by 56 runs |
|
| 3rd place playoff | ||||||||
| 17th Match | 8 May | Germany |
Asif Khan | Botswana |
Akrum Chand | Lobatse Cricket Ground | Germany by 25 runs |
|
| Final | ||||||||
| 18th Match | 8 May | Kuwait |
Hisham Mirza | Nigeria |
Endurance Ofem | Botswana Cricket Association Oval 1, Gaborone | Kuwait by 72 runs |
|
| Test Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 1994 | 26–30 May | Andrew Strauss | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | England by an innings and 14 runs |
|||
| Test 1995 | 3–7 June | Andrew Strauss | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Lord's, London | Match drawn | |||
| Test 1996 | 16–20 June | Andrew Strauss | Kumar Sangakkara | The Rose Bowl, Southampton | Match drawn | |||
| T20I | ||||||||
| No.1 | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| T20I 201 | 25 June | Stuart Broad | Thilina Kandamby | County Ground, Bristol | Sri Lanka by 9 wickets |
|||
| ODI Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3165 | 28 June | Alastair Cook | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Kennington Oval, London | England by 110 runs (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3167 | 1 July | Alastair Cook | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Headingley, Leeds | Sri Lanka by 69 runs |
|||
| ODI 3168 | 3 July | Alastair Cook | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Lord's, London | Sri Lanka by 6 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3169 | 6 July | Alastair Cook | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | England by 10 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3170 | 9 July | Alastair Cook | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Old Trafford, Manchester | England by 16 runs |
|||
| ODI Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3157 | 28 May | William Porterfield | Misbah-ul-Haq | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Stormont, Belfast | Pakistan by 7 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3158 | 30 May | William Porterfield | Misbah-ul-Haq | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Stormont, Belfast | Pakistan by 5 wickets |
|||
| T20I | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| T20I 200 | 4 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad | India by 16 runs |
|||
| ODI Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3159 | 6 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad | India by 4 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3160 | 8 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad | India by 7 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3161 | 11 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua | India by 3 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3162 | 13 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua | West Indies by 103 runs |
|||
| ODI 3163 | 16 June | Darren Sammy | Suresh Raina | Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica | West Indies by 7 wickets |
|||
| Test Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 1997 | 20–24 June | Darren Sammy | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica | India by 63 runs |
|||
| Test 1998 | 28 June–2 July | Darren Sammy | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados | Match drawn | |||
| Test 1999 | 6–10 July | Darren Sammy | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica | Match drawn | |||
| Intercontinental Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| First Class | 21–24 June | Gordon Drummond | Peter Borren | Mannofield Park, Aberdeen | Match drawn | |||
| Intercontinental Cup One-Day | ||||||||
| ODI 3164 | 28 June | Gordon Drummond | Peter Borren | Mannofield Park, Aberdeen | Scotland by 15 runs |
|||
| ODI 3166 | 29 June | Gordon Drummond | Peter Borren | Mannofield Park, Aberdeen | Scotland by 5 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| Intercontinental Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| First Class | 28 June–1 July | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Belfast | Game rescheduled | |||||
| Intercontinental Cup One-Day | ||||||||
| List A | 4 July | William Porterfield | Craig Williams | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Belfast | Ireland by 26 runs |
|||
| List A | 5 July | William Porterfield | Craig Williams | Civil Service Cricket Club Ground, Belfast | Ireland by 8 wickets |
|||
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | T | BP | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | +3.660 |
| 2 | Scotland |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | –1.735 |
| 3 | Ireland |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | –0.260 |
| ODI | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
| ODI 3170a | 11 July | Ireland |
William Porterfield | Sri Lanka |
Tillakaratne Dilshan | Grange Club Cricket Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh | Match abandoned without a ball bowled | |
| ODI 3171 | 12 July | Ireland |
William Porterfield | Scotland |
Gordon Drummond | Grange Club Cricket Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh | Scotland by 5 wickets |
|
| ODI 3172 | 13 July | Scotland |
Gordon Drummond | Sri Lanka |
Tillakaratne Dilshan | Grange Club Cricket Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh | Sri Lanka by 183 runs |
|
| Test Series | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 2000 | 21–25 July | Andrew Strauss | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Lord's Cricket Ground, London | England by 196 runs |
|||
| Test 2001 | 29 July–2 August | Andrew Strauss | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | England by 319 runs |
|||
| Test 2003 | 10–14 August | Andrew Strauss | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Edgbaston, Birmingham | England by an innings and 242 runs |
|||
| Test 2004 | 18–22 August | Andrew Strauss | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Kennington Oval, London | England by an innings and 8 runs |
|||
| T20I | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| T20I 204 | 31 August | Stuart Broad | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Old Trafford, Manchester | England by 6 wickets |
|||
| ODI Series | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3186 | 3 September | Alastair Cook | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street | No result | |||
| ODI 3187 | 6 September | Alastair Cook | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | The Rose Bowl, Southampton | England by 7 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3189 | 9 September | Alastair Cook | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Kennington Oval, London | England by 3 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| ODI 3191 | 11 September | Alastair Cook | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Lord's Cricket Ground, London | Match tied (D/L) | |||
| ODI 3195 | 16 September | Alastair Cook | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | England by 6 wickets (D/L) |
|||
| Intercontinental Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| First Class | 28–31 July | Collins Obuya | Khurram Khan | Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi | United Arab Emirates by 266 runs |
|||
| Intercontinental Cup One-Day | ||||||||
| List A | 25 July | Collins Obuya | Khurram Khan | Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi | Kenya by 66 runs |
|||
| List A | 26 July | Collins Obuya | Khurram Khan | Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi | United Arab Emirates by 4 wickets |
|||
| Intercontinental Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home | Away | Venue | Result | |||
| First Class | 2–5 August | AS Hansra | Nawroz Mangal | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario |  Afghanistan by 9 wickets |
|||
| Intercontinental Cup One-Day | ||||||||
| ODI 3173 | 7 August | AS Hansra | Nawroz Mangal | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Afghanistan by 2 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3174 | 9 August | AS Hansra | Nawroz Mangal | Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, Ontario | Afghanistan by 17 runs |
|||
| Test | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 2002 | 4–8 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Zimbabwe by 130 runs |
|||
| ODI | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3176 | 12 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Zimbabwe by 4 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3177 | 14 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Zimbabwe by 7 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3179 | 16 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Harare Sports Club, Harare | Zimbabwe by 5 runs |
|||
| ODI 3181 | 19 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Bangladesh by 6 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3183 | 21 August | Brendan Taylor | Shakib Al Hasan | Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo | Bangladesh by 93 runs |
|||
| T20I | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| T20I 202 | 6 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Cameron White | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele | Sri Lanka by 35 runs |
|||
| T20I 203 | 8 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Cameron White | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele | Sri Lanka by 8 runs |
|||
| ODI | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3175 | 10 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele | Australia by 7 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3178 | 14 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Australia by 8 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3180 | 16 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo | Sri Lanka by 78 runs |
|||
| ODI 3182 | 20 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota | Australia by 5 wickets |
|||
| ODI 3184 | 22 August | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota | Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets |
|||
| Test | ||||||||
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| Test 2005 | 31 Aug–4 Sep | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | Galle International Stadium, Galle | Australia won by 125 runs |
|||
| Test 2007 | 8–12 September | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pallekele | Match drawn | |||
| Test 2008 | 16–20 September | Tillakaratne Dilshan | Michael Clarke | SSC, Colombo | Match drawn | |||
| Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Trinidad and Tobago |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.737 |
| Afghanistan |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +1.367 |
| Canada |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | +0.833 |
 United States |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –3.850 |
| Winner of 2011 Cricket Canada Summer Festival |
| ODI | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Captain 1 | Team 2 | Captain 2 | Venue | Result | |
| 1st Match | 11 August | Afghanistan |
Nawroz Mangal | Trinidad and Tobago |
Daren Ganga | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Afghanistan by 35 runs |
|
| 2nd Match | 11 August | Canada |
Jimmy Hansra | United States |
Jignesh Desai | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Canada by 72 runs |
|
| 3rd Match | 12 August | Afghanistan |
Nawroz Mangal | Canada |
Jimmy Hansra | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Canada by 4 wickets |
|
| 4th Match | 12 August | Trinidad and Tobago |
Daren Ganga | United States |
Jignesh Desai | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Trinidad and Tobago by 111 runs |
|
| 5th Match | 13 August | Afghanistan |
Nawroz Mangal | United States |
Jignesh Desai | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Afghanistan by 48 runs |
|
| 6th Match | 13 August | Canada |
Jimmy Hansra | Trinidad and Tobago |
Daren Ganga | Maple Leaf North-West Ground, King City, Ontario | Trinidad and Tobago by 7 wickets |
|
| ODI | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Date | Home Captain | Away Captain | Venue | Result | |||
| ODI 3185 | 25 August | William Porterfield | Eoin Morgan | Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Dublin | England by 11 runs (D/L) |
|||
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||
| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Muttiah Muralitharan | |||
| Born | (1972-04-17) 17 April 1972 (age 40) Kandy, Sri Lanka |
|||
| Nickname | Murali | |||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | |||
| Batting style | Right-handed | |||
| Bowling style | Right-arm off break | |||
| Role | Bowler | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | Sri Lanka | |||
| Test debut (cap 54) | 28 August 1992 v Australia | |||
| Last Test | 18 July 2010 v India | |||
| ODI debut (cap 70) | 12 August 1993 v India | |||
| Last ODI | 2 April 2011 v India | |||
| ODI shirt no. | 08 | |||
| Domestic team information | ||||
| Years | Team | |||
| 1991–present | Tamil Union | |||
| 1999, 2001, 2005 and 2007 | Lancashire | |||
| 2008 - 2010 | Chennai Super Kings | |||
| 2011 | Kochi Tuskers Kerala | |||
| 2011 - | Gloucestershire | |||
| 2011 | Wellington Firebirds | |||
| 2012-present | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Tests | ODI [1] | FC | LA |
| Matches | 133[2] | 341[3] | 232 | 444 |
| Runs scored | 1,256 | 674 | 2,192 | 938 |
| Batting average | 11.67 | 6.80 | 11.35 | 7.32 |
| 100s/50s | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Top score | 67 | 33* | 67 | 33* |
| Balls bowled | 44,039 | 18,811 | 66,933 | 23,308 |
| Wickets | 800 | 534 | 1,374 | 666 |
| Bowling average | 22.72 | 23.08 | 19.64 | 22.49 |
| 5 wickets in innings | 67 | 10 | 119 | 12 |
| 10 wickets in match | 22 | n/a | 34 | n/a |
| Best bowling | 9/51 | 7/30 | 9/51 | 7/30 |
| Catches/stumpings | 72/– | 130/– | 123/– | 158/– |
| Source: CricketArchive, 7 February 2011 | ||||
 |
This article contains Indic text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks or boxes, misplaced vowels or missing conjuncts instead of Indic text. |
Muttiah Muralitharan (Tamil: முத்தையா முரளிதரன்; Sinhala: මුත්තයියා මුරලිදරන්) (also spelt as Muralidaran; born 17 April 1972), often referred to as Murali, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002. He retired from Test cricket in 2010, registering his 800th and final wicket on 22 July 2010 from his final ball in his last Test match.[4]
Muralitharan is the highest wicket-taker in both Test cricket[5] and in One Day Internationals (ODIs).[6] He took the wicket of Gautam Gambhir on 5 February 2009 in Colombo to surpass Wasim Akram's ODI record of 501 wickets.[7] Muralitharan became the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket when he overtook the previous record-holder Shane Warne on 3 December 2007.[8][9] Muralitharan had previously held the record when he surpassed Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004, but he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was then overtaken by Warne.[10]
Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muralitharan was one of the most successful bowlers in the game.[11] Muralitharan held the number one spot in the International Cricket Council’s player rankings for Test bowlers for a record period of 1,711 days spanning 214 Test matches.[12]
He plays domestic cricket for the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club and was with the Chennai Super Kings till the 2010 season of the Indian Premier League. The Kochi Tuskers Kerala successfully bid for Murali for the 2011 season and in the 2012 season Murali moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore where he has 14 wickets in 9 games and has an average economy rate of 6.38.
Muralitharan's career has been beset with controversy; his bowling action called into question on a number of occasions by umpires and sections of the cricket community.[13] After biomechanical analysis under simulated playing conditions, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999.[11] Former Australian Test player, Bruce Yardley, who himself was an off spinner in his day, was assigned with the task of ensuring Muralitharan bowled all his deliveries with the same vigour as he would do so in match conditions when tested in 2004.[14] Muralitharan had not commenced bowling the doosra at this time. The legality of his doosra was first called into question in 2004. This delivery was found to exceed the ICC elbow extension limit by nine degrees, five degrees being the limit for spinners at that time.[15] Based on official studies into bowling actions, which revealed that 99% of bowlers whose actions were examined exceeded the elbow flexion limits, ICC revised the limits applying to all bowlers in 2005.[16][17] Muralitharan's doosra falls within the revised limits.[18][19][20]
In February 2009, after becoming cricket's highest wicket-taker in both forms of the game Muttiah Muralitharan hinted that he might retire at the conclusion of the 2011 World Cup. He stated "I think I am fit in my body and mind, I am enjoying my cricket and want to play more. But after the next World Cup, I will have nothing left to achieve in the game. The World Cup should mark the end of my career."[21] Muralitharan announced his retirement from Test cricket after the first Test against India at Galle which commenced on 18 July 2010.[22] During that match he captured 8 wickets and became the first to reach the milestone of taking 800 Test wickets by dismissing Pragyan Ojha.[23]
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Muralitharan was born in the village of Nattarampotha in Kundasale (near Kandy), the eldest of the four sons to Sinnasamy Muttiah and Lakshmi. Muralitharan's father Sinnasamy Muttiah, runs a successful biscuit-making business.[24]
When he was nine years old Muralitharan was sent to St. Anthony's College, Kandy, a private school run by Benedictine monks. He began his cricketing career as a medium pace bowler but on the advice of his school coach, Sunil Fernando, he took up off-spin when he was fourteen years old. He soon impressed and went on to play for four years in the school First XI. In those days he played as an all-rounder and batted in the middle order. In his final two seasons at St Anthony's College he took over one hundred wickets and in 1990/1 was named as the 'Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year'.[25]
After leaving school he joined Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club and was selected for the Sri Lanka A tour of England in 1991. He played in five games but failed to capture a single wicket. On his return to Sri Lanka he impressed against Allan Border's Australian team in a practice game and then went on to make his Test debut at R. Premadasa Stadium in the Second Test Match of the series.[26]
When his grandfather died at the age of 104 in July 2004, Muralitharan returned home from a tour of India to attend his funeral. Periyasamy Sinasamy's first wish to see Muralitharan claiming the world record for the most Test wickets was realised (passing the record set by Courtney Walsh), but not his desire to live to see his grandson married. Muralitharan's grandmother had died one month earlier at the age of 97. Muralitharan's manager, Kushil Gunasekera stated that "Murali's family is closely knit and united. They respect traditional values. The late grandfather enjoyed a great relationship with Murali."[27]
Muralitharan married Madhimalar Ramamurthy,[28] a Chennai girl, on 21 March 2005.[29] Madhimalar is the daughter of late Dr S. Ramamurthy of Malar Hospitals, and his wife Dr Nithya Ramamurthy. Their first child, Naren, was born in January 2006.[30]
Muttiah Muralitharan holds Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI)[31] and he does not need a visa for travelling to India. According to his manager, Kushil Gunasekera, Muralitharan qualifies for this status because his family originates from India.[32]
Muralitharan's paternal grandfather Periyasamy Sinasamy came from South India to work in the tea plantations of central Sri Lanka in 1920.[33] Sinasamy later returned to the country of his birth with his daughters and settled in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India. However his sons, including Muralitharan's father Muttiah, remained in Sri Lanka.[34] Muttiah has announced on the 3 April 2011 that he is retiring from sports all together.
Even though his name has been widely romanised as Muralitharan since the commencement of his career, the cricketer himself prefers to romanise his name as Muralidaran. The different spellings have arisen because the Tamil letter த can be pronounced as both 't' and 'd' depending on its place in a word. It is often transliterated as 'th' to distinguish it from another letter, ட, which is a retroflex 't' or 'd'. In 2007, when Cricket Australia decided to unveil the new Warne-Muralidaran Trophy, to be contested between Australia and Sri Lanka, Muralitharan was requested to clarify how his name should be spelt. Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young confirmed that "the spelling he's given is Muralidaran".[35]
The first day cover involving Muralitharan bears an official seal captioned as "The highest wicket taker in Test cricket, MUTHIAH MURALIDARAN, First Day of Issue 03.12.2007, Camp Post Office, Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium, Kandy".[36]
The name Muralitharan is derived from murli dhar (Devnagri: मुरली धर) meaning "the bearer of the flute", which is a synonym for Lord Krishna, a deity in Hinduism who is said to play upon his bamboo flute while looking after cattle.
In domestic cricket, Muralitharan has played for two first-class Sri Lankan sides, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in the Premier Trophy and Central Province in the Provincial Championship. His record has been exceptional – 234 wickets at 14.51 runs in 46 matches.[37]
He has also played county cricket in England, mainly for Lancashire (1999, 2001, 2005 and 2007) where he appeared in twenty-eight first-class games for the club. He played five first class games for Kent during the 2003 season. His bowling record in English domestic cricket is also exceptional – 236 wickets at 15.62 runs in 33 matches.[37] Despite his efforts, he has not been on a title winning first-class domestic team in either the Premier Trophy or the County Championship. He is unusual amongst the majority of current Test players in that he has played in more Test matches than other first-class games (116 Tests and 99 other first class matches as of 30 November 2007).He has been signed by Gloucestershire in 2011 to play in T20 matches.
In February 2008, Muralitharan was slated to play Twenty20 cricket for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was bought for $600,000 by India Cements, the Chennai franchisee of the IPL, through a bidding process.[38] The Chennai Super Kings were the runners up in the inaugural edition of the IPL, losing to the Rajasthan Royals in the final. Muralitharan captured 11 wickets in 15 games, at an economy rate of 6.96 an over. In 2010, in the third season of IPL, Muralitharan was part of the Chennai Super Kings side that won the IPL championship.[39] Muralitharan also remained the side's leading wicket-taker after all the three tournaments.[40]
At the 2011 IPL Player Auctions Muralitharan was bought by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for $1.1 million USD.[41]
Muralitharan, was contracted to represent Bengal in the 2008–09 Ranji Trophy tournament. He was expected to play about four matches in the tournament's second division – the Plate League.
Muralitharan is the first wrist-spinning off-spinner in the history of the game.[42] He bowls marathon spells, yet he is usually on the attack. His unique bowling action begins with an open-chested short run-up, and culminates with an extremely wristy release which had him mistaken for a leg-spinner early in his career by Allan Border.[43] Aside from his off-break, his main deliveries are a fast topspinner which goes straight on, and the doosra, a surprise delivery which turns from leg to off (the opposite direction of his stock delivery) with no easily discernible change of action.[44][45] His newest variation is a version of Shane Warne's slider, which is flicked out the side of his hand and rushes onto batsmen like a flipper. His super-flexible wrist makes him especially potent and guarantees him turn on any surface.[11]
Since his debut in 1992, Muralitharan has taken 800 Test wickets and over 500 One Day International wickets, becoming the first player to take 1,000 wickets combined in the two main forms of international cricket.
On 28 August 1992 at the age of 20, Muralitharan made his debut against Australia at the Khettarama Stadium and claimed 3 for 141. Craig McDermott was his first Test wicket. His freakish action and his angular run-up showed that this was no run-of-the-mill spinner. During his first Test, there was one dismissal which convinced many of Muralitharan's special powers. Tom Moody's leg-stump was dislodged when he shouldered arms to a delivery that pitched at least two feet outside the off-stump.[46]
The youthful Muralitharan went from strength to strength, playing a major part in Sri Lanka's back-to-back Test victories against England and New Zealand in 1992–93. It was at this point in his career that he struck a close bond with his leader, mentor and one time business partner, the authoritative captain Arjuna Ranatunga. This relationship formed the bedrock of his success and meant that there were few doubts about his status as the team's sole wicket-taker. Ranatunga was thoroughly convinced that Muralitharan's precocious talent would signal a new era in Sri Lanka's short Test history.[46]
In August 1993 at Moratuwa, Muralitharan captured 5 for 104 in South Africa's first innings, his first five-wicket haul in Tests. His wickets included Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes.
Muralitharan has continued to baffle batsman outside the shores of Sri Lanka, irrespective of the team's performance. In Sri Lanka's humiliating drubbing at the hands of India in 1993–94, where all three Tests were innings defeats, Muralitharan was the sole success, with 12 wickets in the rubber. His perseverance in the face of some astronomical scores by the fearsome quartet of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Navjot Sidhu and Vinod Kambli was in sharp contrast to the submission with which his team-mates played the series.[46]
It was in New Zealand in March 1995 that Muralitharan displayed his qualities as a match-winner on any surface. In Sri Lanka's first triumph on foreign soil, Muralitharan confused the crease-bound New Zealanders on a grassy pitch in Dunedin. The Sri Lankan manager Duleep Mendis' claim that Muralitharan can turn the ball on concrete was confirmed. On the eve of his tour of Pakistan later that year, doubts were cast on his ability to trouble subcontinental batsmen. By taking 19 wickets in the series and delivering a historic 2–1 victory, the off-spinner silenced the doubters. The Pakistanis, who had negotiated Warne's leg-breaks in the previous home series, were never at ease against him.[46]
Prior to the eventful Boxing Day Test of 1995, Muralitharan had captured 80 wickets in 22 Tests at an unflattering average of 32.74. Even at that point in his career he was the leading wicket taker for Sri Lanka having gone past Rumesh Ratnayake's aggregate of 73 wickets.
During the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day 1995, Australian umpire Darrell Hair called Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing in front of a crowd of 55,239. The off-spinner was no-balled seven times in three overs by Hair, who believed the then 23 year old was bending his arm and straightening it in the process of delivery; an illegal action in cricket.
The drama unfolded midway through the second session of play. Muralitharan had bowled two overs before lunch from umpire Steve Dunne's or the Members' End of the ground with umpire Hair at square leg and these passed without incident. At 2:34 pm he took up the attack from umpire Hair's or the southern end. Muralitharan's third over was a maiden with all deliveries again passed as legitimate but in his fourth Hair no-balled him twice for throwing on the fourth and sixth balls. The umpire continued to call him three times in his fifth over on the second, fourth and sixth balls. While the bowler stood with his hands on his hips perplexed, the five calls provoked an immediate response by the Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga who left the field at 3:03 pm in order to take advice from his team management. He returned at 3:08 pm and continued with Muralitharan who was called two more times in his sixth over on the second and sixth balls. At 3:17 pm Ranatunga removed the bowler from the attack, although he reintroduced him at 3:30 pm at umpire Dunne's end. Although Hair reports in his book, "Decision Maker", that at the end of the tea break he stated that he would call Muralitharan no matter which end he bowled he did not do so. Muralitharan completed another twelve overs without further no-balls and, after bowling Mark Waugh, finished the day with figures of 18–3–58–1.[47]
The controversy bubbled on during the two-day long Australian innings. After being no-balled Muralitharan bowled a further 32 overs from umpire Steve Dunne's end without protest from either Dunne or Hair, at square leg. The Sri Lankan camp was outraged after the incident, but the ICC leapt to Hair's defence, outlining a list of steps they had taken in the past to determine, without result, the legitimacy of Muralitharan's action.[48] By calling Muralitharan from the bowlers' end Hair overrode what is normally regarded as the authority of the square leg umpire in adjudicating on throwing. Dunne would have had to break convention to support his partner.
At the end of the match the Sri Lankans requested from the ICC permission to confer with Hair in order to find out exactly how to remedy the problem with their bowler. Despite the game's controlling body agreeing to it, the Australian Cricket Board vetoed it on the grounds that it might lead to umpires being quizzed by teams after every game and meant that the throwing controversy would continue into the World Series Cup during the coming week. The Sri Lankans were disappointed they did not get an explanation and decided they would continue playing their bowler in matches not umpired by Hair and wanted to know whether other umpires would support or reject Hair's judgement.[48]
Muralitharan's action was cleared by the ICC after biomechanical analysis at the University of Western Australia and at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology in 1996. They concluded that his action created the 'optical illusion of throwing'.[11]
On 16 March 1997, Muralitharan became the first Sri Lankan to reach 100 Test wickets, when he dismissed Stephen Fleming in the second innings of the Hamilton Test.
In January 1998, Muralitharan took his first ten-wicket haul against Zimbabwe in the first Test at Kandy. Sri Lanka won by eight wickets and Muralitharan had figures of 12 for 117.
In August that same year Muralitharan produces his career-best Test match figures of 16 for 220, in the one-off Test against England. In England's second innings Muralitharan bowled a marathon 54.2 overs to pick up 9 for 65 runs,[49] the other wicket being a run out. Ben Hollioake becomes his 200th Test wicket. Sri Lanka won by ten wickets, their first Test victory in England. After breaking the world record for the most Test wickets in 2007, Muralitharan commented that his 1998 performance at the Oval against England, was his career highlight. He stated "Everyone thought I was a good bowler then and I didn't look back from there."[50]
Playing his 58th Test, Muralitharan claimed his 300th Test wicket when he dismissed Shaun Pollock in the first Test in Durban, in December 2000. Only Dennis Lillee reached the milestone faster, in his 56th Test.
On 4 January 2002 in Kandy Muralitharan might have finished with the best-ever figures for a single innings, but after he had claimed nine wickets against Zimbabwe Russel Arnold dropped a catch at short leg.[42] He missed out on the tenth when Chaminda Vaas dismissed Henry Olonga caught behind amid stifled appeals. Muralitharan follows up his 9 for 51 in the first innings with 4 for 64 in the second, equalling Richard Hadlee's record of 10 ten-wicket match hauls, but needing 15 fewer Tests to do so.
On 15 January 2002 playing in his 72nd Test, Muralitharan became the fastest to reach the 400-wicket landmark when he bowled Olonga in the third Test in Galle.[51]
On 16 March 2004 Muralitharan became the fastest and the youngest bowler to reach 500 wickets during the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia played in Kandy. In his 87th Test, he bowled Kasprowicz to claim his 500th victim just four days after Warne reached the landmark on the fifth day of the first Test between the two teams at Galle. Warne took 108 Tests to reach 500. Muralitharan took 4–48 on the first day of the second Test as Australia were skittled for 120 in the first innings.[52]
In May 2004, Muralitharan overtook West Indian Courtney Walsh's record of 519 Test match wickets to become the highest wicket-taker. Zimbabwe's Mluleki Nkala becomes Muralitharan's 520th scalp in Tests. Muralitharan held the record until Shane Warne claimed it in October 2004. Warne surpassed Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan's mark of 532 wickets by dismissing India's Irfan Pathan. Warne said he enjoyed his duel with Muralitharan, who was sidelined following shoulder surgery at the time.[53]
After an outstanding year Muralitharan was adjudged as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2006. In six Tests, he took 60 wickets. He took ten in each of four successive matches, the second time he has performed such a feat. The opponents for his 60-wicket haul were England away, South Africa at home and New Zealand away: serious opposition. In all, Muralitharan took 90 wickets in 11 Tests in the calendar year. [54]
In July 2007, Muttiah Muralitharan become the second bowler after Australia's Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets. The off-spinner reached the landmark when he had Bangladesh's last man Syed Rasel caught in the deep by Farveez Maharoof on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Asgiriya stadium in Kandy. The dismissal signalled Sri Lanka's victory by an innings and 193 runs to give the host a 3–0 sweep of the series. Muralitharan finished with six wickets in each innings to claim 10 wickets or more in a Test for the 20th time.[55] However, he was unable to pass Warne's record of 708 wickets when Sri Lanka toured Australia in November 2007, capturing just four wickets in two Test matches.
Muralitharan reclaimed the record for most Test wickets during the first Test against England at Kandy on 3 December 2007. The spinner bowled England's Paul Collingwood to claim his 709th Test victim and overtaking Shane Warne in the process.[8] Muralitharan reached the mark in his 116th Test – 29 fewer than Warne – and had conceded only 21.77 runs per wicket compared to the Australian's 25.41. This was Muralitharan's 61st 5-wicket haul.[10][56] Warne believed that Muralitharan would take "1,000 wickets" before he retired.[57] Former record holder Courtney Walsh also opined that this would be possible if Muralitharan retained his hunger for wickets.[58] Muralitharan himself believed there was a possibility that he would reach this milestone.[59]
In July 2008, Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis stopped India's strong batting as Sri Lanka won the first Test by a record innings and 239 runs in Colombo. Muralitharan finished the match with 11 wickets for 110, as India were shot out for 138 in their second innings after conceding a lead of 377 on the fourth day. He was well supported by debutant Ajantha Mendis, an unorthodox spinner with plenty of variation, who took eight wickets in his debut match.
Muralitharan believed the emergence of Mendis would help prolong his own career. Muralitharan, 36, and 23-year-old Mendis formed a formidable partnership in the first Test thrashing of India, taking 19 of the 20 wickets between them. "If he keeps performing this way, he will definitely take a lot of wickets in international cricket. Now that he has come, I think I can play Test cricket a few more years. Bowling 50 overs in a Test innings is very hard. Now if I bowl only 30–35 and he bowls more than me, the job will get easier for me."[60]
| Table: Test bowling performance | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Summary of Muralitharan's Test bowling performance against all opponents. | |||||||||||
| Versus | M | O | M | R | W | 5w | 10w | Best | Avg | S/R | E/R |
| Australia | 13* | 685.3 | 100 | 2128 | 59 | 5 | 1 | 6 for 59 | 36.07 | 69.7 | 3.1 |
| Bangladesh | 11 | 452.0 | 114 | 1190 | 89 | 11 | 4 | 6 for 18 | 13.37 | 30.4 | 2.6 |
| England | 16 | 1102.1 | 348 | 2247 | 112 | 8 | 4 | 9 for 65 | 20.06 | 59.0 | 2.0 |
| India | 22 | 1125.2 | 215 | 3297 | 105 | 7 | 2 | 8 for 87 | 32.32 | 66.1 | 2.9 |
| New Zealand | 14 | 753.2 | 203 | 1776 | 82 | 5 | 1 | 6 for 87 | 21.53 | 55.1 | 2.3 |
| Pakistan | 16 | 782.5 | 184 | 2027 | 80 | 5 | 1 | 6 for 71 | 25.46 | 58.7 | 2.6 |
| South Africa | 15 | 984.4 | 221 | 2311 | 104 | 11 | 4 | 7 for 84 | 22.22 | 56.8 | 2.3 |
| West Indies | 12 | 622.3 | 143 | 1609 | 82 | 9 | 3 | 8 for 46 | 19.62 | 45.5 | 2.6 |
| Zimbabwe | 14 | 786.5 | 259 | 1467 | 87 | 6 | 2 | 9 for 51 | 16.86 | 54.2 | 1.9 |
| Overall (9) | 133 | 7339.5 | 1794 | 18180 | 800 | 67 | 22 | 9 for 51 | 22.72 | 55.0 | 2.5 |
| Source: Cricinfo[61] *Including one for an ICC World XI | |||||||||||
In July 2007, Muralitharan achieved a career peak Test Bowling Rating of 920, based on the LG ICC Player Rankings. This is the highest ever rating achieved by a spin bowler in Test cricket. This also puts him in fourth place in the LG ICC Best-Ever Test bowling ratings.[62]
Muralitharan has the unique distinction of getting 10 or more wickets in a match against all other nine Test playing nations as well as capturing over 50 wickets against each of them. He has also obtained 7 or more wickets in an innings against five nations, namely England, India, South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe (refer to table above). Muttiah Muralitharan also took at least five five-fors against all the other nine Test sides.The only country in which he failed to take a five-for was Australia, where his best innings analysis in five Tests was 3 for 55.[63]
He currently holds the highest wickets/match ratio (6.1) for any bowler with over 200 Test wickets and has also represented Sri Lanka in 118 Tests of the 175 that they have played (67.4%).
Against teams excluding Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Muralitharan took 624 wickets in 108 Tests. By comparison, excluding his matches against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Warne took 691 wickets in 142 tests. Murali's average of 24.05 is slightly superior to Warne's career average of 25.41. Muralitharan won 18 Man of the Match awards in Test cricket.[64]
During Muralitharan's playing days, the ICC Future Tours Programme denied Sri Lanka and several other teams a level playing field. As a consequence Muralitharan never toured South Africa after December 2002 and never playing a Test at the spin-friendly Sydney Cricket Ground.[65]
Another comparison of Muralitharan's bowling record against other successful international bowlers is their career record away from home. Muralitharan has received criticism that he has enjoyed great success on home soil, taking wickets on pitches that are more spin-friendly than other international pitches.[66] A quick analysis of his Test record of matches played outside Sri Lanka shows that from 52 matches he has taken 278 wickets at an average of 26.24 runs per wicket, with a strike rate of 60.1 balls per wicket.[67] Similarly, spin bowling rival Shane Warne retired with a slightly superior 'away' record of 362 wickets from 73 matches, at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 56.7.[68] Due to the variabilities of Test cricket such as grounds played at and opposition played against it is difficult to compare the quality of the top level players and, as such, is very difficult and subjective. However it is clear that Muralitharan did much better playing at home to test minnows Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, averaging less than 16 runs a wicket.
Cricinfo's statistics editor S Rajesh concluded that the decade 2000–2009 was the best 10-year period for Test batsmen since the 1940s.[69] Muralitharan was clearly the leading Test wicket-taker during this period, capturing 565 wickets at 20.97 in spite of the dominance of the bat over ball. Shane Warne captured 357 wickets at an average of 25.17 during the decade.[70] Of spinners with over Test 100 wickets only John Briggs (17.75), Jim Laker (21.24), Bill O Reilly (22.59) and Clarrie Grimmett (24.21) have sub 25.00 bowling averages.[71]
Muralitharan was on the winning side on 54 of the 133 test matches he played. In those games he captured a total of 438 wickets (8.1 wickets per match), at an outstanding average of 16.18 per wicket and a strike rate of 42.7.[72] Muralitharan took 795 wickets for his country Sri Lanka in 132 tests. The next most wickets for Sri Lanka in these 132 Tests was Chaminda Vaas' 309 - less than 40% of the spinner's pile. No one else managed 100. Collectively Sri Lankan bowlers tallied 1968 wickets across that span, of which Muralitharan accounted for 40.4%. Among the 24 other Sri Lankans who took more than 10 of those wickets, only Lasith Malinga did so at a better strike rate (52.3) than Muralitharan's 54.9 - and the latter bowled rather more overs, 6657.1 of them to be precise.[73]
| Number | Batsman | Method | Score | Team | Match # | Test # | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st[74] | Craig McDermott | lbw | 9 | Australia |
1 | 1195 | |
| 50th | Navjot Sidhu | caught Ruwan Kalpage | 43 | India |
13 | 1247 | |
| 74th | Inzamam-ul-Haq | caught and bowled | 26 | Pakistan |
20 | 1305 | Breaks Rumesh Ratnayake's Sri Lankan record[75] |
| 100th[76] | Stephen Fleming | bowled | 59 | New Zealand |
27 | 1359 | |
| 150th[77] | Guy Whittall | caught Mahela Jayawardene | 17 | Zimbabwe |
36 | 1395 | |
| 200th[78] | Dominic Cork | caught Romesh Kaluwitharana | 8 | England |
42 | 1423 | |
| 250th[79] | Naved Ashraf | lbw | 27 | Pakistan |
51 | 1489 | |
| 300th[80] | Shaun Pollock | caught Tillakaratne Dilshan | 11 | South Africa |
58 | 1526 | |
| 350th[81] | Mohammad Sharif | caught and bowled | 19 | Bangladesh |
66 | 1561 | |
| 400th[82] | Henry Olonga | bowled | 0 | Zimbabwe |
72 | 1585 | |
| 450th[83] | Daryl Tuffey | caught Sanath Jayasuriya | 1 | New Zealand |
80 | 1644 | |
| 500th[84] | Michael Kasprowicz | bowled | 0 | Australia |
87 | 1688 | |
| 520th | Mluleki Nkala | caught Mahela Jayawardene | 24 | Zimbabwe |
89 | 1698 | Breaks Courtney Walsh's world record[85] |
| 550th | Khaled Mashud | caught Thilan Samaraweera | 2 | Bangladesh |
94 | 1764 | |
| 600th | Khaled Mashud | caught Lasith Malinga | 6 | Bangladesh |
101 | 1786 | |
| 650th | Makhaya Ntini | caught Farveez Maharoof | 13 | South Africa |
108 | 1812 | |
| 700th | Syed Rasel | caught Farveez Maharoof | 4 | Bangladesh |
113 | 1839 | |
| 709th | Paul Collingwood | bowled | 45 | England |
116 | 1851 | Breaks Shane Warne's world record |
| 750th | Sourav Ganguly | stumped Prasanna Jayawardene | 16 | India |
122 | 1884 | |
| 800th | Pragyan Ojha | caught Mahela Jayawardene | 13 | India |
133 | 1964 | His final delivery in Test cricket |
Muralitharan has taken five or more wickets in an innings on 67 occasions in Test cricket, which is a world record. In comparison Shane Warne who is in second place has performed the feat 37 times.[86]
On 12 August 1993 Muralitharan made his One Day International (ODI) debut against India at the Khettarama Stadium and took 1 for 38 off ten overs. Praveen Amre was his first ODI wicket.
On 27 October 2000 in Sharjah, Muralitharan captured 7 for 30 against India, which were then the best bowling figures in One Day Internationals.
In 9 April 2002 Muralitharan achieved a career peak ODI Bowling Rating of 913, based on the LG ICC Player Rankings. This is the highest ever rating achieved by a spin bowler in One Day Internationals. This also puts him in fourth place in the LG ICC Best-Ever ODI bowling ratings.[87]
In 2006, Muralitharan had the second (now third) highest number of runs (99) hit off him in a One Day International Innings. The Australians, especially Adam Gilchrist, attacked Muralitharan's bowling more than usual that day. It is also to be noted that Muralitharan does not have a great record against the Australians in ODIs and this was proved again as he was ineffective in the finals of the 2007 World Cup; his chief tormentor again being Gilchrist.[88]
Muralitharan has played in four Cricket World Cup tournaments, in 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. He has captured 67 World Cup wickets and is second in the list behind Glenn McGrath who has 71,[89] and has represented Sri Lanka in three World Cup finals. In 1996 Muralitharan was part Sri Lanka's World Cup winning team that defeated Australia in Lahore, Pakistan. Muralitharan also played in the 2007 World Cup final, when Australia defeated Sri Lanka in Bridgetown, Barbados. He picked up 23 wickets in the 2007 World Cup, and finished as the second highest wicket taker in the tournament behind Glenn McGrath. He was part of the 2011 team who lost the world cup final against India in Mumbai. It was his farewell match as well.
Muttiah Muralitharan was left out of the Sri Lankan one-day squad to tour West Indies in April 2008. The chairman of selectors Ashantha De Mel clarifying the non-selection stated that "We know he (Muralitharan) can still play in the next World Cup if he is properly looked after, so we want to use him sparingly to preserve him for the big games and the World Cup coming up in the Asian sub-continent where Muralitharan will be a threat."[90][91]
Muralitharan has the highest number of career wickets in One Day Internationals, having overtaken Wasim Akram on 5 February 2009. Akram took 502 wickets in 356 matches. On 3 February 2009, Muralitharan dismissed Yuvraj Singh in his 327th match, the third ODI against India in Colombo to equal Akram's record. He has won 13 Man of the Match awards in this form of the game.[92]
| Table: Best ODI bowling performances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Muralitharan's best ODI bowling performances – A list of four or more wickets in a match | |||
| Date | Versus | Ground | Wkts |
| 6 April 1995 | Bangladesh | Sharjah Stadium | 4 for 23 |
| 28 September 1996 | Kenya | Gymkhana Club Ground | 4 for 18 |
| 1 October 1996 | South Africa | Nairobi Club Ground | 4 for 35 |
| 15 April 1998 | Pakistan | Willowmoore Park | 5 for 23 |
| 20 August 1998 | England | Lord's | 5 for 34 |
| 15 December 1999 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 4 for 16 |
| 14 July 2000 | South Africa | Premadasa Stadium | 5 for 44 |
| 27 October 2000 | India | Sharjah Stadium | 7 for 30 |
| 31 January 2001 | New Zealand | McLean Park | 5 for 30 |
| 23 March 2001 | England | Rangiri Dambulla Std | 4 for 29 |
| 12 December 2001 | Zimbabwe | Premadasa Stadium | 4 for 32 |
| 9 April 2002 | New Zealand | Sharjah Stadium | 5 for 9 |
| 16 September 2002 | Netherlands | Premadasa Stadium | 4 for 15 |
| 15 January 2003 | Australia | Brisbane Cricket Gr | 4 for 27 |
| 24 February 2003 | Kenya | Gymkhana Club Ground | 4 for 28 |
| 18 May 2003 | Pakistan | Rangiri Dambulla Std | 5 for 23 |
| 22 April 2004 | Zimbabwe | Queens Sports Club | 4 for 32 |
| 29 April 2004 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 5 for 23 |
| 20 October 2006 | New Zealand | Brabourne Stadium | 4 for 23 |
| 18 April 2007 | Ireland | Queen's Park (New) | 4 for 19 |
| 24 April 2007 | New Zealand | Sabina Park | 4 for 31 |
| 30 June 2008 | Bangladesh | National Stadium | 5 for 31 |
| 20 November 2008 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 4 for 14 |
| 30 November 2008 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 5 for 29 |
| 18 March 2011 | New Zealand | Wankhede Stadium | 4 for 25 |
An aggressive lower order batsman who usually bats at No. 11, Muralitharan is known for his tendency to back away to leg and slog. Sometimes, he can be troublesome for bowlers because of his unorthodox and adventurous batting ways. Once, in a Test match against England, while playing Alex Tudor, he moved back towards his leg stump trying to hook the ball and ended up lying on the ground sideways after the shot. He was infamously run out in a match against New Zealand when he left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara, who had just scored a single to reach his century; the New Zealand fielder had not yet returned the ball to the wicketkeeper, so the ball was still in play. His highest Test score of 67 came against India at Kandy in 2001, including three sixes and five fours.[93] He has made valuable scores on occasion, including 30 runs against England at the Oval in 1998, including 5 fours,[94] 38 runs (4 fours, 1 six) against England at Galle in 2003,[95] 43 runs (5 fours, 3 sixes) against Australia at Kandy in 2004[96] 36 runs against the West Indies at Colombo in 2005,[97] and his highest-ever ODI score, 33 not out (4 fours and 2 sixes off 16 balls) against Bangladesh in the final of the 2009 Tri-Series in Bangladesh.[98] In the latter match, Muralitharan's effort, which included three fours and a six off one over, played a key role in Sri Lanka winning the match and series after the first eight overs saw them reduced to 6 for 5, the lowest score ever recorded in an ODI at the fall of the fifth wicket.[99] Muralitharan has a strike rate close to 70 in Test cricket and has scored over 55% of his Test runs in fours and sixes.[11]
Muralitharan, together with Chaminda Vaas, holds the record for the highest 10th wicket partnership in Tests for Sri Lanka. The pair put on 79 runs for the last wicket at the Asgiriya Stadium against Australia in March 2004.[100] Muralitharan also holds the record for scoring most runs in Test cricket while batting at the number 11 position.
Muralitharan currently holds the record for the most ducks (dismissals for zero) ever in international cricket (Tests, ODI's and Twenty20), with a total of 59 ducks.[101]
Muralitharan has voiced his frustration at routinely being heckled by Australian crowds who accuse him of throwing – one common jeer directed at him was "No Ball!".[102][103][104][105][106] Following the then Australian Prime Minister John Howard's statement that Muralitharan was a "chucker", [107] in 2004, Muralitharan indicated that he would skip future tours to Australia.
Tom Moody, the former Sri Lanka coach and former Australian Test cricketer, said he was embarrassed by the derogatory reaction and negative attention directed towards Muttiah Muralitharan by Australian crowds. Moody stated that "As an Australian when I have been with the Sri Lankan team in Australia, or playing against them in the World Cup, it's the only situation we find in the whole of the cricketing world where we have this disgraceful slant on a cricketer".[108]
During the 2008 CB series in Australia, some members of the Sri Lankan contingent including Muralitharan, were the target of an egg throwing incident in Hobart. The Sri Lankan cricket selector Don Anurasiri was hit by an egg, while Muralitharan and two others were verbally abused by a car-load of people as they were walking from a restaurant back to the hotel.[109] Due to the incident taking place at night, it is unclear whether Muralitharan was indeed the target of the culprits.[110] Even though the Australian coach of the Sri Lankan team, Trevor Bayliss, down-played the incident as "a non-event", Cricket Australia tightened security around the team. In response to this episode Muralitharan was quoted as saying "When you come to Australia, you expect such incidents".[111]
At the conclusion of Muralitharan's test career cricket writer Rahul Bhattacharya summed up Muralitharan's trials thus: "Murali is described often as a fox. This seems right. Unlike hedgehog bowlers who pursue one big idea, Murali, like a fox, had many ways of pursuit. Like a fox he did not hunt in a pack. Like a fox he was himself cruelly hunted for sport in some parts of the world. Fox hunting was banned a few years ago in England, but is still legal in Australia."[112]
On 7 July 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan formally announced his retirement from Test cricket at a media briefing in Colombo. He confirmed that the first Test Match against India due to commence on 18 July, 2010 would be his last, but indicated that he was willing to play One-Day Internationals if it was considered necessary leading up to the 2011 World Cup, which Sri Lanka will co-host.[113] He identified Sri Lanka's World Cup win of 1996 as his greatest moment as a cricketer. He also stated that there were some regrets during his 19 year playing career. "Not winning Test Matches in South Africa, Australia and India are regrets. But I am sure we will win very soon." [113]
At the start of his last match, Muralitharan was eight short of 800 wickets.[114] At the fall of the ninth wicket of the Indian's second innings Muralitharan still needed one wicket to reach the milestone. After 90 minutes of resistance Muralitharan was able to dismiss the last Indian batsman Pragyan Ojha on the last delivery of the over and his Test career.[115] By doing so he became the first bowler to reach 800 wickets in Test cricket.[23] Sri Lanka won the match by 10 wickets, the seventh time they have done so and the second time they have done it against India.[114][116]
Muralitharan formally announced his retirement[117] from international cricket after 2011 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka announcing "This World Cup will be my last outing. I am retiring totally from international cricket thereafter. My time is up. I've signed up to play for two years in IPL."
Muttiah Muralitharan holds a number of world records, and several firsts:
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Andrew Flintoff |
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 2006 |
Succeeded by Jacques Kallis |
| Preceded by Steve Waugh |
Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World 2000 |
Succeeded by Glenn McGrath |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Courtney Walsh |
World Record – Most Career Wickets in Test cricket 532 wickets (22.87) in 91 Tests Held record 8 May 2004 to 15 October 2004 |
Succeeded by Shane Warne |
| Preceded by Shane Warne |
World Record – Most Career Wickets in Test cricket 800 wickets (22.72) in 133 Tests Has held the record since 3 December 2007 |
Succeeded by Current Record Holder |
| Preceded by Wasim Akram |
World Record - Most Career Wickets in One Day International cricket 534 wickets (23.08) in 350 ODI Has held the record since 5 February 2009 |
Succeeded by Current Record Holder |
| Table: Man of match in Test cricket | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan has won 19 Man Of Match awards in Test cricket.[141] | |||||||
| # | Date | Versus | Ground | Inns | Batting | Bowling | Catches |
| 1 | 15 September 1995 | Pakistan | Iqbal Stadium | 1st | *8 | 5 for 68 | 0 |
| 2nd | *10 | 2 for 83 | 2 | ||||
| 2 | 7 January 1998 | Zimbabwe | Asgiriya Stadium | 1st | 17 | 5 for 23 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 7 for 94 | 0 | ||||
| 3 | 27 August 1998 | England | The Oval | 1st | 30 | 7 for 155 | 1 |
| 2nd | DNB | 9 for 65 | 0 | ||||
| 4 | 5 March 2000 | Pakistan | Arbab Niaz Stadium | 1st | 22 | 4 for 77 | 1 |
| 2nd | *2 | 6 for 71 | 0 | ||||
| 5 | 20 July 2000 | South Africa | Galle Stadium | 1st | *2 | 6 for 87 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 7 for 84 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | 6 August 2000 | South Africa | Sinhalese Sports Gr | 1st | *0 | 3 for 70 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 6 for 68 | 0 | ||||
| 7 | 29 August 2001 | India | Sinhalese Sports Gr | 1st | DNB | 8 for 87 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 3 for 109 | 0 | ||||
| 8 | 6 September 2001 | Bangladesh | Sinhalese Sports Gr | 1st | DNB | 5 for 13 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 5 for 98 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | 13 November 2001 | West Indies | Galle Stadium | 1st | 14 | 6 for 126 | 1 |
| 2nd | DNB | 5 for 44 | 2 | ||||
| 10 | 21 November 2001 | West Indies | Asgiriya Stadium | 1st | 4 | 4 for 54 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 6 for 81 | 0 | ||||
| 11 | 4 January 2002 | Zimbabwe | Asgiriya Stadium | 1st | 1 | 9 for 51 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 4 for 64 | 0 | ||||
| 12 | 21 July 2002 | Bangladesh | P Saravanamuttu Stad | 1st | 0 | 5 for 39 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 5 for 59 | 0 | ||||
| 13 | 2 December 2003 | England | Galle Stadium | 1st | 38 | 7 for 46 | 0 |
| 2nd | 13 | 4 for 47 | 0 | ||||
| 14 | 6 May 2004 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 1st | 26 | 6 for 45 | 1 |
| 2nd | DNB | 2 for 37 | 2 | ||||
| 15 | 12 September 2005 | Bangladesh | Premadasa Stadium | 1st | 3 | 3 for 42 | 0 |
| 2nd | DNB | 6 for 18 | 0 | ||||
| 16 | 2 June 2006 | England | Trent Bridge | 1st | 33 | 3 for 62 | 0 |
| 2nd | 2 | 8 for 70 | 0 | ||||
| 17 | 25 June 2007 | Bangladesh | Sinhalese Sports Gr | 1st | DNB | 5 for 15 | 1 |
| 2nd | DNB | 4 for 87 | 1 | ||||
| 18 | 11 July 2007 | Bangladesh | Asgiriya Stadium | 1st | DNB | 6 for 28 | 2 |
| 2nd | DNB | 6 for 54 | 0 | ||||
| 19 | 23 July 2008 | India | Sinhalese Sports Gr | 1st | DNB | 6 for 84 | 1 |
| 2nd | DNB | 6 for 26 | 0 | ||||
| Table: Man of match in one day internationals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan has won 14 Man Of Match awards in one day internationals. | ||||||
| # | Date | Versus | Ground | Batting | Bowling | Catches |
| 1 | 12 August 1993 | India | Premadasa Stadium | DNB | 1 for 38 | 0 |
| 2 | 28 September 1996 | Kenya | Gymkhana Club Ground | DNB | 4 for 18 | 0 |
| 3 | 20 August 1998 | England | Lord's | DNB | 5 for 34 | 1 |
| 4 | 14 July 2000 | South Africa | Premadasa Stadium | DNB | 5 for 44 | 0 |
| 5 | 27 October 2000 | India | Sharjah Stadium | DNB | 7 for 30 | 1 |
| 6 | 31 January 2001 | New Zealand | McLean Park | *1 | 5 for 30 | 1 |
| 7 | 23 March 2001 | England | Rangiri Dambulla Std | DNB | 4 for 29 | 1 |
| 8 | 18 May 2003 | Pakistan | Rangiri Dambulla Std | 19 | 5 for 23 | 1 |
| 9 | 7 June 2003 | West Indies | Kensington Oval | 3 | 3 for 17 | 0 |
| 10 | 20 October 2006 | New Zealand | Brabourne Stadium | DNB | 4 for 23 | 0 |
| 11 | 23 March 2007 | India | Queen's Park | DNB | 3 for 41 | 2 |
| 12 | 20 November 2008 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | DNB | 4 for 14 | 0 |
| 13 | 30 November 2008 | Zimbabwe | Harare Sports Club | 5 | 5 for 29 | 0 |
| 14 | 30 July 2009 | Pakistan | Rangiri Dambulla Std | 32 | 2 for 46 | 1 |
In 2002, Wisden carried out a statistical analysis of all Test matches in an effort to rate the greatest cricketers in history, and Muralitharan was ranked as the best Test bowler of all time.[4] However, two years earlier, Muralitharan was not named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh called him "the Don Bradman of bowling".[142]
Muralitharan was selected as the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World in 2000 and in 2006.[143]
On 15 November 2007, the Warne-Muralidaran Trophy was unveiled named after the two leading wicket-takers in Test cricket, Shane Warne and Muralitharan. The trophy displays images of the two spin bowlers' hands each holding a cricket ball. This trophy will be contested between Australia and Sri Lanka in all future Test series.[144]
On 3 December 2007, just hours after Muttiah Muralitharan became Test cricket's leading Test wicket-taker, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) announced it had unveiled a portrait of the Sri Lanka off-spinner at Lord's.[145] On the same day the Philatelic Bureau of the Department of Posts in Sri Lanka issued a circular stamp with a denomination of Rs. 5 to mark the world record set by Muttiah Muralitharan. The circular design was meant to denote the cricket ball.[146]
Australian musician Alston Koch provoked worldwide interest when he recorded the only official tribute song to Muralitharan, the song was even mentioned on the BBC's Test Match Special.[147][148] The Muralitharan Song video was also released after he broke the world record.
On 10 January 2008, the Parliament of Sri Lanka felicitated Muttiah Muralitharan for his world record breaking feat of being the highest wicket taker in Test cricket.[149] This is the first time that a sportsman has been honoured in the country's Supreme Legislature.[150]
The Central Provincial Council in Kandy has decided to rename the International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele after Muttiah Muralitharan.[151]
Throughout much of his international career, Muralitharan's action has been suspected of contravening the laws of the game by the straightening of his bowling arm during delivery. Although he has been cited three times, subsequent biomechanical testing led the ICC to clear him of the charge and permit him to continue bowling.
Biomechanical testing conducted on four occasions has fueled debate as to whether his action is in fact illegal or actually an illusion created by his allegedly unique ability to generate extra movement both at the shoulder as well the wrist enables him to bowl the doosra without straightening the elbow.[152][153]
Initial concerns as to whether Muralitharan's action contravened the laws of the game by straightening his bowling arm during delivery broke into open controversy after Australian umpire Darrell Hair called a "no ball" for an illegal action seven times during the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne, Australia, in 1995. Australian Sir Donald Bradman, universally regarded as the greatest batsman in history, was later quoted as saying it was the "worst example of umpiring that [he had] witnessed, and against everything the game stands for. Clearly Murali does not throw the ball".[154][155]
Ten days later, on 5 January 1996, Sri Lanka played the West Indies in the seventh ODI of the triangular World Series competition, in Brisbane. Umpire Ross Emerson officiating in his debut international match, no-balled Muralitharan three times in his first over, twice in his second and twice in his third. It was an identical tally to that called by Hair on Boxing Day and (like Hair) Emerson made his calls from the bowler's end while his partner stood silent. The main difference was that several no-balls were for leg-breaks instead of the bowler's normal off-breaks.
In February 1996, just before the world cup Muralitharan underwent biomechanical analysis at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology under the supervision of Prof. Ravindra Goonetilleke, who declared his action legal in the conditions tested, citing a congenital defect in Muralitharan's arm which makes him incapable of fully straightening it, but giving the appearance of fully straightening the arm. Although under the original Laws a bowler's arm did not need to be fully straightened to be in breach of a legal delivery.[156][157] They concluded that his action created the 'optical illusion of throwing'. Based on this evidence ICC gave clearance to Muralitharan to continue bowling.[11]
Doubts about Muralitharan's action persisted however, on the 1998–99 tour to Australia he was once again called for throwing by Ross Emerson during a One Day International against England at the Adelaide Oval in Australia. The Sri Lankan team almost abandoned the match, but after instructions from the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka, the game resumed.[158] The Sri Lankan captain at the time Arjuna Ranatunga, was later fined and given a suspended ban from the game as a result.[159] It later emerged that at the time of this match Emerson was on sick leave from his non-cricket job due to a stress-related illness and he stood down for the rest of the series.[160] Muralitharan was sent for further tests in Perth and England and was cleared again.[11] At no stage was Muralitharan requested to change or remodel his action, by the ICC. Up to this point in his career (1999) Muralitharan primarily bowled two types of deliveries, namely the off-break and the topspinner. He had not yet mastered the doosra.
Muralitharan continued bowling, taking his 500th Test wicket in the second Test against Australia in Kandy on 16 March 2004. At the end of the series his doosra delivery was officially called into question by match referee Chris Broad. At the University of Western Australia (Department of Human Movement and Exercise Science), three-dimensional kinematic measurements of Muttiah Muralitharan's bowling arm were taken using an optical motion capture system while he bowled his doosra. Muralitharan's mean elbow extension angle for the doosra delivery was 14°, which was subsequently reduced to a mean of 10.2° after remedial training at the University. The findings reported to ICC by the University of Western Australia's study[161] was that Muralitharan's doosra contravened the established ICC elbow extension limit of 5° for spinners.[15][162][163]
Under the original throwing Laws of Cricket, the umpires officiating were under an obligation to call "no-ball" to a delivery that they were not entirely happy was absolutely fair. This Law gave the umpires absolutely no discretion. In 2000, the Laws were changed to put an allowable figure of straightening of 5° for spinners, 7.5° for medium pacers and 10° for fast bowlers in an attempt to more clearly define what was legal.[164] But these figures proved difficult to enforce due to umpires being unable to discern actual amounts of straightening and the differentiation between the three different allowable figures. Testing in Test Match conditions is not currently possible "when the identification of elbow and shoulder joint centres in on-field data collection, where a shirt is worn, also involves large errors. In a match the ability to differentiate anatomical movements such as 'elbow extension' by digitising segment end-points, particularly if you have segment rotations, is extremely difficult and prone to error.[16] This is certainly the case with spin bowlers. It is therefore not surprising that laboratory testing is preferred, particularly for spin bowlers, where an appropriate pitch length and run-up can be structured. This is clearly the only way to test players, where data would be able to withstand scientific and therefore legal scrutiny."[163]
An extensive ICC study, the results of which were released in November 2004, was conducted to investigate the "chucking issue". A laboratory kinematic analysis of 42 non-Test playing bowlers done by Ferdinands and Kersting (2004) established that the 5° limit for slow and spin bowlers was particularly impractical.[165]
Due to the overwhelming scientific findings, researchers recommended that a flat rate of 15° tolerable elbow extension be used to define a preliminary demarcation point between bowling and throwing. A panel of former Test players consisting of Aravinda de Silva, Angus Fraser, Michael Holding, Tony Lewis, Tim May and the ICC's Dave Richardson, with the assistance of several biomechanical experts, stated that 99% of all bowlers in the history of cricket straighten their arms when bowling.[166] Only one player tested (part-time bowler Ramnaresh Sarwan) reportedly did not transgress the pre 2000 rules.[166] Many of these reports have controversially not been published and as such, the 99% figure stated has yet to be proved. In fact, Muralitharan stirred up controversy when he said during an interview with a Melbourne radio station that Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee flexed their arms by 12, 13 and 14–15 degrees respectively, although it is unclear as to where Muralitharan quoted these figures from. Muralitharan was censured by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board for these comments.[167]
The ICC Executive was asked to ratify the panel's recommendations at the ICC's Annual General Meeting in February 2005. Based on the recommendations the ICC issued a new guideline (which was effective from 1 March 2005) allowing for extensions or hyperextensions of up to 15 degrees for all types of bowlers, thus deeming Muralitharan's doosra to be legal.[17][168]
Explaining why the maximum level of 15 degrees was arrived at, panel member Angus Fraser stated "That is the number which biomechanics says that it (straightening) becomes visible. It is difficult for the naked eye to see less than 15 degrees in a bowler's action. We found when the biceps reached the shoulder the amount of bend was around 165 degrees. Very few bowlers can get to 180 degrees because the joint doesn't allow that. ... but once you go further than 15 degrees you get into an area which is starting to give you an unfair advantage and you are breaking the law".[168]
The original decision of disallowing the doosra bowling action was hailed widely as justifiable on account of being scientifically based. Hence, a team of Australian scientists [169] representing the University of South Australia conducted an independent research, in line with modern Artificial Intelligence and biomechanics in order to solve the controversial issue arise from doosra. The University of South Australia's study, founded by Prof. Mahinda Pathegama, and contributed by Prof. Ozdemir Gol, Prof. J. Mazumdar, Prof. Tony Worsley and Prof. Lakmi Jain has analyzed the previous studies with close scrutiny since the techniques in their fields of expertise are employed in the course of assessment as the basis for decision-making. The findings based on this scientific study are overwhelming[169] and Dave Richardson, General Manager ICC stated that the ICC is currently reviewing the Law on throwing and the ICC regulations and the study done by Prof. Mahinda Pathegama with UniSA scientists [16] is a valuable source of information in this regard.[170] The team of Australian scientists including Sri Lankan-born Australian scientist, Prof. Mahinda Pathegama[169] reporting their findings, in line with the Muralitharan test to ICC, has analyzed in-depth various issues, such as Pitfalls in image interpretation when using 2D images for 3D modeling associates compared to the modern techniques in Artificial Intelligence and biomechanics, and Biomechanics assessment for doosra bowling action, etc. Pathegama at al. (2004) further reports on the Disagreement of expression on measurement accuracy in the Murali Report, with the analysis of the Motion tracking system used for the Murali Report, and discussing Cognitive aspects, Evidence of errors in Anthropometric assessment and movement tracking, Lateral inhibition in response tracking, Psycho-physiological aspect on post-assessments, Angular measurement errors, Skin marker induced errors, Geometrics-and physics-based 3D modeling and the Approach to on-field assessment, etc.
The Muralitharan Report produced by the University of Western Australia's study has considered the Richards study[171] done in 1999 to evaluate the error margin. University of South Australia's study done by Prof. Mahinda Pathegama[169] argued that the Richards study which was presented by the University of Western Australia's study has used a rigid aluminium bar that only rotated in the horizontal plane to introduce such error margin. Pathegama's report[16] stated that "in view of the system used in the test itself yielding considerable error even with a rigid aluminum bar (an accuracy level of approximately 4 degrees as stated in the Murali Report), it stands to reason that the error margin would be considerably larger when tracking skin markers on a spin bowler's moving upper limb by this same system".
Vincent Barnes in an interview argues[172] that Bruce Elliott, the UWA professor who is also the ICC biomechanist, had made an interesting discovery in his dealings with finger spinners. "He said he had found that a lot of bowlers from the subcontinent could bowl the doosra legally, but not Caucasian bowlers."
On 2 February 2006, Muralitharan underwent a fourth round of biomechanical testing. There had been criticism that the previous round of tests in July 2004 did not replicate match conditions due to a slower bowling speed in the laboratory tests. The results showed that the average elbow flexation while bowling the 'doosra' delivery was 12.2 degrees, at an average of 53.75 mph (86 km/h). The average for his off-break was 12.9 degrees at 59.03 mph (99.45 km/h).[173]
In July 2004 Muralitharan was filmed in England, bowling with an arm brace on. The film was shown on Britain's Channel 4 during the Test against England on 22 July 2004. The documentary is not available for purchase and has not been aired in Australia.
Initially, Muralitharan bowled three balls – the off-spinner, the top-spinner and the doosra – as he would in a match. Then he bowled the same three balls with a brace that is made from steel bars, which are set into strong resin. This brace has been moulded to his right arm, is approximately 46 centimetres long and weighs just under 1 kilogram.
TV presenter Mark Nicholas who tried the brace himself, confirmed that "There is no way an arm can be bent, or flexed, when it is in this brace." All three balls reacted in the same way as when bowled without the brace. They were not bowled quite so fast because the weight of the brace restricts the speed of Muralitharan's shoulder rotation, but the spin was still there.
With the brace on, there still appeared to be a jerk in his action. When studying the film at varying speeds, it still appeared as if he straightened his arm, even though the brace makes it impossible to do so. His unique shoulder rotation and amazing wrist action seem to create the illusion that he straightens his arm.[153]
The off-spinner said the exercise was to convince a sceptical public rather than sway an ICC investigation into bowling actions launched after he was reported by match referee Chris Broad for his doosra delivery in March 2004, the third time action has been taken on his bowling. In an interview for August 2004 edition of Wisden Asia Cricket, Muralitharan stated "I think it will prove a point to those who had said that it was physically impossible to bowl a ball that turned the other way. I proved that it was possible to bowl the doosra without bending the arm."[174]
In 2004 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Muralitharan voluntarily performed a series of tests with live video cameras. Michael Slater and Ravi Shastri witnessed it all unfold. Muralitharan once again showed he could bowl all his deliveries including the doosra with an arm brace that prevents any straightening of his elbow. Orthopediatrician Dr Mandeep Dillon stated that Muralitharan's unusual ability to generate extra movement both at the shoulder as well the wrist enables him to bowl the doosra without straightening the elbow.[152]
Two vocal critics of Muralitharan's action have been former Test cricketers, Australian Dean Jones and Bishan Bedi, the former Indian captain. Dean Jones later admitted[175] to being wrong in his assessment of Murali when he witnessed first hand Murali bowling with an arm-brace on.
Michael Holding, the former West Indian fast bowler was also a critic of Muralitharan, but withdrew his criticisms under the light of the tests carried out. Holding had been quoted[176] as being in "110% agreement" with Bedi, who likened Murali's action to a "javelin throw"[177] and more recently, compared to a "shot putter".[178] Following the ICC study, as a member of the panel that conducted the study, Holding stated, "The scientific evidence is overwhelming ... When bowlers who to the naked eye look to have pure actions are thoroughly analysed with the sophisticated technology now in place, they are likely to be shown as straightening their arm by 11 and in some cases 12 degrees. Under a strict interpretation of the Law, these players are breaking the rules. The game needs to deal with this reality and make its judgment as to how it accommodates this fact."[179]
In May 2002, Adam Gilchrist, speaking at a Carlton (Australian) Football Club luncheon, claimed Muralitharan's action does not comply with the Laws of cricket. The Melbourne-based Age newspaper quoted Gilchrist as saying."Yeah, I think he does (chuck), and I say that because, if you read the Laws of the game, there's no doubt in my mind that he and many others, throughout cricket history have."[180] These comments were made before the doosra controversy, in spite of Muralitharan's action having been cleared by ICC in both 1996 and 1999. For his comment Gilchrist was reprimanded by the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) and found guilty of being in breach of ACB rules concerned with "detrimental public comment".[181]
During the 2006 tour of New Zealand another Muralitharan critic, former New Zealand captain and cricket commentator Martin Crowe, called for Muralitharan's doosra to be monitored more closely, asserting that his action seemed to deteriorate during a match.[182] Earlier that year when delivering the Cowdrey lecture at Lords Martin Crowe had demanded zero tolerance instead of 15 degrees for throwing and specifically branded Muttiah Muralitharan a chucker.[183][184] In response to Crowe's criticism ICC general manager Dave Richardson stated that the scientific evidence presented by biomechanists Professor Bruce Elliot, Dr Paul Hurrion and Mr Marc Portuswith was overwhelming and clarified that "Some bowlers, even those not suspected of having flawed actions, were found likely to be straightening their arms by 11 or 12 degrees. And at the same time, some bowlers that may appear to be throwing may be hyper-extending or bowl with permanently bent elbows. Under a strict interpretation of the law, they were breaking the rules – but if we ruled out every bowler that did that then there would be no bowlers left."[185]
Since 1999 there has been a number of scientific research publications discussing the Muralitharan's bowling action as well the need for defining the legality of a bowling action using biomechanical concepts. This research has directly contributed towards the official acceptance of Muralitharan's bowling action and has convinced the ICC to redefine the bowling laws in cricket.
The key publications are listed below:
Muralitharan, along with his manager Kushil Gunasekara, established the Foundation of Goodness,[187] a charity organization, in the early 2000s. This organization is committed to the wellbeing of the Seenigama region (in southern Sri Lanka) and supports local communities through a range of projects across areas including children's needs, education and training, health care and psycho-social support, housing, livelihoods, sport and the environment. Murali’s Seenigama project raised funds from cricketers and administrators in England and Australia. Canadian pop-star Bryan Adams donated a swimming pool.[188]
Muralitharan also plans to build a second sports complex for war-displaced civilians in Mankulam, a town located 300 kilometers from north of Colombo. The two-year one million dollar project aims to build a sports center, a school, English and IT training centers and an Elders' home.[188] While the Sports Complex remains the main project, Foundation of Goodness also plans to help educate children, youth and adults. English cricketer Sir Ian Botham visited Mankulam with Muralitharan, and later addressing the media in Colombo on 27 March 2011 said that he will consider a walk from Point Pedro (the extreme northern tip of Sri Lanka) to Dondra Head (the extreme southern tip of Sri Lanka) to raise funds for the project.[189]
In June 2004, Muralitharan also joined the United Nations World Food Program as an ambassador to fight hunger among school children.[190]
When the tsunami devastated Sri Lanka on 26 December 2004, Muralitharan galvanised into action to ensure that aid reached people that needed it.[191] He himself narrowly escaped death,[192] arriving 20 minutes late at Seenigama, where he was to give away prizes at one of the charity projects he worked on. While international agencies were bringing food in by air, there was an urgent need for transport, and Murali organised three convoys of 10 trucks each, paying for these himself, to get the food to people who needed it.[193] He persuaded those who could to donate clothes, and supervised the delivery himself.
During the hard work of rehabilitation in the tsunami's aftermath, cement was in short supply. Muralitharan promptly signed an endorsement deal with Lafarge, a global cement giant, that was a straight barter, where cement would be supplied to the Foundation for Goodness in exchange for work Muralitharan did. During the first three years since the tsunami, the foundation raised more than US$ 4 million to help survivors, and has built homes, schools, sports facilities and computer centres.[194]
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Muralitharan, Muttiah |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Cricketer |
| Date of birth | 17 April 1972 |
| Place of birth | Kandy, Sri Lanka |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup. The World Cup was also due to be co-hosted by Pakistan, but in the wake of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Lahore, the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to remove Pakistan from the hosting countries. The headquarters of the organising committee were originally situated in Lahore, but have now been shifted to Mumbai. Pakistan was supposed to hold 14 matches, including one semi-final. Eight of Pakistan's matches (including the semi-final) were awarded to India, four to Sri Lanka and two to Bangladesh.
All matches in the World Cup were accorded One Day International status, with all matches being played over 50 overs. Fourteen national cricket teams competed in the tournament, including ten full members and four associate members. The World Cup took place between 19 February and 2 April 2011, with the first match played on 19 February 2011 with co-hosts India and Bangladesh facing off at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. The opening ceremony was held on 17 February 2011 at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, two days before the start of the tournament, with the final on 2 April 2011 between India and Sri Lanka at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
