World Cup Finals: No Indian, two Sri Lankans Among D-Day Centurions
The World Cup has seen six centuries scored in the 10 finals from 1975 to 2011. Only one has ended in a losing cause. There are no Indians on this exclusive list.
In limited overs cricket, there is no bigger stage than a World Cup final. To score a century on D-Day is a dream come true for the greatest of batsmen. In the last 40 years, six cricketers have achieved the distinction of scoring tons in the summit clash. The centuries have not only changed the course of the contests but more often than not have influenced the ultimate result.(A Tale of Captains)
In this 'exclusive club' there are no Indians. In spite of having men like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid or Sourav Ganguly, no Indian has ever scored a century in a World Cup final. However, there are two Sri Lankans who have achieved the feat. West Indian captain Clive Lloyd was the first man to do so.(Youngsters to Watch Out for)
From the first World Cup in 1975 and the last one in 2011, there have been six instances when a batsman has reached the three-figure mark. Some knocks have been brutal, some full of pure elegance, but the effect has been the same in all cases. Here is the look at the men who came to the party in World Cup finals:(The Stars Who Could be Playing Their Last World Cup)
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1. Clive Lloyd in 1975 (102 off 85 balls vs Australia at Lord's):
Leading by example is a trait common to many great captains and West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd was no exception to that rule. In the first World Cup final in 1975, Lloyd demonstrated a superb exhibition of batsmanship as he carted the likes of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson all over the park. His innings was punctuated with 12 fours and 2 sixes as the hundred came up in just 82 balls. Coming in to bat at 50 for 3, Lloyd shared a 149-run stand for the fourth wicket with elder statesman Rohan Kanhai (55) to effectively steal the advantage away from the Aussies. By the time Lloyd fell for 102, he had set the base for West Indies to amass 291/8 in 60 overs. Australia ran them close, but could only manage 274. West Indies won by 17 runs and lifted the first cricket World Cup thereby stamping their seal on this format of the game.
2. Vivian Richards in 1979 (138 not out off 157 balls vs England at Lord's):
Arguably the best batsman of the 1970s and 80s, Sir Vivian Richards announced his arrival at the home of cricket in 1979 with a breath-taking century against England. West Indies were reeling at 99 for 4 when Richards and Collis King came together. The duo put on 139 runs for the 5th wicket before King fell for 86. Richards took charge after that and went after the bowling in the death overs. Eleven fours and three sixes came off his flashing blade as the English bowlers had no answer to such brute power which they were being subjected to. The memorable part of the innings came in the final over when Richards hit the last two balls off Mike Hendrick for huge sixes deep into the stands. The applause was deafening as Richards was unbeaten on 138 at the end with West Indies managing 286 from their 60 overs. England did get off to an excellent start with Mike Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott putting on 129, but a collapse followed and the hosts were bundled out for 194. West Indies won their second consecutive World Cup with a thumping 92-run win.
3. Aravinda de Silva in 1996 (107 not out off 124 balls vs Australia at Lahore):
It was an innings of pure artistry, and perhaps a bit of fate that one of Sri Lanka's greatest batsmen should hit a hundred during their best moment in cricket history. On a warm evening in 1996, Aravinda de Silva showed the world how to construct a proper innings under pressure. Set a target of 242 to win off 50 overs against an attack comprising of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming, Sri Lanka were tottering at 23/2 when Aravinda came out into the middle. Sri Lanka had to do what no team had done before -- win the World Cup chasing. Aravinda was scratchy to start with and was even lucky to be dropped by Ian Healy off Warne. Once his initial sign of nerves was gone, Aravinda settled down and began to accumulate the runs steadily. In partnership with Asanka Gurusinha (65), he added 125 runs for the 3rd wicket, before an unbroken stand of 97 with Arjuna Ranatunga took the Sri Lankans home. Aravinda was calm and composed throughout his innings ans once he passed fifty, it was evident he would go all the way. By the time his hundred came up, the result was no longer ni doubt. Aravinda remained unbeaten on 107 as Sri Lanka lifted the World Cup with 19 balls to spare and 7 wickets in hand.
4. Ricky Ponting in 2003 (140 not out off 121 balls vs India at Johannesburg):
If their was an innings of sheer brilliance which could snuff out the opposition's flame in a World Cup final, it would be Ricky Ponting's blazing knock in the 2003 edition. Things had gone wrong for India right from the point they opted to field. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden put on an 105 runs for the first wicket. Harbhajan Singh struck twice to remove both openers when Ponting was joined by Damien Martyn at the crease with the score on 125/2. What followed was an innings of magnitude, impact and substance. The Aussie skipper preferred to take the aerial route more often than not as he hit 8 sixes along with 4 fours. Martyn gave him good company with an unbeaten score of 88. The pair were involved in an unbroken stand of 234 for the 3rd wicket as Australia finished off on 359/2. A target of 360 was always going to be a tough ask against Glenn Mcgrath, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel. India did not even come close as they were all our for 234 in the 40th over. A crushing 125-run win gave Australia their 3rd World Cup and skipper Ricky Ponting was rightfully the Man of the Match.
5. Adam Gilchrist in 2007 (149 off 104 balls vs Sri Lanka at Bridgetown):
The term 'demolition job' comes to mind when one relives Adam Gilchrist's 149 in the 2007 final against Sri Lanka. A delayed start due to rain had already caused the match to be reduced to 38 overs-a-side. Gilchirst, who till then had been having an ordinary tournament, decided to take the bull by the horns. He tore into the Sri Lankan attack and pretty soon Chaminda Vaas, Mutthiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando had no idea of where to bowl and what field to set. Gilchrist was merciless in his approach and used the long handle to good effect. He put on 172 runs with Hayden of which the latter only scored 38. The innings was laced with 13 boundaries and 8 huge hits. When Gilchrist departed, he had scored 149 out of Australia's total of 224. Australia ended with 281/4 in 38 overs. Sri Lanka put up a good fight initially with Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara both hitting fifties, but the asking rate went up and they managed 215/8 in 36 overs. Australia won the match by 53 runs by the D/L method. It was Australia's 4th title after playing their 6th final in 9 editions. Gilchrist was the toast of the Australian team and later revealed that he had a squash ball in his glove to help him grip the bat better. Be as it may, his 149 had pretty early on in the game erased any hopes of Sri Lanka troubling the defending champions.
6. Mahela Jayawardene in 2011 (103 not out off 88 balls vs India at Mumbai):
Mahela Jayawardene has the dubious distinction of scoring a ton in vain in a World Cup final. However, that does not diminish the quality or importance of his innings as it was a great knock in its own right. Jayawardene came to bat after Tillakaratne Dilshan fell to Harbhajan Singh with the score no 60/2. He ran the singles well and along with skipper Kumar Sangakkara, began preparing a foundation to go for runs in the latter stages of the innings. Once Sangakkara fell for 48 to Yuvraj Singh, Jayawardene shifted gears. He went on the attack using his feet to the spinners and pacers alike. Zaheer Khan, who had an excellent first spell, was found wanting as his last 5 overs went for 54 runs. Jayawardene unleashed a flurry of strokes which eventually helped him reach a quick century. With 13 fours, Jayawardene batted on till the close to ensure Sri Lanka posted 274/6 - a total to bowl with against the dangerous Indian batting line-up. Unfortunately for Jayawardene and Sri Lanka, scores of 97 and 91 not out from Gautam Gambhir and skipper MS Dhoni respectively meant that India chased down their target with 10 balls left and 6 wickets to spare. India won their second crown - becoming the first host nation to do so, while Sri Lanka lost their second consecutive final.