Cricket World Cup: 5 Insane Moments
This year’s World Cup is starting soon, so it’s important to see some embarrassing and most insane moments of this thrilling event.
England was the event’s first primary host way back in 1975, and the tournament became the most legendary. There have been eleven World Cup editions since 1975. The 2019 tournament is the 12th edition, and this year, there will be 10 teams in a single group. What’s more, this year’s tournament will start on May 30 and culminate on July 14.
Over the years, we have seen some fantastic triumphs and losses, plus some awesome and outright insane moments. So let’s show you the craziest moments in the Cup’s history.
1. Pollock Makes a Miscalculation in 2003
Back in 1992, the international sport was reintroduced after Apartheid, and South Africa wanted to win. SA needed to get 22 runs off 13 balls. The game against England was played in Sydney.
However, rain intervened and turned the tides. They required 22 runs off 1 ball, which was simply impossible. This fiasco gave birth to the Duckworth-Lewis system of calculating a target using remaining wickets and overs in matches affected by rain.
But that’s not the only rainy event in which things went wrong for SA. Back in 2003, the SA team competed on Kingsmead cricket grounds in Durban and needed to reach Super Sixes by beating Sri Lanka. Marvan Atapattu ended up leaving Sri Lanka. There were 268–9 off 50 overs. Then, things started to look bleak for the SA team. Namely, Herschelle Gibbs, South African cricketer, fell for 73.
After that, Shaun Pollock placed 63 on the 6th wicket, and it started to rain. Mark Boucher entered. The captain was run out. However, Boucher did not want to displease the crowd in Durban. The team required 13 runs to draw level or fourteen in order to go ahead.
After some difficult moves, there was a message from the locker room stating that 229–6 was simply not enough. That’s when Pollock realized his actions. He miscalculated, and ultimately, the rainy match ended in a tie. Unfortunately, it cost South Africa a lot since they were kicked out. Sri Lanka continued.
2. The Legendary First Tie
The 1999 Cup should have been the key event for Lance Klusener.
South Africa’s Klusener was a rising star known for quick bowling and harsh hitting, and his role was crucial. The team needed 214 to win and 18 to win from the final two overs. Moreover, there were only three wickets.
Mark Boucher missed twice, and Klusener drove towards Paul Reiffel. Then, Steve Elworthy went out, and the equation became 9 off 7. Klusener was hammering down, and the team required 8 off the last over. Soon, the score was leveled. However, the game’s finish became legendary in the sport’s history. There were only three balls left to go.
Klusener hit the 3rd-last ball, and Allan Donald reacted quickly to regain his ground. However, he choked. In a split second, Klusener decided to end the game. Yet, he didn’t know the outcomes and rules of ties. Australia started to celebrate, but since Donald didn’t hear the call, it was a tie.
Australia carried on due to the fact that the team won at Headingley. To this day, people speculate whether Donald or Klusener was right. It was one of the most insane moments in the history of the event!
3. Master Blaster Fail
During the finals of the 1983 Cup, the dismissal of Viv Richards was probably the craziest thing that happened in his entire career. Namely, the West Indies required only 3.34 runs for one over in order to win. Captain Clive Lloyd came in after some exquisite shots from Richards, and the win looked close.
However, Lloyd took a single and suddenly injured his groin muscle.
Desmond Haynes came in to swap and then, Madan Lal struck the prize wicket of Richards and later, Kapil Dev, Indian captain, dismissed Richards for 33. The team went out for 140 and India won the Cup. The catch brutally destroyed Richards and was never mentioned again by the team in his presence.
4. Kolkata Reverse-Sweep Shocker
In 1987, England got incredibly close to earning the Cup in Eden Gardens. The team was a 2/1 favorite, but Australia had thwarted them. They had 253–5 of 50 overs. While catching up with Australia, England’s play started poorly. Tim Robinson got trapped, and Mike Gatting came to the crease. The score was on 66–2.
Allan Border joined the attack, and the results of the next reverse-sweep stroke were disastrous. The Australian team secured their victory by 7 runs. The sweep stroke was incredibly uncommon for 1987, and it ended with catastrophic results.
5. The Biggest Drop of the Century
One of the most legendary World Cup moments occurred in 1999 at Headingley when Herschelle Gibbs dropped the ball and metaphorically, dropped the Cup.
The embarrassing drop had cost South Africa the championship, and it was quite ridiculous.
Namely, during the final 31st over, a simple ball was heading towards Gibbs, who was at mid-wicket. It looked like a sure catch that would win the game. Indeed, Gibbs caught it and thought that the team had won. However, the excited player wanted to throw the ball in celebration, and it ended up looking like he had dropped the ball. Unfortunately, the drop counted, and the team did not win. It was among the most embarrassing moments in the tournament’s history!
