Short, sweet and sensational -Eleven of the most memorable cameos in World Cup Cricket history

Wasim Akram 33*(off 18) and 3-49 v England in the 1992 final

 

Akram’s late flurry propelled Pakistan from the realms of a solid score to a very good one, but it wasn’t the last England saw of him. He nailed Ian Botham early in the chase, albeit controversially, before returning in the endgame to take full charge of the Melbourne evening. Bowling the 35th over from around the wicket, Akram pitched one short of a length and swung in at searing pace. Allan Lamb groped forward but was totally squared up as the ball changed course off the deck, zipping past his forward defensive, to knock back off stump. Chris Lewis strode out with the game in the balance, and returned a ball later, struck dumb by another guided missile: Akram pitched fuller this time, curving the ball inwards from well outside off stump. Lewis took a large stride across and was in two minds whether to play or leave. He belatedly chose the former and brought his bat down from a high backlift, as the ball kept curling in. It burst past the chop, taking the inside edge and going on to hit the top of middle. Game Pakistan.

   Tamim Iqbal waded into the Indian bowling with authority in Port-of-Spain

 Ajay Jadeja 45 (off 25) v Pakistan in 1996

Jadeja’s innovative assault on Waqar Younis transformed the biggest game of the tournament into the spectacle it deserved to be. By hanging back in the crease and opening up the off side, Jadeja neutralised the yorker specialist and scrambled his lengths, looting 40 off his last two overs. Jadeja coaxed a cover drive and a late dab each for four, before backing away to slaughter a couple of length balls over square leg and extra cover each for six. The late surge launched India to 287, well in excess of where they seemed to be headed when Jadeja came to the crease.

Moin Khan 31* (off 12) v Australia in 1999

Inzamam-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq had seen away tricky conditions to lay the foundation before Moin’s audacious sortie left Australia stunned. He began with a pull shot despite being cramped for room by a Glenn McGrath bouncer, and the top edge sailed high enough to land beyond fine leg. Clearly rattled by Moin’s enterprise, both McGrath and Damien Fleming landed deliveries in his hitting zone – angling in from a length around off stump. Moin responded by walking across the stumps and unfurling his patent cross-batted jabs, slamming sixes in the arc between square leg and midwicket, as Pakistan looted 108 off the last 10.

Lance Klusener 31* (off 16) v Australia in 1999

While the greatest ODI ever played teetered from side to side, the job of finishing things off fell on Klusener once again. He began by scything Fleming over point for four, but things got tight when McGrath detonated Mark Boucher’s middle stump out of the ground, exposing a nervous tail. It boiled down to 16 required off eight, with last man Allan Donald in. Klusener banged a rare McGrath full-toss flat and straight to long-on, but Paul Reiffel palmed the catch over the ropes. A single off the next left Klusener facing Fleming‘s final over. With two savage

drives off the first two deliveries, Klusener levelled the scores. Moments later, a mad piece of running meant it ended in tragedy for South Africa. Klusener’s impassive look as he walked back amid the frenzy of green and gold around him became the defining scene of what had been, until that moment, his World Cup.

Mike Veletta 45* (31) v England in 1987

In front of a massive audience at Eden Gardens, Veletta’s unorthodox methods in the end overs were instrumental in taking Australia to 253. He and Allan Border added 73 runs in quick time after David Boon’s dismissal, Veletta employing sweeps, deflections, quick running and improvisation against the spinners. “The gods were smiling on me,” he said later. After that, excellent restrictive bowling and nervous England batting gave Australia a narrow win by seven runs. Veletta’s aggressive knock had ultimately proven to be the difference in a tight contest.

Viv Richards’s three runouts v Australia in 1975

Richards’s fielding had a major role to play in scuppering Australia’s chase in the first World Cup final. Australia had coasted to a comfortable 81-1 when Richards unleashed his first piece of brilliance, catching Alan Turner short with a neat underarm flick from square. Greg Chappell exited soon after, dismissed by another Richards’ direct hit, this one from the covers. The third one was the most decisive. Ian Chappell pushed the ball to the left of midwicket and started off for a run, but hesitated when he realized to whom the ball was headed. Richards fumbled and Chappell started again, with more conviction. Richards swooped, turned and arrowed back a throw three feet above the stumps, for Clive Lloyd to break the wicket, catching Chappell well short. Australia had run out of steam, literally — there were two more run-outs before West Indies closed it out.

Henry Olonga 3-22 v India in 1999

Olonga’s accuracy in his fourth over – an aberration in a game that featured 45 wides and 26 no-balls – kick- started Zimbabwe’s most memorable World Cup campaign so far. Robin Singh and Javagal Srinath had batted with pluck, taking India to within seven runs of victory with 11 balls and three wickets remaining. That was the cue for Olonga to run amok. Robin scooped a full delivery on off-stump straight to a tumbling mid-off. Anil Kumble picked up a single before surviving a run-out chance, diving in after Srinath called him for a risky couple. The panic in the air was epitomised by Srinath’s dismissal: a straight ball clattered into the stumps, eluding his ugly slog. Venkatesh Prasad was a deer in the headlights as he succumbed to the next ball, unable to guard his pad from a pacy inducker.

Kris Srikkanth 38 (off 57) v West Indies in the 1983 final

To score against the menace of Joel Garner and Andy Roberts on a lively pitch was a problem, but Srikkanth managed in style. He dealt Garner an upper-cut over the slips before hooking Roberts with freedom for four and six. He then stamped his disdain on the proceedings, thumping Garner through point, riding the bounce to steer him square, and going down on one knee to essay a timeless square-drive off Roberts. West Indies threw everything at him, and Srikkanth kept playing his shots, whipping a Michael Holding lifter backward of square leg, and slamming him straight back for fours. Malcolm Marshall ended the colourful innings at 38, a score that few then imagined would be the highest of the final.

Rajab Ali 3-17 v West Indies in 1996

Chasing 167, West Indies were lulled into a sense of complacency, and Rajab’s steady lines sent them stumbling to a nightmarish defeat. He began by hitting Richie Richardson’s leg stump, and Sherwin Campbell’s exit at the other end left West Indies on 22-2. Still, with Brian Lara at the crease, few anticipated the upset that was to ensue. Lara approached the situation as he would a benefit match, playing shots at every delivery. He started off with a boundary, but swished and missed twice and survived a run-out chance in his first 10 balls. Rajab kept probing away, and got Lara to flash at one outside off stump without moving his feet. The comical wicketkeeper Tariq Iqbal used every resource he was allowed by the rules – including his pads – to take the edge. Thereafter West Indies imploded. Fittingly Rajab finished them off the way he started, pinging Cameron Cuffy’s leg stump with a straight, nondescript ball.

Mike Veletta mastered England’s spinners with quick feet and delicate hands

Tamim Iqbal 51 (off 53) v India, 2007

Chasing 192, Tamim swaggered out to the crease and caned Zaheer Khan in a manner so emphatic that it broke India’s spirit. To the fourth ball of the innings, Tamim went down on a knee to lash India’s spearhead through point. Zaheer managed a breakthrough at the other end, but Tamim kept going after him. He punched him square, and strolled down the pitch to knife him emphatically over the covers. When Zaheer pitched up, Tamim smoked him through off-side; when Zaheer banged it short, Tamim flayed him furiously over the covers. Zaheer tried to handcuff him from round the wicket, but Tamim sauntered out of the crease and pulled him for six over long-on. His sortie had spiked India’s biggest gun, and from there it was a walk in the park for the middle order.

Ricardo Powell 40* (off 18) v South Africa in 2003

Lara’s ton had taken the sting out of South Africa before Powell’s final assault left them gasping in its wake. Taking guard in the 44th over, Powell teed off immediately with a couple of crisp fours off Makhaya Ntini before going on to dismantle Shaun Pollock in the 47th. A late in-swinger was flicked with authority through midwicket, and a length ball was dumped with typical Caribbean flair over long-on for six. The last ball of the over was threaded through the covers for four more as Pollock bled 23 off his ninth — three more than he had conceded in his first eight. Powell signed off with a flourish, carving the final ball of the innings through third man, leaving the vibrant Cape Town crowd with an early warning that their evening was about to be ruined.