In the history of the ODI World Cup, there have been amazing bowling performances that everyone remembers.
Bowlers who are really good at aiming and making the ball move have often destroyed the other team’s batting line-up. These awesome bowling moments have often helped their teams win, like when Glenn McGrath did it in 2007, Zaheer Khan in 2011, and Mitchell Starc in 2015, helping their teams win the World Cup.,
Let’s remember some of the best bowling moments from past World Cups
5. Gary Gilmour – 6/14 vs England -1975 World Cup
In the first semi-final of the first ODI World Cup at Headingley in 1975, a new player named Gary Gilmour from Australia did something amazing. He bowled incredibly well against England, taking 6 wickets while giving away only 14 runs in 12 overs. This is still the best bowling performance in ODI World Cup history.
Gilmour’s great performance was the first time a bowler took six wickets in a one-day game. Captain Greg Chappell’s smart decision to include Gilmour in such an important match really paid off. Gilmour’s bowling helped Australia win the match and reach the final.
4. Winston Davis – 7/51 vs Australia -1983 World Cup
Back when the West Indies had some really good fast bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, and Joel Garner, Winston Davis did something amazing in a cricket match against Australia in Leeds. He took 7 wickets for just 51 runs in just over 10 overs. This happened while Australia was trying to score 253 runs but only managed to get 151.
Davis started taking wickets after the first two Australian batters were out, one because of an injury and the other was bowled out by Roberts. Davis then kept taking wickets and stopped Australia from scoring more runs. This was a big deal because it was the most wickets anyone had taken in a World Cup match at that time, and it was the first time anyone had taken seven wickets in an ODI match.
3. Tim Southee – 7/33 vs England – 2015 World Cup
In Wellington, Tim Southee played incredibly well in a cricket match against England. He took 7 wickets while only giving away 33 runs. He stopped England from scoring many runs, making them only reach 123 runs before all their players were out. The Black Caps easily won the match with 8 wickets left and a lot of balls still to be played. They finished the game early, even before it got dark and the lights had to be turned on.
Southee showed how good he is at bowling the ball in a way that makes it difficult for the batsmen to hit. He made the ball move in the air and off the ground, just like it does in England. His great performance made it hard for England to play well, and New Zealand won the match easily.
2. Andy Bichel – 7/20 vs England – 2003 World Cup
Just two days after Glenn McGrath did really well, his teammate Andy Bichel did something amazing too. He helped stop England from getting too many points in a cricket match called the Ashes. Bichel got seven players from the other team out and only let them score 20 runs from his turns of bowling.
At first, it looked like England was winning with a score of 66 points without any players getting out. But then Bichel started bowling really well. He got five players out when England only had 87 points. This helped Australia come back into the game. Later, Bichel came back to stop two players from England who were playing really well together. This made sure Australia had the upper hand. Bichel didn’t just help with bowling, he also scored 34 points quickly when it was Australia’s turn to bat. His all-around great performance helped Australia win by just two points in the final over of the game.
1. Glenn McGrath – 7/15 vs Namibia – 2003 World Cup
During a big game in the 2003 World Cup, Glenn McGrath, Australia’s top fast bowler, played amazingly against Namibia. Australia had scored 301 runs, a tough score to beat. McGrath bowled incredibly well, taking 7 wickets while only giving away 15 runs. This was even better than his previous best performance in the 1999 World Cup when he took 5 wickets for just 14 runs.
McGrath’s seven wickets included Jan-Berrie Burger, Morne Karg, Gavin Murgatroyd, Danie Keulder, Louis Burger, Deon Kotze, and Bjorn Kotze. His performance was outstanding, making him the player with the most wickets ever in World Cup history, with a total of 71 wickets. It also meant he had the best bowling figures ever in the tournament’s history.