And whose record of most World Cup centuries did Rohit Sharma beat?
Steven Lynch24-Oct-2023Was David Warner’s 163 against Pakistan the highest score for Australia in a World Cup? asked Zack Kellogg from Australia
David Warner’s rampaging 163 against Pakistan in the group game in Bengaluru last week puts him third on the Australian list – but since he occupies the top two places as well, he is their men’s record-holder!Warner clattered 178 against Afghanistan in Perth in 2015, and 166 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in 2019. The next-highest for Australia as I write is Matthew Hayden’s 158 against West Indies in Antigua in 2007.There is a higher score for Australia in the women’s World Cup, though. Belinda Clark hit 229 not out against Denmark in Mumbai in December 1997. Alyssa Healy hammered 170 in the final against England in Christchurch in April 2022.Who scored the first century in a World Cup, and who took the first five-for? asked Ken Wallace from Australia
You probably didn’t mean this, but since the first women’s World Cup predated the men’s by two years – it was held in England in 1973 – the first World Cup century was actually scored by England’s Lynne Thomas, against an International XI in Hove. Thomas was eventually run out for 134 after an opening stand of 246 with Enid Bakewell, who finished with 101 not out. Bakewell made another century later in that inaugural competition, as did Rachael Heyhoe Flint. The first five-for was by the Australian seamer Tina Macpherson, who had figures of 12-7-14-5 as Young England were skittled for 57 in Bournemouth, a few hours before New Zealand slow left-armer Glenys Page took 6 for 20 against Trinidad & Tobago in St Albans.Turning to the men, identifying the first century isn’t quite as straightforward as it might sound. The first men’s World Cup began with four matches on the same day – June 7, 1975 – all starting at 11am. Dennis Amiss scored 137 for England against India at Lord’s in one of the opening games, while New Zealand’s Glenn Turner tucked in for an unbeaten 171 against East Africa at Edgbaston in another. They still stopped for lunch in ODIs in those days, and when the players trooped off at 1pm Amiss had 98 (after 35 overs of the eventual 60) and Turner 82 (after 40). We don’t have precise ball-by-ball details, but Amiss got to three figures first – just. He reached 100 in the 37th over, and was out in the 51st.The first men’s five-wicket haul is easier to pin down: also on that opening day in 1975, Dennis Lillee took 5 for 34 for Australia against Pakistan in their group game at Headingley. The only other five-fors in that tournament were by Lillee’s team-mate Gary Gilmour, who collected 6 for 14 as England were bundled out for 93 in the semi-final at Headingley, and 5 for 48 in the final against West Indies at Lord’s.Sachin Tendulkar has six centuries from 44 World Cup innings•Getty ImagesIt’s David Warner’s 37th birthday this week. Was he the oldest man to score a century in a World Cup match? asked Tess McKenzie from Australia
Warner is due to turn 37 on Friday (October 27), and a week before that hit 163 against Pakistan in Bengaluru.Six men older than Warner have scored centuries in the World Cup. Leading the way is Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was 38 years 148 days old when he made 104 against Scotland in Hobart in March 2015. Sunil Gavaskar was 35 days younger when he scored 103 not out – his only ODI century – for India against New Zealand in Nagpur in October 1987.Sachin Tendulkar (2011) and the distinguished Sri Lankan trio of Sanath Jayasuriya (in 2007), Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara (both 2015) were all 37 when they made their last World Cup hundreds.New Zealand’s Barb Bevege was 39 when she scored 101 against the International XI in Auckland during the 1982 women’s World Cup, while England’s Jan Brittin was 38 when she made 138 against Pakistan in Vijayawada during the 1997 tournament. For the women’s World Cup list, click here.Is it right that Rohit Sharma now has the most World Cup centuries? Whose record did he beat? asked Matthew Mitchell from New Zealand
It is right, yes. Rohit Sharma’s 84-ball 131 against Afghanistan in Delhi was his seventh century in World Cup matches, which included one in 2015 and a record five in England in 2019.The previous record of six was held by Sachin Tendulkar; next with five come Ricky Ponting and David Warner of Australia and Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka. Rohit’s seventh century came in his 19th World Cup innings: Tendulkar finished with six from 44.Six Multan players scored centuries in a first-class innings the other day. Was this a record? asked Zahoor Afzal Khan from Pakistan
The match you’re talking about was in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan’s domestic first-class competition, in Lahore last week. After their side was put in, six Multan batters scored between 101 and 118. Captain Zain Abbas (118) and wicketkeeper Haseebullah Khan (101) started with an opening stand of 204, then Sharoon Siraj made 114 and Mohammad Basit Ali 105, before Saim Ayyaz (117) and Ali Usman (105 not out) put on 186 for the seventh wicket. Zahid Mahmood, the legspinner who played two Tests against England last December, might be irritated at bagging a duck on a pretty friendly pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium: after Multan declared at 718 for 8, Lahore Blues made 578 for 6 before a draw was agreed. Imran Butt scored 255 and his fellow opener Hashim Ibraheem 120 for them.There had been only one previous first-class innings that contained six individual centuries. In a Ranji Trophy semi-final in Indore in 1945-46, Holkar ran up the little matter of 912 for 8 declared: their six centurions included the 50-year-old CK Nayudu, whose first-class career still had 17 years to run.There have been four cases of five centuries in an innings, one just a couple of weeks before on the same ground in Lahore, when Karachi Whites reached 784 for 5 against Lahore Whites, with Sarfaraz Ahmed making 200 not out. The others were by New South Wales (918) against South Australia in Sydney in 1900-01, and two in Tests, by Australia (758 for 8 declared) against West Indies in Kingston in 1955, and Pakistan (546 for 3 declared) against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001-02.And there’s an update to last week’s question about players who have bagged a golden duck but took a wicket with their first delivery in the same World Cup match, from the Melbourne statistician Charles Davis
“There’s one other case in a World Cup: Phil DeFreitas did it against New Zealand in Wellington in March 1992. In the opening match of the same World Cup, Australia’s Craig McDermott took a wicket with his first legal ball and was run out for one after facing one delivery, against New Zealand in Auckland. He was not run out first ball though.”Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions
