ICC Cricket World Cup Top Ten: Home Victories
In the ICC Cricket World Cup history, host-nations have secured many great victories in front of their home fans. In this feature we take a look at the Top Ten Home Victories.
1: India beat Sri Lanka by six wickets, Mumbai, 2011
India went into the 2011 final with the pressure of having to secure the proud cricketing nation’s first ICC Cricket World Cup title since 1983.
With the expectation overflowing at Wankhede Stadium, India, chasing 275 for victory, was on the back foot early when it lost Virender Sehwag without scoring and Sachin Tendulkar at the score of 31.
Assuredly, Gautam Gambhir brought the passionate 42,000 fans back into the game with 97 before captain MS Dhoni become the hero when he ended on 91 not out to seal a six-wicket win and India’s second ICC Cricket World Cup title.
2: New Zealand beat England by seven wickets, Wellington, 1992
After marching through the tournament with six straight victories, support was at an all-time high for New Zealand when it faced England in Wellington.
England was the only other unbeaten team in the tournament and a sold-out crowd packed the Basin Reserve to see who would claim top spot in the semi-finals.
Batting first, England struggled to 200 for eight as New Zealand’s military attack stifled the scoring.
Roared on by a passionate home crowd, Mark Greatbatch, Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones all fired as New Zealand cruised through to a clinical seven-wicket victory.
In a rematch of this game, New Zealand and England will face-off at Wellington Regional Stadium on 20 February 2015. Click herefor information on ticketing.
3: England beat India by 202 runs, London, 1975
In the first-ever ICC Cricket World Cup match, England beat India by a mammoth 202 runs to secure its biggest ODI win and launch the tournament in a winning fashion.
Played at the ‘Home of Cricket’ Lords, England racked up 334 for four in 60 overs in its familiar home conditions with Dennis Amiss scoring 137 and Keith Fletcher and Chris Old hitting half-centuries.
In response, India were unable to get any traction on the slow Lords surface. After 60 overs, India ended on 132 for three with Sunil Gavaskar carrying his bat to 36 not out from a remarkable 174 balls.
4: Pakistan beat West Indies by one-wicket, Lahore, 1987
Played in front of over 50,000 passionate fans, Pakistan got home by the narrowest of margins to record a famous victory over two-time champion West Indies.
With Wasim Akram and Imran Khan taking six wickets between them, the West Indies was bowled out for 216 in 49.3 in the stifling heat of Lahore.
At 110 for five after 35 overs, Pakistan was in deep trouble until a series of partnerships gave it a chance. Needing 14 runs off the last over, Abdul Qadir sent the crowd into raptures with a gigantic six off Courtney Walsh to secure the one-wicket win.
5: Sri Lanka beat England by 10 wickets, Colombo, 2011
Playing its 2011 quarter-final in front of 32,000 fervent fans, Sri Lanka wanted to leave nothing to chance against England.
With four spinners in the line-up, Sri Lanka made it tough for England to score on the dusty Colombo surface. With well-made fifties from Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan, England got through to 229 for six in 50 overs.
In one of the most clinical run-chases in ICC Cricket World Cup history, Sri Lanka openers Upal Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan scored unbeaten centuries as the home side romped home by 10 wickets.
6: Australia beat India by one run, Brisbane, 1992
Having lost its first two games, Australia desperately needed to overcome India in Brisbane to stay in the hunt for a place in the semi-finals.
Led by stalwarts Dean Jones and David Boon, Australia made it through to 237 for nine on a fast Gabba track. In response, India was cruising until a late afternoon downpour stopped play and reduced India’s innings by three overs.
Due to the 1992 tournament being played prior to the Duckworth-Lewis method, only two runs were dropped from India’s target.
In the end, the rain-delay proved crucial for Australia as Venkatapathy Raju was run-out by Steve Waugh on the final ball of the innings to seal a one-run victory for Australia.
7: India beat Pakistan by 39 runs, Bengaluru, 1996
Despite having home advantage, India was the underdog in this quarter-final. Pakistan was the defending champion and looked strong in pool play, while India hadn’t beaten Pakistan in an ODI since 1992.
India started steadily with the bat, getting through to 200 for four before Ajay Jadeja blasted 45 off 25 balls to see them through to 287 for eight off 50 overs.
Chasing the imposing total, Pakistan came out firing with 84 off the first 10 overs before the chase stalled to the delight of the passionate Indian fans.
Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble were the chief destroyers for India with six wickets between them as Pakistan fell 39 runs short.
8: West Indies beat Pakistan by 54 runs, Jamaica, 2007
In the opening match of the 2007 tournament, fans packed into Jamaica’s Sabina Park to see if the West Indies could get its campaign off to a winning start.
Despite losing superstar Chris Gayle early, West Indies recovered to reach 241 for nine with handy contributions from Marlon Samuels (63), Ramnaresh Sarwan (49), Brian Lara (37) and Dwayne Smith (32).
On a lively surface, 242 was always going to be a tricky target. Pakistan never got going in reply with all five of the West Indies pace bowlers chiming in with wickets.
Eventually Pakistan were rolled for 187 and the ICC Cricket World Cup party began in Jamaica.
9: Bangladesh beat England by two wickets, Chittagong, 2011
Having lost to India and West Indies earlier in the tournament, Bangladesh needed a big performance on home soil to beat England and keep its quarter-final hopes alive.
On a spin-friendly surface in Chittagong, Bangladesh rotated its four spinners perfectly as England struggled to come to grips with the turning wicket before succumbing to 225 all out in 49.4 overs.
Bangladesh got off to a flyer as dashing opener Tamim Iqbal blasted 38 from 26 balls and Imrul Kayes scored a 100-ball 60 before England fought back with regular wickets to reduce Bangladesh to 169 for eight.
With 20,000 fans on the edge of their seat, Mahmudullah (21 not out) and Shafiul Islam (24 not out) combined to put on 58 runs to see Bangladesh home by two wickets.
10: Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by six wickets, Colombo, 1996
Playing Zimbabwe in its first game, Sri Lanka needed a big win to set the tone for a successful tournament.
Chasing 229 to win, Sri Lanka displayed the aggression that would become its trademark throughout the tournament.
After losing its enterprising openers at the score of 23, Asanka Gurusinha (87) and Aravinda de Silva (91) combined to add 172 for the third wicket to see Sri Lanka through to a thumping six-wicket victory and on the road to ICC Cricket World Cup glory.
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