ICC Cricket World Cup Top Ten: Individual New Zealand bowling performances
Often pigeon-holed as a team which relies on tight bowling and sharp fielding to compete with the best teams in the world, New Zealand bowlers have been more destructive on the ICC Cricket World Cup stage.
In this feature we take a look at the top ten individual New Zealand bowling performances at the ICC Cricket World Cup.
1: Shane Bond 6/232003: New Zealand v Australia
Shane Bond is renowned as one of Australia’s biggest tormentors in ODI cricket and he saved his best performance against them for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.
Bowling at over 145kph, and achieving hooping swing, Bond had Australia in immediate trouble with the wickets of openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist. Soon after he had captain Ricky Ponting caught at slip to reduce Australia to 3-31.
He was brought back into the attack for a second spell in the 23rd over and picked up three more wickets before ending on 6-23 – the fifth-equal best ever figures in World Cup history.
2: Jacob Oram 4/392011: New Zealand v South Africa
As eighth qualifier for the quarter final, New Zealand was given little hope of upsetting top qualifier South Africa – but Jacob Oram had different ideas.
With a below-par 221 to defend, 6’6 tall Oram extracted enough bounce and cut from the Mirpur surface to trouble all the South Africa batsmen. He begun by dismissing Captain Graeme Smith before returning for a second spell to swing the match in New Zealand’s favour.
After rocking Johan Botha’s off stump and having Robin Petersen caught behind, he landed the killer blow by having Faf du Plessis caught at cover. South Africa ended 49 runs short and Oram was named a deserving man of the match.
3: Geoff Allott 4/371999: New Zealand v Australia
Largely unheralded prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, Allott ended as the tournament’s equal leading wicket taker with 20 scalps – including four in the pool match against Australia.
Generating large amounts of movement from the swing friendly pitches, left-arm Allott quickly had Australia in trouble with two wickets at the top of the order. He started by trapping Mark Waugh LBW before having Adam Gilchrist caught behind the wicket.
After Allott’s early strikes, Australia recovered and looked ready for a late onslaught. But Allott returned to the bowling crease and quickly rocked the stumps of both Michael Bevan and Shane Warne to have Australia all out for 213.
4: Tim Southee 3/252011: New Zealand v Pakistan
In a tournament dominated by spin, Tim Southee was one of the stand out pacemen, picking up 18 wickets to end as the third highest wicket-taker at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
His best performance came against Pakistan, where he snuffed out any chance of Pakistan chasing down New Zealand’s total of 302.
Bowling with his trademark line and length, Southee was devastating in his opening spell, picking up three top order wickets to leave Pakistan in deep trouble at 5-45.
5: Sir Richard Hadlee 3/201983: New Zealand v Pakistan
Although Hadlee’s best World Cup figures are 5/25, his three-wicket performance against Pakistan in 1983 exemplified his world-beating talent.
Defending a modest 238 off 60 overs, New Zealand needed a strong start and got it as Hadlee picked up two wickets in his first over – one bowled and one LBW.
Bowling an untouchable line and length, Hadlee had future World Cup winning captain Imran Khan caught behind to reduce Pakistan to 4-22 and the match was all but over.
6: Dipak Patel 2/261992: New Zealand v England
One of the biggest innovations seen in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup was when off-spinner Dipak Patel opened the bowling throughout New Zealand’s 1992 campaign.
One New Zealand’s slow-paced wickets, Patel strangled opposition batsmen with his tight lines, subtle changes of pace and slow turn. Against a powerful England batting line-up, Patel started by going straight through the defence of Ian Botham before putting the screws on the run-rate. His opening spell of five overs went for just seven runs.
When Patel returned to the crease, he had Alec Stewart caught by Chris Harris and ended with 2-26 as England struggled through to 200.
7: Hamish Bennett 4/162011: New Zealand v Kenya
As New Zealand’s only genuinely fast bowler on display in the 2011 tournament, Bennett showed how destructive raw pace can be with his devastating spell against Kenya.
Coming into the attack with Kenya making steady progress at 30-1, Bennett went on an assault of the stumps, bowling full and fast.
The Kenya top order had no response to the Bennett onslaught, with three batsmen falling LBW and Kenya legend Steve Tikolo having his stumps rocked by the Kiwi quick.
8: Chris Harris 4/71999: New Zealand v Scotland
Chris Harris enters the list for his devastating four wicket spell against Scotland in 1999.
After conceding five runs from his first over, Harris bounced back to take four wickets for two runs of his next 13 deliveries. He started in typical Harris fashion – with a caught and bowled – then continued to run through the Scotland lower order with his constant variations.
In just 3.1 overs, Harris had demolished the Scotland lower order to finish with 4/7.
9: Daniel Vettori 4/232007: New Zealand v Ireland
Shaping as a potential banana-skin match for New Zealand in 2007, Ireland were in with a chance until Daniel Vettori took the ball.
Using his complete arsenal of slow balls, sliders and changes of flight, Vettori had the Ireland batsmen under pressure and struggling to survive at the crease.
In a pitch tailor made for the New Zealand veteran, his arm-ball become a deadly weapon as four fell either bowled or LBW. Vettori finished with a miserly return of 4/23 off 8.4 overs and Ireland succumbed to a 129 run loss.
10: Gavin Larsen 3/161992: New Zealand v Zimbabwe
In a match reduced to 20.5 overs per-side, the medium-pace of Larsen would have looked like a juicy prospect for Zimbabwe to attack. But the wily Kiwi combined his usual frugal bowling with wicket-taking potency to ensure New Zealand continued its winning run at the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992.
With a maximum of four overs to bowl, Larsen adopted a top of off stump line which built the pressure on the Zimbabwe batsmen. He quickly bowled captain David Houghton through the gate before drawing a false stroke from number four batsmen Ian Butchart.
To end his memorable spell, Larsen went through the defence of Zimbabwe legend Andy Flower to end with 3/16.