This Month In… 2015

Going back to 29 March 2015, an all-round Australia lifted a fifth ICC Cricket World Cup title by defeating their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand comfortably by seven wickets at Melbourne Cricket Ground. Batting first, New Zealand were bowled out for a paltry 183 in 45 overs by an Australian attack led by the Mitchells – Johnson and Starc – and all-rounder James Faulkner. The left-arm pacemen shared eight wickets between them while Glenn Maxwell chipped in with one.

The dominance of the left-arm pacemen was not only restricted to the World Cup final. The top two wicket-takers were Australia’s Starc and New Zealand’s Trent Boult.

Wahab Riaz, the Pakistani paceman, was the other left-armer who made it to the list.

Top 10 wicket-takers of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Left-arm pacers at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Even before 2015, there were left-arm pacers who had found success at the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Highest wicket-takers in a World Cup tournament (Left-arm pacemen)

Before the start of the tournament on 13 February 2015, there were five pacemen and five spinners in the top 10 of the MRF Tyres ICC ODI Rankings for bowlers, with spinners leading the chart. The left-armers, Johnson and Starc, were in fifth and seventh positions respectively. Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan was 14th, while both Boult and Riaz were far behind on 50th and 88th respectively.

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Bowlers Rankings ( as of 13 February, before the start of World Cup 2015)

By the end of the tournament, Starc was sitting comfortably atop the rankings, while Boult had stormed into the top 10, joint sixth with Johnson. Riaz, too, had surged up to 57th.

MRF Tyres ICC ODI Bowlers Rankings ( as of 29 March, after the final of World Cup 2015)