The Hindu : Ponting leaves statisticians panting

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 25, 2003

Sport

Sport - World Cup

Ponting leaves statisticians panting

By Mohandas Menon

** Sourav Ganguly led India in his 100th match after becoming a replacement captain (for Sachin Tendulkar) against the West Indies at Singapore on 5-9-1999. He became the second Indian, after Mohd.

Azharuddin (174 matches), and the 11th skipper to do so.

** Ricky Ponting's unbeaten 140 was the highest by an Australian against India, eclipsing the unbeaten 133 by Mark Waugh at Pune. His was also the highest individual score in a WC final, edging West Indian Viv Richards' 138 not out versus England at Lord's. Ponting's was the highest by an Australian captain in LOIs, beating the unbeaten 138 by Greg Chappell against New Zealand.

** This was the top score by any batsman against India in the WC. England's Dennis Amiss made 137 at Lord's on 7-6-1975 while Australian Mark Waugh hit 126 against India at Mumbai in the 1996 WC.

** Ponting now has 209 runs in three WC finals (1996, 1999 and 2003), the maximum by any batsman, bettering the 176 in three finals (1975, 1979, 1983) by Richards.

** Ponting's eight sixes were the most by a batsman in a WC match. Viv Richards (181 v SL at Karachi) and Ganguly (183 v SL at Taunton) smashed seven each. This was the most sixes by a captain in LOIs.

** The unbeaten 234-run stand for the third wicket between Ponting and Damien Martyn surpassed the following landmarks:

* the best for the third wicket by any team at this ground — 106 between Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes against Australia.

* the best for the third wicket for Australia against India — 137 between Dean Jones and Allan Border at Adelaide.

* the best for the third wicket in a WC final — 139 between Javed Miandad and Imran Khan against England in the 1992 final.

* the best for any wicket in a WC final — 149 between Rohan Kanhai and Clive Lloyd for the fourth wicket against Australia at Lord's in the 1975 final.

* the best for any wicket for Australia in the WC — 207 for the third wicket between the Waugh brothers against Kenya at Visakhapatnam. Incidentally, the Australian pair just failed to overtake the all-time best stand for any wicket against India — 235 between Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten for the first wicket at Kochi.

** Australia's mammoth total of 359-2 bettered the following:

* the highest made in a 50-over WC final — 253-5 by Australia against England at Calcutta.

* the highest in a WC final — 291-8 (60 overs) by West Indies against Australia at Lord's.

* its previous highest in a 50-over WC match — 319-5 against Sri Lanka at Centurion.

* its own highest in a WC match against India — 320-9 (in 60 overs) at Nottingham.

* its highest in WCs — 328-5 (60 overs) v SL at The Oval.

* its previous highest-ever total in LOIs — 349-6 v NZ at Christchurch.

* the highest-ever made against India — 349-9 by NZ at Rajkot.

** Javagal Srinath (10-0-87-0) conceded the maximum runs by an

Indian in LOIs. T. Kumaran had figures of 10-0-86-0 against Pakistan at Dhaka on 3-6-2000.

** Virender Sehwag (when on three) became the 14th Indian, and the 106th overall, to reach the 2000-mark in his 68th match. He has 2079 runs.

** Brett Lee's 22 wickets (10 games) made him the Australian bowler with most wickets in a WC. He went past the 21 by McGrath (2003) and Shane

Warne's 20 in the 1999 edition. Only Vaas, with 23 scalps (10 matches), has more wickets than Lee.

** The aggregate of 593 in 89.2 overs, with a run-rate of 6.64, is the best ever in WCs. The Kandy match between SL and Kenya produced 652 runs off 100 overs at a rate of 6.52.

** Australia became the first team to win three World Cups (1987, 1999

and 2003). West Indies has won two (1975 & 1979).

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