“Statistics are like a bikini. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” This might be true in some aspects but not in all. With World Cup about to start, let’s talk about the numbers associated with it.
11 World Cups, 406 matches, 5 champion nations, 165 hundreds and numerous other records, so why not look into the numbers game?
Talking about the champions, the greatest of all, Australia won 5 World Cups in 5 different continents (1987 Asia, 1999 Europe, 2003 Africa, 2007 North America, 2015 Australasia ), the only team to do so. Australia also the first team to win 3 consecutive titles (1999, 2003 & 2007). The first time champions West Indies (1975 & 1979) won it twice so as India (1983 & 2011). Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996) are the only other teams to win it.
| Year | Matches | Winner |
| 1975 | 15 | West Indies |
| 1979 | 15 | West Indies |
| 1983 | 27 | India |
| 1987 | 27 | Australia |
| 1992 | 39 | Pakistan |
| 1996 | 38 | Sri Lanka |
| 1999 | 42 | Australia |
| 2003 | 54 | Australia |
| 2007 | 51 | Australia |
| 2011 | 49 | India |
| 2015 | 49 | Australia |
Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar dominates the batting records in World Cup. He has scored more runs (2278), most hundreds (6), most fifties (15), most boundaries (268), most runs in a single edition (673 in 2003) and most Man of the Match awards (9). Sangakkara has the most centuries in a single edition (4 in 2015). Kevin O’Brien of Ireland holds the record for the fastest World Cup hundred (off 50 balls against England, 2011). The highest score in an innings is scored by Martin Guptill (237* against West Indies, 2015).
Top 10 batsman with most runs in World Cup
| Player | Country | Mat | Inns | NO | HS | Runs | 100s | 50s | Avg | S/R |
| Tendulkar, S R | India | 45 | 44 | 4 | 152 | 2278 | 6 | 15 | 56.95 | 88.98 |
| Ponting, R T | Australia | 46 | 42 | 4 | 140* | 1743 | 5 | 6 | 45.87 | 79.95 |
| Sangakkara, K C | Sri Lanka | 37 | 35 | 8 | 124 | 1532 | 5 | 7 | 56.74 | 86.55 |
| Lara, B C | West Indies | 34 | 33 | 4 | 116 | 1225 | 2 | 7 | 42.24 | 86.27 |
| de Villiers, A B | South Africa | 23 | 22 | 3 | 162* | 1207 | 4 | 6 | 63.53 | 117.30 |
| Jayasuriya, S T | Sri Lanka | 38 | 37 | 3 | 120 | 1165 | 3 | 6 | 34.26 | 90.66 |
| Kallis, J H | South Africa | 36 | 32 | 7 | 128* | 1148 | 1 | 9 | 45.92 | 74.40 |
| Dilshan, T M | Sri Lanka | 27 | 25 | 4 | 161* | 1112 | 4 | 4 | 52.95 | 92.98 |
| Jayawardene, D P M D | Sri Lanka | 40 | 34 | 3 | 115* | 1100 | 4 | 5 | 35.48 | 85.94 |
| Gilchrist, A C | Australia | 31 | 31 | 1 | 149 | 1085 | 1 | 8 | 36.17 | 98.01 |
Just like Tendulkar, Australian Legend Glenn McGrath outscores everyone in the bowling department. He has taken most wickets (71), most 5 wickets haul (2) along with Afridi, most wickets in a single edition (26 in 2007) and best bowling performance (7 for 15 against Namibia, 2003).
Top 10 bowlers with most wickets in World Cup
| Player | Country | Matches | Overs | Mdns | Runs | Wkts | Avg | Best | 5w |
| McGrath, G D | Australia | 39 | 325.5 | 42 | 1292 | 71 | 18.20 | 7/15 | 2 |
| Muralitharan, M | Sri Lanka | 40 | 343.3 | 15 | 1335 | 68 | 19.63 | 4/19 | 0 |
| Wasim Akram | Pakistan | 38 | 324.3 | 17 | 1311 | 55 | 23.84 | 5/28 | 1 |
| Vaas, W P U J C | Sri Lanka | 31 | 261.4 | 39 | 1040 | 49 | 21.22 | 6/25 | 1 |
| Khan, Z | India | 23 | 198.5 | 12 | 890 | 44 | 20.23 | 4/42 | 0 |
| Srinath, J | India | 34 | 283.2 | 21 | 1224 | 44 | 27.82 | 4/30 | 0 |
| Malinga, S L | Sri Lanka | 22 | 170.4 | 7 | 908 | 43 | 21.12 | 6/38 | 1 |
| Donald, A A | South Africa | 25 | 218.5 | 14 | 913 | 38 | 24.03 | 4/17 | 0 |
| Oram, J D P | New Zealand | 23 | 182.2 | 21 | 768 | 36 | 21.33 | 4/39 | 0 |
There are only 4 tied matches played in World Cup history. The first and probably the most famous tied match of ODI history was played between Australia and South Africa in World Cup semi-final, 1999 at Edgbaston. The tie eventually helped Australia to reach the finals of the 1999 World Cup and from there Australia’s domination in World Cups started. The second tied game also involved South Africa (against Sri Lanka in 2003) and it was another set back for them as they couldn’t qualify for the Super Six. A miscalculation in Duckworth-Lewis and their hope of winning the World Cup at home was destroyed. The other two tied matches were played in 2007 and 2011 respectively.
| Match | Ground |
| 1999 Australia v. South Africa | Edgbaston |
| 2003 South Africa v. Sri Lanka | Kingsmead |
| 2007 Ireland v. Zimbabwe | Sabina Park |
| 2011 India v. England | M Chinnaswamy Stadium |
Some miscellaneous stats related to the World Cup are as follows.
- Mohinder Amarnath (1983), Arvinda de Silva (1996) and Shane Warne (1999) are the only players to win the man of the match awards in both semi-final and final of a World Cup.
- Adam Gilchrist is the only player to score 50+ score in 3 World Cup finals. He scored 54 against Pakistan at Lord’s in 1999, 57 against India at Johannesburg in 2003 and 149 against Sri Lanka at Bridgetown in 2007.
- Kapil Dev (24) is the youngest captain to lift the World Cup while Imran Khan (39) is the oldest.
- Sangakkara (54) holds the record for most dismissals in World Cups. Gilchrist (45) has most catches while Sangakkara (13) has most stumpings.
- Though Tendulkar and Miandad appeared in 6 World Cups, Ponting (46) holds the record of most matches played in World Cups. He also took 28 catches in all World Cups which is the most for any fielder.
- Only two matches were won by 1 run and both the time Australia and India were involved. Australia first beat India in 1987 by a run and then again in 1992 they beat India by 1 run.
- World Cup in 1992 is the only edition in which no bowler took 5 fer.
- Arjuna Ranatunga (969) has scored most runs without scoring a century in World Cups.
