Cricket World Cup Countdown: 2 days to go – Captains come in pairs

Sport360 staff 23:31 12/02/2015
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  • Legend: Ricky Ponting.

    Two players secure of their place in World Cup history are West Indian Clive Lloyd and Australian Ricky Ponting​, who are the only cricketers to twice skipper their country to tournament glory.

    – VIDEO: Michael Clarke to miss Australia opener

    Both their nations have won the World Cup successively, with West Indies claiming the 1975 and 1979 crowns, while Australia completed a treble ​between 1999 and 2007. ​

    Also at the double are some remarkable partnership​s. The 318 between Saurav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid against Sri Lanka in 1999 ​is the highest partnership in ​World ​Cup history​, while Sri Lanka opening pair of Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan are the only ones to have put on a 200-plus run opening-stand twice –282 against Zimbabwe in 2011 and 231 not out against England in the same tournament.

    They are also the only openers to have crossed the 200-run mark together in the ​World Cup and their 282-run partnership is a world record. 

    Two brothers, Mark Waugh and Steve Waugh, are the only siblings to have a double-hundred stand together when they put on 207 against Kenya in 1996​, while a number of players have scored two centuries in one ​World Cup, including Sachin Tendulkar (twice), Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen.

    As far as the bowling is concerned, ​there have been five bowlers who have picked up two five-wicket hauls in one tournament; Australia​n Gary Gilmour (1975), Sri Lanka​'s Ashanata de Mel (1987), West Indian Vasbert Drakes (2003), ​​G​le​nn McGrath (2007) and Shahid Afridi 2011.

    – 3 days to go: Lasith Malinga's treble hat-trick
    – 
    4 days to go: Australia's era of dominance
    – 5 days to go: Ricky Ponting rocks the biggest stage
    – 6 days to go: Tendulkar and Miandad's immortal sextuplet
    – 7 days to go: Taylor sends Shoaib Akhtar off in style
    – 8 days to go: Zimbabwe's record eight-wicket stand
    – 9 days to go: Crazy nines from World Cup minnows
    – 10 days to go: Chris Old's record still new 
    – 11 days to go: Viv Richards wins it for West Indies
    – 12 days to go: The support from outside the rope
    – 13 days to go: O'Brien storm blows England away

    – 14 days to go: Arvinda de Silva in world of his own
    – 15 days to go: Australia bamboozle the Namibians
    – 16 days to go: New format catches out India, Pakistan
    – 17 days to go: Madan Lal’s 17 wickets help India to triumph
    – 18 days to go: Dennis delight at first World Cup century
    – 19 days to go: Economical Imran Khan of Pakistan
    – 20 days to go: Bichel cleans up against England
    – 21 days to go: Sachin Tendulkar the runs machine
    – 22 days to go: The unwanted record of Nathan Astle
    – 23 days to go: Nehra rattles England in South Africa
    – 24 days to go: The great Kapil Dev's strike rate for India
    – 25 days to go: Australia's Invincibles dominate for eight
    – 26 days to go: Glenn McGrath's wicket-taking exploits
    – 27 days to go: Zaheer Khan's striking ability
    – 28 days to go: Herschelle Gibbs just loves sixes
    – 29 days to go: Australia's 29-ball haul destroys India

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