The World Cup saw some outstanding knocks through-out the tournament, some in batting friendly conditions, some in not so. Before the World Cup, there was a lot of talk around the pitches in England and them being flat, but the bowlers rose up to the occasion and tested the batsmen.
Here is our pick of the top 5 knocks at ICC Cricket World Cup 2019:
- Ben Stokes – 84* against New Zealand in Final
What makes a knock the most special? How about it leading to your team’s maiden World Cup title. Ben Stokes did just that! He scored a gritty and gutsy 84 runs, helping England to level New Zealand’s total in the final. He was the lone warrior and with little support from the other batsmen, pretty much single-handedly got England home. In the final over, he took the responsibility and turned the equation in England’s favour. He hit the six off the 3rd ball and later, made the most of his luck as he got 4 extra runs through an overthrow. He went for two to get the strike back on the last ball and then, ensured the team atleast got a single to take the game into Super Over. He batted well there as well, guiding England to a fine win.
- Kane Williamson – 124* against South Africa
The ‘iceman’ Kane Williamson played one of the knocks of the World Cup against South Africa in a chase of 242. New Zealand collapsed from 72/1 to 80/4. Williamson was standing tall and added important runs with Colin de Grandhomme, who together added 60 off 47. Williamson ensure he batted till the very end to guide New Zealand to a fine win. Under pressure, Williamson played a gritty knock and when needed, accelerated to catch-up with the run rate. He smashed a six over mid-wicket in the last over to complete his century, and then got the winning runs off the next ball. He was declared the Man of the Match.
- Carlos Brathwaite – 101 against New Zealand
How many times you remember a knock which came in a losing cause? If you are a big cricket fan, maybe you can recall some, but probably none as good as Carlos Brathwaite’s explosion. Brathwaite almost pulled off a victory for the Windies from the jaws of defeat as they were in pursuit of New Zealand’s 291. Gayle started well, but West Indies suffered a collapse in the middle, losing 7 wickets at 164 when Brathwaite came to the team’s rescue. He put-up small-small partnerships with the lower-order batsmen and then went berserk, almost taking the game away from New Zealand. But unfortunately, it didn’t end all well for the West India as he got out caught on the boundary, attempting a 6 when West Indies needed 6 off 7
- Rohit Sharma – 122 against South Africa
India restricted South Africa to a paltry 227, however, South Africa seemed charge up for the game with Rabada leading the charge. India lost two quick wickets and could have got into trouble if not for Rohit Sharma, who displayed tremendous courage to stick around in testing conditions. He then went on to score a century that won India the game. Virat Kohli described it as one of the best knocks in a World Cup.
- Shakib Al Hasan 124* against West Indies
Shakib Al Hasan’s knock of 124 against West Indies was so special because it came in a chase of 322. When teams were failing to chase targets over 250, Shakib’s special effort led Bangladesh’s pursuit of the big chase. He put-up a 190 runs stand with Liton Das and chased down 322 in just 41.3 overs. It was the 2nd best successful chase in a World Cup. Shakib scored 124 on 99 balls with 16 fours. The win helped Bangladesh stay in the competition.
