1999 World Cup Recap - Revisiting unforgettable moments

After travelling to five different nations in a space of ten years, the Cricket World Cup returned to its very place of birth for its seventh edition in 1999 in England. The edition was full of several memorable moments as twelve teams put up a magnificent exhibition of cricket in 42 matches contested across 38 days in the English Summer.

The tournament is best known for the introduction of the new World Cup trophy that would remain the same in the years to come. Furthermore, a new type of ball, known as the white ‘Duke’ was used during the tournament. The Manufacturers claimed that the balls behaved similarly to those used in previous editions. However, experiments showed that they were harder and swung more.

Participating Teams and Format

The tournament featured 12 teams same as the 1996 edition as hosts England along with eight other Test nations got direct entry into the mega event while 22 nations competed for the remaining three spots in the 1997 ICC Trophy. As a result, Bangladesh and Kenya qualified to be the winners and runners-up of the competition while Scotland sealed their berth by winning the third-place playoff.

A total of seventeen venues were used for the mega event as Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Netherlands also hosted the tournament along with England. It was also the first World Cup being held after a three-year gap rather than the usual four-year gap.

The 1999 World Cup also featured a new format of ‘Super Six’. The 12 teams were first divided into two groups of six each where the top three teams from both groups qualified to the Super Six stage. In the Super Six, the qualifying teams only played against the team from the other group and carried the results forward for the matches played against the other teams qualifying from the same group.

Also Check: ODI Cricket World Cup Winners List from 1975 to 2023

Zimbabwe register thrilling win over India

The tournament got underway with a game between the hosts England and Sri Lanka where England emerged victorious by eight wickets. However, one of the most thrilling matches was played between India and Zimbabwe during the Group stage in Leicester. After being put in to bat first, Zimbabwe posted 252/9 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, India needed seven runs to win off the last over having three wickets in hand.

However, Henry Olonga dismissed a well-set Robin Singh (35 off 47), Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad to script a thrilling three-run victory for Zimbabwe.

Sachin Tendulkar pays tribute to his late father with a hundred

Further ahead in the tournament, Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar returned to play in the World Cup after flying back home mid-way due to the sudden death of his father. Upon his return, Tendulkar played a scintillating innings of 140* (101) vs Kenya and paid a fitting tribute to his late father. India posted 329/2 on the board courtesy of Tendulkar’s innings and went on to win the match by 94 runs.

Australia didn’t get to the best of the starts to the tournament as they lost back-to-back matches against New Zealand and Pakistan which put them in a precarious situation. The Steve Waugh-led side had to win every match from there onwards to stay alive in the tournament. Having their backs against the wall, the spirited Aussies scripted a comeback for the ages which began their decade-long domination World Cup.

Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid shatter records vs Sri Lanka

Record books were shattered during India’s group game vs Sri Lanka where Sourav Ganguly (183 off 158) and Rahul Dravid (145 off 129) put together the then-highest stand in ODI Cricket. The duo added 318 runs for the second wicket off 269 balls and helped India post the then second-highest ODI score of 373/6. As a result, they went on to win the match by a massive margin of 157 runs and the defending champions Sri Lanka were knocked out of the tournament.

The hosts England also failed to qualify for the Super Six stage as they lost to India in their last group game by 63 runs. However, the first upset of the tournament was witnessed during the second last group game where first-timers Bangladesh edged past Pakistan by 62 runs.

The second game of the Super Six saw a thrilling finish between South Africa and Pakistan as Lance Klusener guided the Proteas home with his knock of 46* (41) helping them chase down the target of 221 runs in the second last over.

Saqlain Mushtaq claims second hat-trick of World Cup

During the seventh game of the Super Six between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq etched his name in the record books as he scalped the second-ever hat trick in the World Cup. He also became the second player to take two ODI hat tricks after Wasim Akram.

Another incredible game was witnessed as India and Pakistan locked horns for the third consecutive time at cricket’s grandest stage. Notably, the two nations were also at war at the time making the only such instance in the history of the sport. The Men-in-Blue completed a hat trick of wins over the arch-rivals by 47 runs with Venkatesh Prasad once again starring with the ball with figures of 5/27.

'You've dropped the World Cup mate'

However, the biggest moment of the tournament was witnessed during the ninth Super Six game between Australia and South Africa. Australia desperately needed a win to stay alive and were reeling at 48/3 after 11.3 overs. Captain Steve Waugh faced an uphill task of guiding his team home and even got a life from Herschelle Gibbs.

The South African batter earlier scored a 101 (134) but ended up dropping the most famous catch in the history of the World Cup. Following the drop, Waugh famously told Gibbs that you’ve dropped the game for your side which later became ‘you’ve dropped the World Cup mate’. Waugh ended up scoring one of the greatest hundreds in the history of the tournament (120* off 110) and took Australia home as they chased down 272 in 49.4 overs and won by five wickets.

The two teams once again clashed in the semi-final of the tournament and were involved in another historic game. Chasing a target of 214, South Africa were reeling at 183/7 after 45.5 overs. However, Lance Klusener kept his team in the game with his brilliant knock of 31* (16). The southpaw brought his team on the verge of victory with one run needed off the last four balls having one wicket in hand.

Also Check: ODI Cricket World Cup All-Time Records

Ridiculous Running with two balls to go

However, a terrible miscommunication with Allan Donald led to the game being tied and Australia progressed to the final having finished higher on the Super Six stage. As a result, heartbreak continued for South Africa who once again failed to win a knockout game.

Pakistan won the other semi-final over New Zealand and locked horns with the Aussies in the summit clash at Lord’s. Pakistan captain Wasim Akram won the toss and elected to bat first and the decision backfired big time as they were bundled out for just 132. Shane Warne starred with the ball as he picked 4/33 in nine overs. In reply, Australia chased down the target in just 20.1 overs courtesy of Adam Gilchrist’s innings of 54 (36).

As a result, Australia won the match by eight wickets and clinched their second World Cup Trophy. The victory began the era of dominance for the Kangaroos who went to complete a hat-trick of titles by 2007. Lance Klusener was awarded Player of the Tournament for scoring 281 runs and picking 17 wickets in the tournament.