2011 World Cup Recap - Revisiting unforgettable moments

The tenth instalment of the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 returned to the subcontinent after 15 years as it was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The fans got to witness 49 enthralling matches across numerous venues in three countries bringing them to the edge of their seats. Pakistan was also awarded the hosting rights, however, after the horrific terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore in 2009, their rights were taken away by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

As a result, 14 matches which were scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan including one semi-final were divided among the other three nations. India was awarded eight games including the semi-final while Sri Lanka was given four matches and Bangladesh was given two games.

Participating Teams and Format

A total of 14 teams took part to fight for the coveted trophy which was a reduction from the 16 teams which competed in the previous edition in 2007 played in the West Indies. The ten teams qualified for the mega event being the full members of the ICC while four associate teams were decided through a qualifying tournament held in South Africa. Ireland and Canada sealed their spot being the winners and runner-ups of the event respectively. 

On the other hand, the Netherlands and Kenya found their way through by finishing on third and fourth spots respectively. The 2011 edition was played in a similar format as that of the 1996 World Cup with 14 teams being divided into two groups of seven each. The top four teams from both groups qualified for the quarterfinals and the winners further progressed to the semi-final and final respectively. The edition also featured the DRS system being used for the first time in an ICC event.

Virender Sehwag starts the tournament with a bang

Indian opener Virender Sehwag got the tournament off to an incredible start as he cut Bangladesh seamer Shafiul Islam for a four through the offside giving an auspicious beginning to the tournament for India. He went on to score a scintillating 175 (140) helping India win the opening game by a massive margin of 87 runs.

During the tenth game of the Group Stage, Pakistan continued their unbeaten record over Sri Lanka as they beat them on the seventh consecutive occasion in the World Cup by 11 runs. Records were broken in the very next game as the legendary Sachin Tendulkar became the first batter to score five hundreds in the history of the tournament during Match 11 vs England.

Also Check: Most Centuries in ODI World Cup History

However, there was more drama to follow as the two teams ended up playing just the fourth tied game in the history of the World Cup in Bengaluru. 

Kemar Roach and Lasith Malinga scalp hat-tricks

Bowlers also had their fair share of moments as Kemar Roach picked the sixth hat-trick in the tournament’s history against the Netherlands in Match 13. Lasith Malinga also emulated the feat in the very next game vs Kenya in Colombo which was also his second hat trick in the World Cup.

Also Check: List of Hat-tricks in World Cup History

Pakistan were given a mini scare by Canada as they were bundled out for just 184 during Match 17 but Shahid Afridi helped his side win by 46 runs courtesy of his five-wicket haul.

England and South Africa locked horns in another thrilling encounter during Match 21 in Chennai. Batting first England were bundled out for 171 in 45.4 overs. In reply, Stuart Broad inspired his team to a six-run victory with his four-wicket haul.

Yuvraj Singh achieves historic feat vs Ireland

Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh announced himself in the tournament as he entered the record books vs Ireland. The southpaw became the first player to pick a five-wicket haul and score a fifty in a World Cup match. His record-setting performance led to him winning the first of his four Player of the Match awards of the edition.

During Match 24, Ross Taylor unleashed his beast mode on Pakistan as he made full use of the drop chances provided to him on his birthday. The Kiwi batter scored a breathtaking 63* off his last 19 balls and remained unbeaten on 131* (124). As a result, New Zealand won the match by a massive margin of 110 runs and Taylor was awarded Player of the Match.

The Kevin O' Brien Show

England’s campaign was further hit by Kevin O’Brien who singlehandedly scripted one of the greatest upsets in the tournament scoring the fastest-ever hundred in World Cup history in just 50 balls. England’s tournament kept on going towards a downward slope as they were further stunned by Bangladesh in Chattogram. The co-hosts were reeling at 169/8 chasing 226 runs to win. Mahmudullah (21*) and Shafiul Islam (24*) stitched an unbeaten 58-run stand to take their side home further denting England’s campaign.

Also Check: Fastest Centuries in ODI World Cup History

India were handed their first defeat of the tournament by South Africa as Robin Peterson smacked 13 runs against Ashish Nehra in the last over in Nagpur. After the end of the group stage, the action moved to the knockouts as eight teams qualified for the quarterfinals. Pakistan rolled over West Indies by ten wickets in the first game while India edged past Australia by six wickets in the second one courtesy of another Yuvraj Singh masterclass.

New Zealand stun South Africa in Quarter finals

New Zealand stunned South Africa in the third game knocking them out of the tournament with a defeat by 49 runs. As a result, South Africa’s barren run in World Cup knockouts continued. In the fourth quarter-final, Sri Lanka asserted their dominance over England chasing down 230 without any loss with more than ten overs to spare.

The Kumar Sangakkara-led side further won the semi-final vs New Zealand and sealed their spot in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. On the other hand, India locked horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the second semi-final which turned out to be the biggest game of the event attended by the prime ministers of both countries.

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

India make it 5-0 vs Pakistan

The match lived up to its reputation as India managed to beat Pakistan for the fifth consecutive time in the World Cup by 30 runs and qualified for the final for the third time in their World Cup history. The enthralling affair also had its fair share of controversies as Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar was adjudged lbw against Saeed Ajmal by umpire Ian Gould during the 11^th over of the first innings. However, upon referring the decision, it was found that the ball was missing the leg stump, much to the surprise of everyone. 

Hawk Eye Innovations, the company which provided the ball tracking technology during World Cup 2011, also issued a statement amid the controversy clarifying that the decision was correctly made.

The big final featured hosts India and Sri Lanka taking on each other at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The deafening roar from the crowd present in the stadium led to the toss being done twice as the match referee couldn’t hear Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara’s call.

Also Check: ODI Cricket World Cup All-Time Records

'Dhoni finishes it off in style'

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first with Mahela Jayawardene rescuing his team’s innings with a magnificent hundred (103* off 88). He also became the first player to score a hundred in both the semi-final and final of the World Cup. In reply, India were reeling at 114/3 after openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar returned to the pavilion cheaply.

Captain MS Dhoni walked out to the middle ahead of in form Yuvraj Singh and played one of the greatest captain’s knocks in World Cup history. Dhoni (91* off 79) and Gautam Gambhir (97 off 122) ended India’s 28-year drought for a World Cup trophy and became the first nation to win the tournament on home soil.

Dhoni took the Player of the Match award home after finally ending his dry run in the tournament while Yuvraj Singh was awarded Player of the Tournament for picking 15 wickets and scoring 362 runs in the tournament.

Tillakaratne Dilshan finished as the highest run scorer with 500 runs to his name from nine innings at an average of 62.50. On the other hand, Shahid Afridi and Zaheer Khan topped the bowling charts with 21 wickets each to their names.