The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth version of the 50-over pinnacle match held within the West Indies from March 13 to April 28, 2007. There have been 51 matches contested, 3 fewer than on the 2003 World Cup, regardless of the participation of two extra groups.

Australia defeated Sri Lanka within the World Cup closing to earn their third straight title and fourth general. So, let’s see how the 2007 World Cup, full of upsets and stunning moments, progressed.

The Construct-Up

Format

The group stage matches started on March 13 and ended on March 25. In complete, 24 matches have been contested within the group stage.

The highest 2 groups from every group superior to the “Tremendous 8” stage, which employed a league format as nicely. Every staff carried its factors in opposition to the opposite qualifying staff from its preliminary stage group ahead and performed every of the opposite 7 qualifying groups as soon as.

The highest 4 groups within the Tremendous 8 superior to the semifinals. This was the knockout stage of the competitors, with the No. 1 staff dealing with the No. 4 staff and the No. 2 staff dealing with the No. 3 staff. Within the closing, the winners of the two semi-finals confronted off in opposition to one another.

Venues

A complete of 8 venues throughout the Caribbean nations hosted the 51 World Cup matches. Sabina Park in Jamaica and Beausejour Stadium in Saint Lucia held the two semifinals, whereas Kensington Oval in Barbados hosted the ultimate of the match.

Groups

The 2007 version noticed 16 groups qualify for the match, essentially the most in any Cricket World Cup version. This contains the ICC’s 10 full members, whereas the opposite 6 groups have been decided by means of the 2005 ICC Trophy.

Groups that participated within the 2007 Cricket World Cup:

• Australia
• England 
• India 
• New Zealand 
• Pakistan
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• West Indies
• Zimbabwe
• Bangladesh
• Kenya
• Eire
• Canada
• Netherlands
• Scotland
• Bermuda

Favourites

The previous champions, Australia and India, have been the favourites for this World Cup.

2007 World Cup Group Matches

Match 1: March 13 | West Indies vs Pakistan

The match hosts, the West Indies, took on Pakistan within the opening match. Pakistan elected to discipline first and restricted the Windies on 214/9. Dwayne Smith’s all-round efficiency with the bat (32 off 15) and ball (3/36) proved to be essential to the Windies beating Pakistan by 54 runs.

Match 2: March 14 | Australia vs Scotland

After being requested to bat first, Australia went on to attain an enormous complete of 334 runs in 50 overs, largely due to captain Ricky Ponting’s 113 runs off 93 balls. Then the Australian bowling assault ripped aside the Scottish batters, and Australia received by 203 runs.

Match 3: March 14 | Canada vs Kenya

Kenya determined to discipline first and bowled out Canada for 199 runs, with Steve Tikolo starring with the ball (2/34) for Kenya. Then Tikolo confirmed his excellence with the bat (72*) and helped his facet win by 7 wickets.

Match 4: March 15 | Bermuda vs Sri Lanka

Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 321/6 on the scoreboard in 50 overs. Later, Farveez Maharoof (4/23), Lasith Malinga (3/10), and Muthiah Muralidaran (2/28) troubled Bermuda with the ball, bowling them out for 78 runs and Sri Lanka received by 243 runs

Match 5: March 15 | Eire vs Zimbabwe

In a intently contested recreation, Eire reached an honest complete of 115 runs, due to Jeremy Bray (115), who carried his bat all through the innings. In response, Zimbabwe by some means managed to finish the match in an exciting tie regardless of dropping wickets on the finish.

Match 6: March 16 | England vs New Zealand

New Zealand elected to bowl first and restricted England to 209/7. In reply, the Kiwis misplaced 3 wickets beneath 20 runs; nonetheless, Scott Styris (87*) and Jacob Oram (63*) took New Zealand over the road with 6 wickets in hand.

Match 7: March 16 | Netherlands vs South Africa

After dropping AB de Villiers on a duck, 4 South African batters went on a whole rampage, with Jacques Kallis scoring an unbeaten 128, Graeme Smith’s 67, Herschelle Gibbs’ 72, and Mark Boucher’s quickfire 75 off 31 balls. South Africa posted 353/3 in a truncated recreation that noticed each groups play 40 overs every. Later, the Netherlands’ batters have been no problem to the South African bowlers and have been restricted to 132/9, leading to South Africa profitable by 221 runs.

Match 8: March 17 | Bangladesh vs India

In a shock outing for India, Bangladesh bowled them for a mere 191 runs, with Mashrafe Mortaza selecting up 4 wickets. In response, 3 half-centuries from Bangladeshi batters helped them chase down the goal with 5 wickets in hand. This defeat proved expensive for India, as they later exited the 2007 World Cup within the group stage.

Match 9: March 17 | Eire vs Pakistan

March 17 noticed one other upset, this time involving Pakistan and Eire. Eire determined to bowl first and bowled out the Pakistani facet for a paltry 132 runs. Then, Niall O’Brien (72) took Eire over the ropes with 3 wickets to spare.

Additionally Learn | 10 Best Upsets in ODI Cricket Historical past

Match 10: March 18 | Australia vs Netherlands

After electing to bat first, Australia went on to put up an enormous complete of 358 runs in 50 overs, due to Brad Hodge’s 123 off 89 balls. Then Brad Hogg spun his net across the Dutch batters, selecting up 4 wickets, and serving to Australia register a powerful victory by 229 runs.

Match 11: March 18 | Canada vs England

Sunil Dhaniram’s 3 wickets stopped England from posting an enormous complete on the scoreboard. England managed to attain 279/6 in 50 overs, with each batter contributing essential runs. In response, Canada misplaced a few wickets early and was restricted to 228/7, and England received by 51 runs.

Match 12: March 19 | Bermuda vs India

Batting first, India posted (413/5) its highest complete in World Cup historical past in opposition to Bermuda and registered its solely win on this version. In response to India’s goal of 414, Bermuda was skittled out for 156 runs, leading to India profitable the match by 257 runs.

Match 13: March 19 | West Indies vs Zimbabwe

Regardless of dropping 2 wickets early on, Zimbabwe managed to attain 202 runs in 50 overs. Nevertheless, the goal wasn’t large enough for the Windies, and so they received by 6 wickets.

Match 14: March 20 | Kenya vs New Zealand

Kenya elected to bowl first; nonetheless, they have been thrashed by New Zealand batters, and so they went on to attain 331 runs. Barring a number of batting performances, Kenyan batters didn’t put up a combat and misplaced the match by 148 runs.

Match 15: March 20 | Scotland vs South Africa

South African bowlers restricted Scotland to 186/8 owing to their disciplined bowling assault. Later, Graeme Smith led from the entrance, scoring 91 runs and serving to South Africa win by 7 wickets.

Match 16: March 21 | Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka

Using on Sanath Jayasuriya’s 109 runs off 87 balls, Sri Lanka posted 318 runs on the board. Later, Sri Lanka’s bowling assault led by Lasith Malinga (3/27) skittled the Bangladeshi facet for 112 runs, and Sri Lanka received by 198 runs.

Match 17: March 21 | Pakistan vs Zimbabwe

After being requested to bat first, Pakistan went on to attain an enormous complete of 349 runs, due to Imran Nazir’s 160 runs off 121 balls. Throughout Zimbabwe’s chase, rain interrupted the sport, and the overs have been decreased to twenty and the goal was revised to 192. Then Pakistan’s bowling assault bundled the Zimbabwean batting lineup on 99 runs, and so they received the match by 93 runs.

Match 18: March 22 | Canada vs New Zealand

Lou Vincent’s 101 took New Zealand’s complete to 363 runs in 50 overs. In response, Canada began off nicely, with the highest order contributing essential runs. Nevertheless, as soon as the highest order returned to the pavilion, they discovered it exhausting to chase the goal, finally dropping the sport by 114 runs.

Match 19: March 22 | Netherlands vs Scotland

In a conflict between two European sides, the Netherlands had the higher hand over Scotland. After being invited to bat first, Scotland managed to attain 136 runs earlier than being bowled out. The chase was relatively straightforward for the Netherlands, as they received with 8 wickets in hand.

Match 20: March 23 | India vs Sri Lanka

In one other stunning match for India, Sri Lanka defeated their neighbours by 69 runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a combating complete of 254 runs on the board. In response, solely Virender Sehwag (48) and captain Rahul Dravid (60) put up a combat earlier than being bowled out for 185 runs.

Match 21: March 23 | West Indies vs Eire

The match was decreased to 48 overs per facet, and Eire managed to attain 183/8. Later, Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s unbeaten knock of 102 enabled the Windies to chase the goal with 8 wickets in hand.

Match 22: March 24 | Australia vs South Africa

Matthew Hayden’s quickfire 101 off 68 balls took Australia’s complete to 377 runs. Then Brad Hogg (3/61), together with Shaun Tait (2/61), grabbed essential wickets within the center, serving to Australia clinch the victory by 83 runs.

Match 23: March 24 | England vs Kenya

Other than captain Steve Tikolo (76), no batter from Kenya put up a combat, and so they managed to attain 177 in a 43-over per-side recreation. In response, England confronted no main problem and received the match by 7 wickets.

Match 24: March 25 | Bangladesh vs. Bermuda

The match began with 41 overs per facet; nonetheless, a number of rain disruptions in Bermuda’s innings additional decreased the sport to 21 overs. Barmuda managed to put up solely 94 runs, and Bangladesh chased it down with 7 wickets to spare.

Tremendous Eight

Match 25: March 27 | West Indies vs Australia

Matthew Hayden (158) went berserk in opposition to the Windies’ bowling assault, serving to Australia attain an enormous complete of 322/6. Later, Glenn McGrath (3/31) and Brad Hogg (3/56) strangled the Windies’ batting lineup to 219 runs, and Australia received by 103 runs.

Match 26: March 28 | South Africa vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s high order struggled in entrance of South Africa; nonetheless, Tillakaratne Dilshan (58) and Russel Arnold (50) guided Sri Lanka to 209 runs. In response, Sri Lanka didn’t let South Africa chase the goal simply, as Lasith Malinga picked up 4 wickets in 4 balls when the proteas have been 4 runs shy of the goal. In the long run, nonetheless, South Africa prevailed over Sri Lanka with 1 wicket in hand.

Match 27: March 29 | West Indies vs New Zealand

Jacob Oram, Shane Bond, and Daniel Vettori picked up 3 wickets every and skittled the Windies on 177 runs. In reply, New Zealand misplaced its first wicket on the second ball; nonetheless, that didn’t cease them from chasing the goal within the fortieth over with 7 wickets to spare.

Match 28: March 30 | England vs Eire

Paul Collingwood’s 92 helped England put up a complete of 266 runs on the board. Later, Andrew Flintoff (4/43) put a dent in Eire’s chase, and England bowled them out for 218 runs, profitable the sport by 48 runs.

Match 29: March 31 | Australia vs Bangladesh

The match was decreased to 22 overs, and Bangladesh, batting first, managed 104/6. In response, Australia registered a cushty win with 10 wickets in hand.

Match 30: April 1 | West Indies vs Sri Lanka

Using on the again of Sanath Jayasuriya’s 115 and captain Mahela Jayawardene’s essential 82 runs, Sri Lanka posted 303 runs. Sanath Jayasuriya then confirmed his all-round ability with the ball, scalping 3 wickets, which resulted in Sri Lanka profitable by 113 runs.

Match 31: April 2 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand

New Zealand bowled out the Bangladeshi facet for a mere 174 runs. Later, captain Stephen Fleming’s unbeaten 102 made the chase straightforward for the Kiwis, and so they registered a commanding win by 9 wickets.

Match 32: April 3 | Eire vs South Africa

Batting first, Eire managed to attain 152/8 in 35 overs. In response, South Africa chased down the goal within the thirty second over, due to Jacques Kallis’ 66* runs, and received the match by 7 wickets.

Match 33: April 4 | England vs Sri Lanka

In an exciting match, Sri Lanka managed to attain 235 runs in 50 overs. In response, England got here near the goal however fell quick by 2 runs.

Match 34: April 7 | Bangladesh vs South Africa

Bangladesh sprung one other shock within the match by defeating South Africa by 67 runs. Batting first, Bangladesh posted a combating complete of 251 runs on the board. In defence, Abdur Razzak (3/25), Syed Rasel (2/41), and Shakib Al Hasan (2/49) delivered a memorable bowling efficiency and bowled out South Africa for 184 runs.

Match 35: April 8 | Australia vs England

Regardless of Kevin Pietersen’s 104 runs, England managed to put up 247 runs. Whereas chasing, Australia didn’t face many points, and so they received by 7 wickets.

Match 36: April 9 | Eire vs New Zealand

After electing to bat first, New Zealand scored a complete of 263 runs in 50 overs. In response, Irish batters have been no problem to New Zealand’s bowling assault, and the Kiwis received by 129 runs.

Match 37: April 10 | West Indies vs South Africa

AB de Villiers’ 146 runs took South Africa to a difficult complete of 356 runs. In response, the Windies might solely attain 289 runs, dropping the sport by 67 runs.

Match 38: April 11 | Bangladesh vs England

Other than Shakib Al Hasan (57), different Bangladeshi batters failed to carry their floor in opposition to England. Later, Bangladeshi bowlers challenged England of their chase, however England received by 4 wickets.

Match 39: April 12 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka

Batting first, New Zealand managed to attain 219 runs, due to a serious contribution from Scott Styris (111*). The chase was simpler for Sri Lanka as they registered a victory by 6 wickets.

Match 40: April 13 | Australia vs Eire

The highly effective Australia bowling assault destroyed the Irish batting line-up and bowled them out for a meagre 91 runs. In response, Australia chased down the goal in 13 overs and received by 9 wickets.

Match 41: April 14 | New Zealand vs South Africa

Batting first, South Africa managed to attain 193 runs. In reply, New Zealand chased down the goal with 5 wickets in hand.

Match 42: April 15 | Bangladesh vs Eire

William Porterfield’s 85 helped Eire put 243 runs on the scoreboard. Later, a disciplined Irish bowling assault skittled Bangladesh for 169 runs.

Match 43: April 16 | Australia vs Sri Lanka

Batting first, Sri Lanka managed to attain 226 runs. In response, Australia registered a compelling win by 7 wickets.

Match 44: April 17 | England vs South Africa

South Africa bowled out the England facet cheaply for 154 runs. Then the Proteas chased down the goal with ease and received by 9 wickets.

Match 45: April 18 | Eire vs Sri Lanka

Eire slumped to 77 runs in entrance of the sturdy Sri Lankan bowling assault. Later, Sri Lanka chased down the goal in 10 overs, profitable the match with 8 wickets in hand.

Match 46: April 19 | West Indies vs Bangladesh

Batting first, the Windies managed to attain 230 runs, with Ramnaresh Sarwan (91*) top-scoring for them. In response, Bangladesh was bowled out for 131 runs, and the West Indies received by 99 runs.

Match 47: April 20 | Australia vs New Zealand

Using on the again of Matthew Hayden’s 103 runs and a few essential performances from different batters, Australia posted an enormous complete of 348 runs. Later, Brad Hogg’s (4/29) bowling efficiency ensured Australia restricted the Kiwis to 133 runs and received by 215 runs.

Match 48: April 21 | West Indies vs England

In an exciting recreation between bat and ball, the Windies managed to attain 300 runs. In response, Kevin Pietersen’s 100 runs made certain that England chased down the goal with 1 wicket to spare.

Knockout Stage

1st Semi-Last: April 24 | New Zealand vs Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka confronted New Zealand in Kingston, and captain Mahela Jayawardena led from the entrance with a 115-run efficiency. Upul Tharanga additionally scored 73 runs, as Sri Lanka completed with a complete of 289/5. Muttiah Muralitharan (4/31) then spun webs round New Zealand’s batsmen, dismissing them for 208.

2nd Semi-Last: April 25 | Australia vs South Africa

Shaun Tait’s pace shook South Africa, taking 4/39 to assist bowl them out for 149. Glenn McGrath additionally contributed considerably, returning 3/18. Michael Clarke then struck 60* to steer Australia to a 7-wicket victory.

Last: April 28 | Australia vs Sri Lanka

Ricky Ponting, Australia’s captain, received the toss and selected to bat. Nevertheless, because of the unhealthy climate, the beginning of play was delayed, and the match was decreased to 38 overs for both sides. Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist scored 149 runs, the best rating by any batsman in a World Cup closing, to present Australia a commanding complete of 281/4 on the finish of the innings.

The sport was alive as Sri Lankan batters Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya added 116 for the second wicket, however after the pair have been dismissed, Sri Lanka’s prospects step by step light. Rain compelled Sri Lanka’s innings to be reduce quick to 36 overs, and the goal was revised to 269.

The sport was suspended owing to poor lighting on the finish of the thirty third over, with Sri Lanka nonetheless trailing the amended Duckworth-Lewis goal by 37 runs. Whereas Australia’s gamers started to have fun their triumph (for the reason that minimal of 20 overs had been accomplished), the umpires indicated wrongly that as a result of the match had been delayed as a consequence of mild and never rain, the ultimate three overs must be bowled the subsequent day.

With Sri Lanka requiring 61 runs from 18 deliveries, skipper Mahela Jayawardene determined there was no have to return the subsequent day and urged his staff to renew batting; Ponting consented to play simply spin bowlers.

The ultimate 3 overs have been performed in almost full darkness, throughout which Sri Lanka added solely 9 runs, giving Australia a victory by 53 runs. The umpires later acknowledged their blunder, claiming that Australia ought to have received by 37 runs at that time.

Particular Moments within the World Cup of 2007

Undefeated Australians

Australia received the occasion undefeated, extending their unbeaten streak in World Cup matches to 29. Australia received its fourth World Cup title and appeared within the sixth closing of the World Cup.

Additionally Learn | High 10: Groups with Most Matches Wins in ODI World Cup

The First World Cup Last to be a Repeat

Australia and Sri Lanka had beforehand performed within the 1996 World Cup closing, which Sri Lanka received. Apart from that loss, Australia had received each World Cup match in opposition to Sri Lanka.

Event Favourites Upset

Pre-tournament favourites India and Pakistan didn’t advance previous the group stage, whereas Bangladesh, the second-lowest ranked ICC Full Member on the time, and World Cup debutant Eire, which was an ICC Affiliate Member on the time, superior to the “Tremendous 8,” defeating India and Pakistan, respectively. Eire turned the second affiliate nation to advance by means of the primary spherical of a Cricket World Cup, following Kenya in 2003.

Dying of Pakistan’s Coach Bob Woolmer

Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found useless on March 18, 2007, in the future after his staff’s defeat to Eire, which eradicated them from rivalry for the World Cup. The subsequent day, authorities declared the loss of life suspicious and launched an inquiry.

Additional investigation discovered that the reason for loss of life was “handbook strangulation”, and that the case could be handled as a homicide. Following a protracted investigation, Jamaican police retracted their claims that he was killed and concluded that he died of pure causes. An open verdict was returned in November 2007.

Criticism

The umpires wrongly argued that the sport had simply been suspended and never concluded on the finals and that 3 overs remained to be performed; subsequently, Sri Lanka batted out the final 3 overs following a gentleman’s settlement between the 2 leaders. Each the umpires and the ICC expressed remorse for the pointless state of affairs, calling it a easy error introduced on by the stress of the scenario.

The ICC confirmed in June 2007 that the officers concerned — onfield umpires Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar, reserve umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden, and match referee Jeff Crowe — could be suspended from the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship.

Last Ideas

The 2007 Cricket World Cup was a big affair for cricket fans. Within the West Indies, groups from all around the world performed in a joyful and thrilling match. Regardless of quite a few points, comparable to conflicts and challenges, the competitors had lovely moments and entertaining video games.

Australia received the occasion, demonstrating their dominance in cricket. The 2007 Cricket World Cup can be remembered for bringing cricket followers from all all over the world collectively and demonstrating why the game is so fantastic.