Rising to the challenge: Five cricketers who gave top performances in World Cup final
Apart from being consistent or scoring heaps of runs for their teams, the main attribute of a great cricketer is his/her ability to take charge when the team is in trouble and help them become World beaters. The game of cricket has witnessed a handful of players who never disappointed and made sure to score runs for their teams on big occasions. Here is the list of 5 big-match players who rose to the occasion.
Gautam Gambhir
Any Indian fan can vouch for the fact that Gautam Gambhir was a true team man and his presence in the playing XI helped India in achieving the unattainable. Though Gambhir played many crucial knocks throughout his glorious international career, he will be remembered for ages for helping India become World Champions twice, in 2007 and 2011. The final of the 2007 T20 World Cup saw Gautam saving his side from a collapse by smashing 75 runs off 54 deliveries while in the 2011 World Cup final he smashed 97 runs in a steep chase.
Adam Gilchrist
One of the all-time greats in the gentleman’s game, Adam Gilchrist was a man for tough situations. The Australian batsman was wrecker-in-chief for Australia during the 2007 ICC World Cup as he registered the highest individual score in a World Cup final. Adam hammered 149 off just 104 balls to help Australia defend their title of World Champions and beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs.
Ricky Ponting
One of the most celebrated batsmen and captains of modern-times, Ricky Ponting is hailed as a true team leader having helped Australia a number of times to rise out of the dead and clinch the games. The one performance that he will always be remembered for is his man-of-the-match performance in the 2003 World Cup final in South Africa. He hit a swashbuckling unbeaten 140 runs as Australia beat India by 125 runs to lift the coveted World Cup.
Ben Stokes
England’s Ben Stokes belongs to that rare breed of cricketers whose greatness can’t be measured by mere stats. He is an impact player and had produced a plethora of match-defining knocks in his career thus far. He was the main man behind England lifting their maiden World Cup title in 2019 as he smashed unbeaten 84 in the final when the host team was reduced 86/4 while chasing 242 posted by New Zealand.
Marlon Samuels
All-rounder Marlon Samuels couldn’t make it big on the big stage as his career was marred with off-field controversies but he was a natural stroke player who gave reason to West Indies to dominate the T20 format for a large part of 2010s. Samuels blasted England’s bowling attack in 2016 T20 World Cup as he racked up a score of not out 84 off 66 balls in the final. The batsman was also a hero of the 2012 T20 World Cup final for his knock of 78 runs off 35 deliveries against Sri Lanka.
