India... Kik On !

When India began its ICC Cricket World Cup campaign, it didn't start as the favourite. But after its fifth win on the trot on Tuesday (March 10), the latest by eight wickets at Seddon Park in Hamilton, it’s hard to look at this team with anything but awe.

While Ireland tried its darnedest, India did not allow it to play better cricket than it did. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who have given India good starts through the four games the team has played in the ICC Cricket World Cup so far – all in Australia – did not adjust their lengths quickly enough after Ireland opted to bat first. Hitting the deck hard, just back of a length worked like a charm on the harder surfaces of Australia, but here the ball came through at the perfect pace to be clattered out of the park.

Paul Stirling and William Porterfield were more than happy to capitalise, and took their team to 60 for no loss after the ten Power Play overs. Ireland became the only team to go wicketless twice in the Power Play, a testament to how well the openers have approached their batting in this tournament.

With the fastest bowlers in the team not quite hitting their straps, Plan A was quickly torn up by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mohit Sharma was brought into the attack early, in just the fifth over. Mohit bowled a much better length, and when the spin of Ravindra Jadeja was pressed into service in the tenth over, India regained control.

R Ashwin, varying his pace, giving the ball air whenever possible, and using the width of the crease to ensure batsmen had difficulty getting the ball away, got the first breakthrough. With an empty canvas in front of him, Ashwin painted a pretty picture using the deftest of brush strokes. Stirling (42) tried to lift the ball over long-off, but Ashwin had shortened his length just enough to force the chip and the ball sailed straight into the hands of Ajinkya Rahane on the ropes.

Ed Joyce, Ireland’s star batsman, shaped to cut a ball from Suresh Raina that was neither short enough nor wide enough for the stroke, and was defeated by the angle, the ball clattering into the stumps.

Porterfield was joined by the capable Niall O’Brien, and the two rebuilt with alacrity. It was only when Porterfield (67) tried to force the pace, coming down the pitch to attempt to fetch a ball from outside off and hit it over leg, that the stand was broken. Mohit’s quick delivery speared off the leading edge and was simply caught.

Where Porterfield left off, Niall O’Brien took over. After reaching a well constructed half-century, he attacked. Coming down the pitch and pulling strongly in front of square, and driving back down the ground, the runs began to flow more freely. At the other end, though, things were not quite as rosy. Andrew Balbirnie, Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson fell in the span of 16 runs and Ireland’s innings had lost puff just when it was time to floor the accelerator.

With a century there for the taking Niall O’Brien (75) fell, shimmying down the pitch and hitting straight to Umesh at backward square-leg. The rash of wickets in the back end of the innings left Ireland on 259, and it would feel it was some distance short of a challenging total on a batting-friendly surface.

Ireland’s bowlers created two chances early on, John Mooney failing to accept a return catch with Shikhar Dhawan on just 5, and Porterfield not managing to latch on to an energetic slash, at backward point, with the same batsman having added five more to his tally.

Rohit Sharma played the more pleasing shots, lofting cutely over long-off with ease, pulling lazily in front of and behind square, but it was Dhawan, making the most of his reprieves, who powered the 174-run opening stand. Rohit (64) dragged one back on, and it was Virat Kohli at the crease when Dhawan worked a full ball off his toes to bring up his second hundred of the tournament, off only 84 balls.

Kohli was masterful and muscular from the moment he arrived at the crease, the meat of his bat finding the ball every time he popped the clutch and let loose his bat. Dhawan departed on an even 100 and Kohli helped himself to 44, and Ajinkya Rahane to 33, as India romped home with eight wickets and 13.1 overs to spare.

Which Teams will Qualify for the Quarter Finals -2015 CWC ?

RESULTS & STANDINGS-2015 CWC (09/03/2015)

MAHMUDULLAH, RUBEL SEAL BANGLADESH WIN

Team secures place in knockouts with thrilling 15-run victory over England after posting 275/7

Rubel Hossain. The toast of Bangladesh, the hero of a stunning conquest of England. Two wickets in three deliveries in a tense finish, sealing a memorable 15-run win that secured Bangladesh’s place in the quarterfinal of the World Cup and consigned England to early elimination.

On March 9 (Monday) at the Adelaide Oval, there was no full house, but there was no lack of atmosphere as nearly 12,000 fans were treated to wonderful entertainment in a match of yo-yoing fortunes.

Bangladesh sensed an opportunity to make it to the knockout stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the first ever time. England, battling to stay alive in the competition, would just not go away. In the end, a maiden century by Mahmudullah – also the first by a Bangladeshi in World Cups – and his record 141-run fifth-wicket stand with Mushfiqur Rahim counted for as much as Rubel’s 4 for 53.

Bangladesh’s 275 for 7 upon being put in seemed sufficient at various stages, but England, 132 for 5 and 238 for 8, somehow dug deep to stay in the hunt till the very end. That end came when Rubel cleaned up Stuart Broad and James Anderson in the space of three deliveries in the penultimate over as England was bowled out for 260, triggering scenes of jubilation in the middle and in the stands. Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes took England to the brink with a counter-attacking stand of 75 for the seventh, but Bangladesh prevailed.

Earlier, England put together stands of 43 and 54 for the first two wickets with Ian Bell the constant. Alex Hales, drafted in ahead of Gary Ballance, showed intent, but when Bell was cleaned up by a Rubel beauty, England suffered a wobble.

Eoin Morgan fell in the same over, expertly caught on the pull by Shakib Al Hasan, and James Taylor too fell, so that England lost 3 for 11 in 22 deliveries. At 132 for 5 in the 30th, their hopes rested with Joe Root and Buttler; Root didn’t deliver, but Buttler served up a sumptuous meal, an innings that was riveting from ball one.

In Woakes he found the ideal ally. With Mashrafe Mortaza having bowled himself out by the 40th over in the quest for wickets, Bangladesh was a little handicapped at the death. England needed 95 in the last 10; with Woakes matching his more accomplished colleague almost stroke for regal stroke and the duo electric between the wickets, the target began to appear less and less daunting.

But the twists and turns just continued to flow freely. Having done all the hard work, Buttler wafted at Taskin with victory 38 runs away, and Chris Jordan was adjudged run out first ball, the third umpire deeming that the bat had bounced up in the air as he tried to regain his ground and Shakib scored a direct hit.

In all the tension, Tamim Iqbal put down Woakes at long-on with 20 required, but it didn’t matter. Rubel was there to apply the finishing touches, Bangladesh primed now for a March 19 date with India at the MCG.

The obvious stars of the Bangladesh batting were Mahmudullah and Rahim, married to sisters, but no less crucial was the role of Soumya Sarkar, the young left-hand batsman. Sarkar unveiled the early flourish alongside a solid, stolid Mahmudullah to repel England, who threatened to run away with the game through Anderson.

Relishing the pitch having sweated under the covers – it drizzled at various stages through the morning though by the toss the clouds had lost the battle to the sun – Anderson looked like the master swing bowler that he is. Feasting on the hesitancy of Tamim and Imrul Kayes, Anderson elicited outside edges from both openers into the slip cordon so that inside the first 13 deliveries of the match, Bangladesh had slipped to 8 for 2.

Another wicket at that stage would have left Bangladesh in serious strife. England, charged up, came hard, but Sarkar and Mahmudullah remained unruffled. As the pitch settled down, Sarkar stood up tall and hit crisply through the off side off front foot and back during a stabilising stand of 86 in which the more experienced Mahmudullah was content to play within himself.

Against the run of play, Jordan produced a sharp lifter that saw off Sarkar, and for the second time in the innings, Bangladesh lost two in quick succession when Moeen Ali accounted for the big fish. Shakib walked out to huge cheers from a decidedly pro-Bangladesh crowd, but lasted only six deliveries, leaving his team at 99 for 4.

The first objective of the fifth-wicket pair, with nearly 30 overs remaining, was to ensure that there was no further immediate damage. That was accomplished with no little success. Apart from the occasional meaty blow, Mahmudullah was again content working the gaps, leaving Rahim to take on the role of the enforcer.

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The pair was fully in command and rattled the English players. Mahmudullah eventually fell after his century in the only likely way, run out as tiredness caught up with him, but by then he had showcased the adhesiveness that allowed Rahim to take on an attacking role. Rahim continued to bat with impunity before becoming Stuart Broad’s first victim since England’s opening game against Australia. But by then, he had done his bit.

BANGLADESH VS ENGLAND -MATCH 33- ADELAIDE

A win for Bangladesh would take side into quarter-finals, but England would hope to keep its World Cup campaign alive

Almost four years to the day, driven by its unbelievably passionate fans, Bangladesh conjured a magnificent win against England in Chittagong. It wasn’t, however, enough to power victorious Bangladesh to the quarter-finals or scupper England’s chances of progressing to the knockout stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

A repeat of that result on Monday (March 9) at the Adelaide Oval will have the exact opposite impact – Bangladesh will secure its last-eight berth, England will fly home after it complete the formalities in its last encounter against Afghanistan.

A fair bit, therefore, hinges on the outcome of this contest, a virtual pre-quarterfinal even though this is not the last group game for either side. Theoretically, Bangladesh can afford a defeat and still go through if it wins its last league fixture, but its final game is against New Zealand, Pool A toppers and playing out of its skins since the start of the tournament.

When Eoin Morgan was announced as England's captain ahead of the World Cup, expectations were high. Under Morgan, England began brightly in the triangular series in Australia in mid-January, getting to the final at the expense of India, but its World Cup campaign hasn't gone according to plan.

A defeat at the hands of Australia at the MCG was followed by losses to New Zealand and then Sri Lanka. In the previous game, Joe Root, England's most consistent batsmen, hauled the side to 309 for 6 but Sri Lanka hunted that total down with ease, for the loss of just one wicket with nearly three overs to spare.

England's main worry is that James Anderson and Stuart Broad, its most experienced and incisive pace bowlers, have looked off colour. Anderson has taken 2 for 182 from 29 overs, Broad 2 for 184 from 29.2; both have gone at 6.27 runs an over and taken a wicket every 14-and-a-half overs. And though Steven Finn has taken eight wickets, he has conceded 6.89 runs per over. England may want to bring in James Tredwell, the offspinner, for his first game of the competition, ahead of Finn.

England may also want to re-think Gary Ballance's position at No. 3. Ballance has 36 runs from four hits, and could make way for Alex Hales.

Like England, Bangladesh too conceded 300-plus in its previous game, but hunted down Scotland’s 318 for 8 with clinical professionalism. The top order contributed handsomely, and at no stage did it look out of the game. Thus far, Bangladesh has packed its batting and relied on the part-timers to fill in the fifth bowler’s quota. 

With Anamul Haque, the opener, out injured and his replacement Imrul Kayes having arrived in Adelaide just on Saturday, it would be tempted to bring in an additional spinner, or leave out a paceman for the extra tweaker. That could be either Taijul Islam, the only man to take a hat-trick on ODI debut, or Arafat Sunny; both are left-arm spinners but bring different skills to the table. 

The drop-in pitch at the Adelaide Oval might not necessarily be an ally, but if there is any purchase to be had or if the pace is slightly dodgy and the bounce a little uneven, Bangladesh could have the edge over England.

This is a massive game for Mashrafe Mortaza’s side. The skipper himself has recovered adequately from the calf strain that left him hobbling during the Scotland victory, and has a solid core group of seniors to fall back on, among them his predecessors – and successors – as captain, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Tamim Iqbal rediscovered run-scoring touch in time against Scotland, while Mahmudullah at No. 3 has proved to be an excellent move.

Bangladesh has done reasonably well – beating Afghanistan and Scotland, with the one loss to Sri Lanka. The equation for both teams is straightforward. If Bangladesh wins on Monday, and makes the quarter-finals, the reward most likely a date against India at the MCG on March 19. If England wins, it could boost its chances of securing a quarter-final berth.

AUSTRALIA FENDS OFF SPIRITED SRI LANKAN CHASE

For 25 overs with the ball and 40 overs with the bat, at a Sydney Cricket Ground that felt like Colombo, Sri Lanka gave Australia a real scare. Glenn Maxwell’s explosive hitting fetched him a 51-ball century and propelled Australia to 376 for 9, but with Kumar Sangakkara scoring a third successive hundred, buttressed by Tillakaratne Dilshan’s 62 and Dinesh Chandimal’s dazzling 22-ball half-century, Sri Lanka was in the game till the last ten overs. It eventually fell 64 short, as Australia ensured it would finish second in Pool A and entertain either Pakistan or Ireland in the Adelaide quarterfinal.

Before the tournament began, Maxwell had spoken of how much he disliked his ‘Big Show’ nickname. But, in front of a sizeable crowd, the slugger who has made the reverse-sweep mainstream put on an awesome exhibition that completely transformed the innings.

A miscue fell just out of Perera’s reach, and with Shane Watson now joining the six-hitting, Sri Lanka unravelled. Sangakkara ran back 20 yards to try and catch a top edge off Maxwell’s bat, but couldn’t hold on, and a couple of runs over the cover fielder took Maxwell to three figures, an innings that included ten fours and four sixes.

Watson, restored to the side after being dropped for the Afghanistan game, took just 30 balls for his half-century, and played a couple of gorgeous drives down the ground. Neither he (67 off 41 balls) nor Maxwell stayed to the end, but there was no respite for the beleaguered fielders as Brad Haddin thumped 25 from just nine balls.

It was a far cry from how the innings began. Malinga’s second ball had induced an edge from Aaron Finch, but Mahela Jayawardena at first slip couldn’t hold on to a very low chance to his right. Senanayake shared the new ball with him, and his fourth delivery went off Finch’s pad and glove. Sangakkara couldn’t hold on.

David Warner, one of the local heroes, made just nine, as Malinga followed a yorker with a slower ball that Warner could only push to cover. Prasanna, the leg-spinner, drafted in as replacement for the injured Dimuth Karunaratne, was on as early as the ninth over. Finch swept his second ball for four, but the fourth slid straight on as Finch (24 off 24 balls) charged. Sangakkara did the rest.

Smith took two fours from a Mathews over to prevent the innings from stalling, as Clarke started slowly. It took the captain 31 balls to hit his first four, a club to long-on off Perera. Smith accumulated runs mainly through cuts and drives, and a fine paddle sweep got him to 50 off 72 balls.

The acceleration began when Senanayake returned. Clarke thumped one over cover before reaching his half-century in 56 balls, and Smith sent one soaring over long-off. It was Malinga that returned to end the 134-run partnership. After driving a yorker for four, Clarke saw the next ball crash into middle and leg. He had made a run-a-ball 68.

Four balls later, Smith (72 off 88 balls) miscued one off Dilshan. Perera ran back from mid-off and took a stunning catch. At 177 for 4, Sri Lanka was right in the hunt. Unfortunately for the side, Maxwell had other ideas.

The pursuit of 377 began with an early setback, as Lahiru Thirimanne edged behind a Mitchell Johnson delivery that reared up at him. But after the first five overs produced just 18, Dilshan cut loose with six fours in a Johnson over.

Dilshan dusted off his scoop over the keeper, and with Sangakkara square-driving and cutting with panache, Sri Lanka ticked along at around the required rate. Clarke dropped a difficult chance running back from midwicket when Dilshan was on 47, and soon after, the crowd was on its feet to acclaim Sangakkara’s 14,000th ODI run – only the second man after Sachin Tendulkar to score as many.

He took 45 balls to reach his half-century, while Dilshan took three fewer. The partnership was worth 130 in just 119 balls when a James Faulkner slower ball flummoxed Dilshan.

With Faulkner bowling a tidy spell, the rate slowed, and at halfway, Sri Lanka was 150 for 2 and in need of a spurt. Sangakkara provided it with three fours in a Faulkner over. But the batting Power Play, which Sri Lanka took in the 30th over, gave Australia a grip on the game. First, Jayawardena, who added 53 in 57 balls with Sangakkara, was caught short by a direct hit from Clarke at mid-off, and then Sangakkara miscued Faulkner to deep cover.

Sri Lanka, however, refused to go quietly. Chandimal smacked eight fours and a six over midwicket. As many as 26 came off ten balls from Watson, as he swung merrily at everything. With Mathew also muscling a six over midwicket, the equation was down to 105 off the last ten overs.

Then, disaster. Chandimal appeared to injure his hamstring and had to go off. Moments later, Mathews top-edged a Watson bouncer behind. The Perera cameo lasted just three balls, as Sri Lanka, after a mighty effort, finally ran out of puff.

CWC 2015 Standings -08/03/2015

Bangladesh starts the match above Sri Lanka on the Pool A points table

Sri Lanka has reason to be happy at the prospect of taking on Bangladesh in Melbourne on Thursday (February 25). Having struggled to put in a convincing performance in two games so far at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, Sri Lanka needs a spark, the all-important big win, that can ignite its campaign. And which better team to face at such a time than one it has a 32-4 record against?

While the record is impressive, Sri Lanka will be wary. A look at the Pool A table suggests that Bangladesh has been the ‘better’ side. They are third, behind New Zealand and Australia, thanks largely to a 105-run win against Afghanistan and the washout against Australia in Brisbane, which earned it a point.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, was at the receiving end of New Zealand’s exuberance in the World Cup opener, losing by 98 runs. It then got more than a scare before eventually winning by four wickets against Afghanistan, with just ten balls remaining, thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardena’s century.

“What we need to learn is to dominate from ball one and stay in the game till the end,” said Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, on Wednesday.

For that to happen, Sri Lanka needs both batting and bowling to click in tandem. In its two games so far, that hasn’t happened. Against New Zealand, the bowlers gave away 331 runs and the batsmen managed just 233 in reply. In the next match, the less-experienced Afghan batsmen were restricted to 232, but Sri Lanka conceded 23 runs in extras, including 16 wides and a no-ball. The top order then crumbled and Sri Lanka was reduced to 18 for 3 before Jayawardena steadied the ship with Mathews, and Thisara Pererathen provided the finishing touches.

What was encouraging for Sri Lanka was that Lasith Malinga was finally amongst the wickets, having returned from ankle surgery for the World Cup. He nipped out the Afghanistan middle order to return 3 for 41, proof that his return to form and fitness is key for Sri Lanka’s plans.

“Lasith (Malinga) is working extremely hard at the nets,” said Mathews. “One has to be at the peak when the quarterfinals come, and he and the others are working towards that.”

Bangladesh, meanwhile, heads into the game on the back of an extended break. It didn’t have it tough against Afghanistan, its only real match of the tournament, and the 105-run win came on the back of starring performances from their big players – Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza.

Following the Cyclone Marcia-forced washout, it would, hopefully, have used the break to pinpoint the reasons for its poor record against Sri Lanka. In February last year, Sri Lanka blanked Bangladesh 3-0 in an ODI series in Bangladesh, winning each match quite comfortably. Then, in the Asia Cup clash that followed in Mirpur, Sri Lanka edged a three-wicket victory.

In the build up to this match, Bangladesh’s preparations were dealt a blow when Mushfiqur took a knock on his hand during training. However, he is expected to play come Thursday.

The team, however, isn’t reading too much into past records. “If we lost to Sri Lanka in the past it meant we did not play those games well, it's as simple as that,” said Mortaza, the captain. “If we do well there is no reason why we can't beat them.

“We have defeated Sri Lanka in recent times and can do so again if we play to our potential. We are familiar with their players, who have a lot of experience. But then it takes just one ball to get a batsman out. The important thing is to stick to our plans.”

Bangladesh suffered a bit of a distraction in the lead-up when Al-Amin Hossain, the paceman, was sent home after breaching team rules, and Shafiul Islam was named his replacement. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will be without Jeevan Mendis, the allrounder, for the rest of the campaign after he suffered a hamstring injury during training.

Bangladesh must be itching to stay where it is on the points table and Sri Lanka will be desperate to go past it. These are crucial clashes in terms of the quarter-final positions and with sterner tests to come, both teams know a win on Thursday is imperative.

Teams (from)

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews (capt), Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake.

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Anamul Haque, Arafat Sunny, Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tajiul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.

IRELAND STRETCHED BY UAE BEFORE WINNING THRILLER

Shaiman Anwar’s century goes in vain as Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien take their team to last-over win

Despite chasing down in excess of 300 against West Indies, Ireland discovered that cricket does not follow form sheets during its chase of 279 against United Arab Emirates in Brisbane in a Pool B game on Wednesday (February 25).

Ireland did, however, cling on to the dream to secure a two-wicket win in the last over, and pick up two more vital points. 

At the Australian fortress in Brisbane that cricket fans know simply as the Gabba, William Porterfield won the toss and put UAE in. Amjad Ali and Andri Berenger, all flailing arms and chancy shots in their last game, against Zimbabwe at the Saxton Oval in Nelson, were remarkably settled. They set risk aside and chose instead to build a base, getting to 49 before they were separated. 

But, if UAE hoped to make the most of a good start, it was in for another thing. Ireland introduced the off-spin of Paul Stirling early and it paid off. Stirling stuck to his task in an uninterrupted spell and ended with excellent figures of 10-0-27-2. On top of restricting the opposition, the wickets Stirling took, of Berenger and Krishna Chandran, the latter for a duck, ensured that UAE could not build any momentum whatsoever.

This changed when Khurram Khan strode out to the middle and took charge of proceedings. Fluent as they come, Khurram showed that neither the opposition attack nor the conditions were insurmountable. Nudging, nurdling, whipping and working the ball away, Khurram looked good for a big one when he fell, against the run of play, given out lbw to the left-arm spin of George Dockrell when he had shimmied down the pitch. 

At 125 for 5, UAE was probably looking at a middling score. But Shaiman Anwar, who had showed the utmost urgency in his innings against Zimbabwe, had other ideas. Anwar, fidgety at the crease and not boasting the greatest of records – he came into the World Cup with only 196 runs from eight innings – showed once again how far a fearless attitude can take you. 

Adding 107 runs in only 11.5 overs with Amjad Javed, a record seventh-wicket stand for the World Cup, Shaiman turned the game into a scrap. Muscling his way to 106, off only 83 balls, the first century by a UAE batsman in World Cups, Shaiman took his team to 278 for 9 in 50 overs. 

Ireland needed a good start and ideally for Stirling, who knows only one way to bat, which is hitting good balls and bad, to stay at the crease for a bit. But Manjula Guruge, the left-arm seamer with Sri Lankan origins playing his first game of the tournament, produced a peach that slanted away and induced the nick from Stirling’s flashing blade.

Porterfield and Ed Joyce then consolidated, pushing the score along to 72 before UAE could celebrate again. Joyce (37) nicked one and soon after there was more trouble when Porterfield (37) swept and missed against Mohammad Tauqir and the wobble was on. 

If Gary Wilson, Ireland’s wicket-keeper, had not held his end firm, things could have gotten tricky. But Wilson, who has turned out for Surrey and has the experience 60 first-class matches to fall back on, was not in a mood to give up.

Wilson never resorted to naked aggression, and the fact that he got to 80 off only 69 balls without once trying to hit a six was proof of how well he ran between the wickets and constructed his innings. There were some gorgeous shots, such as the inside-out hit over cover off Mohammed Naveed, and the crunching straight hit off the same bowler that nearly decapitated the umpire. But, when Wilson fell for 80, there was still work to be done.

Fortunately for Ireland, Kevin O’Brien did his thing when it mattered the most, clattering 50 off only 25 balls to ease the pressure. The game went down to the wire, but Ireland held its nerve enough to get across the line with two wickets and four balls to spare.

CAN GAYLE'S X-FACTOR CARRY WEST INDIES ALL THE WAY AT #CWC15?

X-Factor. Some have it, many don’t. When Chris Gayle is at the peak of his trade, he epitomises it

When Chris Gayle strode to the crease against Zimbabwe at Manuka Oval he was sorely out of form, had been the subject of seemingly constant controversy and had averaged 14.42 from his last 20 ODI innings.

His last one-day ton was in June 2013 and his first two knocks at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 had produced lacklustre scores of four and 36.

If i get past a hundred I'm definitely going to make it a big one and I'm happy to get to my first double century in ODI cricket.

Chris Gayle

Nonetheless, the West Indies was coming off a good win over Pakistan and the dedicated fans who had braved a drizzly Tuesday afternoon in Canberra were hopeful of seeing some excitement from the West indies’ big hitters.

hose hopes were dulled somewhat when Dwayne Smith was dismissed for a duck on the second ball of the innings. Gayle himself could have been out LBW for naught two balls later, but received the benefit of the umpire’s call. How different the day could have been had that ball been travelling an inch lower.

When Gayle reached three figures off 105 balls, the West Indies fans – and the crowd, in general – were pleased to see him back in the runs.

It was as he blazed his second 100 off just 33 balls that the atmosphere of the ground was transformed. Suddenly, the rain that had continued to fall (fortunately not enough to warrant leaving the field) since the start of the innings mattered little.

The excitement of the spectators grew exponentially with each Gayle six. Crowd catches were held, others were dropped and a spectator busy updating Twitter about the innings they were witnessing ducked to evade yet another huge Gayle shot.

Team alliances didn’t matter. A volunteer who did not even understand the rules of cricket was watching in delight. She may not have understood exactly what she was witnessing (take a deep breath) – the highest World Cup score ever, the third highest ODI score, the highest ODI partnership, a record-equalling 16 sixes, the fastest ever ODI double century, the highest team total on Australian soil, the first player outside India to score 200 in an ODI and the first player to score a 300 in Tests, 200 in ODIs and 100 in T20I – but she knew it was special.

That’s what a player like Gayle is capable of. On a wet weekday afternoon the mood at Manuka Oval was electric. Those watching were witnessing history and a fixture that already so important for both teams’ finals hopes become something else altogether.

“I was there” will be an oft-repeated phrase in offices around Canberra tomorrow.

When Gayle eventually strode back to the rooms, triumphant and cramping after facing 147 balls and smashing a World Cup record 215 from them, the crowd was on its feet while his teammates had been waiting impatiently to congratulate him since the 48-over mark.

Gayle expressed his relief following the innings, acknowledging the crowd he had held captivated for the previous 50 overs: "There's been a lot of pressure. The runs haven't been coming. So many people wanted me to score runs. And I'm really glad I gave them something to cheer about."

Players like Gayle make World Cups. Already the tournament has seen a handful of classic performances, including Brendan McCullum’s fastest World Cup fifty in Wellington and Tim Southee 7-33 in the same match.

At home on the Television Broadcast, viewers were aptly asked, 'Which #cwc15 Player has the Biggest X-Factor?', despite the other 3 names being De Villiers, Maxwell and Afridi it was Chris Gayle the viewers went with as over 66% had their say.

Gayle’s innings makes Friday’s match at the Sydney Cricket Ground one to salivate over. One featuring the big-hitting powers of Gayle and AB de Villiers, with West Indies on a high and South Africa attempting to hit back after being thrashed by India.

Even more importantly, Gayle’s innings will give the West Indies the boost it needed after a mixed start to the tournament. The Windies are now in a good position to make the quarter-finals and could potentially play either Australia or New Zealand in a knock-out match. If Gayle fires again, anything could happen.