The Cricket World Cup is the biggest tournament to take place in the game. It happens once every four years. The first edition was played in England in 1975, and it was won by the West Indies. So far, a total of 12 editions have taken place in history, with Australia being the most successful team.
They have won it five times: in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015, respectively. Then, India and West Indies have won it four times each. In the history of the World Cup, there are some records that are pretty hard to break, which we will cover here below.
1. Consecutive Wins – Australia (27 matches)
Without a doubt, Australia is the best team when it comes to the World Cup. That is visible in the dominance they had in this tournament. Australia holds the record for most consecutive wins in the World Cup, which is hard to beat. They won 27 games between 1999 and 2011, and the next best is just 11 by India.
2. Biggest World Cup win margin – Australia (275 runs) vs Afghanistan
Not just a win, Australia has also registered the highest win margin in a World Cup, which might not be broken again. In the 2015 edition at home, Australia beat Afghanistan by 275 runs in Perth. They made the highest World Cup total of 417/6 and dismissed Afghanistan for 142 runs to register the biggest World Cup win.
3. Most Runs – Sachin Tendulkar (2278 runs)
Sachin Tendulkar has some unbelievably good records when it comes to World Cup events. He was part of six editions from 1992 to 2011 and played 45 matches. Sachin is the only player with over 2000 World Cup runs. He scored 2278 runs at an average of 56.95, with six centuries and 15 half-centuries.
4. Highest Individual score – Martin Guptill (237* runs) vs West Indies
There have been two occasions when a batter has scored over 200 runs in a WC inning. Martin Guptill smashed an unbeaten 237 not out off 163 balls, with 24 fours and 11 sixes, against West Indies in the 2015 edition. This might not be broken.
5. Youngest Captain – Kapil Dev (24 years)
Kapil Dev led India to their maiden World Cup win in 1983, beating mighty West Indies in the final of the tournament. He became the youngest captain to win the World Cup for his country at the age of 24.
6. Fastest Delivery – Shoaib Akhtar (161.3 km/h or 100.2mph)
Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest cricket ball ever bowled in history. He bowled the fastest delivery at a speed of 161.3 km/h, or 100.2mph, against England at Newlands, Cape town, in the 2003 World Cup. It is unlikely that any bowler can beat that pace.
7. Three Consecutive 50-plus scores in three finals – Adam Gilchrist (54, 57 & 149)
Playing three World Cups is a big achievement for any modern-day superstar after a huge cricket schedule. On top of that, playing three consecutive finals is even bigger than that. Adding to that, performing in an ICC final can be the most difficult thing to do. Adam Gilchrist holds the record for three 50-plus scores in three consecutive WC finals. He has two half-centuries and one century in the 1999, 2003, and 2007 finals.
8. Fastest World Cup Century– Kevin O’Brien (50 balls)
Kevin O’Brien holds the record for the fastest century in the WC. He smashed a 50-ball hundred against England when Ireland stunned the English team by chasing 329/7 in 49.1 overs. It is pretty hard to break his record for the fastest World Cup hundred.
9. Four wickets of four balls – Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga was known for his slingy action and ability to ball the pin-point yorker at will. With his actions, he troubled almost every batter in his career. He holds the record for taking four wickets on four consecutive balls (aka double hat trick). Malinga did it against South Africa on March 28, 2007, when they were 206/5 and needed just five runs to win. He dismissed four batters to make the score 206/9. But the Proteas won that game with a lucky boundary behind the keeper in the end.
10. Most 100s in single edition – Rohit Sharma (five centuries)
Rohit Sharma was at his absolute best during the 2019 World Cup in England. He scored the most runs in that edition. He played nine games and scored 648 runs with five centuries and one half-century, setting a new record for most hundreds in a single World Cup edition. Normally, a player gets 10–11 matches in the WC if his team reaches the final, so it is pretty hard to score six hundreds to break Rohit’s record.