2007 Cricket World Cup
| File:ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 logo.png Logo of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup | |
| Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | One Day International |
| Tournament format(s) | Round robin and knockout |
| Host(s) |  West Indies |
| Champions |  Australia (4th title) |
| Participants | 16 (from 97 entrants) |
| Matches | 51 |
| Attendance | 672,000 (13,176 per match) |
| Player of the series | Glenn McGrath |
| Most runs | Matthew Hayden (659) |
| Most wickets | Glenn McGrath (26) |
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament and took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the 2003 World Cup (despite a field larger by two teams).
The 16 competing teams were initially divided into four groups, with the two best-performing teams from each group moving on to a "Super 8" format. From this, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and South Africa won through to the semi-finals, with Australia defeating Sri Lanka in the final to win their third consecutive World Cup. Australia's unbeaten record in the tournament increased their total to 29 consecutive World Cup matches without loss, a streak dating back to 23 May 1999, during the group stage of the 1999 World Cup.
Following the tournament the ICC distributed surplus tournament revenues of USD 239 million to its members.[1]
Host selection
The World Cup was awarded to the West Indies via the International Cricket Council's rotational policy. It is the first time the Cricket World Cup has been held in the Caribbean despite the fact that the West Indies cricket team have been the second most successful team in past World Cups.[2]
The United States contingent lobbied strongly for matches to be staged at its newly built cricket ground in Lauderhill, Florida, but the ICC decided to award all matches to Caribbean nations. Bids from Bermuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and a second bid by Jamaica were also rejected.
Venues
Eight venues across the West Indies were selected to host the World Cup final tournament. All host countries hosted six matches with the exceptions of St Lucia, Jamaica and Barbados (the last of which hosted the final) which each hosted seven matches.
The stadium capacities shown are all seated capacities.
| Antigua and Barbuda | Barbados | Grenada | Guyana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sir Vivian Richards Stadium Capacity: 20,000 |
Kensington Oval Capacity: 31,000 |
Queen's Park Capacity: 20,000 |
Providence Stadium Capacity: 20,000 |
|
|
|
|
| |||
| Jamaica | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Sabina Park Capacity: 20,000 |
Warner Park Stadium Capacity: 10,000 |
Beausejour Stadium Capacity: 20,000 |
Queen's Park Oval Capacity: 25,000 |
| |||
Four additional venues hosted warm-up matches.
| Country | City | Stadium | Capacity | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbados | Bridgetown | 3Ws Oval | 8,500 | |
| Jamaica | Falmouth, Jamaica | Greenfield Stadium | 25,000 | US$35 Million[3] |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Kingstown | Arnos Vale Stadium | 12,000 | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | St. Augustine | Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground | 22,000 |
The Jamaican Government spent US$81 million for "on the pitch" expenses.[4] This included refurbishing Sabina Park and constructing the new multi-purpose facility in Trelawny - through a loan from China. Another US$20 million is budgeted for 'off-the-pitch' expenses, putting the tally at more than US$100 million or JM$7 billion.
This put the reconstruction cost of Sabina Park at US$46 million whilst the Trelawny Stadium will cost US$35 million.[5][6] The total amount of money spent on stadiums was at least US$301 million.
The Brian Lara Stadium, in Trinidad, lost its status as a pre-tournament warm-up match venue on 21 September 2006.[7]
Qualification
The field of sixteen teams, the largest ever for the Cricket World Cup, consists of all sixteen teams which currently hold One Day International status. This includes the ten full members of the ICC (which all have Test and permanent ODI status):
The other six (associate) ODI nations are Kenya (which has ODI status until 2009) and five further teams which qualified via the 2005 ICC Trophy (gaining ODI status until 2009, in the process):
Media coverage
The World Cup has grown as a media event with each tournament. The sponsorship and television rights that were awarded primarily to cover the 2003 and 2007 World Cups raised over US$550 m.[8] The 2007 World Cup was televised in over 200 countries to a viewing audience estimated at more than two billion television viewers and was expected to generate more than 100,000 unique visitors to the West Indies who traveled solely for the tournament.[9][10]
The 2007 Cricket World Cup featured an orange raccoon-like creature named "Mello" as its mascot. It has been announced during matches that Mello has no race, species, age or gender- it is an attitude, the attitude of the young people of the West Indies. The official song for the World Cup was "The Game of Love and Unity" by Jamaican-born Shaggy, Bajan entertainer Rupee and Trinidadian Fay-Ann Lyons.
The 2007 tournament recorded the highest ticketing revenue for a Cricket World Cup, selling more than 672,000.[11] Although, attendance leading into the semi finals for the 2007 World Cup was 403,000; an average of 8,500 supporters per match.[12]
In his unique way of knowing the results of the World cup 2007 matches, Krish Ragav - Journalist at Wall Street Journal - smartly used the Ganeshaspeaks predictions and it turn-out to be a wiser decision for him as all the predictions are more than 70% correct[13]
Leadup
All major Test-playing nations had schedules allowing them to play a large number of One Day International against other major ODI teams just prior to the World Cup. Australia, New Zealand and England took part in the Commonwealth Bank Series where England defeated Australia in the finals. Australia then went to New Zealand for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, losing 3-0. South Africa played five ODIs against India (South Africa won 4-0) and five against Pakistan (South Africa won 3-1) while India also played four ODIs against the West Indies (India won 3-1) and four ODIs against Sri Lanka (India won 2-1). Bangladesh played four ODIs against Zimbabwe (Bangladesh won 3-1) and won a tri-series against Canada and Bermuda. The associate ODI teams took part in the World Cricket League, which Kenya won, and were also involved in other series prior to the World Cup.
The rankings of the teams at the beginning of the Cricket World Cup were:
| Ranking | Team | Points | Ranking | Team | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  South Africa
|
128 | 9 |  Bangladesh
|
42 | |
| 2 | Australia
|
125 | 10 |  Zimbabwe
|
22 | |
| 3 |  New Zealand
|
113 | 11 |  Kenya
|
0 | |
| 4 |  Pakistan
|
111 | 12 |  Scotland |
0% / 69% | |
| 5 |  India
|
109 | 13 |  Netherlands |
0% / 50% | |
| 6 |  Sri Lanka
|
108 | 14 |  Ireland |
0% / 44% | |
| 7 |  England
|
106 | 15 |  Canada |
0% / 33% | |
| 8 | West Indies
|
101 | 16 |  Bermuda |
0% / 28% |
Note:Teams 12-16 did not have official ODI rankings leading up to the World Cup; they are ranked based on their win percentage against full members and then wins against associate members prior to the tournament.[14]
Warm-up matches
Prior to the main tournament all 16 nations played a series of warm-up matches to prepare, experiment with different tactics and to help them get acclimated to conditions in the West Indies. The warm-up matches were not considered as official ODIs.[15] The matches were played from Monday 5 March until Friday 9 March. The matches included a surprise victory by Bangladesh over New Zealand.
Opening ceremony
The Cricket World Cup 2007 Opening Ceremony was held on Sunday, 11 March 2007, at Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica.[16]
It featured over 2000 dancers and performers representing all strands of West Indian music, from calypso and ragga to reggae and soca; among the performers were Sean Paul, Byron Lee, Kevin Lyttle, Beres Hammond, Lucky Dube, Buju Banton, Half Pint, Arrow, Machel Montano, Alison Hinds, Tony Rebel, Third World, Gregory Isaacs, David Rudder, Shaggy, the I Threes and Jimmy Cliff.
The ceremony, attended by several heads of state including the Governor-General of Jamaica started with an address by Sir Garfield Sobers; there were messages from the Prime Ministers of Jamaica and Grenada.
Rules and regulations
Matches
All matches were held from 0930 to 1715 local time. The first innings were held from 0930 to 1300 and the second innings were held from 1345 to 1715. For all venues other than Jamaica, local time was UTC-4, while Jamaican venues had local time UTC-5.
The matches were One Day Internationals and operated under normal ODI rules. All matches were to be 50 overs a side unless stated otherwise by the umpires or match referee. A bowler was able to bowl a maximum of 10 overs per match.
In the event of bad weather, each side must have batted a minimum of 20 overs for a result to be declared (if the match was not otherwise won, for example if the team batting second was dismissed before the completion of 20 overs). In the event of bad weather, the Duckworth-Lewis method was applied to determine the result or target. If no result was declared on the scheduled day, the teams returned the next day to complete the game, with the same situation as when the game was abandoned.
There was a new rule regarding referral of catches to the TV replay official (third umpire): if the standing umpires were unable to determine whether a catch had been taken cleanly, and/or whether a claimed catch was a "bump ball", they had discretion to refer the decision to the third umpire. Also, whilst reviewing such a catch via TV replay if it was clear to the third umpire that the batsman did not hit the ball, he was to indicate that the batsman was not out.[17]
Tournament points
In the Group Stage and in the Super 8 Stage points were awarded as follows:
| Results | Points |
|---|---|
| Win | 2 points |
| Tie/No Result | 1 point |
| Loss | 0 points |
The top two teams from each group advanced to the Super 8 stage and any points they earned against the other qualifier from their own group was carried through. Points earned against the non qualifying teams in the same pool were not carried over. In the Super 8s, each team played the six remaining qualifiers from the other groups and the top four teams went through to the semi-finals. Positions were decided by most points. Where two or more teams were tied on points, the following methods in turn were used to decide which team went through:[17]
- Most wins in their group or in Super 8 whichever is applicable
- Higher net run rate
- Higher number of wickets taken per ball
- Winners of head to head matches
- The drawing of lots
Groups
Seeds
The tournament began with a league stage consisting of four groups of four. Each team played each of the other teams in its group once. Australia, India, England and West Indies were placed in separate pools for logistical reasons, as they were expected to have the most supporters in attendance, and transport and accommodation capacity in the West Indies is limited.[18]
The groups are listed below, with seedings (rankings from April 2005) shown in brackets. Each group played all of its matches at a single ground.
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
System
The tournament was preceded by a number of warm-up matches to acclimatise the players. The Group Stage matches started on Tuesday 13 March and finished on Sunday 25 March. There were a total of 24 matches played in the group stage.
The top two teams in each group proceeded to the "Super 8" stage which will also use a league system. Each team carried forward its result against the other team qualifying from its preliminary stage group, and will play the other six qualifying teams once each. The top four teams in the league will qualify for the semi-finals. This system has been modified since the last World Cup, which had a "Super 6" stage rather than a Super 8. The Super 8 stage matches will be played from Tuesday 27 March until Saturday 21 April. A total of 24 matches will be played in the Super 8 stage.
The top four teams in the "Super 8" will advance to the Semi-Finals. This is the knockout stage, with the #1 team playing the #4 team, and the #2 team playing the #3 team in the tournament. The winners of the two semi-finals will play each other in the Final.
All tournament matches will have one reserve day (the day after the scheduled day of the match) to allow for matches to be completed in the event of bad weather.
Group stage
Group A
All matches start at 1330 UTC.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | T | L | NR | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3.433 |
| South Africa
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +2.403 |
| Netherlands
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -2.527 |
| Scotland
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -3.793 |
16 March 2007
(scorecard) |
South Africa
353/3 (40 overs) |
v
|
Netherlands
132/9 (40 overs) |
- Match reduced to 40 overs a side because of rain/ground conditions.
Group B
All matches start at 1330 UTC.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | T | L | NR | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Lanka
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +3.493 |
| Bangladesh
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -1.523 |
| India
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +1.206 |
| Bermuda
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -4.345 |
21 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Sri Lanka
318/4 (50 overs) |
v
|
Bangladesh
112 all out (37 of 46 overs) |
- Match shortened due to rain; Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 311 runs in 46 overs for Bangladesh.
25 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Bermuda
94/9 (21 overs) |
v
|
Bangladesh
96/3 (17.3 of 21 overs) |
- Match reduced to 21 overs a side due to rain during Bermuda's innings; Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 96 runs for Bangladesh.
Group C
All matches start at 1330 UTC.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | T | L | NR | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2.138 |
| England
|
4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +0.418 |
| Kenya
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -1.194 |
| Canada
|
0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -1.389 |
24 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Kenya
177 all out (43 overs) |
v
|
England
178/3 (33 of 43 overs) |
- Overnight rain delayed the start. Match reduced to 43 overs per side.
Group D
All matches start at 1430 UTC.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | T | L | NR | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies
|
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0.764 |
| Ireland
|
3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -0.092 |
| Pakistan
|
2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +0.089 |
| Zimbabwe
|
1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -0.886 |
17 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Pakistan
132 all out (45.4 overs) |
v
|
Ireland
133/7 (41.4 overs) |
- Match shortened due to bad light and rain; Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 128 runs in 47 overs for Ireland.
21 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Pakistan
349 all out (49.5 overs) |
v
|
Zimbabwe
99 all out (19.1 of 20 overs) |
- Match shortened due to rain; Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 193 runs in 20 overs for Zimbabwe.
23 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Ireland
183/8 (48 overs) |
v
|
West Indies
190/2 (38.1 of 48 overs) |
- Match shortened due to rain; Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 190 runs in 48 overs for West Indies.
Super 8 stage
The top two teams in each first-round group moved on to a "super eight" stage which is scored as a complete round-robin. But each of the eight teams played only six new matches, rather than seven— each group's two representatives carried forward their result against each other rather than play again. Thus the table below, showing seven matches for each team, covers all matches between the Super 8 qualifiers, including those from the Group Stage.
Teams depicted in green backgrounds qualified for the semi-finals.
| Team | Pts | Pld | W | T | L | NR | RF | OF | RA | OB | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia
|
14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1725 | 266.1 | 1314 | 322 | +2.4 |
| Sri Lanka
|
10 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1586 | 301.1 | 1275 | 337 | +1.483 |
| New Zealand
|
10 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1378 | 308 | 1457 | 345.1 | +0.253 |
| South Africa
|
8 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1561 | 299.1 | 1635 | 333.2 | +0.313 |
| England
|
6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1557 | 344.4 | 1511 | 307.4 | -0.394 |
| West Indies
|
4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1595 | 338.1 | 1781 | 337.1 | -0.566 |
| Bangladesh
|
2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1084 | 318 | 1398 | 284 | -1.514 |
| Ireland | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1111 | 333 | 1226 | 242 | -1.73 |
Abbreviations:
|
|
|
- Super 8 Matchup by Teams
Matches
All matches start at 1330 UTC.
27 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Australia
322/6 (50 overs) |
v
|
West Indies
219 all out (45.3 overs) |
- Play was postponed due to rain after the Australian innings on 27 March. Match concluded on 28 March.
31 March 2007
(scorecard) |
Bangladesh
104/6 (22 overs) |
v
|
Australia
106/0 (13.5 of 22 overs) |
- Wet outfield delayed start. Match reduced to 22 overs a side.
3 April 2007
(scorecard) |
Ireland
152/8 (35 overs) |
v
|
South Africa
165/3 (31.3 of 35 overs) |
- Rain during Irelands innings reduced play to 35 overs. Duckworth-Lewis revised target to win: 160 runs in 35 overs for South Africa.
Knockout stage
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 24 April - Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica | ||||||
| 2 Sri Lanka | 289/5 | |||||
| 28 April - Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados | ||||||
| 3 New Zealand | 208 | |||||
| Sri Lanka | 215/8 | |||||
| 25 April - Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia | ||||||
| Australia | 281/4 | |||||
| 1 Australia | 153/3 | |||||
| 4 South Africa | 149 | |||||
Semi-finals
Sri Lanka
289/5 (50 overs) |
v
|
New Zealand
208 all out (41.4 overs) |
South Africa
149 all out (43.5 overs) |
v
|
Australia
153/3 (31.3 overs) |
Final
Australia
281/4 (38 overs) |
v
|
Sri Lanka
215/8 (36 overs) |
- Rain before play reduce the game to 38 overs per side. Sri Lanka's innings interrupted by rain and reduced to 36 overs.
This was the first World Cup final to be a repeat – the sides previously met in the 1996 World Cup final, which Sri Lanka won. Australia has won every World Cup match against Sri Lanka apart from that loss.[20] The match was Sri Lanka's second World Cup final appearance and Australia's sixth, their fourth in a row.
Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat. However, the start of play was delayed due to rain, and the match was reduced to 38 overs per side. Adam Gilchrist played an incredible innings of 149 - the highest for any batsman in a World Cup final - to give Australia an imposing total going in at to break.[21]
While Sri Lankan batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Sanath Jayasuriya were adding 116 for the second wicket, the contest was alive, but after the pair got out, Sri Lanka's chances slowly washed way.[21] Further rain forced the reduction of Sri Lanka's innings to just 36 overs, with the target revised to 269. At the culmination of the 33rd over, with Sri Lanka still trailing the adjusted Duckworth-Lewis target by 37 runs, the umpires suspended the game due to bad light. While Australia's players began to celebrate their victory (since the minimum 20 overs had been reached), the umpires incorrectly announced that because the match was suspended due to light and not rain, the final three overs would have to be bowled the following day. With Sri Lanka needing 61 runs from 18 deliveries, Mahela Jayawardene agreed there was no need to return the following day, and instructed his team to resume batting, with Ricky Ponting agreeing to play only spinners. Umpires later apologized for their error, and that the match should have ended then with Australia winning by 37 runs.[22] The last three overs were played in almost complete darkness, during which Sri Lanka added nine runs, giving Australia a 53-run victory via the DL method, as Sri Lanka had batted 2 overs fewer than Australia.[23]
Australia won the tournament undefeated, concluding a streak of 29 World Cup games without a loss.[24] Australian bowler Glenn McGrath was named 'Player of the Series'.[25]
Records
| Record | Performance | Player | Country | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most runs | ||||||
| 659 | M Hayden | Australia | ||||
| 548 | M Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | ||||
| 539 | R Ponting | Australia | ||||
| Most wickets | ||||||
| 26 | G McGrath | Australia | ||||
| 23 | M Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | ||||
| S Tait | Australia | |||||
| Most dismissals (wicketkeeper) | ||||||
| 17 | A Gilchrist | Australia | ||||
| 15 | K Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | ||||
| 14 | B McCullum | New Zealand | ||||
| Most catches (fielder) | ||||||
| 8 | P Collingwood | England | ||||
| G Smith | South Africa | |||||
| 7 | H Gibbs | South Africa | ||||
| E Morgan | Ireland | |||||
| M Hayden | Australia | |||||
| R Ponting | Australia | |||||
| Source: Cricinfo.com | ||||||
Overview
Statistical Highlights
- Ireland tied their first match against Zimbabwe, only the third time a tie had occurred in the World Cup.
- Ricky Ponting's 113 against Scotland was his 4th century in World Cup matches. He joined Mark Waugh, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in the list of highest century makers in World Cups.
- Herschelle Gibbs hit six sixes in one Daan van Bunge over for South Africa against the Netherlands in their Group A match in Warner Park, Saint Kitts and Nevis, becoming the first player to achieve the feat in ODI cricket.
- South African batsmen hit 18 sixes in the game against the Netherlands; This is the highest number of sixes hit in an innings of a World Cup ODI. This record was equalled by India in the game against Bermuda.
- Brendon McCullum scored the fastest World Cup fifty (off 20 balls) for New Zealand against Canada, beating Mark Boucher's 21-ball record set against the Netherlands six days earlier. By coincidence the match was played on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day.
- Bangladesh earned qualification from the group stage in a World Cup for the first time, by beating India and Bermuda. Bangladesh later went on to beat South Africa in the Super 8 stage.
- Ireland defeated Pakistan in their group match and knocked them out of the tournament in the process. Ireland proceeded to qualify for the Super 8 stages in their first ever World Cup.
- Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room the day after his team's defeat against Ireland. A murder investigation was launched due to the circumstances of Woolmer's death, but Jamaican police have since confirmed Woolmer died from natural causes.
- Imran Nazir scored 160 for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in their final Group Stage match; this was the highest individual List A innings ever made in the West Indies.
- Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his retirement from one-day cricket, and resigned from the Pakistan captaincy, effective from the conclusion of Pakistan's involvement in the tournament.
- Disciplinary action was taken against several English players for breaking their curfew: several players were fined and Andrew Flintoff was stripped of the English vice-captaincy and left out of their group match against Canada.
- India scored 413-5 in 50 overs against Bermuda, breaking the World Cup record for the highest team total, and became the first team to score 400 runs in a World Cup innings. It was also the highest List A team total ever made in the West Indies. India bowled out Bermuda for 156 to win by 257 runs, the largest winning margin in ODIs.
- Malachi Jones of Bermuda and Mohammed Yousuf of Pakistan became the 2nd and 3rd players respectively to take a wicket with their 1st ball in World cup cricket. Ian Harvey being the 1st against Pakistan in 2003.
- Matthew Hayden scored the fastest World Cup hundred (off 66 balls) for Australia against South Africa, one ball quicker than the previous record held by John Davison whilst representing Canada against the West Indies at the 2003 event.
- Both Herschelle Gibbs and Matthew Hayden were awarded honorary citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis after their individual record-breaking feats.[26]
- Lasith Malinga became the fifth player to record a hat-trick in the World Cup, taking three wickets in succession for Sri Lanka against South Africa, and with his next delivery proceeded to become the first player ever to take four wickets in four consecutive balls in one day international cricket.
- Glenn McGrath became the leading wicket taker in the history of the World Cup, taking his 56th World Cup wicket against Bangladesh, overtaking Wasim Akram's 55 wicket total.
- West-Indies captain Brian Lara announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
- Following Ireland's successful World Cup debut: defeating two full members (Pakistan and Bangladesh), Ireland was promoted to the main ODI championship table.[27]
- Ireland's wins against Pakistan and Bangladesh boosted their team's ODI rank to number 10 ahead of Kenya and full member Zimbabwe.
- Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden put on 76 for the first wicket in the Super-8 game against Sri Lanka. This was their 40th partnership of over 50 runs. The previous highest was 39 partnerships of over 50 runs between Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge of the West Indies.
- Matthew Hayden's century against New Zealand was the 100th time a century was scored in the World Cup and the third time any individual player scored three centuries in one tournament. He joins Mark Waugh and Sourav Ganguly as the only players to score three centuries in a World Cup.
- By officating in the England - West Indies match Rudi Koertzen overtook David Shepherd as the most capped umpire in ODI's. The match was Koertzen's 173rd ODI. Shepherd officated in 172 ODIs.
- Steve Bucknor officiated in a record fifth consecutive World Cup final.
- Sri Lankan player Russel Arnold announced his retirement from international cricket.
- After more than a decade at the helm, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming resigned the captaincy of New Zealand's one-day team in the wake of his team's defeat in the Semi-Final of the World Cup against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park. He captained New Zealand team in 218 one-day matches.
- Australia created history by participating in their 4th consecutive Cricket World Cup final.
- South Africa's score of 149 all out against Australia in the semi-final was their lowest World Cup score ever.
- Glenn McGrath's haul of 3 wickets against South Africa lifted his wicket tally to 25 in the tournament, the most in a World Cup so far.
- Matthew Hayden's innings of 41 against South Africa brought up the remarkable 600 runs in a tournament, becoming the 2nd person to do so. He achieved a further 38 runs in the final against Sri Lanka, leaving him 14 short of Sachin Tendulkar's record of 673 runs.
- The 172-run partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden is the highest opening partnership in a World Cup final.
- Adam Gilchrist became the 5th batsman to score a century in the Cricket World Cup final in 2007 after Clive Lloyd in 1975, Viv Richards in 1979, Aravinda de Silva in 1996 and Ricky Ponting in 2003. His score of 149 is the highest individual score ever in the final of the World Cup beating the previous highest of 140* by Ricky Ponting in 2003.
- Australia became the first team to win 3 consecutive World Cups.
- Glenn McGrath retired from all forms of international cricket following the successful campaign.
Death of Bob Woolmer
Template:Wikinewshas Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead on 18 March 2007, one day after his team's defeat to Ireland put them out of the running for the World Cup. Jamaican police performed an autopsy which was deemed inconclusive.[28] The following day police announced that the death was suspicious and ordered a full investigation.[29] Further investigation revealed the cause of death was "manual strangulation",[30] and that the investigation would be handled as a murder.[31] After a lengthy investigation the Jamaican police rescinded the comments that he was murdered, and confirmed that he died from natural causes.[32]
Criticism
The 2007 World Cup organizers were criticized early on for being over-commercialized and, in particular, the generally smaller crowds have been blamed on the ICC's security restrictions on things such as outside food, signs, replica kits and musical instruments, despite Caribbean cricketing customs,[33] as well as the authorities being accused of "running [cricket and cricketing traditions] out of town, then sanitising it out of existence".[34] Sir Viv Richards echoed the concerns.[35] The ICC were also condemned for high prices for tickets and concessions, which were considered unaffordable for the local population in many of the locations.[36] ICC CEO, Malcolm Speed, said that the ICC recognized the problem but said it was the local organizers' fault.[37] However, the later matches had more crowds as the tournament progressed with the local organizers easing restrictions.[38] Although they did not meet the target of US$42m, the revenue from ticket sales was double the ticket sales revenue from the last world cup and recorded the highest ticketing revenue for a Cricket World Cup with more than $32 million in ticket revenue.[11][12][39]
The World Cup was also criticized for its format, with India and Pakistan failing to move on from the group stage after losing two matches. This led to Ireland and Bangladesh entering the long Super Eights stage and consistently being defeated (bar another upset by Bangladesh over South Africa). The elimination of India and Pakistan also caused a large exodus of subcontinental fans from the Caribbean, and removed the prospect of an India vs Pakistan Super Eights match, generally considered one of the most revenue generating and electric matches in the tournament.[40] The BCCI later claimed it would see to it that the ICC will alter its World Cup format for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.[40]
The tournament was also criticised as being too long. At 6 weeks, it was the same length as the 2003 World Cup, but longer than the 5 week 1999 World Cup and the 4 week 1996 World Cup. The famous West Indian fast bowler Michael Holding also criticised the qualification process for the 2007 World Cup. Holding expressed doubts over the benefit to less established teams of turning up and being heavily defeated.[41] However, former Scotland captain George Salmond claims that the opportunity to play one-day cricket against the bigger teams is invaluable for smaller teams such as his own, and questioned the validity of Holding's statements.[42] The majority of the experts and players participating in the tournament backed up the smaller teams taking part in the World Cup.[43] This was further backed up with Ireland and Bangladesh making the Super 8s and being competitive and sportsmanlike throughout the tournament.[44]
Further criticism was generated by the confusion at the end of the final match, during which the umpires suspended play due to bad light and while official announcements and the scoreboard declared Australia the winners and the Australian team celebrated, while the umpires incorrectly insisted that the game was only suspended not completed, and that 3 overs remained to be played. And so in farcical light conditions, Sri Lanka batted out the 3 overs following a gentleman's agreement between the two captains.[45] The umpires and ICC apologized for the unnecessary situation and cited it as an unnecessary fundamental error due to the pressure of the situation.[46] In June the ICC announced that the officials involved — onfield umpires Steve Bucknor and Aleem Dar, reserve umpires Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden, and match referee Jeff Crowe — would all be suspended from the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship.[47]
Preparation problems
A number of preparation problems surfaced before the start of the World Cup. Some of the venues were not complete by the opening ceremony on 11 March 2007.[48] At Sabina Park, seats had to be removed at the newly constructed north-stand due to safety concerns.[49] At Trelawny Stadium in Jamaica, ground staff were unable to gain admission to the ground during the warm up matches due to accreditation problems.[50] Additionally, South Africa and Australia both expressed concerns over practice facilities.[51]
See also
- West Indies Cricket Board
- CARICOM Visa and Freedom of Travel during Cricket World Cup
- 2007 Cricket World Cup venues
Notes
- ^ ICC Consolidated Financial Statements for the 9 months ended 31 December 2007, accounting note 12.
- ^ In terms of number of wins, win percentage, and number of cups won. In fact, they were on top on all of these criteria from 1975 to 1987, and only in 2003 did Australia pass their number of cups won.
- ^ "More planning needed for Cricket World Cup". 2006-07-09. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Robert Bryan, executive director, Jamaica 2007 Cricket Limited (from www.jamaica-gleaner.com)". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "World Cup 2007: Eyes Wide Shut by Claude Robinson from www.caribbeancricket.com". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Cricket: 'Run wid it again!'". 2006-04-24. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ Mark Pouchet (2006-09-21). "Brian Lara stadium exits World Cup". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Sponsorship revenue". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Taipai Times Editorial". Retrieved 2007-04-18.
- ^ "World Cup Overview". cricketworldcp.com. Retrieved 2007-01-29.
- ^ a b World Cup profits boost debt-ridden Windies board
- ^ a b "ICC CWC 2007 Match Attendance Soars Past 400,000". Cricketworld.com. 2007-04-24. Retrieved 2007-04-25.
- ^ "Now Ganesha speaks online on the nano, Dhoni and more". blogs.livemint.com. Wednesday, August 05, 2009 1:21 PM.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Associate ODI Rankins after WCL Division 1". ICC. 2007-02-13. Retrieved 2007-05-24.[dead link] - Note: The ODIs in the WCL Division 1 were the last ODIs played by associates before the World Cup.
- ^ "ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 match schedule announced (from icc-cricket.org; explains that there are 51 ODIs scheduled but that only fits with the main tournament)". Retrieved 2007-04-09.[dead link]
- ^ All set for grand opening of cricket's biggest showpiece | Indian Muslims
- ^ a b "ICC Playing Conditions for 2007 World Cup" (PDF). Retrieved February 27, 2007.[dead link]
- ^ "World Cup seedings plan announced". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Langeveldt and Malinga jointly awarded Man of the Match". BBC News. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Australia v Sri Lanka: World Cup Series Summary". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ a b "Gilchrist leads Australia to World Cup treble". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-05-06.
- ^ "World Cup Referee apologize". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "World Cup final scorecard". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Australia v Sri Lanka, World Cup final, Barbados". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "ICC World Cup - Final". Cricinfo. 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ Hayden finds passport to World Cup success, Cricinfo, 26 March 2007, accessed on 24 May 2007.
- ^ "Ireland qualifies for LG ICC ODI Championship". International Cricket Council. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-25.[dead link]
- ^ "Woolmer's post-mortem inconclusive". CricInfo. 2007-03-20. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
- ^ "Woolmer's death 'suspicious' - police". CricInfo. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
- ^ Raedler, John. "Woolmer was strangled, police say". cnn.com. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Pakistan Woolmer death treated as murder". BBC. 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
- ^ "Woolmer 'dIED OF NATURAL CAUSES'". BBC. 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-06-12.
- ^ Tim de Lisle (2007-04-03). "A public relations disaster". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ Mike Selvey (2007-04-05). "Weep for the ghosts of calypsos past in this lifeless forum". Guardian. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Richards attacks Cup organisation". BBC. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Crushing the essence of the Caribbean". Cricinfo. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Quote ... unquote". Cricinfo. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Barbados determined to restore local flavour". Cricinfo. 2007-04-05. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
- ^ "Ticket sales double of previous World Cup - Dehring". Cricinfo. 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ a b Former BCCI chief blames format for India's exit
- ^ "Holding slams World Cup minnows". 2007-02-20. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ ICC associates hit back at Holding for his remarks
- ^ "Bermuda have 'wonderful experience' in huge loss". Cricinfo. 2007-03-16. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Ireland qualifies for ODI Championship". ICC. 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2007-04-22.[dead link]
- ^ "Awesome Australia but awful organising". Cricinfo. 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "Speed apologises for light chaos". Cricinfo. 2007-04-28. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
- ^ "World Cup officials banned by ICC". Cricinfo. 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
- ^ "Some Cup venues still not ready". 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "A week before the opening Cricket World Cup game, chinks appear at Sabina Park". 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ Michael Atherton (2007-03-12). "Hosts hope calm is not followed by a storm". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "Warmup matches start amid last minute preparations". 2007-03-04. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
External links
