ByVishwajeet Jaiswal, SportsCafe Editor
4 March is remembered in cricket history for important World Cup matches and the birth of notable players. In 1992, India and Pakistan met for the first time in the World Cup, and India won by 43 runs with a strong performance from Sachin Tendulkar. In the 2015 World Cup, Australia scored a record 417 runs against Afghanistan and won by 275 runs. In 2011, West Indies bowled out Bangladesh for 58 runs, while New Zealand defeated Zimbabwe by 10 wickets. This day is also the birthday of South Africa’s former Test batsman Daryll Cullinan and Australia’s legendary fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick.
Daryll Cullinan was born on this day in 1967 in Kimberley, South Africa. He is considered one of South Africa’s finest Test batsmen. At the age of just 16 years and 304 days, he scored a first-class century and broke Graeme Pollock’s record for the youngest player to do so, which earned him the nickname “the new Graeme Pollock.” Cullinan made his Test debut against India in 1993 and went on to play 70 Tests and 138 ODIs for South Africa. He scored 14 Test centuries, which was the highest by a South African batsman at the time of his retirement. His unbeaten 275 against New Zealand in 1999 was also the highest individual Test score by a South African then.
Cullinan was part of the South African team that won the first ICC KnockOut Trophy in 1998. He was also part of the famous 1999 World Cup semi-final against Australia that ended in a tie, after which South Africa received the unwanted “chokers” tag. During his career, he often struggled against Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne and was sometimes called Warne’s “bunny,” as Warne dismissed him eight times in ODIs and four times in Tests. Cullinan is also one of the few players in ODI history to be given out “handling the ball,” which happened during a match against the West Indies in 1999.
Cathryn Fitzpatrick was born on this day in 1968 in Melbourne, Australia. She is regarded as one of the greatest and fastest bowlers in women’s cricket history. During her playing career, she was known as the fastest bowler in women’s cricket, with her bowling speed recorded at around 125 km/h. Fitzpatrick became the first bowler in women’s ODI history to reach 100 wickets. She played 13 Tests and 109 ODIs for Australia and took 60 wickets in Tests and 180 wickets in ODIs. Her record of 180 ODI wickets remained the highest for many years until it was broken by India’s Jhulan Goswami in May 2017. Along with cricket, she also worked full-time as a waste collector and a postwoman during her playing days.
Fitzpatrick had a career filled with team and personal achievements. She was an important member of the Australian teams that won the Women’s World Cup in 1997 and 2005. In February 2006, at the age of 37 years and 358 days, she took five wickets in a match and became the oldest woman to achieve a five-wicket haul in ODIs. After retiring from international and domestic cricket in 2007, she moved into coaching. From May 2012 to March 2015, she served as the head coach of the Australian women’s team and guided them to three consecutive world championship titles. For her outstanding contribution to women’s cricket, she was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame and the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.
India and Pakistan played their first-ever World Cup match against each other on this day in 1992 at the Sydney Cricket Ground. India batted first and scored 216 runs for 7 wickets in 49 overs. Sachin Tendulkar was the top scorer with an unbeaten 54 runs off 62 balls. Ajay Jadeja scored 46 runs and Kapil Dev added 35 runs. For Pakistan, Mushtaq Ahmed took 3 wickets for 59 runs.
Pakistan were chasing 217 runs but were all out for 173 in 48.1 overs. India won the match by 43 runs. Aamir Sohail scored the highest for Pakistan with 62 runs. The match is also remembered for the famous incident between Javed Miandad and Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More. Miandad mocked More by jumping on the pitch after repeated appeals behind the stumps. It became one of the most memorable moments in cricket history. Miandad scored 40 runs off 110 balls before being bowled by Javagal Srinath. Sachin Tendulkar was named Player of the Match for his all-round performance of 54* and 1 wicket.
West Indies played against Bangladesh on this day in 2011 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka during the World Cup. Bangladesh collapsed badly and were all out for just 58 runs in 18.5 overs. It became Bangladesh’s lowest total in ODI history and also the lowest score by a Test-playing nation in World Cup history. West Indies bowlers dominated the match. Left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took 4 wickets, while fast bowler Kemar Roach and captain Darren Sammy took 3 wickets each.
West Indies chased the target of 59 runs easily and reached it in just 12.2 overs, winning the match by 9 wickets. Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo opened the innings for West Indies. The crowd in the stadium reacted angrily to Bangladesh’s poor performance. Many fans threw placards, caps, logos and even team jerseys onto the field and booed the players. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan also expressed disappointment and said that after playing good cricket for the previous 12 months, he never expected such a poor batting display from the team.
New Zealand played against Zimbabwe in the 2011 World Cup match. Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and chose to bat first. Zimbabwe had a poor start when Charles Coventry was run out for 9 runs. The batting continued to struggle as Craig Ervine scored 11 runs before getting out, and Graeme Cremer was caught by Brendon McCullum off Kyle Mills. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori bowled well and took two wickets in his first over, which pushed Zimbabwe on the back foot. New Zealand also showed excellent fielding. Martin Guptill ran out Greg Lamb for 18 runs with a brilliant reverse flick throw. Hamish Bennett and the other bowlers also kept tight control, and Zimbabwe failed to build a big score.
New Zealand chased the target easily and won the match by 10 wickets without losing any wicket. Opener Martin Guptill started aggressively and hit a boundary on his first scoring shot and then smashed a 92-meter six. Brendon McCullum also attacked the bowlers and played several strong shots against both spin and pace. Guptill and McCullum added an unbeaten opening partnership of more than 150 runs, which became one of the best partnerships of the 2011 World Cup at that time. In the end, Martin Guptill finished the match with a boundary and secured a comfortable win for New Zealand.
Australia created a historic record against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup Pool A match in Perth. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bowl first, but the decision did not work in their favor. Australia scored 417 runs for 6 wickets in 50 overs, which became the highest team total in World Cup history at that time. The previous record was held by India, who scored 413/5 against Bermuda. Opener David Warner led the innings with 178 runs off 133 balls. He added a huge partnership of 260 runs with Steve Smith, who scored 95. This became Australia’s highest partnership for any wicket in ODI cricket. Glenn Maxwell also played an aggressive innings and scored 88 runs off just 39 balls with 6 fours and 7 sixes.
Afghanistan could not chase the huge target and were all out for 142 runs. Nawroz Mangal scored the highest for Afghanistan with 33 runs off 35 balls. Mitchell Johnson was the best bowler for Australia and took 4 wickets for 22 runs. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took 2 wickets each, while captain Michael Clarke took 1 wicket with his off-spin. Australia won the match by 275 runs. It became the biggest victory by runs in World Cup history at that time, breaking India’s previous record of a 257-run win against Bermuda.
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