Exciting features UDRS and Super Over in World Cup Cricket

By Hafiz MARIKAR

CRICKET: This year's World Cup which took off yesterday will have new exciting features like UDRS and Super Over in its folds. This is the latest in a series of changes to formats over the years. We all know in the first three World Cup tourneys were played with 60-overs per team. Then it was played with red balls till 1987. The 30-yard circle was first introduced in the 1983 World Cup.

There are many changes that have taken place over the years as cricket's premier event kept marching ahead. Looking back to the past World Cup tournaments, out of the nine World Cups, the first winners were West Indies, they followed it up in 1979. In 1983 India won. In 1987 the Australia won for the first time. In 1992, Pakistan, 1996 it was Sri Lanka, 1999 Australia and again in 2003 it was Australia and in 2007, too, it was Australia, three-in-a-row. The breakdown of victories: Australia 04, West Indies 02, India 01, Pakistan 01, Sri Lanka 01. England, New Zealand, South Africa are still to win a World Cup. Who will win this year? The first-ever international cricket match was played between Canada and the United States, on the 24th and 25th September 1844. However, the first credited Test match was played in 1877 between Australia and England. The two teams competed regularly for The Ashes in subsequent years.

South Africa was admitted to Test foed in 1889. Representative cricket teams were selected to tour each other, resulting in bilateral competition. Cricket was also included as an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games. There Great Britain defeated France to win the Gold Medal. This was the only appearance of cricket at the Summer Olympics.

The first multilateral competition at international level was the 1912 Triangular Tournament. A Test cricket tournament played in England between all three Test-playing nations at the time: England, Australia and South Africa was not a success. The summer was exceptionally wet, making play difficult on damp uncovered pitches, and attendances were poor. In subsequent years, international Test cricket has generally been organized as bilateral series. A multilateral Test tournament was not organized again until the quadrangular Asian Test Championship in 1999.

The number of nations playing Test cricket increased gradually over the years. West Indies came to the picture in 1928, New Zealand in 1930, India in 1932, and Pakistan in 1952, but international cricket continued to be played as bilateral Test matches over three, four or five days.

In the early 1960s, English County Cricket teams began playing a shortened version of cricket which only lasted for one day. Starting in 1962 with a four-team knockout competition known as the Midlands Knock-Out Cup, and continuing with the inaugural Gillette Cup in 1963. One-day cricket grew in popularity in England. A national Sunday League was formed in 1969. The first One-Day International event was played on the fifth day of a rain-aborted Test match between England and Australia at Melbourne in 1971 to fill the time available and as compensation for the frustrated crowd. It was a forty-over match with eight balls per over.

The success and popularity of the domestic one-day competitions in England and other parts of the world, as well as the early One-Day Internationals, prompted the ICC to consider organizing a Cricket World Cup.

1975 World Cup

West Indies became the first winners, with eight teams in action. The duration of the competition was 15 days and matches were played in two groups and the top two from each group met in the semi-finals. Playing kit were white and the match balls red in colour. It was 60 overs per side. Field restrictions nil. Highest score of the competition came from England against India - 334/4 in Group 'A' game, lowest score was 86 by Sri Lanka against West Indies in Group 'B' game. Unforgettable moment: Dennis Amiss, made the first ever World Cup century when he scored 137 off just 147 balls. Another unforgettable moment was when Sunil Gavaskar scored 36 off 174 balls while batting out the 60 overs.

1979 World Cup

Once again West Indies became the winners in 1979. There were 8 teams again. Duration of the competition was 15 days. Format two: groups and top two in semi-finals. The playing kit was white and red ball used. Overs 60. No field restrictions. Highest score 286/9 came form the champion West Indies against England in the final.

Lowest team score 45 by Canada against England in Group 'A'. Unforgettable moment a great knock of 138 by Vivian Richards of West Indies in the final at Lord's with array of strokes right round the wicket.

1983 World Cup

For the first time India under Kapil Dev became the champions in a eight team competition which was played for 17 days. Format: Two groups and the top two teams met in semi-finals. Clothing white and red balls, 60 overs per side. Field restrictions 30-yard circle introduced in the game for the first time and minimum of 4 fielders inside it throughout the innings.

Biggest change in format was the introduction of 30-yard circle. In this competition, the highest score was 338/5 by Pakistan against Sri Lanka in Group 'A' match. Lowest score 136 by Sri Lanka against England in Group 'A' match. Unforgettable moment: India beating the tournament favourite West Indies in a dramatic final at Lord's

1987 World Cup

In 1987 Australia became he champions. Again there were eight teams in action and tourney went on for 31 days. Format was two groups and the top two teams in the semi-finals. Match clothing was white and ball used red. Field restrictions 30-yard circle.

Biggest change in format was the reduction in number of overs from 60 to 50 plus introduction of neutral umpire concept. Highest score 360/4 came from West Indies against Sri Lanka in Group 'B' match. Lowest team score: 135 by Zimbabwe against India in Group 'A' match. Unforgettable moment: First hat-trick in World Cup history, India's Chetan Sharma who pocketed Kiwi batsmen Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Chatfield in successive balls for the hat-trick

1992 World Cup

In Australia in 1992 Pakistan under Imran Khan won the World Cup for the first time. There were nine teams in action. This time the duration was 32 days. Format round robin. All teams played each other once and top four went through to the semi-finals. Clothing coloured and white balls used for the first time. Overs per inning 50. Field restrictions only 2 fielders allowed outside 30-yard circle in the first 15 overs. Biggest change in format Day-Night matches. Coloured clothing and white balls. Highest score of the championship was from Sri Lanka 313/7 against Zimbabwe. Lowest team score 74 by Pakistan against England. Unforgettable moment: South Africa rejoining mainstream of cricket after the end of apartheid.

1996 World Cup

In 1996, Sri Lanka under the able leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga emerged as winners in a tourneys that had twelve teams in action for 33 days. There were two groups and the top four in each group through to quarterfinals. It was a coloured clothing competition with 50 overs per innings. Field restrictions 30-yard circle in the first 15 overs and only 2 fielders allowed outside of it. Biggest change in format: Quarterfinal stage introduced for the first time. Highest score came from Sri Lanka against Kenya at the Trinity College Grounds at Asgiriya - 398/5 in Group 'A' game. Lowest score by the first champions West Indies 93 against Kenya in the Group 'A' game.

Unforgettable moment: Sri Lanka scored over 100 runs in the first 15 overs in 3 matches enroute to winning their first World Cup plus Aravinda de Silva's back-to-back Man-of-the-Match awards in the semi-final and final. There was another incident: Kenya shook the tournament by beating West Indies at Poona after bundling out the Caribbean giants for the tournament's lowest total.

1999 World Cup

In 1999, Australia won the Cup for the second time. There were twelve teams in action. Duration of the tournament was 38 days. Playing in two groups and top 3 from each group progressed to Super Six. The top 4 from Super Six made it to semi-finals. Clothing was coloured, There were 50 overs for a side. Field restrictions 30-yard circle. Biggest single change in format - The introduction of Super Six. Highest score 373/6 by India against Sri Lanka in Group 'A' match. Lowest team score 68 by Scotland against West Indies in Group 'B' match. Unforgettable moment: Tied semi-final match between Australia and South Africa, which allowed the Aussies to go through on better net run-rate.

2003 World Cup

For the third time, Australia won the World Cup in 2003 in a fourteen team competition which went on for 43 days. Format: 2 groups and top 3 from each group progressed to Super Six. The top 4 from Super Six made it to semi-finals: Clothing was coloured and overs per inning 50. Field restrictions 30-yard circle for the first 15 overs. Highest score 359/2 by Australia against India in the final. Lowest team score 36 by Canada against Sri Lanka in Pool 'B'. Unforgettable moment: First time cricket World Cup event went to the African continent - Ricky Ponting's phenomenal 146 off just 121 balls in the final was the highest.

2007 World Cup

Once again it was Australia for the fourth time: Sixteen teams took part in a 47-day competition. It was played in 4 groups of 4 teams each. Two of them from each group progressed to Super 8. The top 4 in Super Eight progressed to semi-finals. Clothing coloured overs 50 per innings. Field restrictions power-play introduced for the first time in World Cup cricket.

Biggest change in format introduction of Super 8 and power play. Highest score 377/6 by Australia against South Africa in Group 'A' match. Lowest team score 77 by Ireland against Sri Lanka in Super Eight stage.

Unforgettable moment: Bangladesh knocking India out in first round and Ireland knocking Pakistan out in the first round, Plus Gilchrist's unbelievable 149 off just 104 balls simply stands out as the greatest World Cup final knock by an individual.

2011 World Cup

Winner? Fourteen teams in action, in a 41-day duration. Format 2 Groups with 7 teams in each Group. The top 4 in each group go through to the quarter-finals.

Clothing coloured. 50 overs per side. Field restriction power play. Biggest change in format Super Eight removed. UDRS Super Over introduced.