Cricket’s Most Remarkable Centuries: ICC World Cup hundreds that ended in defeat

Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo Source: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

Scoring a ton in the World Cup against a quality side becomes a moment of pride for any player. In a high-voltage game on the World Cup stage, when a batter holds his nerves and scores a century, he expects his team to utilize his efforts and hammer the opponents. However, sometimes, things don’t go the way the player wants.

In the World Cup, some players have got their hearts broken as they notched up centuries but their teams failed to win the match riding on their success. Back in 1992, when Pakistan lost to the West Indies by eight wickets in the World Cup, despite Ramiz Raja’s unbeaten 102, a lot of Pakistan cricket supporters got disheartened.

This isn’t the only instance when a batter’s ton went in vain in the World Cup. In the history of the World Cup, there are several instances to recount when batters scored scintillating centuries but their teams failed to take advantage of their performances.

Five World Cup tons that came in losing causes

5. Aamer Sohail’s 111 against South Africa in 1996

In 1996, Pakistan were the defending champions and they were looking to repeat their 1992 performance. As one of the hosts, they kicked off their campaign positively with their comprehensive victories against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and The Netherlands.

After a couple of wins, they had a face-off with heavyweights South Africa at the National Stadium, Karachi. In the massive game, Pakistan captain Wasim Akram won the toss and chose to bat first. Against the disciplined bowling, opener Aamer Sohail stepped up and played a confident knock of 111 runs from 139 deliveries.

Riding on the southpaw’s fine innings, the Men in Green posted a decent total of 242 runs on the board. Replying to Pakistan, South Africa pulled off the target in 44.2 overs. Gary Kirsten and Daryll Cullinan played crucial knocks of 44 and 65, respectively while the captain Hansie Cronje took the team home with his unbeaten 45-run innings.

4. Ricky Ponting’s 104 against India in 2011

Australia landed as the defending champions in the 2011 World Cup. However, after the league round, their performance wasn’t near to that of the 2003 and 2007 editions. With four victories in six matches, the Men in Yellow qualified for the quarter-finals to confront India in Ahmedabad.

In the marquee game, the Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first. Following a stable start from openers Shane Watson and Brad Haddin, captain Ponting took the matter into his own hands and notched up a magnificent century to help his team put 260 runs on the board.

Ponting played a commendable knock of 104 off 118 at a time when Aussie middle-order batters Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, and Cameron White went back to the pavilion cheaply. However, the veteran’s innings couldn’t save Australia as Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina played match-finishing innings of 57 (65) and 34 (28) respectively, and won the game for India with 14 balls to spare.

3. Mahela Jayawardene’s 103 against India in 2011

Sri Lanka was one of the most formidable teams in the 2011 World Cup. Following their comfortable five-wicket win over New Zealand in Colombo, they qualified for the final at the Wankhede Stadium. In the decider game, they met India, who came to play the contest after beating Pakistan in the semi-final in Mohali.  On a special day, luck favoured Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara as he won the toss against his counterpart MS Dhoni and opted to bat first.

Following the slow start from top-order batters, Mahela Jayawardene utilized his experience and played some exquisite strokes against Indian bowlers. The veteran stitched some important partnerships with middle-order batters and took his team to a fine total of 275. Jayawardene hit a century on a huge day and became the sixth batter to rack up a ton in the World Cup finals.

The star Sri Lanka batter went back to the pavilion with his unbeaten knock of 103 off 88. However, it was India’s day in the end as they pocketed the game by six wickets and clinched the coveted trophy for the second time. Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni played vital innings of 97 (122) and 91 (79), respectively, and made major contributions to their team’s historic triumph. 

2. Saeed Anwar’s 101 against India in 2003 

The 2003 World Cup contest between India and Pakistan is remembered for Sachin Tendulkar’s extraordinary batting display. Chasing the enormous total of 274 in Centurion, the Master Blaster led the assault against Pakistan bowlers. Riding on his exceptional 98-run knock off just 75 deliveries, the Men in Blue hammered Pakistan by six wickets.

However, it wasn’t just Tendulkar who grabbed the eyeballs in that famous match. Before India’s innings, Pakistan also dominated the game with their aggressive batting and this became possible due to their opener Saeed Anwar’s wonderful batting performance. 

In the high-voltage match, Anwar took India’s bowling unit to the cleaners and went on to score a magnificent century. His knock ended on 101 off 126 and with the help of his stunning innings, Pakistan succeeded in giving a fine target of 274 to the arch-rivals. 

1. Sachin Tendulkar’s 111 vs South Africa in 2011

In India’s 2011 World Cup triumph under MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar made a remarkable contribution from his bat. He chalked up 482 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 91.98 and ended up as the second-highest run-scorer in the competition, following Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan.

Dhoni and his men played disciplined cricket in knockouts which led them to the historic title triumph. However, India didn’t look positive in the league round which got them a three-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium (VCA) Stadium.

Batting first against the Proteas after winning the toss, the Men in Blue scored 296 runs in 48.4 overs. Tendulkar, who hit 111 runs off just 101 balls, played a pivotal role in helping India put up a fine total on the board. Tendulkar’s sensational batting efforts went in vain as Indian bowlers couldn’t save the total. The match is also known for Ashish Nehra’s failure to defend 13 runs in the last over of the game.