Cricket World Cup 2015: Top Run-Scorers, Wicket-Takers and Averages After Day 2
Day 2 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 saw reigning champions India get their campaign underway, and they did so in style with an emphatic, 76-run victory over bitter rivals Pakistan.
India owed much of their success due to lacklustre bowling from the Pakistani order, but one man stood out—Sohail Khan.
Khan dismissed five Indians on the day to propel himself to the top of the wicket-taker leaderboard, narrowly behind Mitchell Marsh for runs conceded.
So, as there was remarkable bowling in one of Sunday’s fixtures, it’s only fitting that a couple of incredible displays of batting took centre stage in the other, as South Africa defeated Zimbabwe in Hamilton.
David Miller and JP Duminy put together a world-record fifth-wicket partnership of 256, per Cricket South Africa, chalking up 138 and 115, respectively:
".@davidmillersa12 & @jpduminy21 also record the highest 5th-wicket partnership (256) in a #cwc15. #ProteaFire pic.twitter.com/Zs2EPiObN7
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) February 15, 2015"
Aaron Finch’s incredible haul of 135 against England on Saturday looked like it would take some beating, but Miller moves up to top spot and deservedly so after a stunning knock.
But how about the rest of the batting and bowling disciplines? Here’s a look at the top Cricket World Cup performers after Day 2, with a special focus on Sunday’s heroes.
Top 10 Gross Run-Scorers
1 of 7
| David Miller | South Africa | 138 |
| Aaron Finch | Australia | 135 |
| JP Duminy | South Africa | 115 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 107 |
| James Taylor | England | 98 |
| Hamilton Masakadza | Zimbabwe | 80 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan | 76 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 75 |
| Suresh Raina | India | 74 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 73 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Leading Batting Averages
2 of 7
| Aaron Finch | Australia | 135 | 135.0 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 107 | 107.0 |
| Hamilton Masakadza | Zimbabwe | 80 | 80.0 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | Pakistan | 76 | 76.0 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 75 | 75.0 |
| Suresh Raina | India | 74 | 74.0 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 73 | 73.0 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 66 | 66.0 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 65 | 65.0 |
| Lahiru Thirimanne | Sri Lanka | 65 | 65.0 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Strike Rates
3 of 7
| Brad Haddin | Australia | 31 | 221.42 |
| Wahab Riaz | Pakistan | 4 | 200.00 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 66 | 165.00 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 75 | 163.04 |
| Luke Ronchi | New Zealand | 29 | 152.63 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 138 | 150.00 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 18 | 138.46 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 65 | 132.65 |
| Suresh Raina | India | 74 | 132.14 |
| David Warner | Australia | 22 | 122.22 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
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Top 10 Wicket-Takers
4 of 7
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 9.0 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| Sohail Khan | Pakistan | 10.0 | 0 | 55 | 5 |
| Steven Finn | England | 10.0 | 0 | 71 | 5 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 9.0 | 1 | 35 | 4 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 10.0 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
| Jeevan Mendis | Sri Lanka | 2.0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 3.1 | 0 | 18 | 2 |
| Vernon Philander | South Africa | 8.0 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 10.0 | 0 | 34 | 2 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Bowling Figures
5 of 7
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 9.0 | 33 | 5 | 3.66 |
| Sohail Khan | Pakistan | 10.0 | 55 | 5 | 5.50 |
| Steven Finn | England | 10.0 | 71 | 5 | 7.10 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 9.0 | 35 | 4 | 3.88 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 10.0 | 36 | 3 | 3.60 |
| Jeevan Mendis | Sri Lanka | 2.0 | 5 | 2 | 2.50 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 3.1 | 18 | 2 | 5.68 |
| Vernon Philander | South Africa | 8.0 | 30 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 10.0 | 34 | 2 | 3.40 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Economy Rates
6 of 7
| Jeevan Mendis | Sri Lanka | 2.0 | 5 | 2 | 2.50 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 10.0 | 34 | 2 | 3.40 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 10.0 | 36 | 3 | 3.60 |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 9.0 | 33 | 5 | 3.66 |
| Vernon Philander | South Africa | 8.0 | 30 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 9.0 | 35 | 4 | 3.88 |
| Mohit Sharma | India | 9.0 | 35 | 2 | 3.88 |
| Rangana Herath | Sri Lanka | 9.0 | 37 | 1 | 4.11 |
| Tafadzwa Kamungozi | Zimbabwe | 8.0 | 34 | 1 | 4.25 |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 10.0 | 43 | 2 | 4.30 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Day 2 Standout Performers
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Miller and Duminy Demolish Zimbabwe
When David Miller and JP Duminy took to the crease in South Africa’s Pool B clash with Zimbabwe on Sunday, the Proteas were in danger of letting the underdogs have their day.
Sitting on just 83/4, the South Africans needed something special to recover their innings, and it duly arrived.
The pair were absolutely flawless during their record-breaking stand, slogging their way to boundaries galore just when their side needed it most.
They saved their best cricket for the final six overs, though, as they quite simply went on the rampage, as ESPN Cricinfo’s Freddie Wilde revealed:
"South Africa just scored 111-0 off their final six overs. That's one hundred and eleven runs in six overs. #CWC15 #SAvZim
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) February 15, 2015"
A 111-run haul in just six overs is nothing short of spectacular, and between them, they needed just 192 balls for their 256 runs.
That kind of cricket is unplayable, and so it proved as the duo kept their wickets all the way through to the end of the 50th over.
Included in Miller’s innings was an emphatic over of 30 runs—three sixes and three fours—per Cricket World Cup:
"6.4.4.6.4.6 - Epic over from @DavidMillerSA12! http://t.co/Mn6UZcE89s #SAvZIM #cwc15 pic.twitter.com/vJJ5qXAKyN
— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) February 15, 2015"
Speaking with BBC Sport after the match, the South African praised his partnership with Duminy and said that they reaped the rewards for patient batting in tough overs:
"I just needed to construct a partnership with someone, and JP was the man today. It was tough up front and a bit slow initially, but it definitely eased up towards the end.”
Duminy’s 115 runs in 100 balls was enough to take him into the top three run-scorers of the tournament so far, and if the pair continue their brilliance, they’ll likely be staying up there for the long haul.
Khan’s Brilliant Bowling in Vain
Pakistan are the ultimate hit-and-miss team in international cricket, and in terms of the bowlers in their opening match against India, there was one hitter and too many misses.
India played well during their innings of 300/7, with Virat Kohli posting 107 to move him into the top-four run-scorers, but the majority of the Pakistan bowling order just didn’t get going.
Sohail Khan, however, did, as ESPNcricinfo’s statistics reveal:
"Sohail Khan hadn't played an ODI since 2011. Called on to play against India in the World Cup, he took 5-55. Rest of the attack: 1-243
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 15, 2015"
The 30-year-old has been in one-day international exile for four years, but he came back with a bang by taking five wickets against India, including two on the spin in a team hat-trick.
MS Dhoni and Ajinkya Rahane fell foul to the fast-bowler’s brilliance, but he couldn’t quite add Ravichandran Ashwin to his list of victims for a personal hat-trick.
The damage was well and truly done, though, and Khan now joins Mitchell Marsh and Steven Finn on five dismissals at the top of the wicket-taker tree.
He can’t continue to fly the Pakistan flag alone, though, so things must change before Misbah-ul-Haq’s men are back in action against the West Indies on February 21.
Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott echoed such a sentiment, saying that India found it too easy against a Pakistan side lacking firepower—via BBC Sport:
“Pakistan didn't have the firepower in spin or seam to stop India getting runs. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli found it easy to score—they got to 150 without breaking sweat.”
Pakistan were rather poor with the bat, too, but take nothing away from India’s Mohammed Shami, who took four wickets for his side.
The Indian moved two placed behind Khan in the wicket-taking standings, and the variety that he displayed against Pakistan will be encouraging.
Not that India need many more reasons to feel confident, though, and if they continue at this rate, the chase for consecutive World Cup titles will get more and more likely.
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