Cricket World Cup 2015: Top Records, Run-Scorers, Averages and Analysis
Ireland and the United Arab Emirates played out a thoroughly entertaining clash at the Gabba, with the men in green taking victory by a narrow two-wicket margin.
A wonderful century from Shaiman Anwar salvaged the UAE innings after they lost a flurry of early wickets. The 35-year-old made 106 off 83 balls to push his side towards a respectable total of 278/9, but it proved to be a little short of what was required against an Ireland team who have started this World Cup in confident mood.
They also began their innings slowly but were rescued by a couple of standout displays. Gary Wilson’s 80 breathed life back into their run chase, while a quick-fire 50 from 25 balls from Kevin O'Brien was vital in the Irish reaching the target of 279 with four balls remaining in the match.
Here’s how this game affects some of the overall individual standings and a closer examination of the star performers from the Pool B clash in Brisbane.
Top 10 Run-Scorers
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| Player | Team | Runs |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 255 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 210 |
| Marlon Samuels | West Indies | 192 |
| Shaiman Anwar | UAE | 173 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 160 |
| Sean Williams | Zimbabwe | 160 |
| Moeen Ali | England | 158 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 157 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 153 |
| Lendl Simmons | West Indies | 152 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Averages
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| David Miller | South Africa | 160.0 |
| Aaron Finch | Australia | 135.0 |
| JP Duminy | South Africa | 121.0 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 105.0 |
| Marlon Samuels | West Indies | 96.0 |
| Niall O'Brien | Ireland | 96.0 |
| Shaiman Anwar | UAE | 86.5 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 85.0 |
| Sean Williams | Zimbabwe | 80.0 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 76.5 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Batting Strike Rates
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| Player | Team | Runs | SR |
| Andre Russell | West Indies | 69 | 265.38 |
| Brad Haddin | Australia | 31 | 221.42 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 8 | 200.00 |
| Kevin O'Brien | Ireland | 50 | 192.30 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 157 | 182.55 |
| Thisara Perera | Sri Lanka | 47 | 180.76 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 66 | 165.00 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza | Bangladesh | 14 | 155.55 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 36 | 150.00 |
| Luke Ronchi | New Zealand | 41 | 141.37 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
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Top 10 Wicket Takers
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| Player | Team | Wickets |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 11 |
| Jerome Taylor | West Indies | 9 |
| Steven Finn | England | 8 |
| Josh Davey | Scotland | 7 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 6 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 6 |
| Sohail Khan | Pakistan | 6 |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 5 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 5 |
| Chris Woakes | England | 5 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Bowling Figures
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| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 33 | 7 |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 33 | 5 |
| Sohail Khan | Pakistan | 55 | 5 |
| Steven Finn | England | 71 | 5 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 35 | 4 |
| Josh Davey | Scotland | 68 | 4 |
| Jerome Taylor | West Indies | 15 | 3 |
| Corey Anderson | New Zealand | 18 | 3 |
| Mashrafe Mortaza | Bangladesh | 20 | 3 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 24 | 3 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Economy Rates
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| Mashrafe Mortaza | Bangladesh | 20 | 3 | 2.22 |
| Andy McBrine | Ireland | 26 | 0 | 2.60 |
| Manjula Guruge | UAE | 21 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 77 | 6 | 3.03 |
| Taskin Ahmed | Bangladesh | 23 | 1 | 3.28 |
| Jeevan Mendis | Sri Lanka | 18 | 2 | 3.60 |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 33 | 5 | 3.66 |
| Mirwais Ashraf | Afghanistan | 63 | 2 | 3.66 |
| Paul Stirling | Ireland | 60 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 65 | 6 | 3.82 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Standout Performers
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Bittersweet Day for Superb Shaiman Anwar
The United Arab Emirates have only ever won one World Cup match in their history but, after a stellar batting display from Anwar, for a long time it looked as though it was going to be two.
His century was wonderfully constructed. Initially he dug in with his team in trouble, but it didn’t take too long for the UAE star to move through the gears and give his side a fine chance of savouring glory.
As noted by Cricket Record, Anwar became one of the oldest players ever to score a maiden World Cup hundred:
"Shaiman Anwar (35y 347d) is the 2nd oldest player after SGavaskar (38y 113d in 1987) to score a maiden 100 in ODIs during World Cups. #CWC15
— Cricket Record (@cricinfo_record) February 25, 2015"
But the way in which Anwar hopped about the crease, sashayed down the pitch and ran between the wickets didn’t emit the aura of a player who is coming to the end of his playing days. He was a sprightly presence out in the middle and, as noted by former footballer Dietmar Hamann, gave his team a wonderful chance of victory:
"@Sport_360 Great knock by Anwar in partnership with Javed. Gives your boys a fighting chance. Great recovery from 131/6
— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) February 25, 2015"
Sadly it wasn’t to be for the UAE and they’ll have to wait a little longer for their first World Cup win since 1996. But there were some undoubted positives that this crop of players can take from this clash with Ireland and the quality on show from the likes of Anwar bodes well for the Associate nations looking to make strides in the game.
If UAE's other players at the top of the order can provide a sturdier platform when Anwar arrives at the crease, that will give the 35-year-old greater license to play with freedom and subsequently enhance the nation's chances of notching the requisite scores needed to win matches at this level.
Gary Wilson and Kevin O’Brien Haul Ireland to Victory
After a clutch of early wickets fell thanks to some measured UAE bowling, Ireland’s chances of making it two wins in two at this World Cup were looking increasingly slim. But the double act of Wilson and O’Brien surged the men in green toward the target and, ultimately, formed the underpinning basis of this dramatic win.
Wilson was the man who played the long game in the innings. With his team in trouble when he arrived at the crease, he played studiously at first and while he didn’t see the innings out to the end, Wilson ensured that the run rate in the latter stages remained at a run-a-ball.
As noted by the ICC Twitter account, he was named player of the match for his efforts:
"The Player of the Match is Gary Wilson for his ice-cool 80 off 69 balls #IREvUAE #cwc15 & he's trending worldwide! pic.twitter.com/Zaypd50jO7
— ICC (@ICC) February 25, 2015"
A large chunk of the credit for this win needs to go to Kevin O’Brien, however. The big-hitting batsman strode out to the crease with a real purpose and his knock of 50 from just 25 balls swung momentum in the match back in his team’s favour.
As noted by cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle, even though O’Brien didn’t see the job through, his destructive knock had already done the damage needed:
"Kevin O'Brien is out but he may have done enough.....#cwc15. Game changing half century.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 25, 2015"
Ireland’s batting line-up has shone in the two matches so far. They showcased a real poise in the latter stages of the innings while the UAE started to get increasingly ragged under pressure.
They are not a team that are realistic contenders for the title, but with men like Wilson and O’Brien in this kind of form, they have enough class to ruffle a few feathers on their way to the quarter-finals.
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