Cricket World Cup 2015: Updated Tournament Stats, Rankings and More
Kumar Sangakkara and Lahiru Thirimanne showcased clinics in limited-overs batting, as both men notched unbeaten centuries in a nine-wicket win against a deplorable England team
A fine 121 from Joe Root helped England to a respectable total of 309/6 after they won the toss and decided to bat first. But some rank bowling and dreadful fielding gave Sri Lanka a route back into the match, as Sangakkara and Thirimanne tucked in.
In the second match of the day, Pakistan picked up a much 20-run needed win over Zimbabwe. They'd lost their opening two games ahead of this one and although this match was a pretty arduous watch, getting the two points was the most important thing for this toiling group.
On a day of exemplary batting from the Sri Lankan duo, here’s how the overall standings are looking in various individual classifications and a closer examination of some of the standout performances from Day 16 of the tournament.
Top 10 Gross Run Scorers
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| Player | Team | Runs |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 268 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 258 |
| Lahiru Thirimanne | Sri Lanka | 256 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 229 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 224 |
| AB De Villiers | South Africa | 217 |
| Shaiman Anwar | UAE | 208 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 207 |
| Sean Williams | Zimbabwe | 193 |
| Marlon Samuels | West Indies | 192 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Batting Averages
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| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 134.0 |
| JP Duminy | South Africa | 121.0 |
| AB De Villiers | South Africa | 108.5 |
| Niall O'Brien | Ireland | 96.0 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 93.0 |
| David Miller | South Africa | 90.0 |
| Lahiru Thirimanne | Sri Lanka | 85.33 |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 76.33 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | India | 74.66 |
| Aaron Finch | Australia | 74.5 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Strike Rates
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| Player | Team | Runs | SR |
| Andre Russell | West Indies | 69 | 237.93 |
| Farhaan Behardien | South Africa | 10 | 200.00 |
| Kevin O'Brien | Ireland | 50 | 192.30 |
| Brendon McCullum | New Zealand | 207 | 188.18 |
| Thisara Perera | Sri Lanka | 47 | 180.76 |
| Rilee Rossouw | South Africa | 61 | 156.41 |
| Glenn Maxwell | Australia | 67 | 155.81 |
| AB De Villiers | South Africa | 217 | 155.00 |
| MS Dhoni | India | 36 | 150.00 |
| Jos Buttler | England | 76 | 146.15 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
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Top 10 Wicket Takers
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| Player | Team | Wickets |
| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 13 |
| Trent Boult | New Zealand | 10 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 9 |
| Jerome Taylor | West Indies | 9 |
| Josh Davey | Scotland | 9 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 8 |
| Steven Finn | England | 8 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 8 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 8 |
| Shapoor Zadran | Afghanistan | 7 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Bowling Figures
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| Tim Southee | New Zealand | 33 | 7 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 28 | 6 |
| Trent Boult | New Zealand | 27 | 5 |
| Mitchell Marsh | Australia | 33 | 5 |
| Imran Tahir | South Africa | 45 | 5 |
| Sohail Khan | Pakistan | 55 | 5 |
| Steven Finn | England | 71 | 5 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 25 | 4 |
| Mohammad Irfan | Pakistan | 30 | 4 |
| Mohammed Shami | India | 35 | 4 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Top 10 Economy Rates
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| Andy McBrine | Ireland | 26 | 0 | 2.60 |
| Manjula Guruge | United Arab Emirates | 21 | 1 | 3.00 |
| Daniel Vettori | New Zealand | 118 | 8 | 3.33 |
| Jeevan Mendis | Sri Lanka | 18 | 2 | 3.60 |
| Mirwais Ashraf | Afghanistan | 63 | 2 | 3.66 |
| Rahat Ali | Pakistan | 37 | 1 | 3.70 |
| Paul Stirling | Ireland | 60 | 2 | 3.75 |
| Alasdair Evans | Scotland | 76 | 3 | 3.80 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 19 | 1 | 3.80 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 107 | 8 | 3.82 |
All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.
Standout Performers
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Sangakkara, Thirimanne Embarrass England
Regardless of allegiances or nationality, there are certain players who you can’t help but admire. And after his latest magnificent knock, Kumar Sangakkara reaffirmed his status as one of the classiest players in world cricket.
It was a vintage innings from one of the all-time greats of the game. The wicketkeeper arrived at the crease with Sri Lanka 100/1 with a platform to play fluidly and after settling into his innings, the manner in which he accelerated his knock was wonderful to behold.
As noted by BBC TMS, Sangakkara was absolutely immaculate during his time at the crease:
"And there's Sanga's 100 off 70 balls. Barely a shot in anger, an innings as classy as you could imagine. 257-1 after 41.2 #ENGvSL #CWC15
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) March 1, 2015"
His innings was certainly the most eye-catching of the day, as the 37-year-old helped himself to 11 fours and two sixes. But it was the diligent work of Thirimanne who gave Sangakkara the foundation needed to play in such an aggressive and entertaining manner.
Indeed, while Sangakkara went on the offensive, Thirimanne was a serene presence at the other end. He kept the scoreboard ticking over throughout to keep Sri Lanka in touch with the required rate and when the opportunities did arise, the 25-year-old never wasted a chance to show off his cover drive.
Alt Cricket paid tribute to the occasionally maligned opening batsman:
"Delectable innings from Thirimanne so far. Class and aggression, from someone often criticized for his stodgy starts. #ENGvSL
— Alt Cricket (@AltCricket) March 1, 2015"
While England’s bowling left much to be desired in this one, immense credit must go to the composure showcased by the two Sri Lanka stars. They were superb throughout and while it’s never easy chasing down a total in excess of 300, the duo never looked flustered and subsequently a win for their team never seemed to be in doubt.
Bittersweet Day For Root
Joe Root is definitely beginning to mature into a top quality player and his superb 121 looked to have given England a fighting chance in this one.
Coming in at No. 4, the adaptable 24-year-old had to dig in initially with his side on the back foot, but he moved through the gears superbly late on in the innings, giving Jos Buttler the time needed to smash 39 off 19 balls and push England past 300.
As noted by Cricket Record, there aren’t many young Englishmen who can rival Root’s figures in the relative infancy of his career:
"Joe Root now have scored four ODI centuries, the most 100s by any England player in their ODI history at age less than 25. #CWC15 #ENGvSL
— Cricket Record (@cricinfo_record) March 1, 2015"
Root wasn’t responsible for the poor bowling that allowed Sri Lanka a substantial foothold in the match, but after dropping eventual centurion Thirimanne on three, he’ll certainly be left to reflect on what might have been had he clung on.
Nonetheless, former England batsman Kevin Pietersen paid tribute to the Yorkshireman:
"Not the result I wanted waking up to! @joeroot05 must have played well - good stuff, bud!
— Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) March 1, 2015"
Root's batting will resemble a small fillip of positivity for this England team as they look to progress to the quarter-finals.
He's been the most consistent player in this England one-day international team for a while now and a couple more sizeable scores at this tournament could do plenty to lighten the sorrowful mood that seems to have engulfed this squad.
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