Cricket World Cup 2015: Leading Run-Scorers and Bowlers After 4th Quarter-Final

New Zealand’s Martin Guptill struck the highest ever individual score in the history of the Cricket World Cup, as his unbeaten 237 set up a comfortable 143-run win over the West Indies at Eden Park in the fourth quarter-final.

The opener was there from first ball to last for the Black Caps, as he played with a real calmness in the early stages of his innings before exploding into life late on. His record total came off a meagre 163 balls, allowing the co-hosts to post a score of 393 for six after batting first.

It was always going to be a tough chase for the Windies and despite Chris Gayle prompting some hopes of a fightback with a brisk 61, an excellent spell of bowling from Trent Boult scythed through the West Indies’ top order. Eventually they were all out for 250 inside 31 overs.

Here’s how a record-breaking day affects the individual classifications at this World Cup and a detailed look at some of the standout displays from this last-eight encounter.

Top 10 Gross Run-Scorers

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Player	Team	Runs
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	541
Martin Guptill	New Zealand	498
Brendan Taylor	Zimbabwe	433
AB de Villiers	South Africa	417
Tillakaratne Dilshan	Sri Lanka	395
Shikhar Dhawan	India	367
Mahmudullah	Bangladesh	365
Misbah-ul-Haq	Pakistan	350
Chris Gayle	West Indies	340
Sean Williams	Zimbabwe	339

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.     

Top 10 Batting Averages

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Player	Team	Average
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	108.20
AB de Villiers	South Africa	83.40
Martin Guptill	New Zealand	83.00
Sarfraz Ahmed	Pakistan	80.00
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	75.25
Mahmudullah	Bangladesh	73.00
Brendan Taylor	Zimbabwe	72.16
Suresh Raina	India	69.25
David Miller	South Africa	68.75
Sean Williams	Zimbabwe	67.80

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.    

Top 10 Strike Rates

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Player	Team	Runs	SR
Dinesh Chandimal	Sri Lanka	52	216.66
Farhaan Behardien	South Africa	74	205.55
Andre Russell	West Indies	104	185.71
Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	257	185.51
Glenn Maxwell	Australia	301	183.53
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	34	178.94
James Faulkner	Australia	23	176.92
Tawanda Mupariwa	Zimbabwe	19	172.72
Tim Southee	New Zealand	12	171.42
Brad Haddin	Australia	119	163.01

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.     

Top 10 Wicket-Takers

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Player	Team	Wickets
Trent Boult	New Zealand	19
Mitchell Starc	Australia	18
Mohammed Shami	India	17
Jerome Taylor	West Indies	17
Wahab Riaz	Pakistan	16
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	15
Imran Tahir	South Africa	15
Josh Davey	Scotland	15
Tim Southee	New Zealand	15
Morne Morkel	South Africa	14

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.   

Top 10 Bowling Figures

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Player	Team	Runs	Wickets
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
Mitchell Starc	Australia	14	4
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	18	4
Kyle Abbott	South Africa	21	4

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.    

Top 10 Economy Rates

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Player	Team	Runs	Wickets	Econ
Michael Clarke	Australia	14	1	2.80
James Tredwell	England	25	1	3.57
Jeevan Mendis	Sri Lanka	18	2	3.60
Mirwais Ashraf	Afghanistan	63	2	3.66
Mitchell Starc	Australia	176	18	3.74
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	India	19	1	3.80
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	236	15	3.81
Dwayne Smith	West Indies	27	1	3.85
Ravi Bopara	England	31	2	3.87
Sohaib Maqsood	Pakistan	24	1	4.00

All statistics via ESPN Cricinfo.    

Standout Performers

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Guptill Heroics Push New Zealand to Victory

With Brendon McCullum typically teeing off at the top of the order for New Zealand, his opening partner Martin Guptill isn’t a player who hogs too much of the spotlight. But the latter ensured he was the Black Caps’ hero in this quarter-final encounter, rattling off the highest score in World Cup history to help New Zealand to victory.

McCullum paid tribute to the effort of his team-mate in the aftermath of this important win: 

"

Brendon McCullum: "The innings we witnessed today was one of the best I have seen in my life" #CWC15 #Guptill

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) March 21, 2015"

In truth, there were little early signs that something this special was on the cards. Guptill looked to be performing his standard role as the anchor in the New Zealand innings, playing with a calmness and poise while other batsmen looked to inject some initiative into proceedings.

But once he got to his century from 111 balls, there was a clear shift in intentions. As noted by Mike Selvey of the Guardian, some wonderful stroke-play saw New Zealand score at an astonishing rate in the final 15 overs of the match:

"

NZ 393-6, Guptill 237 from 163b, second highest ODi score ever. NZ scored 206 from last 15 overs. Wonderful display of orthodox hitting.

— mike selvey (@selvecricket) March 21, 2015"

The West Indies’ bowling was admittedly pretty rank at times, and they were left to rue a costly drop early on in the innings. Indeed, Guptill had only made four when Marlon Samuels put him down off just the third ball of the day; a faux pas that would cost this team an eventual 233 runs.

But the opener deserves immense credit for his display. Guptill showcased an array of wonderful, orthodox shots, proving you don’t have to be an enormous pinch-hitter to make big runs in this format. With him in exceptional form to complement the likes of McCullum and Ross Taylor, New Zealand are looking more and more like champions in-waiting by the game.

Boult Blitzes Through West Indies Top Order

Another facet of this New Zealand team which makes them potential winners is their work with the ball. In Tim Southee and Daniel Vettori, they have two of the very best bowlers in the business, but it was Trent Boult who shone brightest here as he continued to cement his own reputation among the elite.

Such was his intensity up front with the ball, McCullum kept the seamer on for 10 consecutive overs. Former India player Aakash Chopra paid tribute to his unyielding ferocity:

"

Trent Boult, take a bow man...you bowled a 10 over spell at 'that' pace with 'that' intensity....Unreal. What. A. Talent. #CWC15

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 21, 2015"

Indeed, while Chris Gayle was looking to smash the ball to all parts, Boult went about decimating the West Indies’ batsmen at the other end. His pace, accuracy and variation with the ball was too much to handle for the Caribbean islanders’ very best players, as four of the top five fell to Boult in a devastating spell of four wickets for 44 runs.

As noted by OptaJason, the bowler has been in the form of his life at this competition:

"

44 - Trent Boult recorded his 2nd best ODI figures in this match, 4/44, only his 5/27 earlier in the tournament v Aus was better. Strike.

— OptaJason (@OptaJason) March 21, 2015"

With players like Guptill, Gayle and AB de Villiers hogging the focus at this tournament with some stunning batting displays, the exemplary efforts of seamers like Boult seem to have been a little understated. But if New Zealand are going to win this trophy, their work with the ball in hand and in the field is going to be so important.

In Boult, they have a canny operator with the new ball and a wonderful foil for players like the aggressive Southee and devious Vettori. It’s going to be hugely intriguing to see just how Boult fares in the semi-final in the face of De Villiers and South Africa’s stellar batting lineup.