Cricket’s marquee tournament returns to where it all began back in 1975 as the 12th edition of the One-Day International World Cup begins on May 30. In what will be the fifth World Cup held in England, the 10 best teams in the game will take on each other in a round-robin format — the system that was last followed in the 1992 edition. The best-placed four teams will then play the semi-finals before the summit clash to decide the champions at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s, on 14 July.
All teams have announced the squads and are in the process of warming up for what promises to be one of the highest-scoring World Cup editions, given how the ODIs in England have panned out in the recent past.
Given that, there is a high likelihood of batsmen scoring centuries left, right and center in the friendly conditions expected in England and Wales.
The first ever century in a World Cup match was scored by Dennis Amis (against India in the inaugural game of the tournament when Sunil Gavaskar played one of the bizarre knocks ever.) Incidentally, Amis also holds the record for the first ever century in ODIs. New Zealand’s Glenn Turner also hit a century on the same day albeit in a different game, with both 100s coming on the opening day of the 1975 World Cup.
Including Amis’ efforts against India, a total of 165 centuries have been scored at the tournament. h
And, for the numbers lover in you, here’s a quiz covering some interesting trivia from that wide collection.
As always, no googling. Good luck with the quiz and share your scores with us on our social media platforms. Happy quizzing!