The ODI World Cup is cricket's biggest and most historic prize. Since its inception in 1975 as the Prudential World Cup, it has garnered a reputation as the number one prize to win in all of cricket.
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India is set to host the 2023 edition of the tournament in October for the fourth time, but for the first time as an exclusive host. In 1987, India and Pakistan co-hosted while 1996 saw India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka hold the Cup and 2011 had India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all hosting.
Some of the world's greatest players have made their name with stellar performances in the World Cup. Here, The Sporting News looks at some of the history around players who have scored centuries at the World Cup.
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Who scored the first World Cup century?
The World Cup saw the first two of its 196 centuries scored on the very same day; the first day of the first tournament.
On 7 June 1975, Dennis Amiss scored 137 for England against India at Lord's, a match that is still remembered today for Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar's infamous innings of 36 not out off 174 balls. Across the country on the same day, in Birmingham, New Zealand opener Glenn Turner scored a hundred of his own, 171 not out against East Africa.
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Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting - Which players have scored multiple World Cup hundreds?
There are 131 different players who have hit a century in the history of the World Cup. Out of those, 47 players have achieved the feat twice or more. Modern-day greats such as Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson have three and two World Cup centuries respectively. But the most by a single player is seven, a record held by Rohit Sharma.
| Player | Country | Innings | Runs | Centuries | High Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | India | 25 | 1420 | 7 | 140 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | India | 44 | 2278 | 6 | 152 |
| David Warner | Australia | 25 | 1420 | 6 | 178 |
| Ricky Ponting | Australia | 42 | 1743 | 5 | 140* |
| Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka | 35 | 1532 | 5 | 124 |
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 22 | 1207 | 4 | 162* |
| Tillakaratne Dilshan | Sri Lanka | 25 | 1112 | 4 | 161* |
| Sourav Ganguly | India | 21 | 1006 | 4 | 183 |
| Mahela Jayawardene | Sri Lanka | 34 | 1100 | 4 | 115* |
| Mark Waugh | Australia | 22 | 1004 | 4 | 130 |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 24 | 995 | 4 | 174 |
| Virat Kohli | India | 34 | 1573 | 4 | 107 |
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What is the highest individual score in World Cup history?
With the advent of one-day and then T20 cricket in the 21st century, scores have been getting higher and higher through the years. There have been two double centuries scored by individual batters in the World Cup, both in 2015, by Martin Guptill (237*) and Chris Gayle (215).
| Player | Country | Score | Opposition | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Guptill | New Zealand | 237* | West Indies | 2015 |
| Chris Gayle | West Indies | 215 | Zimbabwe | 2015 |
| Gary Kirsten | South Africa | 188* | UAE | 1996 |
| Sourav Ganguly | India | 183 | Sri Lanka | 1999 |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | 181 | Sri Lanka | 1987 |
| David Warner | Australia | 178 | Afghanistan | 2015 |
| Kapil Dev | India | 175* | Zimbabwe | 1983 |
| Virender Sehwag | India | 175 | Bangladesh | 2011 |
| Quinton de Kock | South Africa | 174 | Bangladesh | 2023 |
| Craig Wishart | Zimbabwe | 172* | Namibia | 2003 |
| Glenn Turner | New Zealand | 171* | East Africa | 1975 |
Who will win the Cricket World Cup 2023?
This World Cup promises to be a close one, with India, England and Australia all close favourites. India edge the odds because of home advantage, but the tournament is still too close to call.
| Team | Odds (via Dafabet) |
|---|---|
| India | 2.20 |
| Australia | 4.50 |
| South Africa | 4.50 |
| New Zealand | 7.00 |
| Pakistan | 51.00 |
| Afghanistan | 51.00 |
| Sri Lanka | 1001.00 |
| England | 1001.00 |
| Netherlands | 1501.00 |
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