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The ODI World Cup has been widely regarded as the pinnacle of cricket since the first edition was played in 1975. The International Cricket Council (ICC) hosts this multi-nation cricket tournament every four years while considering it as the “flagship event of the international cricket calendar.”
There are six different teams who have won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in its nearly 50-year history. The inaugural champions West Indies have earned the coveted title twice, and Australia have gotten their hands on the ODI World Cups five times, the most among all the participating teams.
India have achieved World Cup glory in the one-day format twice, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the defending champions England have been successful in securing the silverware once. The 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup will be played in India, during the months of October and November later this year.
Over the last five decades or so, this cricketing spectacle has seen its fair share of great moments, still fondly remembered by fans worldwide. But, at the same time, there have been a few ill-fated incidents in the tournament, which aren’t the favourites of the players or fans. Here are the five most heated moments in ODI World Cup history.
Shane Watson vs Wahab Riaz in 2015
During the ODI World Cup 2015 quarter-final match between Australia and Pakistan in Adelaide, the hosts were 59/3 in the 11th over while chasing the 214-run target, with two of their best batters David Warner and Michael Clarke back in the shed. Wahab Riaz, who was breathing fire with the ball, welcomed Shane Watson to the crease with a nasty bouncer while gesturing at the batter, presumably, telling him to get bat on the ball.
The duel between these two started when Watson poked fun at Riaz’s batting ability in the first innings. During his fiery spell, the Pakistani fast bowler had the Australian batter nearly caught down at the fine leg region, but the catch was dropped by Rahat Ali. Eventually, Shane Watson managed to work his way past Wahab Riaz to hand his side a place in the World Cup semi-final at home.
