The first batter getting out for a duck in an ODI World Cup game is an ominous sign for any team in the world. If the second batter too gets dismissed for a duck then the batting team often falls behind the eight ball. But what happens if the first three batters of a team walk back to the dugout without scoring? How many times has it happened when the first three batters were dismissed for ducks in the ODI World Cup? In this article, we take a look at the infamous times when a batting team lost their first 3 batters for ducks.
How many times have the first 3 batters been dismissed for ducks?
In Men’s ODIs, there have been 12 instances of the first three batters getting out while scoring zero runs. Five of those instances have come in the World Cup. The latest one happened in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 during India’s and Australia’s first game in Chennai. Here is a look at the five instances from the ODI World Cup history.
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Pakistan vs New Zealand, 1983 World Cup
The first time the first three batters got dismissed for ducks in World Cups happened in just the third edition in 1983. The infamous event occurred during a game between Pakistan and New Zealand. Pakistan batting second, while chasing 239 in 60 overs lost their first three batters for ducks. Mohsin Khan, Mudassar Nazar and Zaheer Abbas were all dismissed for ducks resulting in the scoreboard reading 0-3. Pakistan went on to lose the match by 52 runs. Abdul Qadir from Pakistan won the Player of the Match award for his four-wicket haul in the first innings and his unbeaten knock of 41 runs in the second innings.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2003 World Cup
The 2003 World Cup might be remembered because of the famous Australian team dominating every other team or Sachin Tendulkar piling on the runs and having the most successful campaign as a batter (in terms of runs). But one of the most famous bowling performances came when Chaminda Vaas bowled the most famous first over in cricket against Bangladesh. The Sri Lankan left-arm pacer took a hat-trick on the first three balls of the match. In fact, he took another wicket in the over. Hannan Sarkar, Mohammad Ashraful and Ehsanul Haque were the three batters to be dismissed for ducks. Sanuar Hossain was the fourth batter to be dismissed in the over. Vaas also recorded the joint-fastest five-wicket haul in ODIs. Sri Lanka went on to win the match by 10 wickets while chasing 125 in the second innings.
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Sri Lanka vs India, 2003 World Cup
In the same World Cup, Sri Lanka was on the wrong end of the infamous record. Sachin Tendulkar missed out on a century by three runs as India gave Sri Lanka a target of 293 runs. Javagal Srinath combined with Zaheer Khan not only dismissed the first three batters for ducks but also managed to remove the fourth batter for a duck as well. In the second over of the match, Srinath dismissed Marvan Atapattu and Jehan Mubarak for ducks. Zaheer in the following over dismissed Mahela Jayawardene for a duck. Srinath picked the wicket of the fourth batter, Aravinda de Silva for a duck in the fourth over. India won the match by 183 runs.
Pakistan vs West Indies, 2015 World Cup
Batting first West Indies scored 310 runs thanks to half-centuries from Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons and a couple of knocks of 40 runs from Darren Bravo and Andre Russell. Jerome Taylor picked up wickets of Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan and Haris Sohail for ducks to derail the Pakistani chase. Despite half-centuries from Saqib Maqsood and Umar Akmal, Pakistan lost the match by 150 runs as they were bowled out for just 160 runs at Christchurch.
India vs Australia, 2023 World Cup
The hosts, India were playing their tournament opener in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 when the first three batters were dismissed for ducks. Chasing just 200 runs, the Rohit Sharma-led side was put in a difficult position when Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc dismissed Rohit, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer for ducks. India were left 2-3 when Virat Kohli and KL Rahul resurrected the Indian batting lineup and shared a match-winning 165-run stand. India also made the record for having the lowest score at the fall of the third wicket in a winning cause.
Also Read: Jos Buttler Determined to Continue as England Captain Despite World Cup Loss
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