5 best deliveries of 2023 World Cup ft. Kuldeep Yadav & Kagiso Rabada
The 2023 Men's ODI World Cup culminated with perennial champions Australia upstaging hosts India in the grand finale to triumph for a record sixth time in their rich history.
India had a run of 10 consecutive dominant victories until their now-usual stumble to cross the final hurdle haunted them again. The tournament was filled with several upsets, with Afghanistan winning four of their nine games and defending champions England finishing sixth with only three wins.
While the Indians failed to complete their ultimate goal, the side boasted the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in Virat Kohi (765 runs) and Mohammed Shami (24 wickets). There were also numerous eye-capturing moments, including outstanding knocks, other-worldly spells, and several records broken.
Although the bat dominated the ball predominantly, the bowlers had their say at different stages of the World Cup, including producing some memorable deliveries.
With that in mind, let us look at the five best deliveries of the just-concluded 2023 World Cup.
#1 Kuldeep Yadav bamboozles Jos Buttler in India's demolition of England
Perhaps India's most satisfying win in the league stage of the 2023 World Cup came against defending champions England in Lucknow.
Asked to bat first, the Men in Blue were three down early before recovering to post a mediocre total of 229/9. In response, the Indian seamers dismantled the England top order with bowling of the highest order.
With skipper Jos Buttler being the final hope for English fans, left-arm-spinner Kuldeep Yadav produced arguably the ball of the tournament. The delivery pitched outside off and turned massively to beat Buttler's defense and shattered the top of the middle stump.
The magical delivery had Indian fans reminiscing Kuldeep's similar dismissal of Babar Azam in the 2019 World Cup. England were reduced to 52/5 with Buttler's departure and were eventually bowled out for 129 to suffer a 100-run defeat.
Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav had an impressive campaign, with 15 wickets in 11 games at an average of 28.26 and an economy under 4.50 runs per over.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja castles Steve Smith with a peach in India's tournament opener
Indian left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja continued his stranglehold on Australian star Steve Smith in their 2023 World Cup opener in Chennai.
With Smith well-set on 46 on a turning track, Jadeja produced a perfect delivery to end his vigil. The ball drifted towards the leg stump after pitching on a good length and turned sharply past Smith's defense to clip the top of the off-stump.
The champion batter stood in disbelief before trudging off the field. His dismissal sparked an Australian collapse that saw them go from 110/2 to being bowled out for 199.
It was the 11th time Jadeja had gotten the better of Smith in international cricket, in addition to another five in other T20s. Team India won the game by six wickets to open their account in the tournament.
Often the unsung hero, Jadeja quietly had several telling contributions through the World Cup, with 16 wickets and 120 runs in 11 games.
#3 Kagiso Rabada produces a dream delivery to dislodge Josh Inglis
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada produced one of the deliveries of the 2023 World Cup in their league-stage encounter against Australia.
Defending 312 for victory, Rabada was in the middle of a scintillating spell and removed dangerman Steve Smith to reduce the Aussies to 50/3 in the 10th over.
However, the wicket of Josh Inglis had fans mesmerized. Rabada delivered a dream delivery that slanted in and straightened off the pitch to beat the outside edge of the right-hander and smash the middle and off-stump. The signature seamers' delight had Inglis puzzled as Australia sunk further to 56/4.
The Proteas eventually won the contest by a mammoth 134 runs to register their second consecutive win. Unfortunately for the Men in Green, the Aussies turned the tables on them when it mattered most, with a three-wicket in the semi-final.
Nevertheless, Rabada showed glimpses of his best through the tournament, finishing with 13 wickets in nine games at an average of 28.
#4 Dilshan Madushanka cleans up Rohit Sharma to stun the Wankhede crowd
If Pat Cummins' dismissal of Virat Kohli was the No.1 crowd-silencing moment of the World Cup, Dilshan Madushanka's delivery to castle Indian skipper Rohit Sharma has to rank a close second.
Rohit entered the Sri Lankan game on the back of sparkling form, expected to thrill his home fans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, Madushanka had other ideas as he sent Rohit's stumps cartwheeling with an absolute corker in the second delivery of the game.
The ball pitched on a good length and nipped away with the angle to beat Rohit's defense and crash into off-stump. It was a cerebral piece of bowling with the batter's history of being dismissed by the inswinging delivery off left-arm pacers, leaving him anticipating something similar.
Unfortunately for the Lankans, that was the last bit of joy they could garner from the outing as Team India scored a massive 357/8 despite Madushanka's five-wicket haul. In reply, the Lions folded for a mere 55 to suffer an embarrassing 302-run defeat.
While Sri Lanka endured a horrific World Cup campaign by finishing second to bottom on the points table, Madushanka ended up as the third-leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps in nine outings.
#5 Reece Topley sends Shakib Al Hasan packing with a magical delivery
England left-arm seamer Reece Topley had his World Cup campaign cut short due to injury after only three games.
However, in that span, he produced one of the deliveries of the tournament to castle Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan at Dharamsala.
Following an opening game defeat to New Zealand, the English batters came out all guns blazing and posted a mammoth 364/9 in 50 overs. In reply, Bangladesh lost their first two wickets in the opening two overs. The final nail in their coffin came with Shakib's early dismissal off a sensational delivery by Topley.
The ball angled in from over the wicket before straightening to beat the batter on the outside edge and hit the top of the off-stump. The southpaw was in disbelief before walking back into the shed with the Tigers reeling at 26/3.
England won the game by 137 runs in one of their only complete performances of an otherwise forgettable tournament.