It is very pleasing to spectators’ eyes to see left-handed players dominate the game. For cricket fans, it is one of the best memories when left-handers perform superbly. Whether you’re talking about Matthew Hayden finishing with the most runs scored in the 2007 World Cup or Shaheen Afridi’s incredible T20 World Cup 2021 performance against India, these moments bring real cricket fans great joy.
Several left-handers have entered the history of this lovely sport and have been successful in putting up spectacular performances with the bat or ball. Numerous left-handed heroes, such Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya, Sourav Ganguly, Chaminda Vaas, Mitchell Johnson, Wasim Akram, and others, have been successful in enthralling the audience with their superb abilities. The greatest moment to list some of the records held by the left-handed pioneers of the sport is now, on International Lefthanders Day (August 13).
Here are the top 3 left-handed cricketers’ records:
1. Adam Gilchrist notches up the highest individual score in a World Cup final (149)
The best batsman of his era, Adam Gilchrist led Australia to numerous victories thanks to his outstanding batting and wicketkeeping skills. Similar to the 2003 World Cup, Australia continued to play aggressive cricket throughout the 2007 ODI World Cup, replicating their incredible run from that tournament. By going unbeaten the entire tournament, Australia advanced to the final.
From Australia’s perspective, the competition was going flawlessly until Gilchrist’s performance. Intriguingly, skipper Ricky Ponting maintained his confidence in the wicketkeeper batter and chose to put him in Australia’s starting XI for the championship match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Gilchrist, who was playing in the top match, pounded the Sri Lankan bowlers hard and scored a superb 149 runs with his bat. The veteran’s outstanding effort helped the Australians, who were playing in a rain-shortened match, score 281 runs in just 38 overs. Australia beat Sri Lanka by 53 runs using the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis) technique as a result, winning the world championship for a record fourth time. The Player of the Match honor went to Gilchrist for his batting performance. The greatest individual score in the history of the ODI World Cup finals is currently Adam Gilchrist’s performance against Sri Lanka.
2. Yuvraj Singh’s fastest T20 International (T20I) fifty against England in the 2007 T20 World Cup
India’s success in international cricket from 2007 to 2011 was largely due to Yuvraj Singh. He was named Player of the Series in the 2011 World Cup for his outstanding all-around efforts on the biggest platform, and in the 2007 T20 World Cup, his outstanding knocks helped India advance to the knockout rounds.
India and England faced off in the T20 World Cup’s debut match in Durban. For both teams, winning meant advancing farther in the competition; losing meant their tournament run was over. India got off to a strong start in their first innings after winning the toss and electing to bat first. India’s scoring rate after Robin Utthappa’s departure appeared to be significantly lower than a reasonable total given the state of the wicket. After that, Yuvraj came on as the number five batsman and assisted India in amassing 218 runs.
After Andrew Flintoff tried to start a verbal altercation with the Southpaw to break up his rhythm, the Southpaw ended up accomplishing something spectacular in the game’s 19th over. To Flintoff’s horror, Yuvraj, the first player in T20I history to hit six sixes in an over, smashed six maximums in Stuart Broad’s over. With the help of these maximums, Yuvraj reached his half-century in just 12 balls, becoming the player to reach fifty in the quickest amount of time in a T20I match. His incredible blitzkrieg caused England to lose the game by 18 runs as a result. Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Match as a result.
3. Brian Lara‘s unbeaten 400 vs England in 2004
The most productive batter for the West Indies in Test cricket is Brian Lara. He achieved great success in red-ball cricket thanks to his technique and temperament. The West Indies were humiliated by England in the four-match Test series in 2004, when they were England’s guests, dropping three straight games. In the four-match series, only their leader Lara’s batting performance in the fourth game went well for the West Indies.
In the final Test in Antigua, the hosts were competing for dignity. After winning the toss, the home team’s captain, Brian Lara, opted to bat first. After losing an early wicket to Darren Ganga, Lara took the field and batted for more than two days, scoring an unprecedented undefeated 400. As a result, West Indies added to England’s woes by scoring a staggering 751 runs.
Lara was named Player of the Match for his historically significant innings, despite the Test match ending in a draw. No batter has yet been able to break the southpaw’s record of 400 runs scored while wearing a white jersey in the longest version of the game.
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