Better bats with thicker blades, two new balls, only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle during Power Play and shorter boundaries were expected to give batsmen the edge at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The initial stages of the tournament saw some big hitting, but the bowlers had their say too as the ball came back with a bang. The likes of Mitchell Starc, the Player of the Tournament, Trent Boult, who was joint-highest wicket taker, Tim Southee, James Faulkner and a couple of spinners stole the show. Here are the top bowling performances in the World Cup, in chronological order. 1. R Ashwin (India), 8-3-41-1 v Pakistan in Adelaide The ICC World Cup 2015 had begun a day earlier, but as someone mentioned, ‘the tournament doesn’t quite start until India plays Pakistan’. India made 300, and Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma didn’t allow the Pakistan batting to hit out. But with Haris Sohail and Ahmed Shehzad threatening to steer the game away, Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought on R Ashwin in the 14th over. The spinner’s ability to apply pressure with his variations was immediately clear. His first over was a maiden, he conceded five in his second, and came up with a stellar wicket-maiden in the third over. Sohail was his only wicket in the game, but that was the breakthrough India needed and set it up for the rest of the bowling unit. 2. Tim Southee (New Zealand), 9-0-33-7 v England in Wellington Until this game, it was New Zealand’s batting unit that most teams feared, but Tim Southee ensured teams would take its bowling department just as seriously. After England chose to bat, Southee came on looking fierce and sent Ian Bell and Moeen Ali packing with two stunning deliveries. Brendon McCullum, the New Zealand skipper, kept Southee on for another over where he nearly dismissed Gary Ballance, before he was taken off the attack. Back in the 27th over, he was right on the money. A wicket in his fifth over, two in the sixth, one each in the seventh and eight ensured Southee became the first New Zealand bowler to take seven wickets at a World Cup. 3. Hamid Hassan (Afghanistan), 9-0-45-3 v Sri Lanka in Dunedin Afghanistan had suffered a 105-run loss at the hands of Bangladesh a few days earlier, but the bowling had showed discipline. Against Sri Lanka, the bowlers again offered early hope of a victory. Defending 232, Dawlat Zadran and Shapoor Zadran reduced Sri Lanka to 2 for 2 before Kumar Sangakkara and Dimuth Karunaratne attempted to resuscitate the run-chase. Then, Hamid Hassan scalped the prize wickets of Sangakkara and Karunaratne leaving them 51 for 4. He accounted for Mahela Jayawardena in the 42nd over, but, by then, Jayawardena had a century and set the game up nicely for Sri Lanka. 4. Shapoor Zadran (Afghanistan), 10-1-38-4 v Scotland in Dunedin Until Shapoor Zadran came on, Scotland was expected to lead a late charge and set a big total after being asked to bat. Shapoor’s first four overs, although tight, did no damage. He, however, turned the tide in the 31st over. He cleaned up Matthew Cross and Josh Davey in quick time, before returning to bowl the final over. After dismissing Majid Haq in his first delivery, he conceded a mere four runs before getting rid of Alasdair Evans off the very last ball to have Scotland bowled out for 210. His four wicket haul, complemented by Dawlat Zadran’s three wickets, helped Afghanistan to its maiden World Cup victory. 5. Trent Boult (New Zealand), 10-3-27-5 v Australia in Auckland In the highly anticipated battle of the co-hosts at the league stage, Australia elected to bat at Eden Park and had raced away to 30 without loss in just 2.1 overs when Tim Southee castled Aaron Finch with an inswinger for the breakthrough. An even 50-run stand between Shane Watson and David Warner followed but the duo departed at the same score. It wasn't until the score was 96 for 4 that Trent Boult came to the fore. In a span of three overs, he removed five Australian batsmen conceding just one run. Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh both dragged the ball back onto the stumps to give Boult his first two wickets. In his next over, the left-arm paceman removed Michael Clarke, was caught at short cover. He then returned to send back Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc. Boult's spell turned the innings on its head as Australia went from 96 for 4 to 106 for 9. It was eventually bowled out for 151.
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