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King Viv flays the Lankans, and Davison on the rampage

The master blaster, and the unknown

King Viv lords it over Sri Lanka, Karachi, 1987

Once Richards got going, the Lankans had nowhere to hide© Getty Images

The West Indian World Cup campaign hadn't started brightly, with a magnificent late charge from Allan Lamb seeing England home in the opening match of the group. And it was just Sri Lanka's luck that they ran into a side smarting from that early reverse. It didn't start too badly for them though, with Ravi Ratnayeke bowling Carlisle Best and then having Richie Richardson caught behind first ball.

When Vivian Richards walked out, his first task was to avoid the hat-trick and stabilise the innings. He had produced a 27-run cameo against England, but it was clear from the outset that he had much more in store for those assembled inside Karachi's National Stadium. He started sedately enough, taking 62 balls for 50, but thereafter the Sri Lankan bowlers were dismissed to all parts, like puffs of cotton in front of a fan. His 10th one-day international century, unprecedented at the time, took just 97 balls, and the last 81 runs then came from just 33 deliveries.

Vinodhan John had bowled a tidy spell, and Don Anurasiri had conceded just 39 from his 10 overs, but every other bowler fell the full impact of the Richards onslaught. In the midst of the mayhem, the fact that Desmond Haynes also made an accomplished hundred was largely forgotten. The two added 182 in 177 balls, with Richards smacking six sixes and 16 fours in a blazing innings that spanned just 125 balls. The hapless Asantha de Mel went for 97 from his 10, and Ratnayeke, dreams of hat-trick glory rudely snatched away, was thumped for 44 in two overs.

Three years earlier, the pre-eminent batsman of his age had savaged England to the tune of 189 at Old Trafford, and but for a mishit in the latter stages of the innings, he might well have become the first man to score 200 in a one-day innings. As it was, West Indies finished on 360 for four, the highest score in a World Cup game till Sri Lanka themselves eclipsed it nine years later.
Dileep Premachandran

A spot of minnow-bashing, Centurion, 2003

Fortified by lashings of luck, Davison embarrassed the West Indian pace bowlers © Getty Images

A minnow-bashing. Only, it was a minnow that was doing the damage. The 10,240-strong crowd were entertained for 98 unbelievable minutes as John Davison, the Canadian Gilchrist, gored West Indies with a blistering 76-ball 111, the fastest World Cup century. The second-highest score for his team was a paltry 19.

He top-edged a cut shot off Pedro Collins over point in the fourth over for the first boundary of the day. The next one disappeared over cover for the first six. Thereafter, it was carnage. Time and again, he would back away to drill over the off-side ring and when it was short, he would dismiss them over square leg. Davison's total dominance was reflected in the partnerships that he was involved in - 96 for the first wicket with Ishwar Maraj, who contributed 16, 59 for the second with Desmond Chumney, who contributed 19.

By the time he fell with the score at 156, Davison had belted eight fours, most of them one-bounce, and six sixes. He had his share of luck too. He was dropped on 50 and on 78, and also, incredibly, played a ball on to the stumps without the bails being disturbed.

Only the spinners, Carl Hooper and Chris Gayle, kept him relatively quiet - conceding 26 from 26 balls. All the seamers took a thrashing, with 76 runs coming through the on side. It took a sensational catch to terminate his dazzling knock. Vasbert Drakes moved to his left at long-on and leapt high to take the chance one-handed. By then, however, Davison had walked into the World Cup hall of fame.
Sriram Veera

© Cricinfo