Cricket World Cup countdown reaches 150-day mark

Dubai : With just 150 days to go to the start of cricket?s flagship event ? the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 ? some of the stars who have scored 150 or more in a single World Cup innings have been recalling their achievements and looking forward to the 2011 event which starts in Dhaka on 19 February.

Only 10 players in the history of the tournament have scored 150 or more during the nine editions of the event to date.

India coach Gary Kirsten, who made the highest score in the history of the event when he smashed 188 not out for South Africa against the UAE in 1996, has revealed that he is excited about India?s chances in the tournament.

?We could not have asked for a better build-up to the ICC Cricket World Cup, with 13 ODIs against top opposition,? said Kirsten, whose side faces series against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the coming months.

?I think we have a good idea of what the make-up of the squad will look like as long as there are no unforeseen injuries. Our form has been a little patchy this year but as everyone knows, winning a World Cup is about the confidence of the team in the crucial moments of the big games.

?With a lot of teams capable of beating each other, it will make for some exciting match-ups.?

New Zealand?s Glenn Turner, another member of the exclusive 150+ club, achieved his score on the very first day in the history of the ICC Cricket World Cup when he carried his bat to hit 171 not out against East Africa in 1975.

Playing in just the 20th ODI in the history of the game, Turner faced 201 balls in his innings but admitted the thought of becoming the first player in the history of ODI cricket to score a double century, which was a feat that was not achieved until 35 years later by Sachin Tendulkar, didn?t cross his mind.

?I did not think about the 200 because we ran out of time. I never really fancied my chances,? said Turner.

?Then we had no idea about the one-day game. Now they play so much more, there are field restrictions and they have brought in the rope a bit. All this helps to make the batsmen score runs. The batsmen are a lot more aggressive these days, unlike in our times.?

A player who does have regrets about not making a double hundred at the ICC Cricket World Cup is South Africa batsman Andrew Hudson, who scored 166 against the Netherlands in 1996.

?I got out in the 41st over and I have since thought, if I had batted through maybe I might have got a 200. But it was still a fantastic knock in terms of my career,? revealed Hudson, who is now Cricket South Africa?s Chairman of Selectors.

The first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka on 19 February 2011.

Scores of 150 or more in the ICC Cricket World Cup

Gary Kirsten (SA), 188 not out v UAE at Rawalpindi, 1996

Sourav Ganguly (Ind), 183 v Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999

Viv Richards (WI), 181 v Sri Lanka at Karachi, 1987

Kapil Dev (Ind), 175 not out v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells, 1983

Craig Wishart (Zim), 172 not out v Namibia at Harare, 2003

Glenn Turner (NZ), 171 not out v East Africa at Birmingham, 1975

Andrew Hudson (SA), 161 v Netherlands at Rawalpindi, 1996

Imran Nazir (Pak), 160 v Zimbabwe at Kingston, 2007

Matthew Hayden (Aus), 158 v West Indies at North Sound, 2007

Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), 152 v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg, 2003