Cricket World Cup: Australia 2003 Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Australia's first match was against Pakistan. Who was the top scorer?

Answer: Andrew Symonds

Symonds made a brave 143 not out (off 125 balls), claiming the highest score at The Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg up until that time. He later said that he was fuelled by anger and confusion at Shane Warne's drug revelation the night before. 'Punter' scored 53, Harvey made 24 and Latif equal topscored for Pakistan with 33 runs. Australia won this match by 82 runs.

2. The second match Australia played was against India at Centurion. Which Australian took the best bowling figures for this match?

Answer: Jason Gillespie

'Dizzy' took 3/13 from 10 overs. 'Bing' took 3/36 from 9, McGrath claimed 1/23 off 8 and Lehmann was 1/7 from 4. Australia won this match by 9 wickets (after having bowled India out for only 125 off 41.4 overs).

3. The best Australian bowling figures against the Netherlands in match #3 were the same as for match #2 against the Indians. Who took them this time?

Answer: Andy Bichel

He took 3/13, except these came off only 5 overs (whereas Gillespie's were off 10 overs in the previous match). This was a rainy match in which Adam Gilchrist was rested and the Aussies won by 75 runs (using the Duckworth/Lewis method).

4. For their fourth match the Aussies traveled to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. How many Aussies scored half-centuries in this match?

Answer: 3

These were Adam Gilchrist (61 off 64), Damien Martyn (50* from 70), and Darren Lehmann (56* from 48). Hayden scored 34 and Ponting made 38, to reach a team total of 3/248 from 47.5 overs to win the match by 7 wickets. Martyn topscored with 67 runs.

5. Namibia were Australia's fifth opponent at the CWC 2003. Who topscored in this match at Potchefstroom?

Answer: Matthew Hayden

'Haydos' scored 88 from 73 balls. This was Hayden's highest score in the tournament. 'Gilly' scored 13 from 22, Symonds made 59 from 63 and Lehmann was 50 not out from 31. This included 28 runs in the last over. Glenn McGrath backed up Australia's fine 6/301 with a wicket haul of 7/15, the best at the CWC 2003.

6. Australia's last pool match was against England (who they had beaten in every ODI played in Australia for the VB Series earlier that summer). As impressive as McGrath's 7/15 against Namibia the match before, which bowler managed to take 7/20 against the Pommies?

Answer: Andy Bichel

Of these, three were caught behind by Gilchrist, two were bowled, one caught by Martyn and the other caught by Bevan. This was definitely a top effort and earned him man-of-the-match honours - especially after he scored 34 runs not out off 36 balls to form a match-winning partnership with Michael Bevan. Australia won by 2 wickets.

7. Next came the Super Sixes section of the tournament. Australia, having finished first in Pool A, had to play the team that finished first in Pool B: the Sri Lankans. Who was the unfortunate player to get run out on 99 runs?

Answer: Adam Gilchrist

He was with the captain Ponting at the time (who went on to make 114). This was the 13th time that a player was given out on 99 runs in an ODI. Martyn made 52 and De Silva made 92 runs for the Sri Lankans. Australia went on to win the match by 96 runs, Brett Lee taking the best for the Aussies (3/52).

8. The eighth match played by Australia was a 'Trans-Tasman battle' against the Black Caps. What was similar between this match and the previous match (against Sri Lanka)?

Answer: The Australians won by the same margin

Australia won both of these matches by 96 runs. The highest score was in fact Andy Bichel's 64 from 83. Lee took 3/52 in match #7 but took 5/42 against New Zealand (culminating with a brilliant caught and bowled for Shane Bond's wicket to end the game). Bond was awrded man-of-the-match for his 6/23 in the first innings, but Ricky Ponting was man-of-the-match against Sri Lanka. Brett Lee hit the last two balls of the Australian innings for 6, and this was the only game in the tournament in which Glenn McGrath batted (3* from 2, his first runs in any Cricket World Cup ever).

9. In the last Super Six match the Aussies played Kenya. This was also the only day/night match played by the Aussies. How many ducks were scored altogether in this game?

Answer: 3

A duck is getting out for no runs. They were: Patel c: Ponting b: Lee, D Obuya b: Lee (both for Kenya, and off one ball each) and Hogg c & b: Karim (from 3). Brett Lee took a hat-trick in his second over, also snaring opener K Obuya for 1 off 12. Lee had 3/14 for the match. Two other Kenyans made 1 run (Ongondo off 3 and Suji off 2). Australia won this match by 5 wickets.

10. Australia, having finished first after the Super Sixes, played the team that came fourth in the first semi-final. This was against Sri Lanka. Which player made an honest move and walked after given not out by umpire Rudi Koertzen?

Answer: Adam Gilchrist

Australia's vice captain shocked cricket fans worldwide by walking for 22 off 20 from Aravinda De Silva's bowling, indicating he had nicked the ball and was caught behind. The Aussies went on to make 7/212 (Andy Symonds with a match high 91) and won the match by 48 runs (by the Duckworth/Lewis method as the match rained out).

11. In the final Australia again played India (who had beaten Kenya in their semi). In this match many records fell. Which was NOT one of them?

Answer: It was the first World Cup final to be rained out

Batting a humungous 2/359, Martyn and Ponting staged a 234 run partnership (also the same total that the Indians were later bowled out for). Australia also won the 1987 and the1999 World Cups, making 2003 their third. The Aussies won the match by 125 runs. Ponting was named man-of-the-match.

12. Who ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker for the Aussies?

Answer: Brett Lee

He took 22 wicket in the World Cup, McGrath took 21. However, Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka was the overall highest wicket-taker with 23 wickets. Well done to all of the bowlers in the Cup for their efforts. Special mention goes to Andy Bichel, Australia's seemingly permanent 12th Man.

13. Which Australian scored the most runs at the Cricket World Cup 2003?

Answer: Ricky Ponting

He scored 415 and Gilchrist had 408. They were third and fourth overall top scorers, behind India's Sachin Tendulkar (673) and Sourav Ganguly (465). However, Andy Symonds had the best average for the Aussies, at 163.

14. Which Australian squad members did not play in any matches as one of the starting 11?

Answer: Nathan Bracken, Nathan Hauritz and Shane Warne

Bracken replaced Gillespie after the Pool matches went he returned home with an Achilles injury. Hauritz was the replacement for Shane Warne, and was 12th man a few times, and even took a catch against Kenya in the final Super Six match. Warne of course did not play due to his positive drug sample. Maher did play two games, the first (against Pakistan) and the third (against Netherlands).

15. Australia went through the tournament undefeated?

Answer: True

Their win the Final brought up 17 ODI wins on the trot (11 at the CWC and the other 6 in the VB Series, after a crushing new-year's loss to the Sri Lankans). The previous record for ODI wins in a row was 11, set by the West Indies in their prime. Congratulations to the Australian cricket team and their management (especially coach John Buchanan).

Source: Author Fi B

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor gtho4 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The 2003 Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. Australia won this tournament to claim their 3rd World Cup.

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