The Cricket World Cup has witnessed some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport. One of the defining aspects of these prestigious tournaments is the stellar performances by players in the finals. Scoring a century in a World Cup final is a feat that etches a player’s name in the annals of cricketing glory.

Players who smashed century in ODI World Cup final

Centuries in World Cup finals are not merely statistical achievements; they are the stuff of cricketing legends. Each ton tells a unique story of skill, determination, and the pursuit of excellence on cricket’s grandest stage. Here is the elite list of players who smacked centuries in ODI World Cup final

1. Clive Lloyd – 102 vs Australia: ODI World Cup 1975 final

In the inaugural World Cup final held at Lord’s in 1975, West Indies captain Clive Lloyd played a captain’s knock, scoring 102 runs off 85 balls against Australia. This innings set the tone for his team’s triumph and established Lloyd as a giant of the game.

2. Vivian Richards – 138* vs England: ODI World Cup 1979 final

The charismatic Vivian Richards showcased his unparalleled skills in the 1979 World Cup final against England. Richards’ unbeaten 138 off 157 balls remains etched in cricketing folklore as one of the greatest innings in World Cup history.

3. Aravinda de Silva – 107* vs Australia: ODI World Cup 1996 final

Sri Lanka‘s Aravinda de Silva played a magical innings in the final against Australia in ODI World Cup 1996 final at Lahore. His unbeaten 107 off 124 balls guided the Islanders to their maiden World Cup triumph and solidified de Silva’s place as a cricketing legend.

4. Ricky Ponting – 140* vs India: ODI World Cup 2002 final

The 2003 World Cup final in Johannesburg witnessed Ricky Ponting‘s authoritative innings against India. The right-handed batter’s unbeaten 140 off 121 balls was a masterclass in batting, steering the Aussies to another World Cup title.

5. Adam Gilchrist – 149 vs Sri Lanka: ODI World Cup 2007 final

In the 2007 ODI World Cup final in Bridgetown, Adam Gilchrist provided a display of aggressive batting rarely seen in a World Cup final. His explosive knock of 149 off 104 balls played a pivotal role in Australia’s comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka.

6. Mahela Jayawardene – 103 vs India: ODI World Cup 2011

Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene graced the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede with a sublime century against India. His composed innings of 103 off 88 balls may have been in a losing cause, but it remains a testament to Jayawardene’s class and elegance.

Also READ: 3 reasons behind India’s defeat against Australia in ODI World C?up 20??23 final

7. Travis Head – 137 vs India: ODI World Cup 2023

Fast-forwarding to the most recent ODI World Cup in 2023, Australia’s Travis Head joined the ??elite club of century-makers in World Cup finals. His remarkable knock of 137 runs in 120 balls in Ahmedabad helped Australia clinch their sixth ODI World Cup title, mark??ing a fitting end to a tournament full of cricketing brilliance.

Also READ: ICC announces ‘T??eam of the Tournament�for ODI World Cup?? 2023

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Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene has made a bold prediction for the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy b??etween Australia and hosts India.

For the past eight years, India have dominated the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning both at home and away. Australia’s last toured India in 2017. Despite defeating the home team in the first Test, the tourists lost the four-match series 2-1. In fact, the Aussies have won a Test series in India only twice, in 1969 and 2004.

Australia and India are currently occupying the top two spots in the ICC Test Rankings. ??They also lead the race to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC), scheduled in June.

During an interview with sports presenter Sanjana Ganesan, former Sri Lanka skipper Jayawardene reveale??d his favourite team for the upcoming Test series.

“I think it’s always going to be a great series. I think Indian conditions and how the Australian batsmen tackle that, they do have a really good bowling unit and how do the Indian batsmen tackle that… it depends on how each team starts the series and who’s got that momentum. But it will be fascinating,” said Jayawardene.

“It’s difficult to predict, but being a Sri Lankan, I’m hoping that Australia can go all the way. Probably a 2-1 win for Australia, but it’s going to be a tough one,” he added.

The 45-year-old also heaped praises on India youngster Shubman Gill – who has scored lots of runs in white-ball cricket since his debut – and explained how he could play a big role in the series versus Australia.

“He [Gill] has been very good, he’s technically very sound and he’s a good player of pace. That’ll keep him in good stead against that Australian attack, but it’s always going to be tough and it will be a very good series.”

Sharing his thoughts on Gill’s recent form, Jayawardene said: “He is in great form at the moment and if he converts that into red-ball cricket and have that tempo, maturity, understanding of the situations and conditions, he’d be a great asset at the top of the line-up for India. He does give them those good starts at a good tempo to put opposition bowling attacks under pressure.”

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Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene has stepped down as the Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach to take up a broader role as the franchise’s global head of performance. Jayawardene, in his new position, will administer the coaching and scouting at all the three teams the franchise owners Reliance Industries now have – MI in the IPL, MI Emirates in the ILT20, and MI Cape Town in the SA20.

Further, former India pacer Zaheer Khan, who has served MI as the director of cricket operations, will now be the global head of cricket develo?pme??nt for the three teams. This also means that Rohit Sharma-led MI and the other two franchises, MI Emirates and MI Cape Town, will get new head coaches.

“I’m happy to have Mahela and Zak as part of our global core team. Both have been an integral part of the MI family and embody the spirit of the cricket MI stands for. I’m confident that they would be able to ensure the same flow through all our teams globally and make a difference in the cricketing ecosystems across the globe,” said Akash Ambani, Chairman,? Reliance Jio Infocomm, in a statement.

Notably, Jayawardene and Zaheer have worked closely since the Mumbaikar joined the support staff at MI in 2018, and MI’s win-loss ratio of 1.289 has been the best among the original eight IPL teams. However, Mumbai have struggled in the past two seasons and finished last in the ten-team event in 2022.

Overall, in the cash-rich league, Jayawardene has been the second-most successful coach after Stephen Fleming, who has been with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since 2009. The Jayawardene-Rohit combination has? made three IPL playoffs in six seasons and won the title each time, and they are the only team with five IPL titles.

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Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022, Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene has picked five players from the current era for his dream T20 side. Jayawardene went with a maximum of two cricketers from Pakistan and one each from India, England, and Afghanistan.

Starting with his first pick, the current Mumbai Indians (MI) coach chose Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who is currently playing for Gujarat Titans (GT) in ?the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Jayawardene opined that Rash??id has the ability to pick wickets in different situations and also score priceless runs with the bat.

“For me, the bowlers are the most important aspect of T20 cricket, and Rashid Khan is a proper spinner that can bat. He is a very good number seven or number eight batter, and you can use him in different circumstances depending on your combinations. He can also bowl in different phases of an innings like during the Powerplay, the middle overs and also at the death he is not a bad option depending on the conditions, so Rashid would be my first pick,” said Jayawardene while speaking on the ICC review show.

The 44-year-old then picked Pakistan pace sensation Shaheen Afridi, who performed ?outstandingly well in the previous edition of the multi-team event. Jayawardene reckoned that Shaheen is a wicket-taker who bowls really well in the death overs.

“I am then going to go with two more bowlers, actually, and the first one is going to be a left-armer in Shaheen Afridi. He had a great World Cup last year, bowls very well with the new ball and is more than capable of getting some swing early too. He is a wicket-taking option too that bowls very well at the death as well, so can be considered a good attacking option,” added Jayawardene.

When it comes to the third pick, Jayawardene went with none other than India’s frontline pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The Colombo-born cricketer-turned-coach said that he admires Bumrah a lot as the right-armer is a wicket-taker and possesses the ability to close an innings?? off.

“Jasprit Bumrah is a guy I have always admired as he is capable of bowling in different phases of an innings. He is another wicket-taking option, and when you need guys to close an innings off, there is no one better than Jasprit Bumrah,” observed Jayawardene.

The former Sri Lanka skipper picked England’s Jos Buttler and Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan as his remaining two options. Jayawardene said that Buttler would be his opener because of the latter’s explosive batting at the top. Notably, the English star is currently the orange cap holder in IPL 2022, with 588 runs to his name in 10 matches for Rajasthan Royals (RR).

“I would probably open the batting with Jos. He is very aggressive and plays both pace and spin well. He has been in great form at the IPL of late and did well at the last T20 World Cup as well, where he played really well in tough conditions in the UAE,” the former Sussex batter asserted.

Jayawardene named Rizwan as the wicket-keeper of his side and argued that despite Rizwan being an opener for Pakistan, he would bat him in the middle-order due to the Peshawar-born batter’s skill of playing spin.

“The next option is the wicketkeeper-batter, and I am going with Mohammad Rizwan. I know he does often open the batting for Pakistan, but I think he can bat in that middle order. He is a good player of spin and a very busy player,” Jayawardene added further.

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Sri Lankan batting great Mahela Jayawardene has been appointed as the consultant of his country’s national team for the first round of the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Oman and UAE.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) made this decision, keeping in mind Jayawardene’s phenomenal coaching record with Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). On his appointment, SLC CEO Ashley De Silva said: “We are very happy to welcome Mahela into his new roles, as his presence with the Sri Lanka Team and the U19 Team is going to help the players immensely.”

“From his playing days, Mahela was respected for the vast cricketing knowledge he brought into the game, first as a player, then as a Captain, now as a Coach for different teams.”

Jayawardene will also act as a consultant and mentor for the Under-??19 team after his stint with the senior squad in the build-up? to the 2022 ICC U-19 World Cup in West Indies.

During his illustrious 18 years cricketing career, Jayawardene represented Sri Lanka in 149 Tests, 448 ODIs and 55 T20Is. He bid farewell to all forms of cricket after the 2015 World Cup quarter-final against South Africa.

Jayawardene ended up being Sri Lanka’s second-highest scorer in Test cricket with 11814 runs, 34 centuries and 50 half-centuries.

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Team India head coach Ravi Shastri is parting ways with the job at the end of his tenure, after the conclusion of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.

With Shastri not seeking an extension, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has started looking for his replacement. Initially, it was expected that Rahul Dravid would be an automatic choice to take over, but the former India skipper will once ??again? be heading the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

As per media reports, the ??BCCI is exploring ways to bring back Anil Kumble for head coach role after the T20 World Cup. Before Kumble, the Indian board contacted former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene but he declined their offer. He reportedly wanted to coach the Sri?? Lankan national cricket team instead.

Another matter of conflict of interest occurred as Jayawardene is also the head coach of the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL, and according to BCCI’s rulebook “a person cannot hold another position when he is the head coach of the Indian Cricket Team.”

Jayawardene will take over the reins of Mumbai Indians in the remaining leg of IPL 2021 that is scheduled to be played in the UAE from Septem?ber 19 to October 15.

Jayawardene is the coach in demand across franchise leagues currently. He recently won the inaugural edition of The Hundred with Southern Brave in England.

“Having done 18 years of international cricket as a player I don’t want to live out of a suitcase for 12 months of the year. This is a good challenge for me and it’s early days. I don’t do too many tournaments so that I have my personal time to spend back home with the family. I’m happy to help out as a consultant here and there (with Sri Lanka) but not on a full-time basis because I would not enjoy that personally,” he was quoted as saying to Sky Sports.

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Football star Cristiano Ronaldo recently panned eyes when he removed two Coca Cola bottles during a press conference ahead of the clash between Portugal and Hungary.

The diet-conscious player exponentially increased his already massive fan following within a few hours as the beverage company’s shares fell by four billion dollars within a day. Ronaldo replaced Coca Cola with mineral water which raised the question of ethics while promoting a particular brand.

Apart from earning from the game, cricket celebrities gain a major portion of their wealth from advertisements. Thus, a debate sparked among netizens if it was valid to endorse a particular product even though the stars themselves don’t use it or the commodity might hinder the high-fitness lifestyle.

A netizen took the opportunity to take a jibe at former Sri Lanka cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who had upheld the brand for money.

“Really proud of you @Cristiano !!! We have celebrities those who promote this @KumarSanga2 @MahelaJay,” a Ronaldo-fan quipped.

Really proud of you @Cristiano !!! We have celebrities those who promote this @KumarSanga2 @MahelaJay 🤑 //t.co/aVlVFGZyRn

— Thiwanka Somachandra (@So_Thiwanka) June 15, 2021

Jayawardene didn’t seem pleased to be quizzed and came up with an old picture of Ronaldo where he was involved in an advertisement for Coca-Cola.

“Oops!!! You did it again!! should do the skydive without the parachute next time,” Jayawardene tweeted.

Oops!!! You did it again!! should do the sky dive with out the parachute next time 🤔 //t.co/PGpMJ7irjd pic.twitter.com/1E6ec56qiS

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) June 18, 2021

To this, the Twitterati counter-attacked the former Sri Lankan skipper arguing that Ronaldo had done the campaign for the global giants?? sixteen years ago and people grow and change with time.

“And this @Cristiano ad was 16 years ago. People learn, grow, and change,” the ace-footballer’s fan retorted.

and this @Cristiano ad was 16 ??years ago. Peop??le learn, grow, and change 🥺🙉

— Haresh (@Hareshver_) June 18, 2021

Jayawardene had an interesting response as he pointed out that he had done the promotion 25 years ag??o when the Colombo-born was just twenty years old.

“I was 20 and did it 25 years ago,” Jayawardene remarked.

I was 20 and did it 25 years ago 😉 //t.co/QKtk3bxvPx

— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) June 18, 2021

This put an end to the debate as o??pposers had to gulp down the fact w??ith a pinch of bitter salt.

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Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene is one of the most prolific batsmen of all time. His remarkable consistency, outstanding ability to tackle pace,?? as well as spin and inspiring leadership made him one of the finest discoveries of the fascinating game.

Jayawardene was a part of the team that lifted the 2014 ICC World T20 trophy. Not only this, he led his side to the World Cup final in 2007 and was a member of the team ?that made it to the final of World T20 in 2009, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2012 W??orld T20.

Jayawardene was named the best international captain of the year by International Cricket Council (ICC) in 200?6. In the very next year, the legendary batter was nominated as the best Test cricket player of the year.

The classy stroke maker bid farewell to international cricket in 2015 but has been active in cricket coaching since then. From 2017 onwards, Jayawardene is the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) �the most successful franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

On Thursday (May 27), Jay??awardene is celebrating his 44th birthday, and he received a unique wish from ICC through their official Twitter handle. ICC shared a video from Sri Lanka versus Afghanistan match of the 2015 World Cup that took place in Australia.

In the video, Jayawardene played a front foot defensive shot, but in the process, he broke his bat into two pieces. Jayawardene was batting on 43 when Afghanistan left-armer Shapoor came round the wicket and bowled a good length ball. The senior Sri Lankan batter defended the ba??ll but ended up breaking his bat.

Here is the video:

Happy birthday to @MahelaJay, who turns 44 today 🥳

Have a 'cracking' day! 🤣 pic.twitter.com/BEtUtHyjes

— ICC (@ICC) May 27, 2021

Jayawardene went on to score a sensational century in the match and helped his side chase down the target of 233 to register a victory. The right-handed batsman sm??ashed 100 from 120 deliveries with the help of eight fours and a six.

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India’s legendary leg-spinner, Anil Kumble was recently honoured by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his achievements in international cricket. The ICC released a video to mark the occasion where the two Sri Lankan greats, Kumara Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, can be seen hailing the former cricketer.

Sangakkara revealed that Kumble used to give him ‘sleepless nights’.

“Kumble has given me a few sleepless nights as a batsman. He was not your orthodox leg-spinner. This big, tall gangly bowler running in and bowling with very high arm action. Bowling fast, bowling straight and accurately. It was not at all easy to get him away for runs. A lot of bounce… he had great pace on the ball and if there was any rough on a length, the batsman had very little chance of getting away. Lovely guy, very intense cricketer but an absolute champion for India and world cricket,” Sangakkara said.

His teammate and former SL skipper Jayawardene can ??also be seen lauding the Indian legend observing that the Bengaluru-born always had a plan for the batsmen.

“Knew exactly what his strengths were. Didn’t go away from that and just kept asking questions from the batsman. If you were a batsman facing Anil, you knew that he always had a plan for you,” Jayawardene said.

Kumble is one the most successful bowlers of all time and is the third-highest wicket-taker in Tests behind Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan with 619 wickets. The 50-year-old also has one Test hundred and five half-centuries to his name, with his top score being 110 not-out against England in 2007.

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram was also spotted in the video sharin??g his tho??ughts on the Hall of Fame inductee.

“I remember he got 10 wickets against us, in India in Delhi in an innings. I was the 10th wicket, I still remember like it was yesterday. A very difficult bowler, unlike any other leg spinner,” Akram asserted.

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