25 highlights from the group stage of World Cup 2015

Bengaluru, March 16: The group stage of the 2015 ICC World Cup was concluded on Sunday, March 15. Fourteen teams in two groups played 42 matches in total at seven venues in Australia and New Zealand in 30 days between February 14 and March 15.

Quarters fixture

" />WC 2015: Reserve days for quarters, semis and final

Here are the highlights of the group stages of the ICC World Cup 2015:

• New Zealand and India are the only teams that have remained unbeaten in the group stages. Both teams have won all 6 games played in the groups to top their respective tables.

• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Scotland ended without a single win in this World Cup. They lost all 6 matches in the group.
  

• This is the first time that four Asian teams (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) have qualified for the quarter finals of the cricket World Cup. The previous best was in 1996 and 2011 when India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka had made the quarters.

• A total of 35 centuries have been scored in the group stage of this World Cup. Sri Lanka has eight tons to its credit while no Afghan batsman has succeeded in scoring a hundred.

• Three 400+ scores have been scored in this World Cup. While South Africa have posted two 400+ scores against the West Indies and Ireland, the highest score was posted by Australia (417) against Afghanistan.

• Australia set the record of highest team score (417) in the World Cup, bettering India's 413 against Bermuda in 2007 and also the biggest victory margin by runs (275) over Afghanistan.

• Earlier, South Africa had equalled India's record of registering the biggest victory by runs in the World Cup (against Bermuda by 257 runs) when the beat the West Indies by a similar margin at Sydney.

• The lowest team score in the group stage of this World Cup was posted by the UAE (102) against India at Perth.

• The smallest victory margin by runs was registered by Ireland against Zimbabwe (5 runs) bat Hobart.

• The biggest successful run-chase was made by Bangladesh against Scotland (chased a target of 319) at Nelson.

• The first-ever World Cup double hundred was scored by West Indies' Chris Gayle (215) against Zimbabwe at Canberra.

• Debutants Afghanistan earned their first victory in the World Cup when they beat Scotland by 1 wicket at Dunedin.

• Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara registered a unique record when he slammed four consecutive hundreds against Bangladesh, England, Australia and Scotland in the group stage.

• Sangakkara finished as the top run-aggregator of this World Cup till the end of the group stage (496 runs in 6 innings, average: 124.00)

• The best bowling figure in the group stage of this World Cup belongs to New Zealand's Tim Southee who took 7 wickets for 33 runs against England at Wellington.

• Australia's Mitchell Starc ended as the highest wicket-taker at the end of the group stage (16 wickets in 5 innings)

• Although a number of matches were affected by rain in the group stages, only one match (Australia versus Bangladesh) was washed out with both teams sharing the points.

• South Africa's AB de Villiers hit the most number of 6s (20) in the group stage of this World Cup while Sangakkara hit the most number of 4s (54).

• Zimbabwe's Sean Williams and Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq hit most number of fifties in the group stages (4 each)

• The most number of maiden overs in the group stages was bowled by New Zealand's Trent Boult (11 in 6 innings)

• The only hat-trick of this World Cup so far has been taken by England's Steven Finn, against Australia at Melbourne.
  
  
• Shikhar Dhawan became the fourth Indian after Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly to score two hundreds in the same World Cup.
  
  
• India beat Pakistan at Adelaide to extend their hundred per cent record (6-0) against the arch-rivals in the World Cup. Only Pakistan's 7-0 record against Sri Lanka is better.
  
  
• Australia's Glenn Maxwell has the highest strike-rate in the World Cup so far (190.37 in 4 innings)
  
• Pakistan's Umar Akmal took most number of catches (5) as the wicket-keeper (against Zimbabwe at Brisbane)

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