Cup, Kyun and Kahaan

THE WORLD CUP QUIZ
Cup, Kyun and Kahaan
The questions, and more importantly, the answers to the quiz in the Outlook WorldCup Cricket Special which is now on the stands
Arijit Barman


1. I was a left hand medium fast bowler but a right hand bat. I have played for Railways and Delhi and was picked up for the Indian squad in 1983. Who doesn't know what happened. But my claim to fame is that I was the only member of the squad who never got to play a single match. Who am I?Answer

2. A long standing World Cup record is going to be broken in South Africa: the record of the maximum number of brothers playing for a team is going to be broken. Kenya has the two Obuya brothers, Namibia has three Burger brothers. Which three brothers had held the World Cup this record so far?Answer 

3. Roy Fredericks was the first batsman to be dismissed in the Prudential World Cup final in 1975. But it was not a straightforward 'caught' or 'bowled' dismissal. It was a freaky dismissal. What was it?Answer

4. "Rotate the strike", "Find the gaps," "Keep the scoreboard ticking." "Don't frustrate your partner".. You will hear the wise words from every commentator who can hold a mike. But which current commentator (infamously) failed to do all that in 1975 in an epic innings?Answer

5. Sunil Gavaskar's performance in the 1983 World Cup was nothing to write home about. However, he has a rather peculiar connection with India'sperformance in the victorious tournament. What is it? Answer

6. Sandeep Patil, Kenya's coach for World Cup 2003, starred in a Hindi film, Kabhi Ajnabi The. One of the two female leads was played byPoonam Dhillon; Debashree Roy played the other. Which member of the victorious 1983 team played the villain? Answer

7. Only one bowler in the history of the World Cup has scored a century in the World Cup. Unfortunately, he did that while bowling. Name the Kiwi bowler who in 1983 gave more than 100 runs off his allotted quota, and whose figures finally read 12-0-105-0?Answer

8. It's all fixed beforehand. The host country plays the opening match in every World Cup. In the 1987 Reliance Cup, the honour naturally fell on India and Manoj Prabhakar bowled the first ball. What was so unique about it?Answer

9. In 1987, Courtney Walsh did something very very gentlemanly. It cost West Indies the match and dashed any further hopes in the Cup, but boy was it gentlemanly! What was it?Answer

10. Like Prabhakar, John Wright wrote himself into the history books in the 1992 World Cup. In host New Zealand's opening match, something unique happened to India's current coach. What?Answer

11. Pinch-hitting went legitimate in 1992 when Martin Crowe unleashed Mark Greatbatch. Copycat India did not lag behind. Kapil Dev opened the batting for India against Sri Lanka. He was batting quite well but his party was suddenly cut short. Why?Answer 

12. Till rain intervened, South Africa's maiden World Cup hunt in 1992 was proceeding swimmingly well. Then rain intervened. The rulebooks were pulled out. And, suddenly, the springboks had to score 22 runs off how many balls?Answer

13. A really cheap one that would make Saddam Hussein squirm. Which television company regularly sponsored great catches contest during the World Cups of the 80's and 90's?Answer

14. Coincidences, coincidences. Only two matches in the World Cup have been won (and lost) by a one-run margin. They involve the same two countries. Which ones?Answer

15. More coincidences. Only two matches in the WC have been won (and lost) by a one-wicket margin. They, too, involve the same two countries. Which ones? Answer

16. Mohinder Amarnath, Aravinda de Silva and Shane Warne have two things in common. All three of them played the stellar role in the World Cup wins of their countries, and what?Answer

17. Javed Miandad played his last international match in Bangalore in the 1996 WC. Why did he make history in that tournament?Answer

18. Which member of the Australian squad for the World Cup is a member of the rock band, "Six and out", which has an album to its credit,featuring the minor hit, "Can't bat, can't bowl"? Answer

19. A googly. Which Indian wicket keeper holds the record for the most runs scored by a "keeper in a WC innings?"Answer

20. Praveen Togadia would love this, of course. 23 of the 24 associate members of the ICC were in the fray for the seventh ICC trophy, which sent Holland, Canada and Namibia to this WC. Which country stayed out?Answer

Answers

1. Sunil Valson 
2. The Hadlee Brothers
3.Hit-wicket
4.Sunil Gavaskar, scoring 36 not out off 60 overs
5.He was dropped in the two matches India lost in the tournament.
6. Syed Kirmani
7.Martin Snedden
8.He bowled what was to be a no-ball.
9.He refused to 'Mankad-out' a rival batsman.
10. He was bowled off the first ball of the tournament.
11.Rain intervened after just one over.
12.One ball
13.Bush
14.Australia and India
15.West Indies and Pakistan
16.They were all named Man of the Match in the semi-finals and the finals of the tournaments their countries won.
17.He became the first cricketer to play all six World Cups.
18. Brett Lee
19. Rahul Dravid
20. Italy.