2011 Cricket World Cup

Three hosts, not four

The tenth World Cup was meant to be shared by four countries. In March 2009, gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, wounding several players and killing members of the police escort. International cricket stopped visiting Pakistan, and the ICC moved Pakistan's share of the tournament to India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bangladesh hosted World Cup matches for the first time, including the opening game in Dhaka.

The field was cut from sixteen teams to fourteen, in two groups of seven, with the top four in each going into quarter-finals. It was also the first World Cup to use the Decision Review System, with each side allowed to challenge on-field decisions. One scheduling change mattered more than it seemed: the group game between India and England was moved from Eden Gardens, where rebuilding work was behind schedule, to Bangalore.

A country waiting for one man

India came in as favourites, ranked near the top of the world, captained by MS Dhoni and playing at home. They also carried a story the whole country was invested in. Sachin Tendulkar, 37 years old, had played in five World Cups since 1992, made more runs in the tournament than anyone in its history, and never won it. This was almost certainly his last chance, and his team-mates said openly that they wanted to win it for him.

The opening match, in Dhaka on 19 February, set the tone. Virender Sehwag made 175 from 140 balls, Virat Kohli made a hundred in his first World Cup match, and India beat Bangladesh by 87 runs.

Bangalore, twice

The moved match, India against England on 27 February, became one of the best of the tournament. Tendulkar made 120 and India reached 338. Andrew Strauss replied with 158 and England looked set to win, until Zaheer Khan took three wickets in quick succession. With the last over bowled, the scores were level at 338. It was only the fourth tie in World Cup history.

Three days later, on the same ground, England made 327 for eight against Ireland and seemed to have won comfortably when Ireland slipped to 111 for five. Kevin O'Brien then played the greatest innings in Ireland's history. He reached a hundred from 50 balls, the fastest in World Cup history at the time, added 162 with Alex Cusack, and was run out for 113 from 63 balls with the job nearly done. Ireland won by three wickets with five balls to spare, the highest successful chase in a World Cup until then.

England then lost to Bangladesh in Chittagong and still reached the quarter-finals. Bangladesh, the co-hosts, had a harder time of it: bowled out for 58 by West Indies in Dhaka, they went out in the group stage.

The end of Australia's run

On 19 March in Colombo, Pakistan bowled Australia out for 176 and won by four wickets. It was Australia's first defeat in a World Cup match since May 1999, ending an unbeaten run that had covered three titles and almost twelve years.

The two sides met again in the quarter-final in Ahmedabad, where Ricky Ponting made a hundred in what proved to be his last World Cup match. India chased 261, and Yuvraj Singh, who would be named player of the tournament after scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets with his left-arm spin, finished it with Suresh Raina. In the other quarter-finals, Pakistan and Sri Lanka both won by ten wickets, against West Indies and England, and New Zealand beat South Africa in Dhaka.

Mohali

The semi-final between India and Pakistan in Mohali on 30 March was the most anticipated match of the tournament. The prime ministers of both countries attended, and much of South Asia stopped to watch. Tendulkar made 85, but he was dropped four times on the way, and India reached 260 for nine, with Wahab Riaz taking five wickets. Pakistan were never quite on terms with the rate. India's bowlers, with every one of the five taking two wickets, bowled them out for 231 and won by 29 runs. In Colombo, Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand the day before to set up the first World Cup final between two Asian sides.

The final at the Wankhede

The final was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Tendulkar's home ground, on 2 April. The toss had to be taken twice, because the match referee did not hear Kumar Sangakkara's call over the noise of the crowd. Sangakkara won it at the second attempt and batted. Mahela Jayawardene then played one of the finest innings seen in a final, 103 not out from 88 balls, and Sri Lanka finished on 274 for six.

India's reply began badly. Sehwag was out leg before to Lasith Malinga for a duck from the second ball, and Tendulkar, after two boundaries, edged Malinga behind for 18. The stadium went almost silent. At 31 for two, Gautam Gambhir and Kohli rebuilt with 83 for the third wicket, and when Kohli was caught and bowled by Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dhoni surprised everyone by coming in ahead of Yuvraj, who had batted so well all tournament.

Dhoni's six

Dhoni had had a poor tournament with the bat. He wanted to face Muttiah Muralitharan, whom he knew well from the IPL, and he wanted a left-hander and a right-hander at the crease together. With Gambhir he added 109 for the fourth wicket. Gambhir was bowled by Thisara Perera for 97, reaching for a boundary, and Yuvraj came in to finish it with his captain. With India needing four from eleven balls, Dhoni swung Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on for six and held the pose. He was 91 not out from 79 balls, India had won by six wickets, and Dhoni was player of the match.

The players carried Tendulkar around the ground on their shoulders; Kohli said afterwards that he had carried the burden of the nation for 21 years, and it was time they carried him. India became the first host nation to win a World Cup final at home, and around 135 million people watched the final on Indian television. Four years later the tournament returned to Australia and New Zealand for the 2015 World Cup.