A week into the 2019 World Cup, ESPNcricinfo takes a look back at some of the outstanding moments so far
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2019Week 1, 30 May – 5 JunePerformance of the weekBen Stokes, 89*, 2 wickets and 2 catches v South Africa
In the opening game of the tournament, with the favourites stuck in on a somewhat tacky surface, Stokes found the perfect combination of defence and attack for a priceless 89 – then chipped in with a couple of wickets and catch, too. Shakib Al Hasan, 75 and 1 wicket v South Africa
Coming in after a blistering start, Shakib first took Bangladesh to a competitive total, before doing the job with ball once again. A complete allrounder’s performance, en route to another Man of the Match award.Jofra Archer, 3 for 27 v South Africa
Archer’s World Cup debut is what dreams are made of. First, he crashed one into Hashim Amla’s grille, sending him back to the dressing room, then ran through the South African middle order to seal the deal for England, early in the chase.Mohammad Hafeez, 84 v England
Hafeez’s selection has been a matter of conjecture, but he put his hand up against the tournament favourites, accelerating with the bat, before deceiving Eoin Morgan with the ball. A Man of the Match for the Professor, in what has arguably been the shock of the tournament so far.The catch that should not be: Ben Stokes takes a stunner•IDI via Getty ImagesWow moment of the weekBen Stokes’ catchIs it a bird, is it a plane…? To be honest, Superman would probably have been stood in the right place initially, but Stokes’ backpedal-cum-goalkeeper-leap to snare Andile Phehlukwayo’s crowd-bound rocket, with the help of The Claw, was the showstopper’s showstopper. Nabi takes three in an overIan Smith, on television commentary, called Mohammad Nabi’s triple-wicket game-changer against Sri Lanka “one of the most memorable moments in World Cup history”, and his three wickets in six balls were all the more remarkable given that not a single delivery from the offspinner actually turned. Wahab Riaz’s double-strike to end England’s hopesWahab’s selection has been among the most shocking ones at this World Cup (along with half the Sri Lanka squad’s), and he delivered with subtle variations of pace when it mattered at the death. With Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes at the crease, 38 off 18 balls didn’t seem an impossible equation, before Wahab sent both of them back off successive balls.The Bangladesh side make their way back up the steps towards the pavilion•Getty ImagesContest of the weekSouth Africa v Bangladesh
You might have mistaken South London for Mirpur as Bangladesh outplayed South Africa in every department at The Oval with thousands of fans packing the stands to provide a rowdy backing track. Bangladesh certainly played as if they felt right at home, breaking several records as they reached, and defended, their highest-ever total in ODIs. Rabada v India top order
Emotion and skill found perfect harmony in an opening burst which was punctuated by thunderbolts that rapped the gloves, kissed the edges and cracked the bats of India’s top order. Kagiso Rabada held nothing back, but his team-mates could not match his vim and vigour, and let him down in the field.England v Pakistan, Trent Bridge
Specifically, the second half of the match – England versus both themselves and a rebooted, unrecognisable Pakistan attack. Chasing 349 should not have been possible, and ultimately was not, but watching Jos Buttler scorch a 75-ball hundred in spite of the close attentions from a reverse-swinging Wahab Riaz, a pumped-up Mohammad Amir and a scoreline that seemed to be inviting capitulation was mesmerising. Jason Holder and Andre Russell celebrate Imad Wasim’s wicket•Getty ImagesTactical masterstrokeWindies short-ball plan
When you have a side packed with tall, quick-bowling options, banging it in short every now and again seems a standard ploy – but it was practically bumper-to-bumper at Trent Bridge as West Indies bounced out Pakistan for 105 in the second game of the tournament. Opening the bowling with Imran Tahir
South Africa pulled off a near perfect bait-and-switch in the tournament opener, surprising absolutely everyone – and second-ball victim Jonny Bairstow most of all – by opening the bowling with their 40-year-old legspinner after the build-up had been dominated by talk of a showdown between South Africa’s quicks and England’s batsmen. Lasith Malinga sends back Dawlat Zadran•Getty ImagesSurprise of the weekNot a single 350-plus score so far
Given the recent ODI scoring rates in England, where the home team have made a habit of breaking world records, there was a fear this World Cup could become a one-paced slogathon; however, the bowlers have instead done their bit during a variety of scrappy-slappy encounters. South Africa losing three out of three
Never before has a South African team lost three World Cup matches in a row, and a team that hates must-win knockouts now has, potentially, six of them on the trot if they are to make the actual knockouts. Sri Lanka recovering against Afghanistan
Was Bangladesh beating South Africa really a surprise? Not when you consider the wealth of experience in their ranks. And Pakistan doing a Pakistan to stun England? Gripping theatre, of course, but if you think their antics are surprising you just aren’t paying attention. But Sri Lanka getting their act together after their batting meltdown in Cardiff? I didn’t see that coming. Brain fade of the weekFaf du Plessis’ shot against Bangladesh
A little luck, good or bad, goes a long way, and Faf’s luck ran out against Bangladesh when he charged down the pitch at what was, according to Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, the only ball that spun all day to be bowled for 62 as South Africa’s chase derailed. Mushfiqur’s missed run-out against New Zealand
Kane Williamson had only made eight runs when he fell well short of a throw from mid-on, but he survived thanks to some ordinary glovework from Mushfiqur Rahim. With the throw headed for middle stump, an over-eager Mushfiqur got set to collect it in front of the stumps, knocking the bails off in the process. Williamson went on to make 40, en route to a tight two-wicket win for New Zealand.Quote of the week – Pat Cummins forgets Chris Gayle’s ‘Universe Boss’ nickname, and comes up with a new one himself
Honourable mention
– Wahab Riaz casually responds to a question on , about where he’s been all this while
