NEW RECORDS, CLOSE FINISHES AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERS MAKING A STATEMENT

The Cricket World Cup 2015 has been a very engaging tournament so far. New records have been set, a few close finishes have made the tournament more exciting and the Associate Member Nations have made a statement by their spectacular performances. They have now posed a serious threat to various Full Member Nations.

The tournament began with the host nations Australia and New Zealand registering huge wins.

The much anticipated India-Pakistan clash saw great viewership all across the world and saw India emerge victorious by 76 runs.

Ireland beat the West Indies by 4 wickets when they chased down 304 in 45.5 overs. This was the third time that the Irish chased down a total in excess of 300+ in World Cup cricket out of the total 6 300+ chases.

The Kiwis bowled England out for 123 at Wellington on February 20, a game in which Tim Southee scalped 7/33. In the very same game captain Brendon McCullum scored a blistering 50 on road to a famous Kiwi win. Southee's 7/33 are the best bowling figures by a Kiwi in ODIs.

Shikhar Dhawan scored a spectacular 137 against the South Africans at the MCG, a game in which India beat the strong Proteas by a massive 130 runs.

Gayle storm hit Zimbabwe when he scored 215 of 147 balls, the first individual score of 200 in World Cup cricket. He smashed 10 4s and an astonishing 16 6s. The Windies notched up their highest ODI total in this game, 372-2.

The Proteas recovered swiftly from their loss against India when they scored a giant 408-5 against the West Indies. AB DeVilliers bludgeoned an unbeaten 66 ball 162 which included 17 4s and 8 6s. He brought up his last fifty runs in as few as 10 balls. The bowled out the West Indies for 151, registering a huge 257 run victory.

Only yesterday, New Zealand edged out Australia by 1 wicket in a low scoring encounter. Australia, after a fantastic start were bowled out for 151. From 80-1 The Aussies fell to 151-10. The Kiwis lost 9 wickets in their chase of 152. Mitchell Starc swung the ball and snared 6 wickets, but that just was not enough for the Aussies. The Kiwis emerged victorious by 1 wicket.

And today, Sri Lanka convincingly chased down 309, set by England, in 47.2 overs. Lahiru Thirimanne and Kumar Sangakkara scored 100s. This was the 6th 300+ in World Cup cricket.

To sum things up, the first 15 days of the World Cup 2015 has been a treat to watch. As the tournament progresses, everyone around the world will be looking forward to an enthralling tournament.