World Cup 2019, Week 3: Best moments of the week

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 has got the entire world buzzing. With rain being a constant problem for the teams and the fans, the board received heavy criticism in the third week. But the India vs Pakistan match made up for all of that.

After the third week, Australia, New Zealand, India and England are the four nations leading the points table, with Sri Lanka occupying fifth place. All the nations are playing their heart out to qualify for the semifinals, and it will be interesting to see which four nations end the group stage on top.

A lot of action happened on the field over the past week. Here are the three best moments of the Week at the World Cup 2019:

#3 Maxwell's brilliant run out ends Pakistan's innings

Maxwell's one-handed throw won the game for his side.

Australia and Pakistan met each other in the 17th game of the World Cup, a match which ended in Australia’s favour.

After winning the toss Pakistan bowled first, which proved to be a bad decision for their side as the Australian batsmen scored 307 runs. But Pakistan’s impressive efforts with the bat brought them close to the target.

With just one wicket left Pakistan required 42 runs to win, which was when Kane Richardson came on to bowl the 46th over. Shaheen Afridi defended the first three balls of the over, with skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed at the non-striker’s end.

On the fourth ball, Afridi tried to smash the ball through the covers but Glenn Maxwell stopped the shot. Maxwell then showcased his brilliant fielding skills as he immediately threw the ball to the non-striker's end, where Sarfaraz was way outside the crease.

The Big Show had only one stump to target, and the ball hit the bull’s eye as Australia overcame the Pakistani challenge.

#2 Virat Kohli's reaction to Vijay Shankar's first ever World Cup wicket

Virat Kohli was extremely happy with the way Vijay Shankar bowled against Pakistan

The India-Pakistan encounter was a memorable ride for the Indian side as the Men in Blue maintained their clinical record versus Pakistan. India had some great positives to take from that game, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury being the only negative.

While bowling the fifth over, Bhuvneshwar had a slight niggle during his run-up which created an injury scare for the Indian side. The pacer left the ground after bowling four balls and that created an opportunity for the young lad Vijay Shankar to roll his arm.

Virat Kohli asked Shankar to bowl the remaining two balls of that over, and he got a wicket on the first of those - which also happened to be his first ever ball in the World Cup. It turned out to be a dream World Cup debut for the Indian star, as he got rid of the dangerous Pakistani opener Imam-ul-Haq.

Kohli’s reaction of disbelief and joy was the icing on the cake.

#1 Kuldeep Yadav completely shatters Babar Azam's defence

Kuldeep Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief for team India

To win a game against Pakistan is a matter of pride for the Indian side. However, it has now become like routine for India to defeat Pakistan in the World Cup. Pakistan haven't won a single game of the seven they have played against India in the mega tournament.

Pakistan had a good start to their innings while chasing the target of 336 runs. The team saw a great partnership for the second wicket between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam, and it looked like they would take the run chase deep.

But Kuldeep Yadav played the role of the partnership breaker with his wrist spin.

Kuldeep shattered Babar Azam’s defense with a spinning delivery to bring India back in the game. That became the turning point for the Indian side as it created a chain of wickets which led to India’s victory.