February 16, 1996. South Africa opening batsman slammed an unbeaten 188 off 159 deliveries against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 1996 World Cup at Rawalpindi. His innings is the highest ever individual score in World Cup history till Martin Guptill and Chris Gayle bettered it during 2015 World Cup with their 237 not out and 215 respectively. Kirsten’s 188 along with cameos from skipper Hansie Cronje and Daryll Cullinan helped South Africa reach 321-2 from their 50 overs. In reply, UAE managed to score just 152-8 from their 50 overs and South Africa ended up winning the match by 169 runs. Although Kirsten did not win the World Cup as a player, 15 years after this innings, he was the head coach of the Indian cricket team, that won the title after a gap of 28 years.
On This Day February 16: Gary Kirsten scores 188* to register highest individual World Cup score for nearly 20 years
