Cricket World Cup: History and Records

ICC Men’s ODI World Cup started in 1975. All over the world participate in this sporting event. After every four years this tournament is held. The governing council is ICC (international  cricket council).

Till now 12 World Cups have been played. Australia won the most number of World Cups – 4 (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015). India (1983 & 2011) and West Indies (1975 & 1979) came 2nd to that list with 2 trophies. While Pakistan (1992), Sri Lanka (1996) and England (2019) had one trophy to their name. 

The starting three World Cups were played in England after that from 1987 different countries hosted the tournament.   

1975 World Cup:

It was the first edition of this tournament. It was played in England and was also known as the Prudential Cup. Total 8 teams took part in it – England, Australia, West Indies, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and East Africa. Sri Lanka and East Africa were the two associated nations at that time. While the six were test nation teams. 

At that time 60 overs were bowled and all the teams wore white jerseys and played with the red ball. 

Arrangements-

All the 8 teams were divided into 2 groups. 

Two teams from each group qualified for the semi final round. From Group A: England and New Zealand and from Group B: West Indies and Australia reached the Semi Final. 

In the Semi Final, Australia won the match against England and West Indies won the match against New Zealand.

Final – 

The match was played between West Indies and Australia. In the final Caribbean team defeated Australia by 17 runs and became the inaugural champion. 

1979 World Cup:

It was the second edition of the tournament. It was played in  England and also known as the Prudential Cup. Total 8 teams participated in this tournament – West Indies, England, New Zealand, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Canada. Sri Lanka and Canada were qualified from the ICC Trophy as they were the finalists in that tournament. 

ICC Trophy was a limited overs tournament (60 overs) where 15 teams participated. Bermuda, East Africa, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Argentina, Denmark, Canada, Bangladesh, Fiji, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Wales, United States, Netherlands and Israel. Sri Lanka won the final match after defeating Canada by 60 runs. Sri Lanka and Canada both make it into the World Cup tournament as both of them make it into the final. 

Arrangements – 

There were 8 teams in the tournament. They were split into two groups – Group A and Group B.

From Group A – England and Pakistan made it to the Semi Final while From Group B – West Indies and New Zealand made it to the Semi Final. 

Semi Finals – 

In the Semi Final, West Indies defeated Pakistan by 43 runs whereas England defeated New Zealand by 9 runs and reached the finals. 

Semi Final 1:

Semi Final 2:

Final – 

The final in this tournament was again played between West Indies and England. West Indies again defeated England and won the match by 92 runs. They became the champions for the second time in a row. 

1983 World Cup:

The 1983 World Cup was the 3rd edition of the tournament. It was played in England and also known as the Prudential Cup. Eight teams were included in this tournament – India, West Indies, England, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. 

Zimbabwe was included after winning the ICC Trophy which was held in 1982. Total 16 teams took part in it – Zimbabwe, Canada, Bermuda, USA, Israel, Hong Kong, Kenya, Papua New guinea, Bangladesh, East Africa, Fiji, Malaysia, Netherlands, West Africa, Singapore, Gibraltar. Zimbabwe and Bermuda made it to the finals where Zimbabwe won the match and took his name into the list of the 1983 World Cup. 

Arrangements – 

Total 8 teams were there which was divided into two groups into the league stages. Group A and Group B. In both the groups a double round robin format was used. 

From Group A England and Pakistan advanced to the Semi Final. From Group B West Indies and India advanced to the Semi Final. 

Semi Finals – 

In Semi Final 1,

India and England met where India defeated England by 6 wickets and created a history by playing the final for the first time.

In Semi Final 2,

Pakistan and West Indies met where West Indies defeated Pakistan by 8 wickets and made a hat trick to play the final.

Final – 

The final was played between India and West Indies. But India won the final match by 43 runs and broke the hat trick win of the West Indies. 

1987 World Cup:

The 1987 World Cup was the 4th edition of the tournament. It was played in India and Pakistan and also known as the Reliance Cup. It’s the first time that the tournament was played outside England. The tournament overs were reduced from 60 to 50 due to shorter daytime hours as compared to that of the England summers.  

Total 8 teams took part in this tournament – India, Pakistan, Australia, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Zimbabwe. The first seven teams were holding Test status while Zimbabwe qualified after winning the ICC Trophy in 1986. 

In the 1986 ICC Trophy, Zimbabwe won the tournament after defeating Netherlands in the final. It was played in England. Total 16 teams were available to play the tournament. Zimbabwe, Netherlands, East Africa, Kenya, Argentina, Bangladesh, Denmark, Malaysia, Bermuda, Canada, Fiji, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Israel, USA and Papua New Guinea. 

Arrangements-

Two Groups were created among the 8 playing countries.

In Group A – India, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.

In Group B – Pakistan, Sri Lanka, England and West Indies. 

In the league stages double round robin format was opted in which India and Australia remained 1st and 2nd in their Group respectively while from Group B Pakistan and England were 1st and 2nd respectively. These four teams then reached the Semi Final. 

It was the first time that the West Indies did not qualify for the Semi Final.

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

Australia and Pakistan met where Australia won the match by 18 runs. It was Australia’s first time to play the final.

Semi Final 2

India met England where the English team defeated India by 35 runs and equaled the West Indies record of playing the most number of Finals.

Final – 

The final was played between Australia and England. Where Australia after winning the toss elected to bat first. With the help of David Boon’s innings of 75 runs Australia posted 253 runs in 50 overs. In reply England missed the glory by some inches as they posted 246 runs in 50 overs and lost the match by 7 runs. Bill Athey scored 58 runs from the side.  

1992 World Cup:

The 1992 World cup was the fifth edition of the tournament. It was played in Australia and New Zealand and also known as the Benson & Hedges World Cup. It was the first time that the World Cup was not played in a four year gap and was played after five years. 

For the first time ever, the World Cup was played in coloured jerseys, white balls, day-night formats and black sight screens. 

South Africa was included in the tournament for the first time ever. Total 8 teams took part in it – Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, England and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe qualified for this tournament after winning the ICC Trophy in 1990. 

Zimbabwe beat Netherlands in the final of the ICC Trophy to enter the 1992 World Cup. It was the third time when Zimbabwe won the trophy and second time when they defeated Netherlands in the final. There were 17 teams who participated in that tournament – Argentina, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Bangladesh, East and Central Africa, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Israel, USA, Denmark, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Fiji and Malaysia. Four groups were created between them. 

Arrangements – 

This time no groups were created and all the 8 teams were playing against each other in the league stages, a simple round robin format was opted. 

New Zealand topped the table with 14 points, England secured the 2nd spot with 11 points, South Africa got the 3rd spot with 10 points while Pakistan was in 4th place with 9 points. These four teams advanced to the Semi Final. Remaining teams were eliminated from the tournament. 

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

New Zealand met Pakistan where Pakistan defeated the Kiwis by 4 wickets and registered their first ever final in the tournament. A huge destructive knock by Inzamam-ul-Haq made it to the finals. 

Semi Final 2

South Africa met England where it became one of the most controversial matches as South Africa required 22 runs in 13 balls and then the rain came. After the rain stopped, by the productive overs method the revised target was 22 runs in 1 ball. Thus England won the match by 19 runs and made it to the finals. Later the method was changed to Duckworth-Lewis method. 

Final –

The Final was played between Pakistan and England. With the help of Imran Khan’s 72 runs Pakistan posted a solid score of 249 runs in 50 overs. In reply England managed 227 runs and lost the match by 22 runs. Neil Fairbrother scored 62 runs and was the highest scorer from his side in the final. Therefore Pakistan got their first ever World Cup and also their skipper Imran Khan’s last match was that.  

1996 World Cup:

The 1996 World Cup was the sixth edition of the tournament. It was played in the Indian Subcontinent (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and also known as the Wills World Cup. 

Total 12 teams took part in it and for the first time more than 8 teams were present in the tournament. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, England, West Indies, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Netherlands and United States Emirates (UAE). Kenya, Netherlands and UAE were qualified from the ICC Trophy in 1994. 

UAE won the trophy while Kenya was the runner up. Netherlands secured the third place and as a result these three teams took their place to the 1996 World Cup. Total 20 countries participated in this contest – Argentina, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Bangladesh, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Israel, USA, Denmark, Kenya, Fiji, Malaysia, Namibia, Ireland, East and Central Africa and UAE.  

Arrangements –

Two Groups were created in the league stages. 

In Group A – Sri Lanka, Australia, India, West Indies, Zimbabwe and Kenya.  

In Group B – South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, England, UAE, Netherlands. 

Sri Lanka, Australia, India and West Indies move to the quarter final from Group A while South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and England move to the quarter final from Group B. 

Quarter Finals – 

In Quarter Final 1, England met Sri Lanka where Sri Lanka won the match by 5 wickets and moved to Semi Final. 

In Quarter Final 2, India met Pakistan where India won the match by 39 runs and moved to the Semi Final. 

In Quarter Final 3, West Indies met South Africa where West Indies won the match by 19 and moved to the Semi Final.

In Quarter Final 4, New Zealand met Australia where Australia won the match by 6 wickets and moved to the Semi Final.

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

India met Sri Lanka where for the first time ever the match was abandoned due to the crowd and Sri Lanka was declared as a winner. Sri Lanka posted 251 runs and during chasing after the collapse of Sachin Tendulkar the crowd started throwing fruits and water bottles in the ground due to which the match was stopped for 20 minutes but after 20 minutes when the players returned the crowd again started throwing bottles and lit some fires in the stand. Finally it was called off then.   

Semi Final 2

Australia met West Indies where Australia won a the close encounter by 5 runs, thanks to some heroic bowling performance by the Australians. 

Final – 

The final was played between Sri Lanka and Australia. Sri Lanka after winning the toss opted to field first. With the help of Mark Taylor’s 74 runs Australia was able to score 241 runs on the board which Sri Lanka chased down easily by a brilliant century of Aravinda de Silva who scored unbeaten 107 runs in the final. Sri Lanka thus claimed their first ever World Cup. 

1999 World Cup:

The 1999 World Cup was the seventh edition of the tournament. It was played in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and the Netherlands. This tournament was played after 3 years to maintain the 4 years gap after this. 

Total 12 teams participated like in the last World Cup. England, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya and Scotland. Bangladesh, Kenya and Scotland registered their name by the ICC Trophy in 1997. 

Bangladesh was the winner of the ICC Trophy in 1997 defeating Kenya in the final. Scotland finishes with the 3rd spot. Thus makes their name registered for the 1999 World Cup. Total 22 teams took part in it – Argentina, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Bangladesh, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Israel, USA, Denmark, Kenya, Fiji, Malaysia, Namibia, Ireland, East and Central Africa, UAE, Scotland and Italy. 

Arrangements – 

Two Groups were created among the 12 countries in the league stages. Matches were played in a round robin format. 

In Group A – South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, England, Sri Lanka and Kenya.

In Group B – Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh, Scotland. 

From Group A, South Africa, India and Zimbabwe made it to Super Six while from Group B, Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand made it to the Super Six. 

Super Six was newly introduced in this tournament where all the qualified teams will play against each other and the top 4 teams will make it to the Semi Finals. 

Super Six – 

From Super Six- Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa advanced to the Semi Finals. In Super Six, India and Pakistan were having war against each other and it’s the only time when these two nations played cricket during the war against each other. 

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

Semi Final 2

Australia met South Africa where the match was tied but Australia made it to the finals since they were placed higher in the Super Six stage than South Africa. 

Final – 

The final was played between Australia and Pakistan. After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first. But their poor batting performance in the final only managed to score 132 runs. Ijaz Ahmed was the highest scorer from the side with 22 runs. In reply Australia chased down the target easily and scored 133 runs in 20.1 overs. Adam Gilchrist shows his destructive batting by scoring 54 runs in 36 balls.

After winning the trophy Australia equalled the record of West Indies for most number of World Cup trophies.

2003 World Cup:

The 2003 World Cup was the eighth edition of the tournament. It was played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. For the first time ever 14 teams took part in it. Earlier it was 12 with the most number of nations. 

The 14 teams were – South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Canada, Netherlands and Namibia. Bangladesh got the Test status therefore they were directly invited whereas Kenya got the invitation directly by their One day international status. Canada, Netherlands and Namibia were qualified by the ICC Trophy in 2001. 

Netherlands won the 2001 ICC Trophy after defeating Namibia in the final, while Canada finished 3rd in the tournament. These three make their names in the list of the World Cup teams. Namibia played their first ever World Cup tournament. Total 24 teams took part in it – Argentina, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Bangladesh, West Africa, Papua New Guinea, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Israel, USA, Denmark, Kenya, Fiji, Malaysia, Namibia, Ireland, East and Central Africa, UAE, Scotland, Italy, Uganda and France. 

Arrangements – 

All the 14 teams were divided into two groups into the league stages. Matches were played in a round robin format. 

In Group A – Australia, India, Zimbabwe, England, Pakistan, Netherlands and Namibia. 

In Group B – Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Canada and Bangladesh. 

From Group A Australia, India and Zimbabwe advanced to Super Six while from Group b Sri Lanka, Kenya and New Zealand advanced to the Super Six. All the teams played against each other in the Super Six.

Super Six-   

In the Super Six stage, Australia, India, Kenya and Sri Lanka moved forward to the Semi Finals. It was the first time in the history of cricket when any associate team (Kenya) moved to the Semi Final. 

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

Australia met Sri Lanka where Australia won the match by 48 runs by D/L method. In a slow pitch by the help of Andre Symonds 91 runs posted a score of 212 runs while Sri Lanka only managed 123 runs before rain came and after that by the D/L method Australia won the match. 

Semi Final 2

India met Kenya where India won the match by 91 runs. Sourav Ganguly scored a century and made 111 runs due to which the team scored 270 runs and in reply Kenya posted 179 runs only. It was a great performance shown by the Kenya team as they were the only non-Test playing nation and made a record by reaching the Semi Final for the first time ever. 

Final – 

The final was played between Australia and India. After winning the toss India opted to field first. Australia was looking destructive from the beginning and with the help of Ricky Ponting’s (140 runs) century they posted 359 runs which was the highest run ever scored in the final. In response India only scored 234 runs and lost the match by 125 runs. Virender Sehwag scored 84 runs and was the highest scorer in the final from India. 

It was Australia’s 3rd World Cup trophy and became the first country with the most number of trophies. Also in this tournament they remained undefeated and won all the 11 matches that they played.   

2007 World Cup:

The 2007 World Cup was the ninth edition of the tournament. It was played in the West Indies and for the very first time it was played here despite having a great record in the ICC World Cup.

One of the most shocking news at that tournament was the sudden death of the Pakistan Coach Bob Woolmer who was found dead in the hotel room. As it was highly suspected, one therefore Jamaican police did a full investigation and later on it was found that he died due to heart failure. 

This time 16 teams took part in it, breaking the previous record of 14 teams in the 2003 World Cup. West Indies, Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland. Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands and Scotland were selected from the 2005 ICC Trophy. 

Earlier only three teams were selected from the ICC Trophy but in the 2007 World Cup five teams were selected from the 2005 ICC Trophy. Scotland was the winner of the Trophy while Ireland was the runner up. Canada and Bermuda finished 3rd and 4th respectively while Netherlands finished 5th in the table. 12 teams took part in it – Denmark, Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Bermuda, Canada, Namibia, Oman, Uganda, UAE, USA and Papua New Guinea. 

Arrangements – 

16 teams were divided into 4 Groups and round robin format was opted. 

Two teams from each Group advanced to the Super 8 round.  

From Group A – Australia and South Africa.

From Group B – Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

From Group C – New Zealand and England.

From Group D – West Indies and Ireland. 

In Super 8, all the teams played against each other and the top 4 teams will move forward to the Semi Finals. 

Super 8 – 

Australia topped the chart with 14 points. Sri Lanka and New Zealand both have 10 points and remain at 2nd and 3rd spot respectively since Sri Lanka have a higher net run rate than New Zealand. South Africa have 8 points and settled at the 4th position.

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

Sri Lanka met New Zealand where Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 81 runs, thanks to a brilliant century scored by Mahela Jayawardene (115 runs). 

Semi Final 2

Australia met South Africa where Australia showed their full dominance and won the match by 7 wickets where Shaun Tait just fired the balls with his fierce speed and took 4 wickets. 

Final – 

The final was played between Australia and Sri Lanka. With the rain interruption match, Australia after winning the toss opted to bat first. With the help of Adam Gilchrist’s destructive knock of 149 runs Australia posted 281/4 in 38 overs. But the rain again interrupted the match and finally the revised score was 269 runs in 36 overs. 

Sri Lanka just managed 215/8 in their 36 overs and lost the match by 53 runs by D/L method. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 63 runs from Sri Lanka. 

With this win, Australia made a hat-trick of World Cup wins by winning the trophy in 1999, 2003 and 2007. And counted the total number of trophies to 4.    

2011 World Cup:

The 2011 World Cup was the 10th edition of the tournament. It was played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Earlier Pakistan was also there to host some matches, but after the terrorist attack in Pakistan in 2009 to the Sri Lankan team, Pakistan lost their hosting power. They got 14 matches to be hosted which was later transferred to India (8 matches), Sri Lanka (4 matches ) and Bangladesh (2 matches). One of the matches was from the Semi Final. 

In this World Cup, Australia’s winning streak broke which started from 23rd May 1999 and ended on 19th March 2011. Pakistan defeated Australia and broke that record. Total 35 matches were won by Australia. 

Teams were reduced to 14 as earlier it was 16 in the 2007 ICC World Cup. India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Zimbabwe, West Indies, Canada, Ireland, Kenya and Netherlands. Canada, Ireland, Kenya and Netherlands these four came from the World Cup Qualifiers in 2009. 

The World Cup Qualifier was earlier known as the ICC Trophy through which teams were selected to play against the Full Members Teams in the World Cup. Ireland won the qualifier after defeating Canada in the final by 9 wickets. Netherlands and Kenya finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Finally these four made their place into the 2011 World Cup. Total 16 teams took part in it – Kenya, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Bermuda, Scotland, UAE, Namibia, Denmark, Oman, Afghanistan and Uganda. 

Arrangements – 

Total 14 teams were divided into 2 Groups. Group A and Group B. These matches were in round robin format. 

From Group A Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand made it to the Quarter Finals whereas from Group B South Africa, India, England and West Indies made it to Quarter Finals.

Quarter Finals – 

In Quarter Final 1, West Indies met Pakistan and Pakistan won the match easily by 10 wickets and advanced to the Semi Finals.  

In Quarter Final 2, India met Australia where India won the match by 5 wickets and put their name into the Semi Finals. 

In Quarter Final 3, New Zealand met South Africa where New Zealand  won the match by 49 runs and made it to the Semi Finals. 

In Quarter Final 4, England met Sri Lanka where Sri Lanka won the match by 10 wickets and made it to the Semi Finals. 

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

The match was played between Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Where New Zealand posted 217 runs which Sri Lanka chased down easily and made 220 runs and won the match by 5 wickets. 

Semi Final 2

India played against Pakistan. India posted 260 runs with the help of Sachin Tendulkar’s 85 runs and in reply Pakistan managed 231 runs and India won the match by 29 runs. 

Final – 

The final was played between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka won the toss and they elected to bat first. Mahela Jayawardene scored an unbeaten century and made 103 runs. With the help of Jayawardene’s knock Sri Lanka posted 274 runs. In reply, crucial knocks of Gautam Gambhir (97 runs) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91 not out) took India to a victory and won the match by 6 wickets. 

This was India’s 2nd World Cup. Earlier they won in 1983. With this victory they equalled West Indies and are below Australia in terms of trophy. 

2015 World Cup:

The 2015 World Cup was the eleventh edition of the tournament. It was played in Australia and New Zealand. 

Total 14 teams participated in this tournament. Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, England, West Indies, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan, Scotland and UAE. Ireland and Afghanistan put their names through the World Cricket League (WCL) Championship while Scotland and UAE came through the Qualifiers.  

The WCL Championship was played from 2011-2013 where 8 teams took part in it. Afghanistan, Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia, UAE and Scotland. Afghanistan and Ireland registered their names for the 2015 World Cup. It was Afghanistan’s first appearance in the World Cup. 

The World Cup Qualifiers were played in 2014. Scotland won the tournament by defeating UAE in the final by 41 runs. Total 10 teams took part in it – Scotland, UAE, Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia, Canada, Papua New Guinea, HongKong, Nepal and Uganda. 

Arrangements – 

Total 14 teams were split into two Groups. Group A and Group B. Both the groups had 7 teams each and it was played in a round robin format. 

Four Teams from each group moved forward to Quarter Finals. From Group A New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh make their place into the next round. From Group B India, South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies advanced to the next round. 

Quarter Finals – 

In Quarter Final 1, South Africa and Sri Lanka played where South Africa won the match by 9 wickets and put his name to the Semi Finals. 

In Quarter Final 2, India and Bangladesh played where India won the match by 109 runs and registered it to the Semi Finals. 

In Quarter Final 3, Pakistan and Australia played where Australia won the match by 6 wickets and advanced to the Semi Finals.

In Quarter Final 4, New Zealand and West Indies met where New Zealand won the match by 143 runs and got to the Semi Finals. 

Semi Final – 

Semi Final 1

South Africa and New Zealand played. South Africa posted 281 runs which New Zealand chased down easily and won the match by 4 wickets by D/L method.  

Semi Final 2

Australia and India played. Australia posted a great score of 328 runs which Indian couldn’t chase down as they put 233 runs on the board. 

Final – 

Final was played between the hosting nations i.e. Australia and New Zealand. It was also New Zealand’s first final in the tournament so far. New Zealand after winning the toss opted to bat first. With the help of Grant Elliott 83 runs NZ only managed to put 183 runs on the board. A brilliant performance by the Australian bowlers. Australia in reply chased down easily with the help of Micheal Clark’s 74 runs and won the match by 7 wickets. 

It was the 5th title for Australia. 

2019 World Cup: 

The 2019 World Cup was the twelfth edition of the tournament. It was played in England and Wales. It was the 5th time when England hosted this tournament while the 3rd one for Wales. 

This time the teams were reduced to 10, earlier it was 14 in the 2015 World Cup. England, Australia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Afghanistan. West Indies and Afghanistan were qualified from the qualifiers. England being the host got a direct slot while the remaining teams got to play according to their top 8 ranking at that time.  

World Cup Qualifiers were played in 2018 where Afghanistan was the winner after defeating West Indies in the final by 7 wickets. Both of the teams got their direct slot in the 2019 World Cup. Total 10 teams took part in it – Afghanistan, West Indies, Nepal, Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, UAE, Zimbabwe, Ireland and Hong Kong. 

Arrangements – 

All the 10 teams played against each other in the round robin format. Top 4 teams qualified for the Semi Finals. India topped the chart with 15 points while Australia grabbed the 2nd spot with 14 points. Hosting nation England remains at 3rd place with 12 points. New Zealand placed at 4th position with 11 points. 

Pakistan and New Zealand both had the same points (11), but New Zealand (0.175) had a better net run rate than Pakistan (-0.430), therefore they moved one step forward.   

Semi Finals – 

Semi Final 1

New Zealand and India played against each other. With Ross Taylor’s (74 runs) great knock New Zealand posted 239 runs on the board. During the chase after spending some overs, rain started and the match got stopped and it carried to the reserved day where India managed 221 runs and lost the match by 18 runs. Ravindra Jadeja quickfires 77 runs and was the highest scorer in the match. 

It was also Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last match in the international circuit. As he didn’t play any match after that and in the next year on the same date (when India lost the Semi Final match) he announced his retirement. He was one of the most successful captains in the World having won all the ICC tournaments under his captainship at that time. 

Semi Final 2

Australia and England played against each other. Australia after batting first posted 223 runs by the help of Steve Smith’s 85 runs and in reply England chased down easily and won the match by 8 wickets. Jason Roy shows a pure class of destruction by scoring 85 runs in just 65 balls.  

Final – 

The final was played between England and New Zealand. It was also New Zealand’s back to back finals. After winning the toss New Zealand opted to bat first. They posted 241 runs with the help of Henry Nicholls 55 runs. In reply England after losing some early wickets, Ben Stokes superb knock of 84 runs put them back on track again. He remained unbeaten at the end. At last the match ended in a tie where both the teams scores equal. 

The match further proceeded to the Super Over in which both the teams scored 15 runs. England scored 15/0 and New Zealand scored 15/1. Finally the match was decided by the boundary in which England (26) hit more boundaries than New Zealand 17). 

One of the most interesting facts in the match was that during the match in the final over England needed 15 runs and in the 4th ball as Ben Stokes played the ball and started running. After taking single he backs again for the double and during that run when the fielder throws the ball it strikes tio Ben Stokes and it suddenly touches the boundary rope. 

As a result Kumar Dharmasena awarded 6 sixes to England but according to the laws of cricket it must be given 5 runs since Ben Stokes was in between the pitch when the ball strikes him and he didn’t complete the second run during that time. 

It was also England’s first World Cup after playing the 4th final. Previous finals were 1979, 1987 and 1992. 

2023 World Cup:

The 2023 World Cup will be the thirteenth edition of the tournament. It will be played in India. It will be the first time the whole tournament was played in India. Earlier India hosted the World Cup in 1996 and 2011 along with other Asian countries. 

Total 10 teams will be participating in this tournament. India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Pakistan, South Africa, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands. Sri Lanka and Netherlands were qualified from the qualifiers. West Indies didn’t qualify as they were unable to make it to the final of the qualification. It was the first time when the two times champion did not feature in this tournament. 

Most Runs Scored in the World Cup:

Most Wickets taken in the World Cup:

Profile Credits : ESPNcricinfo