A brief history of the ICC Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the most prestigious event in cricket and every international player would love to have won it even once during his career. Several players like Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, and MS Dhoni have achieved legendary status in their countries for guiding their nations to a World Cup win.
The first tournament to be held was the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 1973, which was a huge success. So, the first Cricket World Cup was quickly organized in 1975, which was an 8-team affair. Hosts England was eliminated in the semi-finals, with Australia and the West Indies meeting in the final. West Indies won a close affair in the final to win the first Cricket World Cup.
The 1979 tournament was once again held in England and was once again won by the West Indies. They defeated hosts England in the final to hand Clive Lloyd his second World Cup trophy.
The 1983 Cricket World Cup saw one of the best giant killings in the history of cricket as India came out of nowhere to emerge as Cricket World Cup winners. Kapil Dev led from the front as his 175 against Zimbabwe was the turning point. In the final against the mighty West Indies, no one gave them a chance but India upset the odds to win the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
The 1987 edition was the first time the Cricket World Cup was scheduled outside England as it was played in India. It was also the first instance where the cricket World Cup was 50 overs. Another underdog story was written by Allan Borders Australia, who had their hands on their first cricket World Cup. Australia beat their rivals England in a tense final by just 7 runs.
The 1992 Cricket World Cup was held in Australia for the first time and Imran Khan-led Pakistan towards their first Cricket World Cup title. Losing four of their first five games, Pakistan bounced back brilliantly to win their next five games in a row. They met England in the final at the MCG where Wasim Akram produced a brilliant bowling performance to help Pakistan win the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
The World Cup moved to the sub-continent once again in 1996 as India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka co-hosted the event. Arjuna Ranatunga’s Sri Lanka, which only received Test status in 1981, shocked the cricketing world by emerging as the Cricket World Cup winners. They defeated India in the semi-finals and had to face Australia in the final. Aravinda de Silva finished with figures of 3/42 and scored 107 in the final to make Sri Lanka the first chasing team to win a final.
The Cricket World Cup was scheduled just three years later as the 1999 tournament was played in England. Steve Waugh led Australia to their second World Cup triumph, crushing Pakistan in the final by 8 wickets. Australia played out a thrilling tie in the semi-finals against South Africa, which was labelled as the greatest ODI ever played.
The 2003 Cricket World Cup was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya for the first time and the number of teams also increased to 14. Australia dominated the World Cup once again, this time under Ricky Ponting. India had their dream up to the final, where they were crushed by Australia by a massive 125 runs. Ricky Ponting played one of the best innings in a World Cup cricket game, scoring 140 to secure the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
Australia made it a treble of World Cup wins by winning the 2007 Cricket World Cup with ease. Once again, they won the tournament without losing a game, extending their unbeaten run. Sri Lanka was no match for them in the final as Adam Gilchrist scored a fine 149 to seal the 2007 Cricket World Cup win for Australia.
The 2011 Cricket World Cup saw India finally winning the World Cup after 28 years under MS Dhoni. Playing at home under immense pressure, India beat Australia in the quarterfinals and arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals to book a place in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka. Gambhir’s 97 and Dhoni’s 91 helped India become Cricket World Cup winners after 28 years.
The 2015 Cricket World Cup saw Australia pick up their 5th title and fourth in five World Cups. Under Michael Clarke, they decimated New Zealand in the final by 7 wickets. England won the last Cricket World Cup in 2019, where they beat New Zealand in the final in one of the most thrilling matches in ODI history.
Cricket World Cup winners list – West Indies (1975,1979), India (1983), Australia (1987), Pakistan (1992), Sri Lanka (1996), Australia (1999, 2003, 2007), India (2011), Australia (2015), England (2019).
Australia won the recent T20 Cricket World Cup in 2021 and is due to host the T20 Cricket World Cup in 2022. India will host the 2023 Cricket World Cup while South Africa and Zimbabwe are scheduled to host the 2027 Cricket World Cup.