India, which is hosting this upcoming cricket world cup, is a strong favourite to win the trophy. Here is a brief look at the history of cricket world cups and the list of countries to have won the title.
1975: WINNERS WEST INDIES
HOST: ENGLAND
The first edition of the world cup was called the ‘Prudential World Cup, 1975’. It was an eight-nation affair. England, India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and East Africa participated in it.
Sir Clive Lloyd captained the West Indies side to winning the title. He was, in fact, the man of the match in the final, with a knock of 102 runs in 85 balls.
Australia made it to the final, a side with talents like Ian Chappell, Greg Chappell, Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee.
1979: WINNERS WEST INDIES
HOST: ENGLAND
The Prudential World Cup, 1979 was also won by the West Indies. This was the legendary West Indies side, which was peerless in the 1970s.
The team was captained by Sir Clive Lloyd and a fast bowling quartet of Sir Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Colin Croft.
Sir Gordon Greenidge and Sir Viv Richards finished as top scorers of the tournament with 253 runs and 217 runs respectively.
England was the runner-up but was outclassed in the final, losing the tie by 92 runs. Viv Richards scored 138 runs in the final.
Eight teams participated in this world cup - England, India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Canada.
1983: WINNERS INDIA
HOST: ENGLAND
This was a fairy tale victory for India. For a country, which was in the throes of political and social chaos, this title came at the right time. It inspired countrymen back home that they too can be champions.
The XI that played the final was Sunil Gavaskar, Kris Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma, Sandeep Patil, Kapil Dev, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Madan Lal, Syed Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu.
Kapil Dev’s side was a bunch that had depth in batting and bowling with as many as four all rounders.
India faced the mighty West Indies in the final and won it with 43 runs.
This was an eight-nation tournament - England, India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
1987: WINNERS AUSTRALIA
HOST: INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT
The 1987 world cup was organised in India and Pakistan, amid a fund crunch in the run up to the tournament. This edition was re-branded as the 'Reliance World Cup'.
This was the first cricket tournament played outside England.
England, India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe were the participating countries.
This was Australia’s first world cup success. This was an Australian team in a rebuilding phase under Allan Border. The side embodied a brand of toughness that was the genesis of the champion Aussie sides of the late 1990s till present.
India and Pakistan went into the tournament as favourites, but finished as semi-finalists.
1992: WINNERS PAKISTAN
HOST: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND
Cricket world cup winning captains have always had an astuteness and air of charm that differentiates them from the crowd. Imran Khan and Arjuna Ranatunga more than anyone else.
By the end of the group stage, Imran’s side was virtually knocked out of the world cup. He demanded his team fight like ‘cornered tigers’ and so they did. One match-winning performance after another. It was as if in every must win game, Pakistan discovered a new hero.
Ramiz Raja, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram were pillars of this strong Pakistani side.
This world cup will be remembered as the first one to be played under lights. Famously, playboy, humanitarian captain Imran was once photographed wearing a t-shirt with a print reading ‘BIG BOYS PLAY AT NIGHT’.
Also the magical reverse-swinging delivery to get Alan Lamb bowled in the final will be remembered as one of Wasim Akram’s finest deliveries.
1996: WINNERS SRI LANKA
HOST: INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT
The 1996 edition of the world cup was held in the sub-continent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka).
Sri Lanka pulled off a heist of sorts. The side led by Arjuna Ranatunga was the champion. The team played a brand of cricket that was unmatched. The Lankans were the first in cricket to have made it a norm to go hard with the bat in the powerplay overs. Their fielding was excellent and it was Ranatunga’s meticulous planning that meant all the good fielders were placed in the busy areas. Sri Lanka’s bowling line up was spear-headed by the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan. Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Dharmasena were the other dependable bowling names. Lankan greats Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva added depth in bowling and batting departments.
Glimpses of Ranatunga’s courage and resilience as a captain were already on display when Sri Lanka toured Australia in 1995. Australian umpire Ross Emerson in an ODI in Gabba seven times called Muralitharan’s deliveries no-balls, saying he was chucking.
Ranatunga completely backed Muralitharan in that phase; and till the time the off-spinner was cleared of his action.
The 1996 world cup was a major disappointment for Indian fans, though India recorded a memorable comeback victory against Pakistan in one of the fixtures.
1999: WINNERS AUSTRALIA
HOST: ENGLAND
Australia won this tournament. This was one of the few world cups which had three teams that were nearly equally as good. It was last ball theatrics in the South Africa versus Australia semi-final that will always be remembered as the most defining moment of that tournament.
Australia dominated Pakistan in the final. Australia won the next world cups (2003 and 2007), indicating how strong that team was in that era.
India had another disappointing world cup.
2003: WINNERS AUSTRALIA
HOST: AFRICA
This was Ricky Ponting’s first world cup as captain. He had a line-up which was perhaps the strongest XI of all time.
Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Ricky Pontingn, Damien Martyn, Darren Lehmann, Michael Bevan, Andrew Symonds, Brad Hogg, Andy Bichel, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath.
All these players were in their prime years and it was a site to behold.
The Aussies were hit by a shock doping scandal ahead of the world cup. That meant the best leg-spinner of the 20th Century, Shane Warne, was not playing for the Aussies. However, the Aussies won the tournament comfortably.
2007: WINNERS AUSTRALIA
HOST: CARIBBEAN
Australia again became champions in 2007. This edition was held in the Caribbean islands. The world cup was Australia’s fourth title and this established them as the strongest cricket team with an unmatched legacy. Captain Ricky Ponting proved himself as a masterful leader. However, the final was surrounded in controversy as finalist Sri Lanka lost the tie after being made to bat under deteriorating light.
Shock and mystery will always shroud this tournament. This will be the saddest world cup for all fans. On 18 March 2007, Pakistan’s coach and former English cricketer Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. Initially there was suspicion over an angle of murder. However, no such reports were confirmed.
2011: WINNERS INDIA
HOST: INDIA
Finally, India won their second world after a gap of 28 years. What a stupendous moment! India has never looked back since then. It has just grown stronger and stronger. Sachin Tendulkar finally won a WC title, MS Dhoni’s reign as captain started and Virat Kohli had played a key role in the title winning run. Three Indian greats in one team. The stuff of dreams for the fans.
This was India’s playing XI in the final: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, S Sreesanth
Yuvraj Singh was the player of the tournament with contributions with bat and ball. Yuvraj had played the world cup with poor health. After the tournament he was diagnosed with cancer.
2015: WINNERS AUSTRALIA
HOST: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND
This was a very one-sided tournament. Australia nearly ran away with the title. They just lost one match in the group stage. In the final, they mauled New Zealand after bundling out the Kiwis for a sub-200 score. India had an impressive campaign before they were routed by Australia in the semis by 95 runs.
This tournament saw new faces who have by now earned laurels to earn the ‘greats’ tag. Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, David Warner and many others shown brightly.
This world cup will always be remembered for 63 not out – the on-field death of Phillip Hughes.
Before the tournament began, Hughes died after getting hit by a bouncer in an Australia domestic match. He was at the time batting at 63 not out.
Hughes' spirit stayed strong with Australi throughout the tournament and was a kind of guiding light in the team’s bonding.
2019: WINNERS ENGLAND
HOST: ENGLAND, WALES
This was supposed to be India’s world cup, but England won it.
Three of the world’s best batters (Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan), three of the world’s best bowlers at the time (Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah) and one legend (M.S. Dhoni), were part of the Indian team.
India topped the group stage but in the semi-final, rains threw a wrench in India’s smooth spinning wheel. After spells of rain, the match spilled onto the reserve day. India had a batting collapse of the ages. At one point, India was 5 runs for 3 wickets and then 92 runs for 6 wickets.
India just could not recover from that collapse.
England won the final after a very close encounter with New Zealand in the final. After scores were tied in the final, a super over round was played out. That too ended in a tie. England became champions on a sub-clause of the rules.
The winning English side was a departure from the teams of the past.
As many as five players in the English XI for the final had roots in countries outside England – Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid.
