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Cricket World Cup is the biggest international cricket tournament in the world. This prestigious championship takes place after every year. It can be rightly termed as the premier contest in the 50-over-format of one-day international cricket. The Cricket World Cup is one of the world’s most-watched sports tournaments, with a massive fan base in South Asia. To excite things further, ICC( International cricket council) launched the shorter format T20 world cup in 2007. In light of the immense popularity of this tournament, let’s take a deeper look at it. Here, we shall also focus on the list of winners of the Cricket World Championship.
About Cricket World Cup
The Cricket World Cup is the international cricket championship pertaining to the one-day format. By one day, we mean the 50-over format. Officially, the tournament is called ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. When we use the term Cricket World Cup, it is reserved strictly for the 50-over format. It should not be confused with the 20-over format championship, which is known as the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The International Cricket Council organises this tournament once every four years. There are preliminary qualification rounds for securing qualification to it. However, the top-ranked teams get automatic qualification. It is one of the most viewed sporting events in the world, especially in Asia, where it enjoys gargantuan support. The 50 over world cup is considered the flagship event of ICC.
Brief History of the World Cup
The first edition was won by the West Indies in England in 1975. After four years, the tournament returned in 1979. This time too, the mighty West Indies came out on top to win the title. As you can see, the 70s was an era of complete West Indian dominance. The bowling attack from the Caribbean was the most feared in the world during this time.
After four years, India created history by winning the World cup by defeating the West Indies. This was India’s maiden trophy, and what a way to win it. In the final, India was to face the daunting West Indian team. Most people had predicted the defending champions to win this match. However, under the brave leadership of Kapil Dev, the Indian team was able to overpower the intimidating West Indian side.
In 1987, Australia emerged as a new champion and made its entry into the winners’ list of the world cup. This initiated the rise of Australian power. The side soon became a cricketing superpower in the world. For all the subsequent editions, Australia has retained its status as one of the most formidable powers in the world cup. They are almost always a force to be reckoned with.
Australia performed below expectations in the 1992 edition, which was clinched by Pakistan. In 1996, they made it to the final but were overpowered by the brave Sri Lankan side. The next three editions- 1999, 2003, and 2007, were all won by the Australians. These editions reflected an era of sheer Australian supremacy.
In 2011, India, under the calm-headed and astute captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was able to break this chain of Australian supremacy. India defeated Australia in the quarter-final and made its way to the final. In the final, the superior Indian side defeated Sri Lanka.
In 2015, Australia regained its status as World Champions by winning this edition. After four years, the world saw a new champion emerge when England won the World Cup in 2019.
Cricket World Cup Winners
Below is the winners’ list for Cricket World Championship:
World Cup Year | Winner Team | Runner-up Team |
1975 | West Indies | Australia |
1979 | West Indies | England |
1983 | India | West Indies |
1987 | Australia | England |
1992 | Pakistan | England |
1996 | Sri Lanka | Australia |
1999 | Australia | Pakistan |
2003 | Australia | India |
2007 | Australia | Sri Lanka |
2011 | India | Sri Lanka |
2015 | Australia | New Zealand |
2019 | England | New Zealand |
List of World Cup winners on a country-wise basis:
Team | Appearances in the Final | Number of Times Won | Number of Times Runner-up |
Australia | 7 | 5 | 2 |
England | 4 | 1 | 3 |
India | 3 | 2 | 1 |
New Zealand | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 2 |
West Indies | 3 | 2 | 1 |
T20 World Cup Winners
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is the greatest international tournament of 20 over format cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) organises this tournament every two years. Under the current format, a total of 16 teams participate in this tournament. The top ten teams get automatic entry into the tournament. The other six places are decided through T20 World Cup qualifiers.
Now let us take a look at the T20 World Cup Winners list:
T20 World Cup Year | Winner Team | Runner-up Team |
2007 | India | Pakistan |
2009 | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
2010 | England | Australia |
2012 | West Indies | Sri Lanka |
2014 | Sri Lanka | India |
2016 | West Indies | England |
2021 | Australia | New Zealand |
Conclusion
Cricket World Cup is the biggest and the most prestigious international cricket tournament in the world. When we use the term Cricket World Cup, we mean the 50-over format tournament. The maiden tournament was won by the West Indies in 1975. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is organised by ICC after every two years. For the 50-over Cricket World Cup, Australia is the most successful, having won the tournament 5 times. On the T20 World Cup Winners list, West Indies, with two titles, is the most successful team.
