ICC (International Cricket Council) started ICC ODI World Cup in 1975 at the Mecca of Cricket i.e. England (London) and until now 12 World Cups have been played at different locations.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1975
The inaugural World Cup was played entirely in England with 60 overs per side. This World Cup was played in white color uniform. A total of 8 teams played. England and West Indies were playing neck to neck as there was cut-throat competition between these two teams. New Zealand proved to be the dark horse of this World Cup but they failed to win the Cup. India, Pakistan, East Africa (now South Africa) & Sri Lanka were slowly getting into the game of Cricket but lacked consistency & skill to make it to the final four. West Indies was just dominating each and every opposition as a result they were Crowned the World Champions of Cricket. The 1975 Cricket World Cup gave a hint of something huge and spectacular in the Cricketing World.
Glenn Turner of New Zealand amassed 333 runs and was the leading run scorer of the tournament. Dennis Amiss of England scored 243 runs. Majid Khan of Pakistan scored 209 runs whereas Keith Fletcher of England made vital contribution of 207 runs. Gary Gilmour of Australia took 11 Wickets and was the leading wicket taker of the tournament. Bernard Julien and Keith Boyce of West Indies both the bowlers took 10 wickets each while Andy Roberts of West Indies took 8 wickets. The entire batting and bowling unit of West Indies showed immense grit and displayed team work while clinching the first ever World Cup for West Indies.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1979
The 2nd ICC Cricket World Cup too was played in England with same rules as of 1st World Cup. In this World Cup Pakistan came in as a Surprise package who made it to the knock-out stage where everyone was amazed and shocked. At the same time West Indies continued their dominance as they were Crowned World Champions for a consecutive second time.
Gordon Greenidge of West Indies was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 253 runs; and he was well accompanied by Sir Viv Richards who scored 217 runs. Graham Gooch of England scored 210 runs while Glenn Turner who was the leading run scorer in 1975 World Cup had a lean patch as he scored a mere 176 runs. Mike Hendrick of England was the leading wicket-taker with 10 Wickets. Chris Old of England, Brian McKechnie of New Zealand & Asif Iqbal all these three bowlers took 9 wickets each. The second victory for West Indies just gave an indication that the era of West Indies dominance started.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1983
The 3rd ICC Cricket World Cup was also played in England. In this World Cup India astonished everyone by making it to the play-offs. India outplayed Zimbabwe in Group Stages. Australia was the consistent team but this time failed to make it to the knock-out stage as India and West Indies didn’t gave them an inch in this World Cup. It looked like once again that West Indies will clinch the Cup and make a hattrick of winning World Cups but the belligerent India diminished & thrashed West Indies and won the World Cup for the very first time. The main architect of India proved to be the fighting spirit and a never to say die attitude amongst the entire Squad as India came in to the World Cup as an underdog.
David Gower of England was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 384 runs. Sir Viv Richards of West Indies scored 367 runs while Graeme Fowler of England scored 360 runs. Zaheer Abbas of Pakistan scored 313 runs. Roger Binny of India was the leading wicket-taker of India with 18 wickets while Madan Lal of India took 17 wickets. Ashantha de Mel of Sri Lanka took 17 wickets and Richard Hadlee of New Zealand took 14 scalps.
The victory of 1983 Cricket World Cup proved to be pivotal for India as the citizens of India got to know the game of Cricket more deeply.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1987
The 4th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup was played in India with 50 overs per side instead of 60 overs. This time Australia was playing more aggressively as compared to the first 3 editions of World Cup. For the first time West Indies failed to make it to the knock-out stages as they failed to adjust to the fluctuating conditions of India. In this World Cup Australia displayed more passion for the game as the matches in this World Cup were more competitive as earlier tournaments. India & Pakistan were favorites to win the World Cup but Australia won the small, defining & key moments as a result Australia defeated England in the Final of World Cup by only 7 runs. Australia made a statement that how to win the World Cup and most importantly they showed the power of team work and self-belief
Graham Gooch of England was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 471 runs. David Boon of Australia scored 447 runs and he was well accompanied by Geoff Marsh with 428 runs. Sir Viv Richards scored 391 runs. Craig McDermott of Australia took 18 wickets. Imran Khan of Pakistan took 17 wickets. Maninder Singh of India & Patrick Patterson of West Indies both the bowlers took 14 wickets each. The 1987 victory of Australia proved to be life changing for Australian Cricket as they got the technique of winning a World Cup.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1992
The 5th edition of the World Cup observed round-robin format where each team will play with everyone in the group stage itself and it was held in Australia & New Zealand. This World Cup also observed color jersey for every team (nation). Pakistan from nowhere made it to the knock-out stage due to the format which gave every team a chance. India had the team to make it to the knock-out stage but failed to deliver it in the crunch situations of the game. England had the best chance of winning the World Cup this time but they lost it and Pakistan were crowned the World Champions where they stunned everyone through their unpredictable performances. The triumph of Pakistan is a story of an underdog as no one expected them to Win the World Cup but that’s the nature & style of Pakistan Cricket Team. The downfall of West Indies Cricket Team was seen as they weren’t putting a fighting performance on the match day.
Martin Crowe of New Zealand was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 456 runs. Javed Miandad of Pakistan scored 437 runs while Peter Kirsten of South Africa scored 410 runs. David Boon of Australia scored 368 runs. Wasim Akram of Pakistan took 18 wickets while Sir Ian Botham of England took 16 wickets. Mushtaq Ahmed of Pakistan and Chris Harris of New Zealand both the bowlers took 16 Wickets each. The story of 1992 World Cup was so enthralling that from out of the box the Cricketing World saw a new Roaring Champion in the form of Pakistan.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1996
The 6th edition of the World Cup was held in India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. This time West Indies made it to the Knock-out stages of the World Cup. Sri Lanka this time proved to be red hot favorites. Sri Lanka demolished India’s hopes of A World Cup triumph by winning the Semi Final by a default manner where the Stadium was furious. Australia once again proved that there is no substitute for Hard Work as they were winning matches convincingly but they failed at the last hurdle against Sri Lanka in the final. Sri Lanka astounded everyone as every four years a new Champion was Born and made.
Sachin Tendulkar of India who is known to be as the GOD of Cricket was the leading run scorer in the tournament with 523 runs. Mark Waugh of Australia scored 484 runs. Arvinda de Silva of Sri Lanka scored 448 runs while Gary Kirsten scored 391 runs. Anil Kumble of India was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 wickets. Waqar Younis of Pakistan took 13 wickets. Roger Harper & Shane Warne both the bowlers took 12 wickets each.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 1999
The 7th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held at the Mecca of Cricket i.e. England. This World Cup was the start of an Era of Dominance for Australia. In the Semi Final Match of the World Cup South Africa vs Australia both the teams scored same runs but Aussies advanced to the Finals as they finished top in the group table. There was a lot of chaos in that match. India once again failed to live up to their expectations. Australia won the World Cup in grand style and that too in a convincing manner against the unpredictable Pakistan Team.
Rahul Dravid of India was the top run scorer in the tournament with 461 runs. Steve Waugh of Australia scored 398 runs and he was well accompanied by his brother Mark Waugh who scored 375 runs. Sourav Ganguly of India scored 379 runs. Australia started to become one of the tough teams to beat in World Cup from 1999.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2003
The 8th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held in South Africa & Zimbabwe. This World Cup was filled with huge runs scored by batsmen and the same was with bowlers who were immaculate with their line and lengths. South Africa had got the team to win a Title but they couldn’t make it to the knock-out stages. This time it looked India would definitely win World Cup but they were foxed & tricked by Australia in Finals as Australia won the World Cup. Australia won the World Cup because Australia’s each and every player scored a match winning knock when the team was in serious trouble which separated their team from everyone. Australia became the second team to win back to back ODI (One Day International) World Cups as earlier in 1975 & 1979 West Indies had won the World Cup.
Sachin Tendulkar of India was the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 673 runs. Sourav Ganguly of India scored 465 runs. Ricky Ponting of Australia scored 415 runs while he was well accompanied by Adam Gilchrist who scored 408 runs. Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 23 wickets. Brett Lee of Australia and Glenn McGrath of Australia both the bowlers were bang on target as Lee took 22 wickets whereas McGrath took 21 wickets. Zaheer Khan of India took 18 wickets. Australia started to look very dangerous from the starting of the World Cup as they left no stone untouched.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
The 9th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held in West Indies. This World Cup saw two Champion Teams India & Pakistan eliminated in the first round itself as Bangladesh defeated India & Ireland defeated Pakistan. In the Super Eight Stage Australia was just literally bashing the opponent like a Champion Team. There were a lot of expectations from West Indies as they were playing in their own backyard but they couldn’t deliver performances of a Champion Team. Sri Lanka showed some fight and character but at the final junction Australia outplayed Sri Lanka. Australia won the World Cup and made a hattrick of winning World Cups which is a rare and unbelievable attainment.
Matthew Hayden of Australia was the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 659 runs. Mahela Jayawardene of Sri Lanka scored 548 runs. Ricky Ponting of Australia scored 539 runs whereas Scott Styris of New Zealand scored 499 runs. Glenn McGrath of Australia was the leading wicket taker with 26 wickets. Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Shaun Tait of Australia both the bowlers took 23 wickets each. Brad Hogg of Australia took 21 wickets. Ricky Ponting the skipper of Australian Cricket Team became the only Cricketer to be a part of 3 World Cup Winning Squads. Australia’s Squad and playing 11 was one of the Best which made them Champions of the Cricket.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
The 10th Edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held in India, Bangladesh & Sri Lanka. This World Cup was blatantly dominated by India as India was not giving an inch to the opponent team. Australia’s team was under a lot of pressure through-out the tournament as their team was in a reconstruction phase as some of their Senior players were retired. Australia failed to win the World Cup for a consecutive 4th time as their journey was ended by Team India in Quarter-Finals. India also had to face tough times in the Tournament as there was cut-throat competition but India won the World Cup in a grand fashion and brought huge smiles on the faces of people as India won the World Cup after a drought span of 28 years.
Tillakaratne Dilshan of Sri Lanka was the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 500 runs. Sachin Tendulkar of India scored 482 runs. Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka scored 465 runs. Jonathan Trott of England scored 422 runs. Shahid Afridi of Pakistan & Zaheer Khan of India both the bowlers took 21 wickets each. Tim Southee of New Zealand took 18 wickets whereas Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka took 15 wickets. India won the World Cup as it was seen that India developed a fighting spirit and most importantly India’s players played like a Team.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The 11th Edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held in Australia & New Zealand. In this World Cup the teams were most competitive as there was nothing separating the teams from each other. Australia were back with all their players who were juvenile and somewhat experienced too. West Indies made it to the knock-out stages but once again failed to make the World Cup special for them. Team India was in red hot form but they lost their plot in the Semi Final against Australia where Australia thrashed them. Australia had a one sided Final against the Mighty New Zealand Team where they not only ruined New Zealand but they made a statement that the Champions of the Cricket are Back. South Africa had a Heart- Breaking moment as all the team members were in tears after losing Semi Finals against New Zealand.
Martin Guptill of New Zealand was the leading run scorer of the tournament with 547 runs. Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka scored 541 runs. AB de Villiers of South Africa scored 482 runs. Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe scored 433 runs. Mitchell Starc & Trent Boult both the bowlers took 22 Wickets each. Umesh Yadav of India took 18 wickets. Mohammed Shami of India, Morne Morkel of South Africa & Jerome Taylor of West Indies all these 3 bowlers took 17 wickets each. Australia was considered a Dark horse for this Tournament but they showed their class and won the World Cup for a Record 5th Time.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
The 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was held in England. This World Cup was a round-robin one in which one team will play with all the other teams similar to 1992 World Cup. This World Cup was marred with the rain as many matches were called off due to intermittent rain. Pakistan had only one bad game that too against West Indies with respect to net run rate but that game kept them out of the knock-out stages. Pakistan had the caliber of being a Champion Team but they didn’t play like a Team. India and Australia were dominating the league stages but England’s attacking instincts and aggression proved to be the difference in the last. New Zealand and England played the finale of the World Cup were both teams deserved to be the Champions but England outclassed New Zealand on the boundary count as the Super Over was also Tied.
Rohit Sharma of India was the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 648 runs. David Warner of Australia scored 647 runs. Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh scored 606 runs. Kane Williamson of New Zealand scored 578 runs. Mitchell Starc of Australia was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 27 wickets whereas Lockie Ferguson of New Zealand took 21 scalps. Jofra Archer of England & Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh both the bowlers took 20 wickets each. England won the World Cup as they played intrepid Cricket as a result they were Crowned the World Champions for the first Time.
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