Complete History of Cricket World Cup Winners

Cricket is a sport as old as any; its origins can be traced back to 1597. However, Cricket World Cup history only goes back to 1975. Take a look back through the history of ICC Cricket World Cup winners. The Cricket World Cup schedule has the 2019 edition starting on June 5th, 2019.

How Did The Cricket World Cup Get Started?

It’s amazing when you consider all of the limited overs formats in cricket these days that the ‘one day’ form of the sport didn’t even exist until the 1960s. The first international ODI didn’t follow until 1971….and even then it was a complete accident.

England were in Australia to contest the Ashes, and the third test in Melbourne was a complete washout. The rain relented on the fifth day, and the two captains decided to put on a one day match to help appease a frustrated crowd who had yet to see a ball bowled.

The Aussies won a contest played over 40 eight ball overs, and cricket as we know it today was essentially born on that day on January 5th, 1971.

Cricket historians tend to airbrush Kerry Packer’s revolutionary World Series Cricket competition in the 1970s from the records too. But many of the features of subsequent World Cups – the coloured kits, white balls, floodlit matches, multiple camera angles and stump microphones – were originated here.

The Inaugural Cricket World Cup (1975)

And so cricket world cup history begins in 1975 with the first edition of the tournament. England were on hosting duties and took their place among the other five test playing nations of the time: Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India and the West Indies. The eight-team format was supplemented by Sri Lanka and East Africa, the latter being among the early forerunners for South African one day cricket.

The ICC hadn’t quite tied down a format at the time, and all matches were 60-over affairs with red balls used and traditional whites worn. It was the first time that a number of the competing nations had even played limited overs cricket. The 1975 World Cup then served up the famous England vs India match, where the hosts ran up a 334/4 total before India replied with a downright bizarre 132/3 from their overs, with opener Sunil Gavaskar carrying his bat for just 36 not out!

In the end it was the West Indies, backed by an almighty pace bowling attack and the batting skills of captain Clive Lloyd, who prevailed as they beat Australia in the final to become the first ever Cricket World Cup winners.

Changes Made as Tournament Grows (1979 – 1987)

That first edition was considered a roaring success by most in the game, and the decision was taken to host the World Cup quadrennially.

In 1979, the tournament was held to the same specifications while the ICC Trophy was introduced to decide who made up the eight teams in the field. England, as hosts once again, and the five test-playing nations – India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies – were joined by Sri Lanka, the ICC Trophy champions, and Canada, who were runners-up in the qualifying event.

Once again, the West Indies prevailed, beating England by 92 runs in a one-sided final to become Cricket World Cup winners .

In 1983 the fielding circle was introduced, in which four members of the fielding time had to be inside at all times. Whether that made any difference to the outcome of the trophy is questionable. However, India – the 66/1 outsiders with the bookmakers – kickstarted the fine Indian Pakistan Cricket World Cup history by taking down reigning champions West Indies in the final.

The game was expanding on the sub-continent, and the decision was made to host the 1987 World Cup in India and Pakistan; the first of the ICC Cricket World Cup locations outside of England. But the hosts couldn’t make home advantage count as Australia picked up the first of their five Cricket World Cup winners titles with a narrow seven-run victory over the English.

Post-Modern Cricket (1992)

The 1992 edition of the Cricket World Cup was a landmark moment for the tournament. The ICC realised they need to jazz up the World Cup somewhat to bring in the casual fan alongside the sport’s hardcore aficionados. So, they went full razzmatazz: coloured kits became a reality, as did white balls and day / night matches, which helped to change the nature of the game as darkness fell and the dew on the ground became a factor.

It was a notable year for the tournament in many ways, too, with Zimbabwe making it all the way to the final. Nevertheless, they could not overcome Pakistan, who added their name to the list of Cricket World Cup winners with a 22-run triumph at the MCG.

Bigger and Better (1996 – 2003)

From ’96 until today the Cricket World Cup has remained essentially the same, although there have been further format changes in an attempt to streamline the competition.

Ahead of the 1996 edition the field was expanded to twelve teams, with the nine test-playing nations of the day – which included the post-Apartheid South Africa and Zimbabwe – joined by three qualifiers from the ICC World Trophy: Kenya, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates. This was the first time that three countries had jointly-hosted the action, with Sri Lanka joining India and Pakistan in welcoming matches to their country. The Aussies then reached yet another World Cup final, although in a plot twist that few could have seen coming they went on to lose by seven wickets in the final to eventual Cricket World Cup winners Sri Lanka.

The 1999 tournament subsequently saw the Super Six concept introduced for the first time. The top three teams from the initial Groups A and B would play each other once in the next stage of the competition to determine who would reach the semi-finals. That year, Australia reached the final once more, and ultimately overcame a Pakistan to lift the Cricket World Cup winners trophy for a second time.

The 2003 World Cup was the first to be held on African soil, and this edition used the same Super Sixes format of ’99. At the end of a thrilling competition, it was Australia who won a second of three consecutive World Cup titles, blasting a record 359-2 against India in the final before going on to triumph by 125 runs.

Sweet Sixteen (2007)

The tournament format was tweaked once again for the 2007 World Cup, with sixteen teams accepted for the inaugural hosting in the Caribbean. That enabled countries such as Bermuda and Ireland to make their CWC debuts, with the latter progressing to the ‘Super 8’ stage after a phenomenal upset win against Pakistan in the group phase.

The elongated format did not make a difference to the end result, though. Australia picked up their third successive Cricket World Cup winners title with a 53-run victory over Sri Lanka in a rain affected final.

Hosts Take Advantage of Home Comforts (2011 – 2015)

The 2011 World Cup was reduced to 14 teams once again, and India created history by becoming the first host nation to lift the Cricket World Cup winners trophy.

The 2011 edition was also the first in which two Asian sides had reached the final, with Sri Lanka once again tasting defeat on the biggest stage. That theme continued at the 2015 World Cup, where Australia beat their neighbours New Zealand at the MCG in the final.

This was a record-breaking World Cup, with a staggering 93,000 people in attendance at the final and more than one billion worldwide watching the India vs Pakistan contest!

To the Future (2019-2023)

England will be looking to make it three home Cricket World Cup winners in a row when they take on hosting duties alongside Wales for the 2019 World Cup.

The action starts on May 30 and will run all the way through to the final at Lord’s on July 14.

And we already know that the 2023 World Cup will be held exclusively in India in February-March of that year.

A Complete List of Cricket World Cup Winners:

How Often Does the Cricket World Cup Take Place?

In the present day, the ICC 50-over Cricket World Cup takes place every four years. The Cricket World Cup 2019 will be the 12th edition of a competition that was first held in England back in 1975.

Initially, the four-year gap between tournaments was adhered to through 1979, 1983 and 1987. But then, as the competition had to fit around other events. We saw a delay until the fifth edition in 1992. In 1996, the World Cup headed to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But since the 1999 tournament in England, the four-year rule has been in place. That is set to continue in the future.

Who Were the Last Cricket World Cup Winners?

When the Cricket World Cup 2019 takes place, Australia will arrive as defending champions. In the 2015 final, which took place in Melbourne, the Aussies beat co-hosts New Zealand by seven wickets to take the title. Early 2019 Cricket World Cup betting odds have Australia at third in line behind England and India.

Which Country Has Won the Most Cricket World Cups?

That victory in 2015 was Australia’s fifth Cricket World Cup winners title since the tournament began. They are the most successful team in the history of the World Cup by a considerable margin. The Aussies’ first win came in 1987. Then, they claimed three straight Cricket World Cup winners titles in 1999, 2003 and 2007, followed by that fifth success in 2015.

Behind Australia, both India and West Indies have won the World Cup on two occasions since its inception in 1975.

What Type of Cricket is Played at the World Cup?

The Cricket World Cup 2019 is a one-day international tournament with each team allocated 50 overs. However, it hasn’t always been this way. Back in the 1970s, one-day games featured 60 over contests. This format was therefore adopted for the first World Cup of 1975.

This limited overs cricket format was maintained for the subsequent competitions in 1979 and 1983 before the games were reduced to 50 overs a side from the 1987 tournament onwards.

Cricket World Cup Records to Remember

Here are some of the biggest records from 43 years of World Cup history. Will any of these be broken at the Cricket World Cup 2019?

What is the highest team score in World Cup history?

The highest team total is the 417/6 compiled by Australia against Afghanistan in Perth back in 2015. The innings was given impetus by David Warner who made 178, backed up by high double-figure scores from Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

In reply, Afghanistan made just 142 and this victory by 275 runs is also the biggest winning margin in the history of the World Cup.

What is the biggest match aggregate in Cricket World Cup history?

We stay with the 2015 World Cup to find the highest match aggregate between two sides. During the tournament, Australia and Sri Lanka combined to produce 688 runs for the loss of 18 wickets.

Who has the highest individual score in Cricket World Cup history?

The highest score by an individual player is the 237 made by New Zealand’s Martin Guptill, when his side played the West Indies at the 2015 World Cup.

Who has scored the most runs in Cricket World Cup history?

The highest run scorer in World Cup history is the great Sachin Tendulkar, who made 2,278 runs in his tournament career. Sachin is nearly 500 runs ahead of Ricky Ponting in second place. This is a record that may never be beaten.

Tendulkar also holds the record for most individual centuries (six), and also for most individual 50s with 21.

What is the highest run chase in Cricket World Cup history?

Ireland shocked England at the 2011 World Cup by making 329/6 after their opponents had posted 327/8. To date, this is the highest successful run chase in the history of the tournament. But the game has moved on considerably in eight years and this is one record that could be under serious threat at the Cricket World Cup 2019.

During that incredible match, Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien also recorded the fastest century in World Cup history as he reached three figures from just 50 balls.

As for the fastest 50, that honour goes to Brendon McCullum who brought up his half century from just 18 balls against England in 2015.

What is the highest partnership in Cricket World Cup history?

The West Indies were the early pacesetters, winning the first two editions of the World Cup in 1975 and 1979. They have yet to win the trophy since, but at least they hold the current record for the highest batting partnership. At the 2015 tournament, Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle put on an impressive 372 for the second wicket against Zimbabwe.

In that same match, Gayle set two further records as he scored the most sixes (16) in a World Cup innings. He also set the record for the fastest individual double hundred. The big left-hander from Jamaica took 138 balls to bring up his double ton and eventually finished with a total of 215.

Who are the biggest Cricket World Cup winners in the game’s history?

They are the most successful team in World Cup history with five tournament victories. So, it’s no surprise that Australia hold the record for most match wins. The Aussies’ tally of 62 is some way clear of second-place New Zealand with 48. They will be looking to extend that gap in 2019.

Just to add to that incredible set of stats, Australia are additional record holders in terms of consecutive victories with 27 straight wins between 1999 and 2011.

Who has the most wickets in Cricket World Cup history?

It’s not all about the batsmen. In terms of most wickets taken in World Cup matches, Australia’s Glenn McGrath is ahead with 71 scalps. The seamer also has the lowest average (minimum 1000 balls) at 18.19.

If that wasn’t enough, McGrath has also returned the best figures at a World Cup with his 7-15 against Namibia back in 2003.

Who has the most hat tricks in Cricket World Cup history?

To date, there have been nine hat tricks at World Cup tournaments. But so far, only one bowler has claimed four wickets in four balls and that was Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka against South Africa in 2007.

There are some impressive numbers amongst those records. It’s interesting to note that Sachin Tendulkar has dominated the batting stats in the same way that Glenn McGrath holds so many of the bowling accolades.

Some of those records may well be vulnerable at the Cricket World Cup 2019. Others will take many more years to overhaul and may even stand forever.

Who was the Man of the Tournament at the 2015 Cricket World Cup?

Australia won the 2015 World Cup, and their left arm pace bowler Mitchell Starc was named Man of the Tournament. Along with New Zealand’s Trent Boult, Starc took the most wickets in the competition with 22 victims and at times, he also provided some useful runs down the order.

In the final against New Zealand, Starc took the vital wicket of Brendon McCullum, bowling the New Zealand skipper for a third ball duck, before going on to record figures of 2/20 from his eight overs.

When the tournament came to an end, the seamer’s 22 wickets came at an average of just 10.18. Those miserly stats gave him the nod over Boult as the tournament’s best player. Starc also produced a tight economy rate of just 3.50 and he returned best figures of 6/28 versus New Zealand.

He has suffered from a number of injuries since then. He likely won’t be one of the top 2019 Cricket World Cup players. But clearly, Australia will be desperate to see a fit Starc running in for them at the cricket world cup 2019.

Who was the Man of the Match in the 2015 Cricket World Cup Final?

The Man of the Match award in the 2015 Cricket World Cup final was given to Australian all-rounder James Faulkner. In his side’s seven-wicket win over New Zealand, Faulkner returned figures of 3/36 from nine overs. While Mitchell Johnson actually produced a better return of 3/30, Faulkner took key wickets at vital times to stifle the Kiwis.

The left arm seamer claimed the scalps of New Zealand’s two top scorers – Grant Elliott for 83 and Ross Taylor for 40. Meanwhile, he also bowled the dangerous Corey Anderson for a second ball duck. Johnson may have returned marginally better figures. However, Faulkner stifled the Kiwis in the middle order as they briefly threatened to post a big total.

We may not see James Faulkner at the Cricket World Cup 2019 as he’s not certain of a place in the squad. But he was the man to make the most telling contribution in the 2015 final.