The Cricket World Cup is an exciting event that riles up all the cricket fans in the world. It returns every four years, making fans anticipate who will wear the crown for the next four years. There is something about the drama, the excitement, the joy, the love, and the emotions associated with the Cricket World Cup that makes it very special.
Check: ICC World Cup Schedule 2023 PDF Download |Men’s one Day World Cup
Imran Khan winning the 1992 World Cup is the best example of this emotion. It changed everyone’s lives in that World Cup-winning squad. It made everyone in that team a superstar. This can be said for all the other winning teams as well.
However, 1992 is an extreme example where you got superstars for decades, and its momentum shaped Pakistan’s cricket picture today.
This article will discuss all the World Cup winners from 1975 to 2019. Let’s see these teams and their journey in these World Cups.
Read: 2023 Cricket World Cup Teams List – UPDATED
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1975 | West Indies |
| 1979 | West Indies |
| 1983 | India |
| 1987 | Australia |
| 1992 | Pakistan |
| 1996 | Sri lanka |
| 1999 | Australia |
| 2003 | Australia |
| 2007 | Australia |
| 2011 | India |
| 2015 | Australia |
| 2019 | Sri Lanka |
Prudential Cup 1975
It was the first-ever cricket World Cup. England was the host, and eight teams played in this tournament. The West Indies won this World Cup. This World Cup started this cricket festival we all love and wait for. West Indies was a force to be reckoned with back in the day. The team was in group B with Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka.
Check: South African Team for ICC World Men’s World Cup 2023
West Indies finished at the top of the points table, winning all three group-stage matches. Here is the squad that won the first-ever Cricket World Cup.
Squad
| Player |
|---|
| Clive Lloyd (c) |
| Keith Boyce |
| Roy Fredericks |
| Lance Gibbs |
| Gordon Greenidge |
| Vanburn Holder |
| Bernard Julien |
| Alvin Kallicharran |
| Rohan Kanhai |
| Deryck Murray (wk) |
| Viv Richards |
| Andy Roberts |
| Maurice Foster |
| Lawrence Rowe |
The knockouts
They played the semi-final against New Zealand, and there was no way the Kiwis had any reply for the West Indies bowlers. They bowled the black caps out on 158, leaving a target of 159 for the batters.
In the finals, they faced the mighty Aussies. Their skipper, Clive Lloyd, was the star of the show. The Aussies won the toss, and they chose to field first. The top order struggled, but the captain and Rohan were rescued.
They built a partnership and saved the ship from sinking. Back when nobody even knew what T20 was, Clive scored a 102 on 85 balls. The Australian team put up a good resistance.
However, the mix of good fielding with the bowling performance from Keith Boyce made the West Indies the first-ever World Cup winners.
Prudential Cup ’79
The defending champs, the West Indies, defended their title and became the champions for the second time. They were kings back in the day. The mighty West Indies had something in them. The charisma, the vibe, the excitement, and the aggression. They played ahead of their time, which got them the title.
The format was similar to the previous World Cup. And the group stages felt like de ja vu. The defenders were the top team. They could only win two matches instead of three this time because it was all they could do since the game was abandoned due to rain. It was all there was to get!
Squad
| Player |
|---|
| Clive Lloyd (c) |
| Colin Croft |
| Joel Garner |
| Gordon Greenidge |
| Desmond Haynes |
| Michael Holding |
| Alvin Kallicharran |
| Collis King |
| Deryck Murray (wk) |
| Viv Richards |
| Andy Roberts |
| Larry Gomes |
| Faoud Bacchus |
| Malcolm Marshall |
Knockouts
Their semi-final was against Pakistan, and it is safe to say that they won comfortably. Only Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan were the resistance that kept the hopes high for Pakistan. But Colin Croft soon crushed those hopes, and it was a collapse after that.
Check: Cricket World Cup 2023 New Zealand Squad [ANNOUNCED]
In the finals, they played against England. Viv Richards kept standing till the end, scoring 138 off of 157. The only batter that stood with him was Collis King, who scored 86 quick runs.
Viv might be the man of the match, but Joel Garner cut through England’s defence like butter, taking a 5-fer and helping the team bowl the English team out on 194. It was a smooth 92-run victory.
Prudential Cup ’83
It was India’s first-ever victory in the World Cup, and they established themselves as the team that you cannot look down upon. It helped Team India build an image of this team that will stand up to any situation. They finished number 2 in the group. However, things started to go smoothly for them in the knockouts.
Check: India Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]
Why did this win uplift India’s journey in the cricket world? They beat the 2-times champs and the best team in those days, the West Indies. Here’s the squad before we talk about the final.
Squad
| Player |
|---|
| Kapil Dev |
| Mohinder Amarnath |
| Kirti Azad |
| Roger Binny |
| Sunil Gavaskar |
| Syed Kirmani (wk) |
| Madan Lal |
| Sandip Patil |
| Balwinder Sandhu |
| Yashpal Sharma |
| Ravi Shastri |
| Krishnamachari Srikkanth |
| Sunil Valson |
| Dilip Vengsarkar |
The final
The famous West Indies bowling attack was on point. But what’s different was the bowling attack from the Indian bowlers. They contained the West Indies batters within the limit and bowled them out at 140. It was a collective effort from the bowlers.
But if we have to pick someone who made the difference, it has to be Mohinder Amarnath. He took 3 wickets and only gave away 12 runs in 7 overs.
But the feat India achieved still baffles everyone. It’s a record no one has ever broken. They defended 183 in a final, the lowest total in the World Cup Final.
Reliance Cup 1987
The 1987 Cricket World Cup, dubbed the Reliance Cup due to sponsorship, was a watershed moment in the sport. It was the first World Cup outside of England, with matches in India and Pakistan.
While the format stayed the same (50 overs per team), it signalled the beginning of a new era for cricket in the subcontinent. Australia won their first World Cup after defeating England in a dramatic final.
Read: Australia team for ICC Cricket world cup 2023 [Announced]
Surprisingly, the host nations, India and Pakistan, were ousted in the semi-finals, while the West Indies, a powerhouse squad, failed to get past the group stage.
Let’s see the Aussie squad.
| Player |
|---|
| Allan Border |
| David Boon |
| Greg Dyer |
| Dean Jones |
| Geoff Marsh |
| Tim May |
| Craig McDermott |
| Tom Moody |
| Simon O’Donnell |
| Bruce Reid |
| Peter Taylor |
| Mike Veletta |
| Steve Waugh |
| Andrew Zesers |
The knockouts and final
In the semis, Australia reached 267 thanks to David Boon’s 65, but Imran Khan’s three wickets posed a concern. Pakistan’s 112-run partnership between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad gave them hope but fell short by 18 runs. This took the Aussies to the final.
The final was in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Today, you see more than 300 runs in an ODI match on this pitch. However, scoring 253 for the Aussies in the final was hard.
David Boon played a crucial role, with support from Mike Veletta. Now, England had to chase the target. It was a great final. The English came close. But they couldn’t track the target, and the Aussies won by 7 runs.
Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992
This was the first time the Aussies hosted the World Cup. They were the defending champs, but this tournament wasn’t about them this time. It was about Pakistan and the decades of glory that came with it.
Pakistan won their first World Cup, but it gave them the superstars of the future. It was a nice ending to Imran’s career, and the start of a new era for Wasim Akram and Co. Pakistanis had to bear the loss of Waqar Younis, who couldn’t play due to injury. However, this didn’t stop the cornered tigers from fighting back.
Check: Pakistan Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]
Many will remember this World Cup for those two wickets that Wasim Akram took. They were not the best balls he bowled, but these two deliveries set Pakistan on a path that dominated the cricket world. Here is the squad that won the World Cup.
Pakistan’s winning squad
| Player |
|---|
| Imran Khan |
| Aamir Sohail |
| Aaqib Javed |
| Ijaz Ahmed |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq |
| Iqbal Sikander |
| Javed Miandad |
| Moin Khan (wk) |
| Mushtaq Ahmed |
| Rameez Raja |
| Saleem Malik |
| Wasim Akram |
| Wasim Haider |
| Zahid Fazal |
Wills World Cup 1996
The sixth edition of the Cricket World Cup, known as the Wills World Cup, occurred in 1996. This event was co-hosted by Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, who debuted as hosts.
The championship, sponsored by ITC, finished on March 17, 1996, with a dramatic final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Sri Lanka won the match by seven wickets against Australia. Sri Lankan cricket had a historic occasion when they won their first World Cup championship.
Check: Sri Lanka Squad for World Cup 2023
It is interesting to note that Ranatunga, the winning captain, also entered politics and became the country’s prime minister later on. Just like Imran Khan, the World Cup-winning captain, he became his country’s prime minister. Interesting facts, indeed.
Sri Lanka’s squad
| Players |
|---|
| Arjuna Ranatunga |
| Aravinda de Silva |
| Upul Chandana |
| Marvan Atapattu |
| Kumar Dharmasena |
| Asanka Gurusinha |
| Romesh Kaluwitharana |
| Sanath Jayasuriya |
| Roshan Mahanama |
| Muttiah Muralitharan |
| Ravindra Pushpakumara |
| Hashan Tillakaratne |
| Chaminda Vaas |
| Pramodya Wickramasinghe |
1999 ICC Cricket World Cup
This World Cup, predominantly hosted by England, extended its charm to other nations, with matches taking place in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and the Netherlands. It was a cricketing spectacle unlike any other, loaded with breathtaking talent and unrivalled drama.
But, in the end, Australia triumphed, carving their name again in the annals of cricketing history. They defeated Pakistan with eight wickets to spare in the final match at the legendary Lord’s in London. This was a fitting end to a competition that had captivated cricket fans worldwide.
It was surprising for Pakistani fans to witness their strongest team lose like this. It opened a lot of inquiries for match-fixing, but we won’t go down that rabbit hole in this article.
Australia’s squad for 99
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Steve Waugh (c) | Captain |
| Michael Bevan | Batsman |
| Damien Fleming | Bowler |
| Paul Reiffel | Bowler |
| Shane Warne | Bowler |
| Mark Waugh | All-rounder |
| Shane Lee | All-rounder |
| Brendon Julian | All-rounder |
| Tom Moody | All-rounder |
| Darren Lehmann | Batsman |
| Glenn McGrath | Bowler |
| Adam Gilchrist (wk) | Wicketkeeper/Batsman |
| Adam Dale | Bowler |
| Ricky Ponting | Batsman |
| Damien Martyn | Batsman |
2003 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup was a watershed moment in cricket history since it was held on African land for the first time, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
Australia emerged as the dominant force in a tournament full of shocks, winning all 11 matches and claiming their third World Cup championship. The incredible journey of India to the final added to the spectacle.
It was the biggest World Cup at the time, with 14 countries playing, and it followed a system in which the top three from each group proceeded to the Super Sixes round.
However, the event’s defining highlights featured the early exits of cricketing titans, England’s contentious forfeiture, and Shoaib Akhtar’s record-breaking speed.
In the end, Australia’s victory, India’s journey to the final, and stories of upsets and scandals helped to make the 2003 World Cup a remarkable chapter in cricket history.
Australia’s squad for 2003
| Name | Major Role |
|---|---|
| Shane Warne | Bowler |
| Ricky Ponting (c) | Batsman, Captain |
| Nathan Hauritz | Bowler |
| Nathan Bracken | Bowler |
| Michael Bevan | Batsman |
| Matthew Hayden | Batsman |
| Jimmy Maher | Batsman |
| Jason Gillespie | Bowler |
| Ian Harvey | Bowler |
| Glenn McGrath | Bowler |
| Darren Lehmann | Batsman |
| Damien Martyn | Batsman |
| Brett Lee | Bowler |
| Brad Hogg | Bowler |
| Andy Bichel | Bowler |
| Andrew Symonds | All-Rounder |
| Adam Gilchrist (wk) | Wicketkeeper, Batsman |
2007 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup took place in the West Indies from March 13 to April 28, 2007, with 16 teams divided into four groups, with the top two proceeding to the “Super 8” round. Australia won their fourth World Cup after defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
This edition had big upsets, with pre-tournament favourites India and Pakistan failing to move past the group round. Notably, Bangladesh and Ireland, both debutants, exceeded expectations by reaching the “Super 8.”
The tournament was unfortunately overshadowed by the unexplained death of Pakistan’s coach, Bob Woolmer, and the accompanying investigations.
Australia’s squad for the 2007 World Cup
| Player | Major Role |
|---|---|
| Ricky Ponting (c) | Captain, Right-arm Medium |
| Nathan Bracken | Left-arm Fast Medium |
| Stuart Clark | Right-arm Fast Medium |
| Michael Clarke | Slow Left-arm Orthodox |
| Adam Gilchrist | Wicket-keeper |
| Brad Haddin | Wicket-keeper |
| Matthew Hayden | Right-arm Medium |
| Brad Hodge | Right-arm Off Break |
| Brad Hogg | Slow Left-arm Wrist-spin |
| Michael Hussey | Right-arm Medium |
| Mitchell Johnson | Left-arm Fast |
| Glenn McGrath | Right-arm Fast Medium |
| Andrew Symonds | Right-arm Medium/Off Break |
| Shaun Tait | Right-arm Fast |
| Shane Watson | Right-arm Fast Medium |
2011 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, created history when India won the final match against Sri Lanka.
This was the first time a team had won the World Cup on their home soil. Yuvraj Singh was named “Man of the Tournament” for his outstanding performance, but Australia’s omission from the final showed a shift in cricket dynamics.
The event featured great cricket moments throughout various South Asian nations, attracting fans worldwide, with 14 teams in contention, including 10 full ICC members and four associates.
India’s squad for the 2011 World Cup
| Player | Main Role |
|---|---|
| Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C & wk) | Wicket-Keeper |
| Virender Sehwag (vc) | Opening Batsman |
| Gautam Gambhir | Opening Batsman |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Batsman |
| Yuvraj Singh | Batsman, Spin Bowler |
| Suresh Raina | Batsman |
| Virat Kohli | Batsman |
| Yusuf Pathan | All-Rounder |
| Zaheer Khan | Fast Bowler |
| Harbhajan Singh | Spin Bowler |
| Ashish Nehra | Fast Bowler |
| Munaf Patel | Fast Bowler |
| S. Sreesanth1 | Fast Bowler |
| Piyush Chawla | Spin Bowler |
| R Ashwin | Spin Bowler |
2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, was the tournament’s 11th edition. It ran from February 14 to March 29, 2015, and included 14 teams divided into two groups that played each other once to decide the top four from each pool for the knockout stage.
Co-hosts Australia and New Zealand faced off in the final, with Australia winning by seven wickets to claim their fifth Cricket World Cup championship.
| Key Insights | Statistics |
|---|---|
| Total Attendance | 1,016,420 |
| Average Spectators per Game | 21,175 |
| Attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground (Final) | 93,013 (Australia’s largest one-day cricket crowd) |
| Television Ratings (India, Australia-India SF) | 15% of television-viewing households |
Australia’s squad for the 2015 World Cup
| Player | Main Role |
|---|---|
| Michael Clarke (c) | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| George Bailey (vc) | Right-arm medium |
| Pat Cummins | Right-arm fast |
| Xavier Doherty | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| James Faulkner | Left-arm medium-fast |
| Aaron Finch | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Brad Haddin (wk) | Wicket-keeper |
| Josh Hazlewood | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Mitchell Johnson | Left-arm fast |
| Mitchell Marsh | Right-arm fast-medium |
| Glenn Maxwell | Right-arm Off-break |
| Steve Smith | Right-arm Leg-break Googly |
| Mitchell Starc | Left-arm fast |
| David Warner | Right-arm Leg-break |
| Shane Watson | Right-arm fast-medium |
2019 ICC Cricket World Cup
The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted in England and Wales, ended dramatically, with England emerging victors. The competition consisted of ten teams competing in a single round-robin group format, with India, Australia, England, and New Zealand advancing to the knockout stage.
The final at Lord’s in London concluded in a thrilling draw, ending in the first-ever ODI Super Over. Finally, England won their first World Cup, edging out New Zealand based on the boundary countback rule, marking a watershed event in cricket history.
Check: England squad for cricket world cup 2023 [Announced]
The event drew a tremendous worldwide viewership, with over 2.6 billion views during the group stages alone, cementing its position as the most-watched cricket championship.
Since the inception of this tournament, England has played many finals. But it was the first time they won the tournament. It was a great moment indeed.
England’s squad for the 2019 World Cup
| Player | Main Role |
|---|---|
| Eoin Morgan | Captain |
| Moeen Ali | All-rounder |
| Jofra Archer | Fast Bowler |
| Jonny Bairstow | Opening Batsman |
| Jos Buttler | Wicket-keeper/Batsman |
| Tom Curran | All-rounder |
| Liam Dawson | All-rounder |
| Liam Plunkett | Fast Bowler |
| Adil Rashid | Spin Bowler |
| Joe Root | Batsman |
| Jason Roy | Opening Batsman |
| Ben Stokes | All-rounder |
| James Vince | Batsman |
| Chris Woakes | All-rounder |
| Mark Wood | Fast Bowler |
Conclusion
These were all the World Cup winners and their journey so far. World Cup is an event that nobody wants to miss, and it is special when you win the games, come on top and become the champions. Aussies, so far are the best team when it comes to the world cups. Will they win the 2023 World Cup as well? Will the English men defend the total, or will we see a recap of the 2011 World cup? Tune in to this world cup and find out who will be the winner for the 2023 cricket world cup.
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