Cricket World Cup Winning Moments [1983 to 2019]

The Cricket World Cup is the premier international cricket tournament in the world. It is held every four years and is contested by the top 10 ranked ODI teams. The tournament is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, with billions of viewers watching the matches live on television.

The Cricket World Cup has been held 12 times since its inception in 1975. Australia is the most successful team in the tournament, having won it five times. India and the West Indies have both won the World Cup twice, while Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England have each won it once.

The Cricket World Cup has produced some of the most iconic moments in cricket history. In the 1983 final, India defeated the heavily favored West Indies to claim their first World Cup title. In the 2003 final, Australia scored a mammoth 359 runs to defeat India and win their third consecutive World Cup title. And in the 2011 final, India defeated Sri Lanka on home soil to win their second World Cup title.

Let’s take a look at some of the iconic winning moments of cricket World Cup:

India stuns West Indies at Lord’s 

On June 25, 1983, India won the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup final against the West Indies at Lord’s. This was India’s first appearance in a World Cup final, and they defeated the West Indies to claim their first World Cup title.

The West Indies had won the last two Cricket World Cups and were the favorites to win the tournament. India was considered an underdog at the start of the tournament, but they went on to win the cup by defeating the all-conquering West Indies squad in the final.

Australia wins first World Cup 

It was the first World Cup to be hosted outside of England. Australia went into the tournament as rank outsiders, having lost a home Ashes series and their five previous ODI matches. However, they held their nerve in crunch situations against England to lift the trophy before 95,000 cheering spectators.

Allan Border led the Australian team to their first World Cup title. England failed to score the last 17 runs from the final over, and the cup went to Australia. Steve Waugh, who was competing in his first World Cup, became one of the players of the tournament.

Final List of ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 Team Squad

Pakistan creates history at MCG 

The 1992 ODI World Cup final was played between England and Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. Pakistan scored 249/6 in 50 overs, with Inzamam-ul-Haq scoring 42 runs and Wasim Akram taking three wickets.

England was bowled out for 227 in 49.2 overs, with Ian Botham scoring 20 runs and Wasim Akram being named the player of the match. Pakistan won the match by 22 runs to lift their first-ever World Cup trophy.

Sri Lanka triumphs to the title 

The 1996 ODI World Cup final was played between Australia and Sri Lanka at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field first. Australia scored 241 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in their 50 overs, with Mark Taylor scoring 74 runs and Aravinda de Silva taking three wickets.

Sri Lanka chased down the target in 46.2 overs, with Aravinda de Silva scoring an unbeaten 107 runs and becoming the player of the match. Sri Lanka won the match by seven wickets to lift their first-ever World Cup trophy.

Indian Cricket Team Jersey from 1992 to 2019 World Cup

Australia dominates the World Cup 

The final of the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup was played at Lord’s, London on June 20, 1999. The match was between Australia and Pakistan, and Australia won their second title by defeating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final. In a fine bowling display, Australia bundled out Pakistan for a score of 132. Pakistan failed to build any substantial partnerships.

The pick of the bowlers was Shane Warne who took 4 wickets for 33 runs from nine overs. In reply, Adam Gilchrist attacked the Pakistani bowlers from the outset, scoring 54 off 36 balls. Australia reached the target in just 20.1 overs, losing only two wickets. Shane Warne was declared Man of the Match.

Ponting’s Australia too strong for India 

The 2003 Cricket World Cup final was played between Australia and India on March 23, 2003, at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Australia scored a mammoth total of 359 runs for the loss of just two wickets in their 50 overs. Ricky Ponting scored an unbeaten 140 off 121 balls, while Damien Martyn scored an unbeaten 88 off 84 balls.

In reply, India was bowled out for 234 runs in 39.2 overs. Virender Sehwag was the top scorer for India with 82 runs off 81 balls. Glenn McGrath was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, taking 3 wickets for 52 runs in his 10 overs. Ricky Ponting was declared Man of the Match for his brilliant century.

Invincible Australia avenges 1996

The final of the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was played on April 28, 2007, at the Kensington Oval, Barbados. Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs to win the World Cup for the third consecutive time. This was the first World Cup final to be a repeat, as the sides previously met in the 1996 World Cup Final, which Sri Lanka won.

The match was Sri Lanka’s second World Cup final appearance and Australia’s sixth, their fourth in a row. Adam Gilchrist’s monstrous hundred helped Australia to a total of 281/4 in 38 overs. Sri Lanka was set a revised target of 269 runs from 36 overs. In the Sri Lankan innings, Sanath Jayasuriya scored 63 runs, while Michael Clarke took two wickets for Australia. Sri Lanka was 215/8 in 36 overs when the match was suspended due to bad light.

Best Batting Performances in ODI World Cup Finals

India ends 28 years draught at Wankhede 

The 2011 Cricket World Cup final was played between India and Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India on April 2, 2011. It was the first time that two Asian teams had played in a World Cup final. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring slowly until the 17th over when they lost both their openers.

They eventually put up a challenging total of 274/6, with Mahela Jayawardene scoring a sublime hundred. In response, India chased down the target with six wickets and 10 balls remaining, becoming the first country to win the Cricket World Cup on home soil. India captain MS Dhoni was named man of the match after an unbeaten, match-winning innings of 91 runs off 79 balls, including the final shot that won the game.

Quintuple World Cup for Australia 

The 2015 Cricket World Cup final was played on March 29, 2015, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia.The match was played between the tournament’s two co-hosts, New Zealand and Australia, and was a day-night match. Australia went into the game as favorites and won by 7 wickets for a fifth World Cup triumph.

The match was played in front of 93,013 spectators, a record crowd for a day of cricket in Australia. New Zealand finished top of Pool A, winning all six games against Sri Lanka, Scotland, England, Australia, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Both the host nations qualified for the final, where Australia defeated New Zealand by 7 wickets.

Unforgettable day of cricket at Lord’s 

The 2019 Cricket World Cup final was played between England and New Zealand at Lord’s in London on July 14, 2019. It was the first time in World Cup history that a Super Over was required to determine the winner. The match ended in a tie after both teams scored 241 runs in their respective 50 overs.

England won the title, their first, on the boundary countback rule after the Super Over also finished level. Ben Stokes was named the player of the match for his performance with the bat, which included a crucial 84 not out in the regular innings and seven runs in the Super Over.

The Cricket World Cup is one of the most prestigious and exciting sporting events in the world. It is a tournament that brings together the best players in the world to compete for the ultimate prize. The Cricket World Cup has produced some of the most iconic moments in cricket history, and it is sure to continue to do so for many years to come.