But sadly, for all of them, Australia were just too seasoned and their experience of playing finals made a telling difference as India could only offer very limited resistance in the title match. This is also the only time till now when India have reached the final and not lifted the trophy. But this was a side that excited all fans and kept them all clued in right through the tournament, but fell agonisingly short of their aim.

This was the biggest tournament to date with 14 teams participating. Apart from the 10 Test-playing nations, co-hosts Kenya were joined by Canada, Namibia and the Netherlands. With so many teams in the fray, this was also the tournament with the biggest number of matches as 54 games were played.

India were in Pool A with Australia, England, Namibia, the Netherlands, eternal rivals Pakistan and co-hosts Zimbabwe and ended the seven-team league in second position on points, behind Australia.

India’s Dodgy League Run

India couldn’t have asked for an easier opener when they met the Netherlands at Paarl on February 12 but their performance was not the best. It took a 52 from Sachin Tendulkar and contributions from Nayan Mongia (42) and Yuvraj Singh (27) to carry them to 204 off 48.5 overs. But Javagal Srinath (4/30) and Anil Kumble (4/32) were too hot to handle for the Dutch and they folded up for 136.

Worse was to come when India were absolutely walloped by Australia in their next match. Tendulkar again top-scored with 36 and Harbhajan Singh scored 28 as India were bundled out for 125, with Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie claiming three wickets each. Australia cantered home to a nine-wicket win.

But things then looked up as India beat Zimbabwe and Namibia and then got the better of England, riding on Ashish Nehra’s sensational 6/23.

Nehra classic

India batted first at Durban and Tendulkar got another half-century (50) while Rahul Dravid top-scored with 62. Virender Sehwag, promoted to opener, got some useful runs as did Dinesh Mongia and Yuvraj Singh as India tallied 250/9 off 50 overs.

Nehra then waded into the English batting with a career-best wicket haul as they were sent packing for 168. Nehra’s victims included Michael Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Paul Collingwood, Alec Stewart, Craig White and Ronnie Irani. By far the best World Cup show by any Indian bowler.

Pakistan Lose Again

India-Pakistan matches in World Cups have always been one-way traffic and this time was no different. India once more were on the winning side in their contest at Centurion on March 1.

Saeed Anwar, always a thorn in India’ side, once again was on the job with a century but got little support as Pakistan managed only 237/7 off 50 overs.

Tendulkar then hammered 98 off just 73 balls and Yuvraj (50 not out), Dravid (44 not out) and Sehwag (21) ensured an easy Indian win and vital points.

Sensations And Disasters

The tournament was a story of Kenya’s sensational entry into the semi-finals, as also of co-host South Africa’s inability to decipher the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule and crashing out of the tournament in that legendary match with Sri Lanka in Durban, when they needed one more run to win but ended with a tie after everyone in the South African camp misread the D/L run requirement. The nation was stunned as their team was washed away with the Durban rain.

Other disasters included England, Pakistan and the West Indies too crashing out in the league stage.

India Advance

India met Kenya in their semi-final in Cape Town and skipper Sourav Ganguly finally got some runs with and unbeaten 107 as India chased down the 225-run target rather comfortably but not before India were reduced to 3/24. Dravid (32) and Yuvraj (58 not out) then kept Ganguly company as India made it to their second World Cup final.

Australia were in fearsome form against Sri Lanka in what was quite a revenge match for the 1996 final. Ricky Ponting hammered 114 off 109 balls while Adam Gilchrist was run out at 99. Damien Martyn chipped in with 52 as the Aussies scored 319/5.

Sri Lanka were decimated Lee, Glann McGrath and Brad Hogg and only Aravinda de Silva (92) could offer any resistance as they went down by 96 runs.

Final Agony For India

Australia, who had witnessed star spinner Shane Warne being expelled from the tournament on drug abuse charges even before a ball was bowled, were again in the final and they had to contend with a chock-a-block Wanderers Stadium at Johannesburg on March 23 as they took on crowd favourites India. But the Australians were way more professional in their approach as India succumbed to the hype and pressure and it ended up being a one-sided affair.

Ponting once again led the batting assault with 140 runs off 121 deliveries after Gilchrist (57) and Matthew Hayden (37) had got them off to a flying start. Martyn contributed 88 not out of 84 deliveries as only Harbhajan Singh (2/49) had anything to offer in terms of resistance.

Sehwag’s 82 went in vain as India were never in the game. Dravid (47), Ganguly and Yuvraj (24 each) were not able to find enough support and India went down by a massive 125 runs.

India would have to wait another eight years to see another final. But that was a whole different story.

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There have been a lot of entertaining and iconic taled from their partnership together and Virender Sehwag recently during a recent interview at the sideline of ILT20 revealed a new story. As many Sachin Tendulkar fans know the God of Cricket hardly used to take the first strike and Sehwag’s story is of one such time when Sachin took the first strike during a 2003 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan.

Sehwag said “I was not good against the left-arm fast bowlers. I got out on first ball to Chaminda Vaas many times and many times to Nathan Bracken also. When we were playing against Wasim bhai in 2003 World Cup, and last over of innings when we were fielding and I asked Sachin Tendulkar to take strike because see if Wasim bowls first ball, I would get out. He (Tendulkar) said ‘No, No, I am very superstitious, my pandit ji has told me to bat at No.2’. And I said ‘You’re No.1 batsman in the world and you’re talking about Pandit ji… But he said, “No… I will bat at No. 2; you have to take the strike.”

“So then, we were playing at the Centurion and we had to step up many stairs, so we went in for lunch and then came back requesting Tendulkar and he had put on big earphones and he removed the earphones and slapped me on my back and said go and pad yourself and I will not take strike. So, you know I was trying to please Tendulkar to save me from Wasim Akram.”

However, Sachin Tendulkar changed his mind by the time they reached the pitch and decided to take the strike first. “When we were going down to bat, walking down the stairs, I asked him again to take strike and he said no. Till the 30-yard circle, I was asking him to take strike and he said no. And then suddenly, I see Sachin Tendulkar walking towards where the wicketkeeper stands and I said ‘Wow, it’s my lucky day, you know’. And he took the strike, first ball he took single and second ball, I had to face Wasim Akram. So, I was lucky enough to survive that but at least I didn’t play the first one,” added Sehwag.

Sachin’s 98 runs in that match was a match-winning knock and is hailed as one of his finest ODI knocks along with his 49 ODI centuries.

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His revelation comes as it was on this day 17-years ago that Australia went on to lift its second successive World Cup.

In the finals of the tournament, Ponting had played an unbeaten knock of 140 runs from just 121 balls.

“Given we’ve all got a bit of time on our hands as we stay at home, thought I’d go through what I’ve kept from my career and share some of it with everyone on a regular basis – this is the bat I used in the 2003 World Cup final,” Ponting tweeted.

In the finals against India, Australia was sent in to bat first. Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden provided a quickfire start to Australia as the duo put on 105 runs for the first wicket.

It was then Ponting and Damien Martyn who took the Indian attack to the cleaners and both batsmen took Australia’s score to 359/2 in the allotted fifty overs.

India lost its star batter Sachin Tendulkar in the opening over and there was no way back for the Men in Blue.

The Men in Blue capitulated for just 234, losing the match by 125 runs.

Australia has won the 50-over World Cup five times (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015).

Ponting scored 27,486 runs for Australia in his international career and also led his country in all three formats.

No Australian has scored more international centuries than the former skipper.

Ponting also led Australia to two World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007. He played his last Test in 2012.

The post Ricky Ponting reveals keeping his 2003 World Cup final bat as souvenir appeared first on Cricket Country.

Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has revealed his “sad secret” about the 2003 World Cup match against India which his team lost by six wickets.

In the group-stage match played on March 1, 2003 at Centurion in South Africa, the Pakistan team failed to defend a target of 274. India rode on Sachin Tendulkar‘s brilliant 98 to chase down the target with more than four overs to spare.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Akhtar has revealed how his fitness and poor captaincy from then skipper Waqar Younis came in Pakistan’s way of registering their first-ever win over India at the World Cup.

“The most disappointing match for me in my entire career was the 2003 World Cup match against India at Centurion. We had failed to defend a target of 274 despite having a very good bowling line-up,” said Akhtar.

The Rawalpindi Express revealed that the night before the match, he had to take four to five injections on his left knee because of which it became numb. “Because of the injections water had filled up in my left knee and there was no sensation in it.

“After the end of our innings, I told my team-mates that we have probably scored 30-40 runs less. However, all the players in the team shouted at me saying if ‘273 is not enough then what is’. They said we will be able to get India all out. However, I knew that the pitch was a good one for batting and it will remain so in the second innings as well.

ALSO READ: When Harbhajan Singh and Mohammad Yousuf were ready to attack each other with forks at 2003 World Cup

“When we started the bowling, I noticed that my left knee had gone numb. Because of which, I wasn’t able to run properly through my bowling run-up. As a result, I was not able to bowl properly. Indian openers, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, went for the charge from the word go. In fact, Sachin played me very well and even hit me for a six over point.

“I had no clue how to bowl and get the breakthrough. Unfortunately, the captain (Waqar Younis) got me out of the attack. He brought me later in the innings where I just bowled fast and short. I got out Sachin at 98 on a short-pitched delivery. I told the captain that I should have persisted with such bowling from the very beginning. In the end we lost the match,” he added.

The 43-year-old went for 72 runs in that match and picked up the sole wicket of Sachin, but by then the match was already in India’s pocket.

“It was a bitter experience for me because we could have defeated India, both in 1999 and 2003, but we couldn’t. Not to take the credit away from India who have played us exceeding well at the World Cups,” Akhtar, a veteran of 46 Tests and 163 ODIs, said.

“I still regret that loss. If we could have scored some more runs and bowled better, we could have won that match. But unfortunately, my fitness came in the way and also, it was poor captaincy that made us lose that match,” he added.

India and Pakistan have faced each other seven times in World Cups, and the Men in Blue have won each time.

The post Shoaib Akhtar reveals sad secret about 2003 World Cup match against India appeared first on Cricket Country.

India–Pakistan matches have always triggered wild emotions when the arch-rivals meet in any competition. However, Sunday’s ICC World Cup 2019 clash, pitted to be the most revenue-generating match at the global showpiece event this year, will be followed even more closely particularly due to the furore that was caused in the aftermath of the Pulwama attacks in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region.

Both sides last met in the 2018 Asia Cup in September at Dubai where the Rohit Sharma-led side pulled off a crushing nine-wicket win even without regular captain Virat Kohli.

India and Pakistan have faced each other for a total of six times at the ICC World Cup, and India leads the head to head record 6-0. Pakistan has never been able to defeat India at the 50-over World Cup.

Here’s a chronological lowdown of what happened in those six matches.

March 4, 1992 World Cup (Sydney Cricket Ground)

India beat Pakistan by 43 runs in their first World Cup match in 1992 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but what grabbed eyeballs was Javed Miandad‘s mocking of Kiran More that became the iconic image of the rivalry between the arch-rivals. Batting first, Sachin Tendulkar‘s unbeaten 54 coupled with Kapil Dev‘s 26-ball 35 propelled India to 216/7 in 49 overs (an over was reduced to Pakistan’s slow over rate). Pakistan folded for 173 in 48.1 overs with Dev, Manoj Prabhakar and Javagal Srinath all pocketing two wickets apiece.

March 9, 1996 Wills World Cup (M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore)

India once again asserted its dominance this time in the quarter-finals of the 1996 Wills World Cup on March 9 at Bangalore winning the clash by 39 runs. Batting first, India posted a total of 287 that came on the back of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s brilliant 93. Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble led from the front with three wickets each to restrict Pakistan to 248/9. This was India’s first win over Pakistan since the 1992 World Cup.

June 8, 1999 World Cup (Old Trafford, Manchester)

The stage was set at Old Trafford, Manchester in England for a fitting duel, but once again, the saga continued with India edging out Pakistan by 47 runs. This match was played against the backdrop of the Kargil war with India having no chance to qualify for the semis. Barring an initial flurry from Tendulkar, Indian batmen somehow never got going and managed to score 227/6 in 50 overs. However, Venkatesh Prasad bailed the team out with a sensational 5/27 as he single-handedly decimated the Pakistan batting line-up.

March 1, 2003 World Cup (Centurion, South Africa)

Pakistan and India were facing each other after a long gap of three years. Powered with a century at the top from Saeed Anwar, Pakistan notched up 273. India had no chance against the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. But Tendulkar proved them wrong! The batting maestro blazed his way to 98 to guide India to a comfortable 47-run victory.

March 30, 2011 World Cup (IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali)

This match was on the edge! India and Pakistan were facing each other in the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup 2011 at Mohali. Batting first, India posted 260 that came on the back of Tendulkar’s 85. He earned a reprieve thrice thanks to some very slopping, if not shocking fielding from Pakistan. Inspired by Yuvraj Singh‘s (2/57) bowling performance, India won this match by 29 runs after Pakistan were skittled for 231 in the penultimate delivery of the innings.

February 15, 2015 World Cup (Adelaide)

This one witnessed a Virat Kohli special! Kohli returned to his sparkling best to help India continue their World Cup domination over arch-rivals Pakistan here yesterday, extending their winning streak to six with a crushing victory. The swashbuckling batsman ended a run of single-digit innings by scoring 107 off 126 balls and guiding his team to 300/7. In the process, he became the first Indian batsman to score a century against Pakistan in the World Cup, surpassing the 98 scored by Tendulkar scored at Centurion in 2003. In reply, Pakistan were bowled out for 224 in 47 overs with Mohammed Shami emerging as the pick of the bowlers with four for 35 in his 9 overs.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: 6 times India played Pakistan in the 50-over World Cup appeared first on Cricket Country.

Call it pressure of high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan that once Harbhajan Singh and Mohammed Yousuf were ready to tear into each other with forks in their hands during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

The Indian off-spinner laughed about the incident, which happened 16 years back at Centurion, but admitted that it got so ugly at that time that it required intervention from legendary Wasim Akram, Rahul Dravid and Javagal Srinath to separate them.

The match will forever be remembered for Sachin Tendulkar‘s epic 98 but it also had two angry protagonists in action, though, off the field.

Since Pakistan made 270 plus, considered a good score at that time, there was a bit of pressure on India before the chase started.

So, what exactly happened?

“It started with a joke but then got ugly. I was dropped for that game and Anil bhai (Kumble) was playing because team management felt he was a better choice keeping in mind his good record against Pakistan. I was a bit down and it can happen when you aren’t in the XI,” Harbhajan said on Friday. (ALSO READ: Yuvraj in his prime, in today’s era, would have been the world’s best batsman: Harbhajan)

“During the lunch time, I was sitting at one table and Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar were at the other table right across in the common area.

“We both speak Punjabi and suddenly while we were pulling each other’s legs he first made a personal comment and then remarked about my religion,” said Harbhajan.

“I gave him a fitting reply. Before anyone realised, we both had forks in our hands and got up from our chairs ready to attack each other,” he laughed.

But things weren’t as humorous when it happened. “Rahul (Dravid) and Sri (Javagal Srinath) stopped me while Wasim bhai and Saeed bhai took Yousuf away. The seniors in both sides were irritated and we were told that this is not the right behaviour.”

“It’s 16 years now. Now when I meet Yousuf, we both have a good laugh about it.” (ALSO READ: Mohammad Yousuf furious with PCB for allowing families to stay with players ahead of India clash)

Harbhajan, one of the finest spinners the country has seen, further said that pressure was immense during the 2011 World Cup semi-final.

He had played a big role in Mohali with crucial breakthroughs.

“That match was different. People thought now is the time Law of Averages will catch up. Mohali is my home ground, and everyone wanted us to just win, fans, the media, the hype was insane,” he recalled.

Indian cricketers have always shared a cordial relationship with their Pakistani counterparts as Shahid Afridi mentioned in his book. (ALSO READ: Tickets for India-Pakistan match being resold for Rs.60,000)

Harbhajan said indeed there are friendships off the field but on the field it’s the rivalry which drives the players from both the sides.

“I have good friendship with Shahid and Shoaib (Akhtar). We have hung out together, had meals. We spoke the same language, our preference of food, music lot of things are common.

“But yes, once you cross that boundary rope, friendship does take a back seat,” he signed off.

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Bangladesh were not a member of the ICC in 1975 and as a result, they were not eligible to participate in the first World Cup. The Tigers failed to qualify for the next five World Cups from 1979 to 1996.

Bangladesh appeared in their first World Cup in 1999. Ahead of the ICC World Cup 2019, here’s a recap of how past Bangladesh teams have fared at the World Cup.

ICC World Cup 1999

Bangladesh played their first World Cup match in 1999 against New Zealand at County Ground in Chelmsford which they lost by six wickets. They tasted their first World Cup victory against Scotland in their third group match thanks to Minhajul Abedin‘s unbeaten 68 that paved the way for a 22-run win. They slumped to a seven-wicket defeat against Australia but finished the group stages at the fifth position which was not enough to seal a qualification berth.

ICC World Cup 2003

After a decent showing in their maiden World Cup appearance, Bangladesh had a nightmarish in 2003 losing five of their group matches. One was washed out leading the Tigers to firmly occupy the bottom place.

ALSO READ: ‘Shakib Al Hasan had an off day against India in warm-up but he will do ‘something big’ in World Cup’

ICC World Cup 2007

For the first time, teams were divided into four groups consisting four teams in the 2007 edition. Bangladesh were placed into Group B along with India, Sri Lanka and Bermuda. Bangladesh stunned heavyweights India by five wickets. They carried the momentum and reached the Super Eights for the first time after defeating Bermuda by seven wickets. In the Super Eight round, they created another upset defeating South Africa by 67 runs. However, that was their only victory.

ICC World Cup 2011

Despite having the advantage of playing this edition of the World Cup on home soil, Bangladesh failed to get past the group stages. They lost their opening match to India by 87 runs. It was in this match where Virender Sehwag scored 175 and Virat Kohli became the first batsman to score a century on World Cup debut. In their next match against Ireland, Bangladesh won by 27 runs. In their third group match, Bangladesh were humbled by the West Indies in an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat. In their last group match against South Africa, Bangladesh yet again suffered a drastic batting collapse being bowled out for just 78 runs and eventually lost the match by 206 runs thus shattering their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

ICC World Cup 2015

Bangladesh had a dream 2015 World Cup when they made it to the quarter-finals. In their first group match Bangladesh pipped Afghanistan, appearing in the World Cup for the first time, comprehensively by 105. Their next match against Australia was washed away. In their third match, Bangladesh were outclassed by Sri Lanka batsman, who piled 332/1 in 50 overs. In reply, Bangladesh could only manage 240 runs in 47 overs before being all out. Bangladesh created history chasing 319 runs against Scotland to record their highest ODI run-chase and the second highest run-chase in World Cup history. In their knockout match, Bangladesh faced India. Batting first, India posted 302 runs in 50 overs for the loss of six wickets that came on the back of a fine century by Rohit Sharma (137). In reply, Bangladesh suffered a top and middle order collapse and were skittled for 193 runs in 45 overs.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: Bangladesh’s record at the World Cup from 1975 to 2015 appeared first on Cricket Country.

Prudential World Cup 1975

In the tightest group of the inaugural World Cup in England, Pakistan joined West Indies and Australia in squaring off for a place in the semi-finals with Sri Lanka, at the time only an Associate member. After losing to a Dennis Lillee-inspired Australia, Pakistan had West Indies eight down with 80 still required, only to look on as the last-wicket paired sealed an extraordinary match.

In their last fixture, Asif Iqbal’s team beat Sri Lanka by 192 runs

(READ: Wahab Riaz confident of living up to expectations at World Cup)

Prudential World Cup 1979

Like West Indies, Pakistan decided shortly before the World Cup to include all those contracted to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket. They beat Canada and Australia by big margins to qualify for the semi-finals, and then pushed West Indies only only to lose against some canny bowling from Viv Richards at The Oval.

(READ: Mike Hendrick takes 4/15 as England beat Pakistan in a thriller)

Prudential World Cup 1983

England dominated Group A by twice disposing of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and were joined in the semi-finals by Pakistan, who barely managed to sneak in owing to a marginally higher run rate than New Zealand. Up against West Indies once again in the semi-finals at The Oval, Pakistan lost by eight wickets.

Reliance World Cup 1987

Joint hosts with India of the first World Cup away from England, Pakistan bolted out of the stables and won their first five matches thanks to largely to Imran Khan and Abdul Qadir, only to fall apart in the semi-finals.

Up against Allan Border’s ultra-motived Australia in Lahore, Pakistan conceded 267 and lost by 18 runs.

(READ: Abdul Qadir magic bamboozles England)

Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992

Pakistan winning the World Cup was hard to envision during the first half of the tournament. Imran’s team, already missing an injured Waqar Younis, won only one of their first five league matches – including another loss to India – and managed to scrape into the semis after their skipper, in his 40th year and nursing a troublesome right shoulder, famously told his team: “Listen, just be as if you were a cornered tiger”.

In the semi-finals against co-hosts New Zealand, Pakistan triumphed at Eden Park around a stunning innings from a rookie Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Then, in front of a record crowd of 87, 182 at the MCG, Imran crowned his glorious career by leading Pakistan to victory in 1992. He will be remembered as one of the game’s great bowlers but he was a fine batsman too and it was in this discipline, as well as captaincy, that he principally excelled in the tournament. He promoted himself to fortify a brittle top order and hit 72 in the final against England and it was somehow fitting that Imran should lift the trophy and never play again. It was, simply, an epic end to an outstanding career.

Wills World Cup 1996

Now defending champions, and playing hosts once again, Pakistan were once again expected to go far were inconsistent.

They beat UAE and Netherlands, lost to South Africa, and then beat New Zealand and England to reach the quarter-finals where they were beaten by India in an epic match.

ICC World Cup 1999

Pakistan reached the World Cup final despite losing three games in a row, one in the league and two in the Super Six stage. When it mattered, however, they hammered Zimbabwe and New Zealand to qualify for the final. But the final was a one-sided affair with Australia running away to victory.

(READ: Shoaib’s thunderbolts eliminate New Zealand)

Pakistan were bowled out for 132 as Shane Warne mesmerised with four wickets, dismissing Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan, Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram from nine overs. This performance earned him the Man-of-the-Match award. The first World Cup final, at Lord’s 24 years earlier almost to the day, had lasted nearly ten hours. This one lasted a little over five.

ICC World Cup 2003

Four years later in South Africa, Pakistan never got going. They won just two  of six matches (one was a no-result) and this included another World Cup loss to India, inspired by Sachin Tendulkar.

(READ: When Shoaib Akhtar broke the 100-mph barrier)

ICC World Cup 2007

A disastrous campaign on the field and a tragic one off it. Losing to Ireland ended Pakistan’s World Cup, and the shock death of their coach Bob Woolmer left the team dazed.

ICC World Cup 2011

Pakistan topped their group after handing Sri Lanka their only loss of the league stage. Their only loss came to New Zealand, but a hammering of West Indies in the quarter-finals set up the mother of all semi-finals, against India at Mohali. But once again, Pakistan lost to their arch-rivals to make if five losses at World Cups.

ICC World Cup 2015

Against the backdrop of player-coach troubles, Pakistan stumbled into the quarter-finals. Two losses in a row were backed by four successive wins. Up against hosts Australia in the quarter-finals, Pakistan found some drive from Wahab Riaz but ended up losing.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: Pakistan’s record at the World Cup from 1975 to 2015 appeared first on Cricket Country.

West Indies, once a dominant force in world cricket, began to lose steam. Add to that, the surmounting turmoil in the West Indies Cricket Board spilled over to the field with many experienced players shunted away. This time, West Indies, led by Jason Holder, although short on experience look a threatening side.

Ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to be held in England from May 30 to July 14, here’s a recap of how past West Indies teams have fared at the World Cup.

Prudential World Cup 1975

Led by Clive Lloyd, the West Indies team were undoubtedly the No. 1 team by far. They started their journey in the inaugural edition of the World Cup in 1975 against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in the 1975 edition and won it by nine wickets after bowling out the opposition for 87. Windies then registered a thrilling one-wicket victory against Pakistan even after requiring 64 runs with nine wickets down. Heroes from that match were Andy Roberts, batting at No.11, remained not out on 24 to take his side home along with wicket-keeper Deryck Murray. Windies then won their third Group B game against Australia by seven wickets that sealed a place in the semi-finals. They won the semis against New Zealand by five wickets and the final against Australia by 17 runs. Lloyd slammed a century in the title clash to win the Man of the Match award.

Prudential World Cup 1979

There was no stopping the West Indies juggernaut. They successfully defended their title in the next World Cup edition in 1979. They crushed India by nine wickets wickets in the first game (Group B). Their second match against Sri Lanka was abandoned because of rain. Windies ensured they didn’t let the momentum slip and defeated New Zealand by 32 runs in their third match to proceed to the semi-final as the group toppers. During the semi-finals against Pakistan, opener Gordon Greenidge’s 73 starred as they won the match by 43 runs and then went on to win their second consecutive title, defeating hosts England by 92 runs. Sir Viv Richards smashed a memorable century in this final which also won him the Man of the Match award.

ALSO READ: All West Indies cricket records at World Cup – most runs, wickets, catches, wins and more

Prudential World Cup 1983

West Indies were gunning for their third consecutive time in the World Cup but failed to complete a hat-trick as they went down to a spirited India by 43 runs in the final even after restricting Kapil Dev‘s men for just 183.

Reliance World Cup 1987

It began to go downhill after the 1983 edition. The Windies were led by Sir Richards in this edition and it was the first time that they failed to make the semi-finals. They lost their opening game against England by two wickets but then clobbered Sri Lanka by 191 runs in the next match in which Sir Richards belted 181 off 125 balls. They suffered a one-wicket defeat to Pakistan in their third match which was a crucial loss for them. They bounced back to beat Sri Lanka by 25 runs but lost to England by 34 runs in the next. They won their next match against Pakistan by 28 runs in their final match but it was not enough to guarantee them a place in the last four.

Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992

Led by Richie Richardson this time, West Indies failed to make it to the semi-finals once again. They started off with a bang, crushing Pakistan by 10 wickets, but lost to England by six wickets. Windies bounced back to the winning ways by defeating Zimbabwe by 75 runs. The cookie began to crumble even further as as they went down to debutants South Africa by 64 runs in the next game while chasing just 201 to win. Phil Simmons’ 110 powered West Indies to a much-needed 91-run win over Sri Lanka. They were in a must-win position to win their final game against Australia to make the semis. Even a scintillating 70 off 97 balls from Brian Lara proved to be inadequate as the West Indies failed to overhaul a modest target of 217 to exit in the group stage.

Wills World Cup 1996

Windies found themselves back in the reckoning as worthy title contenders in 1996. Richardson was leading the side again. They began their campaign with a six-wicket win over Zimbabwe and then lost to hosts India by five wickets. They conceded a walk-over to eventual champions Sri Lanka because of security reasons. However, the biggest moment came when the West Indies were stunned by debutants Kenya who beat them by 73 runs. After bagging a place in the quarter-finals, West Indies came the closest to their fourth World Cup final but snatched loss from the jaws of victory against Australia, losing the semi-final by just five runs.

ALSO READ: Cricket World Cup 2019: From 1975 to 2015, teams with most World Cup titles

ICC World Cup 1999

Under the captaincy of Brian Lara, the Windies failed to progress beyond the group stages in 1999. A poor batting against Australia in the final group game in which they were bowled out for 110, saw they succumb to a six-wicket loss which ultimately saw them lose the race to New Zealand in the net run rate.

ICC World Cup 2003

A change of leadership too did not help West Indies’ cause. Under Carl Hooper in the 2003 edition, they failed to proceed beyond the group stages. The West Indies hammered Kenya by 142 runs in their final game but sharing points with Bangladesh proved to be costly as they were knocked out despite a better net run-rate.

ICC World Cup 2007

Lara was back at the helm again for the first World Cup the Windies organised at home. They had a terrific run in the group stage as they thumped Pakistan by 54 runs, Zimbabwe by six wickets and Ireland by eight wickets (by Duckworth-Lewis method). However, they couldn’t replicate their performances in the Super Eight stage as they could win only one game out of six.

ICC World Cup 2011

Led by Darren Sammy, West Indies had a fifty-fifty record in the group (B) stage. They lost to South Africa by seven wickets but thrashed the Netherlands by 215 runs in the next game. They bundled out Bangladesh for 58 to win by nine wickets and followed it up with a 44-run victory over Ireland. They finished fourth in the group after losing their final two games against England (by 18 runs) and India (by 80 runs). They were crushed by Pakistan that saw them crash out in the quarter-final.

ICC World Cup 2015

Under Jason Holder, the Windies were off to a shocking start after Ireland chased down their score of 304 to win by four wickets. They made a comeback by thrashing Pakistan and Zimbabwe, but their wins were neutralised by South Africa. They finished fourth in the group with three wins and as many losses. West Indies faced New Zealand in the quarter-finals and fell short by 143 runs, failing to make another semi-final since 1996. Martin Guptill, who scored a mammoth 237*, smashed the highest ever score in World Cup history, to take his side’s total to a massive 393 for 8.

The post Cricket World Cup 2019: West Indies’ record at the World Cup from 1975 to 2015 appeared first on Cricket Country.

Unfortunately, the 2003 World Cup will be remembered for various controversies.

England and New Zealand refused to play their respective matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya, citing security fears, and the matches were eventually awarded to host teams. The political situation in Zimbabwe and atrocities of the Robert Mugabe regime were brought to the fore, most emphatically by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga who wore black arm bands during a match to protest the death of democracy under Mugabe’s regime.

Shane Warne tested positive in a drug test, a day before Australia’s first match, and a few Indian players had to battle sponsorship issues back home before making it to the final World Cup squad.

(World Cup Countdown: When Shoaib Akhtar broke the 100-mph barrier)

By 2003 Australia were at the height of their powers and the World Cup proved a cakewalk for a champion side. The reigns had been handed over from Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting, and this unit won all of their 13 matches as they cruised to their third – and second successive – World Cup title and a $2 million kitty.

India had played some exciting cricket to reach the summit but they proved no match for Australia. Ponting simply demolished their attack, scoring 140 from 121 balls as Australia surged to a 125-run victory.

From an African perspective, it was disappointing that neither South Africa nor Zimbabwe qualified beyond the first round. South Africa, hosting their first international sports competition since the 1995 Rugby World Cup, were utterly disappointing. They lost their opening match – which included a splendid century from Brian Lara – by three runs, paying the price for a slow over rate, and remained dogged by inconsistency – the heavy defeat against New Zealand must still rankle – until Mark Boucher suffered a mind-block in a rain-affected match against Sri Lanka.

The hosts, who had pumped so much into the organistion of the event, were incapable of even progressing to the Super Six stage.

(World Cup Countdown: Adam Gilchrist walks after being given not out)

West Indies were unlucky not to progress, Pakistan never got going, Sri Lanka had an excellent start but then declined, Bangladesh were very poor, and England paid the price for forfeiting their game against Zimbabwe. New Zealand rallied and then folded, crucially, against India whose campaign, barring the final, campaign was the stuff of dreams.

(World Cup Countdown: Australia survive Aasif Karim scare)

Having lost to Australia, they strung together a memorable run of 10 wins from 12 matches until they ran into Ponting and Co again. The fast bowling was overall very efficient and the batsmen lived up to expectations.  Their win over Pakistan was one for the ages and extended their dominance over their geographical neighbours to a fourth World Cup. In short, India were too good for everyone bar Australia.

There were memorable moments: Sachin Tendulkar swept the Man-of-the-Series prize for his 673 runs in 11 matches, Chaminda Vaas netted 23 wickets from 10, Canada’s John Davison slammed a record 67-ball century against West Indies, Kenya reached the semi-finals, and there were memorable centuries and bowling efforts along the way that enthralled fans. Overall the tournament was deemed a success for its inventive style of coverage that led to increased viewer participation and a profit of $194 million was announced, a huge increase on the $51 million made in 1999, but the organising drew much criticism.

Overall, due to Australia’s Bull Run, there was a lingering feeling that this was a World Cup that should have delivered a lot more.

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