CRICKET WORLD CUP 2003
History of the Cricket World Cup
Brad Morgan
1912
The first attempt at staging a Cricket World Cup was made much earlier than most people realise - way back in 1912 when Australia, England and South Africa met in a triangular battle for world cricketing supremacy. By comparison, the first Football World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930, drawing 13 teams by invitation.
The triangular tournament took place in England from June to August 1912 and comprised nine Tests. England fared best, winning four matches and drawing two. Australia won two, lost one and drew three matches, while South Africa suffered five losses and managed only one draw.
The competition featured some of the greats of the game. Jack Hobbs, Frank Woollet, CB Fry, Wilfred Rhodes and SF Barnes turned out for England, Charlie Macartney and Warren Bardsley played for Australia, while South Africa’s team featured Dave Nourse and all-rounder Aubrey Faulkner - who, together with fellow team members Reggie Schwarz, Bert
Vogler and Sid Pegler, introduced the googly to the cricketing world.
The biggest problem encountered in the triangular tournament was the weather. Limited overs cricket was not played in those days, and all matches were Test matches. However, the longest match lasted only four days.
1975
The Cricket World Cup was officially held for the first time in England in 1975. It featured the six recognised Test playing nations – England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan and India – as well as Sri Lanka and East Africa. (South African cricket was isolated from the rest of the world for 21 years - from 1970 to 1991 - because of the apartheid policies of the former government.)
England recorded comfortable victories over India, New Zealand and East Africa to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia defeated Pakistan and Sri Lanka but lost to the West Indies and were thus drawn to meet their traditional rivals, England, in the final
four.
The powerful West Indies beat Australia and Sri Lanka and scraped a one-wicket win over Pakistan to qualify to face New Zealand in the second semi-final. The Kiwis had lost to England but beaten East Africa and India to book their place against Clive Lloyd’s West Indians.
Australia downed England by four wickets in their contest, while the West Indies defeated New Zealand by five wickets to qualify for the first World Cup final.
The match, played at Lord’s, was a triumph for West Indian captain Clive Lloyd. The big left-hander belted 102 off just 85 balls to lead his team to a total of 291 for 8 off their 60 overs. Australia made a valiant run at their opponent’s total, but came up 17 runs short, leaving man of the match Lloyd to hoist the World Cup for the first time.
1979
The 1979 World Cup, played in England, drew eight teams again, namely Australia, Canada, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the
West Indies. The teams were divided into two pools: Australia, Canada, England and Pakistan in Pool A, and India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies in Pool B.
England topped Pool A, winning all three matches it contested, with Pakistan qualifying for the semi-finals in second place. The West Indies finished top of Pool B, winning two of their three games, while the third, against Sri Lanka, was abandoned due to poor weather.
In the semi-finals England faced New Zealand while the West Indies tackled Pakistan. The English were given a scare by the New Zealanders, eventually scraping through to a nine-run win after managing only 221 for 8 in their 60 overs. Defending champions the West Indies secured a far more comfortable win, defeating Pakistan by 43 runs.
West Indian skipper Clive Lloyd led his team from the front in the final, much as he had done in the final four years previously, smashing 86 off only 66 deliveries, but this time he was well supported,
even overshadowed, by the brilliant Viv Richards. The Antiguan ace contributed an unbeaten 138 as the West Indies tallied 286 for 9.
England started strongly in reply, reaching 129 before captain Mike Brearley was the first man out for 64. His fellow opener, Geoff Boycott - as so often happens after a big partnership has been broken - followed shortly afterwards, out for 57.
It was all downhill from there as the potent West Indian bowling attack took control of the match. “Big Bird” Joel Garner snared 5 for 38 as England crumbled to 194 all out, leaving Clive Lloyd’s team victors by a massive 92 runs. Viv Richards was named man of the match as the Caribbean stars claimed their second World Cup in two attempts.
1983
Only one place was open to a non-Test playing country in the 1983 World Cup after Sri Lanka was granted Test status. That place went to Zimbabwe, who defeated Bermuda in the ICC Trophy final to book their place in England.
Hosts England topped Pool A - which also consisted of New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - winning five of their six matches. Pakistan finished second with four wins to also clinch a semi-final place. The fireworks, however, occurred in Pool A, made up of the West Indies, India, Australia and Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabweans grabbed the headlines with a 13-run victory over Australia, their only win but enough to scuttle the Australians’ hopes of making the final four. The West Indies qualified top of the pool, winning all but one of their six matches, with India claiming second position with a record of four wins and two losses.
Facing India at Old Trafford in the first semi-final, England failed to get going and were dismissed for just 213 in their 60 overs. The Indians batted steadily to pass the English total for the loss of just four wickets as Sandeep Patil and Yashpal Sharma hit half-centuries to book their place in the final.
Their opponents in the title
game would be the West Indies after the defending champions brushed aside Pakistan by eight wickets, their much-feared bowling attack proving too much for their opposition to handle.
The West Indies were widely expected to win the World Cup for the third time in succession, even though the Indians had managed a win over the islanders in one of their pool games.
Batting first, India could muster only 183 all out as the West Indian bowlers bowled economically while also managing to pick up wickets. Kris Srikkanth top scored with 38, but no other batsman made it beyond 27. Andy Roberts led the West Indian bowlers with 3 for 32, while Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Larry Gomes picked up two wickets a piece.
The result seemed a forgone conclusion, given the Caribbean Kings’ powerful batting line-up, but someone forgot to tell the Indians. They didn’t allow their opponents to get close to challenging their total, dismissing Clive Lloyd’s all-conquering side for
just 140, with only Viv Richards and Jeff Dujon managing to make it beyond the teens.
Mohinder Armanath led the way with 3 for 12 to earn man of the match honours, while Madan Lal captured 3 for 31. Roger Binny, meanwhile, turned in the very tidy figures of 1 for 23 from 10 overs to finish with a tournament record of 18 wickets.
The Indian victory over the powerful West Indies proved that Test supremacy did not necessarily translate into limited overs success.
1987
In 1987 the World Cup was held outside England for the first time as India and Pakistan co-hosted the event. The contestants were the same as at the previous World Cup, but this time Group A consisted of India, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe, while Group B was made up of Pakistan, England, the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
Playing on the spin-friendly pitches of home proved advantageous to the Indians and Pakistanis, who topped their groups, both winning five out
of six group matches. Australia, however, matched the Indians but were relegated to second place on run rate. England claimed second place in Group B, winning four of their six matches, but losing to Pakistan twice.
The West Indies, going through a transition and no longer the power of the past, finished third in Group B with three wins and three losses. It was a forgettable tournament for both Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka as neither country managed a win.
The semi-finals brought bitter disappointment to the passionate home fans. Pakistan were beaten by 18 runs by Australia as Craig McDermott captured 5 for 44 to prevent the Pakistanis chasing down a victory target of 268. In the second semi-final Graham Gooch struck 115 and Eddie Hemmings picked up four wickets as England downed India by 35 runs to set up a meeting of the old enemies for the World Cup title.
The final proved to be closest in the history of the World Cup, with the Australians eventually squeaking through
to a seven-run win. Batting first, they tallied 253 for 7, led by 75 from David Boon and an unbeaten 45 from just 31 deliveries by Mike Veletta. England lost an early wicket, but then got good contributions from Bill Athey, Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb to put the Australians under pressure.
However, the match turned on the first ball England captain Gatting faced from Australian skipper Allan Border. Gatting tried an ill-advised reverse sweep and was caught for 45, allowing Australia to wrest back the initiative. England’s tail-enders were left with a task that proved to be just beyond them as Australia claimed the World Cup for the first time. Boon was named man of the match for his 75.
1992
Australia and New Zealand co-hosted the World Cup in 1992 as the tournament expanded to nine teams with the inclusion of South Africa, following the country's readmission to international cricket the year before.
It didn’t take long for the new
boys to make their presence felt. Facing the defending champion Australians in Sydney in their first match, the South Africans, led by former Australian international Kepler Wessels, thrashed the hosts by nine wickets.
The preliminary round was contested on a round-robin basis, with each team facing every other team once. The top four would then qualify for the semi-finals. New Zealand, playing at home and employing the tactic of using off-spinner Dipak Patel as an opening bowler, topped the standings with seven wins in eight outings, followed by England, South Africa and Pakistan.
In the first semi-final New Zealand lost to Pakistan by four wickets. Batting first, they totalled 262 for 7, thanks mainly to Martin Crowe’s excellent 91 off 83 balls. The Pakistanis, however, squeezed home with an over to spare thanks to a stunning 60 off only 37 deliveries from man of the match Inzamam ul-Haq.
In the second semi-final, rain had the final say as England advanced to the
title decider. With South Africa needing 22 runs from 13 deliveries, rain forced the players from the field.
The rules in place for the event then resulted in South Africa’s run chase being changed to 22 runs required from one delivery, an unsatisfactory outcome that led to a change in revised targets due to rain after the World Cup - too late for South Africa, though.
In the final, Pakistan batted first and managed 249 for 6 off their 50 overs. Their two most experienced players led the way, captain Imran Khan making 72 and Javed Miandad 58. Derek Pringle was superb for England, finishing with 3 for 22 off his 10 overs.
England’s reply came up short in the final over as they were dismissed for 227, thus giving Pakistan victory by 22 runs. Wasim Akram, who picked up three important wickets late in the England innings, was named man of the match.
New Zealand’s inspirational captain, Martin Crowe, was named player of the tournament after scoring 456 runs at the
very impressive of average of 114, and leading his team with style and innovation.
1996
In an ambitious move, the 1996 World Cup was granted to three countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The number of contestants was increased to 12 as Kenya, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates qualified from the ICC Trophy. Eight teams, the top four in both groups, would qualify for the quarterfinals.
Sri Lanka topped the standings in Group A with five wins in five matches, although both Australia and the West Indies forfeited matches in Sri Lanka due to bombings in the island nation. The Australians finished in second place, India third and the West Indies fourth.
The West Indian record included a humiliating 73-run loss to minnows Kenya, who dismissed their more illustrious opponents for just 93.
In Group B, South Africa crushed all opposition, thrashing the UAE by 169 runs, New Zealand by five wickets, England by 78 runs,
Pakistan by five wickets and the Netherlands by 160 runs. Pakistan finished as runners-up in the group, with New Zealand claiming third spot and England fourth.
The cricketing Gods once again had a nasty shock in store for South Africa, however. Facing the West Indies in the quarterfinals, Hansie Cronje’s side suffered a 19-run loss to the islanders as Brian Lara hit a devastating 111 from 94 balls. It was the South Africans’ first and only loss of the World Cup, but they were out.
In the remaining quarterfinal matches, Sri Lanka, showing a cavalier and daring approach, accounted for England by five wickets, India defeated their great rivals Pakistan by 39 runs, and Australia cantered to a six-wicket win over New Zealand.
In the first semi-final cricket showed its ugly face as Sri Lanka were awarded victory by default over India. The Sri Lankans were on their way to a comfortable victory over the Indians, having scored 251 for 8 and then reduced their opponents to
120 for 8 after 34.1 overs when the match was stopped because some sections of the crowd were venting their anger by setting fires in the stands, while waterbottles and fruit were thrown onto the field.
As the players were about to make their way back onto the field, the crowd again took to throwing bottles at the Sri Lankan boundary fielders. This brought the game to an end and Sri Lanka was awarded the win by default.
The second semi-final was a tight affair, with Mark Taylor’s Australians eking out a five-run win as the West Indies self-destructed. The Aussies, batting first, managed only 207 for 8 from their 50 overs, thanks almost entirely to 72 from Stuart Law and 69 from Michael Bevan, who shared in a 138-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
The West Indies appeared to be on their way to a comfortable victory, reaching 165 for 2 before they fell apart, losing their last eight wickets for only 37 runs. Shane Warne led the Australian bowlers, capturing 4 for
36, while Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit 80, Brian Lara 45 and Richie Richardson 49 for the West Indians. Courtney Browne managed 10, but the next highest score was a paltry three as Australia qualified for the final. Warne picked up the man of the match award.
The Australians were favourites to claim their second World Cup title against the Sri Lankans, who had made it to the final for the first time ever, but the Asian nation cruised to a comfortable win to upset cricket’s world order. Australia were put in to bat by Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and compiled 241 for 7 in their 50 overs, thanks mostly to their captain Mark Taylor, who contributed 74 at almost a run a ball.
Sri Lanka, in reply, reached the victory target with 22 deliveries to spare. Aravinda da Silva was named man of the match for his unbeaten 107 that took his side to the title, while Asanka Gurusinha hit 65 in a partnership of 125 with da Silva, and Ranatunga chipped in with an unbeaten 47 from just
37 balls.
Opener Sanath Jayasuriya, though he failed in the final and scored only 221 runs in total at an average of 36.83, was named player of the tournament for his aggressive batsmanship that usually saw Sri Lanka off to a flying start. His runs came at the amazing rate of 1.32 per ball faced.
1999
Twelve teams contested the World Cup in 1999, the three qualifiers from the ICC Trophy this time being Bangladesh, Scotland and Kenya. The format for 1999 consisted of two pools of six, from which three teams from each pool would qualify for the Super Sixes, with the teams carrying forward the points they had accumulated against the other Super Six qualifiers. They would then play the teams from the other group that they had not yet faced. At the conclusion of the Super Sixes, the four semi-finalists would be decided.
In Group A - consisting of hosts England, India, Zimbabwe, South Africa, defending champions Sri Lanka, and Kenya - the
South Africans finished top, winning four out of five matches but suffering a shock 48-run defeat at the hands of their neighbours Zimbabwe as Neil Johnson, formerly of Natal, made 76 and grabbed 3 for 27.
Following South Africa into the Super Sixes were India and the Zimbabweans, as England and Sri Lanka failed to make the grade.
Pakistan topped Group B, winning all but one of their five games, that loss being a humiliating 62-run defeat by their lowly regarded neighbours Bangladesh. Australia finished second and New Zealand third, leaving the West Indies out in the cold.
In a very tight competition, Pakistan topped the Super Sixes from Australia and South Africa as all three teams finished with records of three wins and two losses. New Zealand claimed the fourth and last semi-final place.
The most dramatic match of the Super Sixes occurred when Australia, needing a win over South Africa to qualify for the final four, chased down a total of 270 to win with two
balls to spare.
The Proteas should have won it, but Herschelle Gibbs, presented with a simple catch by Australian captain Steve Waugh, attempted to toss the ball in the air but ended up dropping a sitter. Waugh went on to make his highest one-day international score, an unbeaten 120, to guide his team to victory.
The semi-finals pitted Pakistan against New Zealand and South Africa against Australia. New Zealand set the Pakistanis a victory target of 242 in their match in Manchester, but Pakistan simply brushed the Kiwis’ challenge aside, racing to a nine-wicket win with three-and-a-half overs to spare as Saeed Anwar and Wajatullah Wasti shared in an opening stand of 194.
The second semi-final between South Africa and Australia proved to be one of the most dramatic matches of all time.
Batting first, Australia tallied 213 all out. Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan held their innings together, sharing in a partnership of 90 and making 56 and 65 respectively. South
African fast bowling aces Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock shone as Donald claimed 4 for 32 and Pollock 5 for 36.
South Africa’s reply centred around 52 from Jacques Kallis and 43 from Jonty Rhodes, but Shane Warne put a spanner in the works by getting rid of Kallis, openers Herschelle Gibbs and Gary Kirsten, as well as captain Hansie Cronje, who was unlucky to be given out caught for a duck off a ball that came off his boot.
As the overs decreased but the target drew nearer the tension increased, but South Africa had a special weapon in their arsenal: all-rounder Lance Klusener, who had torn apart every attack he had faced in the tournament. When, in the final over, Klusener drew the teams level with two consecutive blistering fours off Damien Fleming, South Africa appeared to be one their way to the final.
Donald, however, was nearly run out backing up off the third ball, and the scores remained level. On the fourth ball there was a terrible mix-up between the two
batsman, with Klusener scampering through to Donald’s end but Donald left stranded running to Klusener’s side, having dropped his bat in the commotion.
The match ended in a tie, but Australia advanced to the final because they finished above South Africa in the Super Sixes.
The final proved to be a huge anti-climax as Australia claimed an easy eight-wicket win to lift the title for the second time. Pakistan could muster only 132 in their turn at bat, with the extras total of 25 being their best contribution.
Warne was once more in great form, picking up 4 for 33, while Glenn McGrath was miserly as he captured 2 for 13 off nine overs, and Tom Moody took 2 for 17. Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist put on 75 for the first wicket in just over 10 overs, and the match was effectively over as a contest when Gilchrist departed for 54 scored off only 36 balls.
Waugh went on to make an unbeaten 37 as Australia triumphed with a massive 29.5 overs to spare. Warne was
named man of the match.
There was some consolation for South Africa when Klusener was named player of the tournament. His contribution included scoring 281 runs at an average of 140.50, with his strike rate an amazing 1.22 runs per ball faced. The powerful Klusener also captured 17 wickets, just three off the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, at an average of just over 20.
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