WC Remembrances - 2007 ICC World Twenty20

It was a matter of pride. They had been brutally thrown out of the 50 over world cup in the group stage. They were beaten by minnows like Bangladesh & Ireland. But they came back. They made the first T20 world cup final the most memorable final in the history of wold cup finals. Yes, it were 'THE ARCH-RIVALS' India & Pakistan fighting for the inaugural T20 World cup. And I must say I was no less than any of wars India-Pak have had. But... it was the slighter better side, India who went home with the world cup.

In a match worthy of final, India won the all-crucial toss and decided to bat first. Save as Gautam Gambhir & Rohit Sharma no other batsmen crossed 15. India wraped up its innings with an average 157 on board. Playing a world cup final after 8 years, Pakistan didn't have a start it would have have wanted. They lost Hafeez in the very first over, thanks to a surprise first over by spinner Bhajji. Though they kept up with the required runrate they lost wickets at regular interval. Everything seemed to be going India's way till the 16th over, Pakistan requring 13.5 runs per over then. But then suddenly Misbah u Haq went mad. He stuck India's trump card, Harbhajan Singh for 3 huge sixes in the next over. Sohail Tanvir complimented him with a couple more in the next over and the game looked completely reversed.

Now the climax! Pakistan needs 13 runs off the last over with in form Misbah on crease. India going for the new medium pacer Joginder Sharma over experienced Bhajji for an over on which depends the result of hours & hours of hard work.
1st ball wide!
1st ball again-no run.
The second goes for a six!
6 needed off 4 balls with 1 wicket in hand
& the third, Pakistan is all out and loose by 5 runs! That easy!!
Misbah plays a highly risky scoop shot over short fine leg but straight in the hands of Sreesanth. India has beaten Pakistan by 5 runs. The catch by Sreesanth can undoubtedly be called the catch of the decade imagining the amount of pressure he was under.

It is worthwhile to note that both India & Pakistan were in the same group D at the group stage & their match was a tie! It was decided in India's favour by a bowl out. Winning the last 3 consecutive 50 over world cups, Australia came as favorites but were beaten by India in the semis. Also the Black caps just managed to reach the semis.

The inaugural T20 World cup was hosted by South Africa. A total of 12 teams participated. Besides the 10 Test playing nations, including Zimbabwe, Kenya & Scotland also qualified. 12 teams were divided into 4 groups of 3. Top two teams from each group entered the Super 8's in which the 8 teams were divided in two groups of 4 each. Top two teams of both the groups made it to the semis and winner of the semis played in the final. The matches were spread over a period of 13 days - a considerably short period comparing to the 50 over world cups.

It was not about record breaking this time but record making. Yuvraj hit 6 sixes in an over & fifty off just 12 bowls! Sri Lanka marauded Kenya when they scored a whooping 260 runs in 20 overs and won the match by 172 runs; a team total which is usually enough to win a T20 match. Chris Gayle scored a massive 10 sixes in his knock of 117 which will remain a record for a huge time for sure. Even a score of 117 in T20 is a world record as on date. Even then West Indies was eliminated after the group stage itself. Australia lost their first match to Zimbabwe! The T20 world cup saw a massive 265 sixes, 659 fours, 32 fifties & a century. And the poor Sanath Jayasuriya was hit 64 in is 4 overs against Pakistan. This clearly shows that it is mainly a batsman's game!

India went into the world cup with a young side. It was reported in media that Sachin had convinced Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid & VVS Laxman to skip the cup so as to give the young blood an opportunity. So with the disaster of 2007 50 over world cup & relatively inexperienced side, India were the least favorites. But under the able captain-ship of MS Dhoni, India won the World cup. It was an all round performance by the team.

A summary of results

Group Stages

1st Match, Group A: South Africa v West Indies at Johannesburg - Sep 11, 2007
West Indies 205/6 (20/20 ov); South Africa 208/2 (17.4/20 ov)
South Africa won by 8 wickets (with 14 balls remaining)

2nd Match, Group C: Kenya v New Zealand at Durban - Sep 12, 2007
Kenya 73 (16.5/20 ov); New Zealand 74/1 (7.4/20 ov)
New Zealand won by 9 wickets (with 74 balls remaining)

3rd Match, Group D: Pakistan v Scotland at Durban - Sep 12, 2007
Pakistan 171/9 (20/20 ov); Scotland 120 (19.5/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 51 runs

4th Match, Group B: Australia v Zimbabwe at Cape Town - Sep 12, 2007
Australia 138/9 (20/20 ov); Zimbabwe 139/5 (19.5/20 ov)
Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets (with 1 ball remaining)

5th Match, Group A: Bangladesh v West Indies at Johannesburg - Sep 13, 2007
West Indies 164/8 (20/20 ov); Bangladesh 165/4 (18/20 ov)
Bangladesh won by 6 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)

6th Match, Group B: England v Zimbabwe at Cape Town - Sep 13, 2007
England 188/9 (20/20 ov); Zimbabwe 138/7 (20/20 ov)
England won by 50 runs

7th Match, Group D: India v Scotland at Durban - Sep 13, 2007
No result (abandoned with a toss)

8th Match, Group C: Kenya v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg - Sep 14, 2007
Sri Lanka 260/6 (20/20 ov); Kenya 88 (19.3/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 172 runs

9th Match, Group B: Australia v England at Cape Town - Sep 14, 2007
England 135 (20/20 ov); Australia 136/2 (14.5/20 ov)
Australia won by 8 wickets (with 31 balls remaining)

10th Match, Group D: India v Pakistan at Durban - Sep 14, 2007
India 141/9 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 141/7 (20/20 ov)
Match tied (India won the bowl-out)

11th Match, Group C: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg - Sep 15, 2007
New Zealand 164/7 (20/20 ov); Sri Lanka 168/3 (18.5/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)

12th Match, Group A: South Africa v Bangladesh at Cape Town - Sep 15, 2007
Bangladesh 144 (19.3/20 ov); South Africa 146/3 (18.5/20 ov)
South Africa won by 7 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)

Super Eights

13th Match, Group E: India v New Zealand at Johannesburg - Sep 16, 2007
New Zealand 190 (20/20 ov); India 180/9 (20/20 ov)
New Zealand won by 10 runs

14th Match, Group F: Australia v Bangladesh at Cape Town - Sep 16, 2007
Bangladesh 123/8 (20/20 ov); Australia 124/1 (13.5/20 ov)
Australia won by 9 wickets (with 37 balls remaining)

15th Match, Group E: South Africa v England at Cape Town - Sep 16, 2007
South Africa 154/8 (20/20 ov); England 135/7 (20/20 ov)
South Africa won by 19 runs

16th Match, Group F: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg - Sep 17, 2007
Pakistan 189/6 (20/20 ov); Sri Lanka 156/9 (20/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 33 runs

17th Match, Group E: England v New Zealand at Durban - Sep 18, 2007
New Zealand 164/9 (20/20 ov); England 159/8 (20/20 ov)
New Zealand won by 5 runs

18th Match, Group F: Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg - Sep 18, 2007
Australia 164/7 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 165/4 (19.1/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

19th Match, Group F: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg - Sep 18, 2007
Sri Lanka 147/5 (20/20 ov); Bangladesh 83 (15.5/20 ov)
Sri Lanka won by 64 runs

20th Match, Group E: South Africa v New Zealand at Durban - Sep 19, 2007
New Zealand 153/8 (20/20 ov); South Africa 158/4 (19.1/20 ov)
South Africa won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

21st Match, Group E: England v India at Durban - Sep 19, 2007
India 218/4 (20/20 ov); England 200/6 (20/20 ov)
India won by 18 runs

22nd Match, Group F: Australia v Sri Lanka at Cape Town - Sep 20, 2007
Sri Lanka 101 (19.3/20 ov); Australia 102/0 (10.2/20 ov)
Australia won by 10 wickets (with 58 balls remaining)

23rd Match, Group F: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Cape Town - Sep 20, 2007
Bangladesh 140 (19.4/20 ov); Pakistan 141/6 (19/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 4 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)

24th Match, Group E: South Africa v India at Durban - Sep 20, 2007
India 153/5 (20/20 ov); South Africa 116/9 (20/20 ov)
India won by 37 runs

Semifinals

1st Semi Final: New Zealand v Pakistan at Cape Town - Sep 22, 2007
New Zealand 143/8 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 147/4 (18.5/20 ov)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)

2nd Semi Final: Australia v India at Durban - Sep 22, 2007
India 188/5 (20/20 ov); Australia 173/7 (20/20 ov)
India won by 15 runs

Final

Final: India v Pakistan at Johannesburg - Sep 24, 2007
India 157/5 (20/20 ov); Pakistan 152 (19.3/20 ov)
India won by 5 runs

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WC Remembrances - 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup

The Aussies have once again proved their worth. The way they ran over whoever came their way is simply amazing. They spared none. Suffering a horror 5 losses in a row just prior to the mega event, Australia came back strongly and took their winning streak in the world cups to 23. The mighty Lankans, Proteas, Kiwis - all meekingly bowed down to the champions. Under the able leadership of Ricky Ponting, Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs(D/L method) in the final reduced by rain to secure their fourth world cup victory and third in the row.

The champions, placed in Group A, commenced their world cup tour against Scotland on Mar 14 where they brutully defeated them by 203 runs. Next came the defeats for Netherlands and much hyped South Africa. Australia thus strommed their way to the super eights with 3 wins, 3 300+ scores, 2 points and NRR of +1.66. The super eights brought much more beating for the opponents as Australia defeated West Indies, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, Lanka and New Zealand. Placed at 1 place it moved to semis and played Graeme Smith's men just like the 1999 world cup semi-final. But this time not taking any chances it defeated South Africa with 8 wickets and moved to the finals, full of confidence. To ensure there victory in the finals against Sri Lanka, Gilcrist made the move and Mcgrath did the rest so as to ensure that Australia is the best.

For the first time 16 teams competed in the world cup which included new comers Ireland and Bermuda. The playing of 16 teams made the itinearary quite long. With 52 matches the cup was spread over 49 days. The teams were divided into 4 groups of 4 teams each. Top 2 teams from each group were to move to super eights where each team played 6 matches. Next the top four were to fight in the semi finals and the top two moved to the finals.

The 9th edition of the world cup held in the colourful Carribean islands commenced with the opening ceremony in Trelawny Stadium when the teams marched and the captains posed with the cup. Like the previous of its type, the world cup was very eventful. The group stages which were seen only as a formality showed way home to previous world cup winners and neighbours India and Pakistan. Just a few hours after Pakistan declared out of the world cup, Pakistan coach and one of the greatest contributer of cricket, Bob Woolmer breath his last after being strangled by a towel in his room. As for minnows Bangladesh and Ireland - both produced unimagined setbacks with Bangladesh beating India (group stage) and South Africa (super eights) and Ireland beating Pakistan

Record are meant to be broken. A number of records were broken and set in this world cup. Herchelle Gibbs smashed Netherlands bowler Bunge for six 6's in an over, something that has happenned for the first time in international cricket. India scored the highest world cup score of 413/5 against Bermuda to break the previous best set by Sri Lanka of 398 eleven years ago. Lankan spedster Lasith Malinga took 4 wickets off 4 bowls against Proteas, which also happenned for the first time. Glenn McGrath took record 26 wickets and took his overall tally to 71 n world cups much beyond Pakistan's Wasim Akrams's 55.

This time we bid goodbye to 4 cricket legends. McGrath who is the Man of the tournament for the world cup will be soon announcing his retirement on a high of his carrer. Brain Lara, against whose name number of records are named has announced his retirement after the match against England on 21st Apr. Even Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his retirement from ODI's but hopes to play in tests. Opposite to him, the dashing Lankan batsman, Sanath Jayasuriya, announced his retirement from tests.

Now its time that we discuss about India's failures at this world cup. A much hyped 'balanced' Indian team under the captainship of Rahul Dravid had a disastrous world cup being thrown out of the world in group stage. Though India did make many records against the minnows Bermuda, its losses against Bangla and Lankans showed it the way back home. Except from Saurav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, all the top guns failed to fire.

A summary of results

Group Stages

GroupD
Tue 13: West Indies v Pakistan, Jamaica
West Indies won by 54 runs, West Indies 241/9 (50 overs) Pakistan 187/10 (47.2 overs)

GroupA
Wed 14: Australia v Scotland, St. Kitts
Australia won by 203 runs, Australia 334/6 (50 overs) Scotland 131/9 (40.1 overs)

GroupC
Wed 14: Canada v Kenya, St. Lucia
Kenya won by 7 wickets, Canada 199/10 (50 overs) Kenya 203/3 (43.2 overs)

GroupB
Thu 15: Sri Lanka v Bermuda, Trinidad
Sri Lanka won by 243 runs, Sri Lanka 321/6 (50 overs) Bermuda 78/10 (24.4 overs)

GroupD
Thu 15: Ireland v Zimbabwe, Jamaica
Tie, Ireland 221/9 (50 overs) Zimbabwe 221/10 (50 overs)

GroupA
Fri 16: Netherlands v South Africa, St Kitts
South Africa won by 221 runs, South Africa 353/3 (40 overs) Netherlands 132/9 (40 overs)
***Due to rain match was reduced to 40 overs each side***

GroupC
Fri 16: England v New Zealand, St Lucia
New Zealand won by 6 wickets, England 209/7 (50 overs) New Zealand 210/4 (41 overs)

GroupB
Sat 17: Bangladesh v India, Trinidad
Bangladesh won by 5 wickets, India 191/10 (49.3 overs) Bangladesh 192/5 (48.5 overs)

GroupD
Sat 17: Pakistan v Ireland, Jamaica
Ireland won by 3 wickets, Pakistan 132/10 (45.4 overs) Ireland 133/7 (41.4 overs)
***Target for Ireland was revised to 128 in 47 overs under D/L method***

GroupA
Sun 18: Australia v Netherlands, St Kitts
Australia won 229 runs, 358/5 (50 overs) Netherlands 129/10 (26.5 overs)

GroupC
Sun 18: Canada v England, St Lucia
England won by 51 runs, England 279/6 (50 overs) Canada 228/7 (50 overs)

GroupB
Mon 19: India v Bermuda, Trinidad
India won by 257 runs, India 413/5 (50 overs) Bermuda 156/10 (43.1 overs)

GroupD
Mar 19: Zimbabwe v West Indies, Jamaica
West Indies won by 4 wickets, Zimbabwe 202/5 (50 overs) West Indies 204/5 (47.5 overs)

GroupA
Mar 20: South Africa v Scotland, St Kitts
South Africa won by 7 wickets, Scotland 186/8 (50 overs) South Africa 188/3 (23.2 overs)

GroupC
Mar 20: New Zealand v Kenya, Jamaica
New Zealand won by 148 runs, New Zealand 331/7 (50 overs) Kenya 183/10 (49.2 overs)

GroupB
Mar 21: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Trinidad
Sri Lanka won by 198 runs, Sri Lanka 318/4 (50 overs) Bangladesh 112/10 (37 overs)
***Target for Bangladesh was revised to 311 in 46 overs under D/L method***

GroupD
Mar 21: Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Jamaica
Pakistan won by 93 runs, Pakistan 349/10 (49.5 overs) Zimbabwe 99/10 (19.1 overs)
***Target for Zimbabwe was revised to 193 in 20 overs under D/L method***

GroupC
Mar 22: Canada v New Zealand, St Lucia
New Zealand won by 114 runs, New Zealand 363/5 (50 overs) Canada 249/9 (49.2 overs)

GroupA
Mar 22: Netherlands v Scotland, St Kitts
Netherlands won by 8 wickets, Scotland 136/10 (34.1 overs) Netherlands 140/2 (23.5 overs)

GroupB
Mar 23: India v Sri Lanka, Trinidad
Sri Lanka won by 69 runs, Sri Lanka 254/6 (50 overs) India 185/10 (43.3 overs)

GroupD
Mar 23: West Indies v Ireland, Jamaica
West Indies won by 8 wickets, Ireland 183/8 (48 overs) West Indies 190/2 (38.1 overs)
***The Match was reduced to 48 overs each and West Indies were set a revised target of 190 in 48 overs under D/L method***

GroupA
Mar 24: Australia v South Africa, St Kitts
Australia won by 83 runs, Australia 377/6 (50 overs) South Africa 294/10 (48 overs)

GroupC
Mar 24: England v Kenya, St Lucia
England won by 7 wickets, Kenya 177/10 (43 overs) England 178/3 (33 overs)

GroupB
Mar 25: Bangladesh v Bermuda, Trinidad
Bangladesh won by 7 wickets, Bermuda 94/9 (21 overs) Bangladesh 96/3 (17.3 overs)
***Due to rain match was reduced to 21 overs each side***

Super Eight

Mar 27: West Indies v Australia, Antigua
Australia won by 103 runs, Australia 322/6 (50 overs) West Indies 219/10 (45.3 overs)

Mar 28: South Africa v Sri Lanka, Guyana
South Africa won by 1 wicket, Sri Lanka 209/10 (49.3 overs) South Africa 212/9 (48.2 overs)

Mar 29: West Indies v New Zealand, Antigua
New Zealand won by 7 wickets, West Indies 177/10 (44.4 overs) New Zealand 179/3 (39.2 overs)

Mar 30: England v Ireland, Guyana
England won by 48 runs, England 266/7 (50 overs) Ireland 218/10 (48.1 overs)

Mar 31: Australia v Bangladesh, Antigua
Australia won by 10 wickets, Bangladesh 104/6 (22 overs) Australia 106/0 (13.5 overs)
***Due to rain, the match was reduced to 22 overs each side***

Apr 1: Sri Lanka v West Indies, Guyana
Sri Lanka won by 113 runs, Sri Lanka 303/5 (50 overs) West Indies 190/10 (44.3 overs)

Apr 2: Bangladesh v New Zealand, Antigua
New Zealand won by 9 wickets, Bangladesh 174/10 (48.3 overs) New Zealand 178/1 (29.2 overs)

Apr 3: South Africa v Ireland, Guyana
South Africa won by 7 wickets, Ireland 152/8 (35 overs) South Africa 165/3 (31.3 overs)
***The match was reduced to 35 overs each side due to rain and South Africa was given a revised target of 160 in 35 overs under D/L method***

Apr 4: Sri Lanka v England, Antigua
Sri Lanka won by 2 runs, Sri Lanka 235/10 (50 overs) England 233/8 (50 overs)

Apr 7: Bangladesh v South Africa, Guyana
Bangladesh won by 67 runs, Bangladesh 251/8 (50 overs) South Africa 184/10 (48.4 overs)

Apr 8: Australia v England, Antigua
Australia won by 7 wickets, England 247/10 (49.5 overs) Australia 248/3 (47.2 overs)

Apr 9: Ireland v New Zealand, Guyana
New Zealand won by 129 runs, New Zealand 263/8 (50 overs) Ireland 134/10 (37.4 overs)

Apr 10: South Africa v West Indies, Grenada
South Africa won by 67 runs, South Africa 356/4 (50 overs) West Indies 289/9 (50 overs)

Apr 11: Bangladesh v England, Barbados
England won by 4 wickets, Bangladesh 143/10 (37.2 overs) England 147/6 (44.5 overs)

Apr 12: New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Grenada
Sri Lanka won 6 wickets, New Zealand 219/7 (50 overs) Sri Lanka 222/4 (45.1 overs)

Apr 13: Australia v Ireland, Barbados
Australia won by 9 wickets, Ireland 91/10(30 overs) Australia 92/1 (12.2 overs

Apr 14: New Zealand v South Africa, Grenada
New Zealand won by 5 wickets, South Africa 193/7 (50 overs) New Zealand 196/5 (48.2 overs)

Apr 15: Bangladesh v Ireland, Barbados
Ireland won by 74 runs, Ireland 243/7 (50 overs) Bangladesh 169/10 (41.2 overs)

Apr 16: Australia v Sri Lanka, Grenada
Australia won by 7 wickets, Sri Lanka 226/10 (49.4 overs) Australia 232/3 (42.4 overs)

Apr 17: England v South Africa, Barbados
South Africa won by 9 wickets, England 154/10 (48 overs) South Africa 157/1 (19.2 overs)

Apr 18: Ireland v Sri Lanka, Grenada
Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets, Ireland 77/10 (27.4 overs) Sri Lanka 81/2 (10 overs)

Apr 19: Bangladesh v West Indies, Barbados
West Indies won by 99 runs, West Indies 230/5 (50 overs) Bangladesh 131/10 (43.5 overs)

Apr 20: New Zealand v Australia, Grenada
Australia won by 215 runs, Australia 348/6 (50 overs) New Zealand 133/10 (25.5 overs)

Apr 21: West Indies v England, Barbados
England won by 1 wicket, West Indies 300/10 (49.4 overs) England 301/9 (49.5 overs)

Semi-finals

Apr 24: New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Jamaica
Sri Lanka won by 81 runs, Sri Lanka 289/5 (50 overs) New Zealand 208/10 (41.4 overs)

Apr 25: Australia v South Afica, St Lucia
Australia won by 7 wickets, South Africa 149/10 (43.5 overs) Australia 153/3 (31.3 overs)

Final

Apr 28: Australia v Sri Lanka, Barbados
Australia won by 53 runs, Australia 281/4 (38 overs) Sri Lanka 215/8 (36 overs)
***Due to rain the match was reduced to 38 overs each side and due to bad light the target was revised to 269 in 36 overs for Sri Lanka under the D/L method***

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WC Remembrances - 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup

Indian captain Saurav Ganguly was quoted as saying "They played as real champions". Yes! The Aussies led from the front by Ricky Ponting, won 2003 ICC cricket world cup defeating India in the finals. The Aussies remained invincible through out the tournament. The final just like the 1999 world cup final came up as a one sided match with India facing a humiliating 125 runs defeat just like that of Pakistan in 1999. Australia, batting first, plundered a hefty 359 in the given 50 overs loosing just 2 wickets. Their captain, Ricky Ponting did the blunder for India. His blistering 140 and Damein Martyn's 88 took Australia well past the previous highest score in a final - the West Indies' 291 (off 60 overs) in 1975. In reply India made a shaky start as man of the tournament, Sachin Tendulkar, lasted for just 4 balls. Except Sehwag, no one could make a considerable contribution to the teams total.

This world cup saw 14 teams contesting with Namibia, Holland and Canada being new to the world cup cricket. Except a 10 group matches being played in Zimbabwe and Kenya, other were played in South Africa. The world cup had all the 14 teams being divided into two pools of 7 teams each and they had a match with each other's. 4 points were awarded for each win and 2 for NR/Tie. The top 3 teams of each pool went into the super-six stage. There each team played 3 matches against the teams who qualified for the super six stage from the other pool. And then the top four teams went to the knockout stage, semifinals, and then came the finals.

The world cup started with a somewhat a rough note as New Zealand and England refused to play their group matches against Kenya and Zimbabwe respectively due to security reasons. Thus these matches were awarded to Kenya and Zimbabwe by walkover. Also Shane Warne tested positive for a banned steroid. Beside this issue the world cup was a grand success. The world cup was full of interesting events. For the first time a non test playing nation(Kenya) reached the semifinals and looked it was ready to carry the trophy before it was defeated by India in the semifinals. Shoiab Akhtar touched the 100 mph mark and Bret Lee showed the vengeance of pace attack. Sachin showed that he is the real master blaster with his brilliant knocks. The innings of John Davis of Canada against West Indies is even more memorable. But unfortunately injury led to a premature retirement for Jonty Rhodes.

Powered by Sachin's batting India showed guts after a shaky start to world cup run. After performing poorly against Holland and loosing the second match against Australia, India came back strongly and remained invincible till the finals before loosing again to Aussies in the finals. In their world cup outing India also made two 300+ scores. Brilliant batting by Sachin also fetched him the man of the series and three man of the match awards.

Summary of results

Pool B: South Africa v West Indies at Cape Town - February 9, 2003
West Indies won by 3 runs. West Indies 278-5 (50 ov); South Africa 275-9 (49 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare - February 10, 2003
Zimbabwe won by 86 runs. Zimbabwe 340-2 (50 ov); Namibia 104-5 (25.1 ov).

Pool B: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein - February 10, 2003
Sri Lanka won by 47 runs. Sri Lanka 272-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 225 (45.3 ov).

Pool A: Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg - February 11, 2003
Australia won by 82 runs. Australia 310-8 (50 ov); Pakistan 228 (44.3 ov).

Pool B: Bangladesh v Canada at Durban - February 11, 2003
Canada won by 60 runs. Canada 180 (49.1 ov); Bangladesh 120 (28 ov).

Pool A: India v Netherlands at Paarl - February 12, 2003
India won by 68 runs. India 204 (48.5 ov); Netherlands 136 (48.1 ov).

Pool B: South Africa v Kenya at Potchefstroom - February 12, 2003
South Africa won by 10 wickets. Kenya 140 (38 ov); South Africa 142-0 (21.2 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v England at Harare - February 13, 2003
Zimbabwe won by a walkover.

Pool B: New Zealand v West Indies at Port Elizabeth - February 13, 2003
New Zealand won by 20 runs. New Zealand 241-7 (50 ov); West Indies 221 (49.4 ov).

Pool B: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Pietermaritzburg - February 14, 2003
Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets. Bangladesh 124 (31.1 ov); Sri Lanka 126-0 (21.1 ov).

Pool A: Australia v India at Centurion - February 15, 2003
Australia won by 9 wickets. India 125 (41.4 ov); Australia 128-1 (22.2 ov).

Pool B: Canada v Kenya at Cape Town - February 15, 2003
Kenya won by 4 wickets. Canada 197 (49 ov); Kenya 198-6 (48.3 ov).

Pool A: England v Netherlands at East London - February 16, 2003
England won by 6 wickets. Netherlands 142-9 (50 ov); England 144-4 (23.2 ov).

Pool A: Namibia v Pakistan at Kimberley - February 16, 2003
Pakistan won by 171 runs. Pakistan 255-9 (50 ov); Namibia 84 (17.4 ov).

Pool B: South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg - February 16, 2003
New Zealand won by 9 wickets. South Africa 306-6 (50 ov); New Zealand 229-1 (36.5 ov).

Pool B: Bangladesh v West Indies at Benoni - February 18, 2003
No result. West Indies 244-9 (50 ov); Bangladesh 32-2 (8.1 ov).

Pool A: England v Namibia at Port Elizabeth - February 19, 2003
England won by 55 runs. England 272 (50 ov); Namibia 217-9 (50 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v India at Harare - February 19, 2003
India won by 83 runs. India 255-7 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 172 (44.4 ov).

Pool B: Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl - February 19, 2003
Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets. Canada 36 (18.4 ov); Sri Lanka 37-1 (4.4 ov).

Pool A: Australia v Netherlands at Potchefstroom - February 20, 2003
Australia won by 75 runs. Australia 170-2 (36 ov); Netherlands 122 (30.2 ov).

Pool B: Kenya v New Zealand at Nairobi - February 21, 2003
Kenya won by a walkover.

Pool A: England v Pakistan at Cape Town - February 22, 2003
England won by 112 runs. England 246-8 (50 ov); Pakistan 134 (31 ov).

Pool B: South Africa v Bangladesh at Bloemfontein - February 22, 2003
South Africa won by 10 wickets. Bangladesh 108 (35.1 ov); South Africa 109-0 (12 ov).

Pool A: India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg - February 23, 2003
India won by 181 runs. India 311-2 (50 ov); Namibia 130 (42.3 ov).

Pool B: Canada v West Indies at Centurion - February 23, 2003
West Indies won by 7 wickets. Canada 202 (42.5 ov); West Indies 206-3 (20.3 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v Australia at Bulawayo - February 24, 2003
Australia won by 7 wickets. Zimbabwe 246-9 (50 ov); Australia 248-3 (47.3 ov).

Pool B: Kenya v Sri Lanka at Nairobi - February 24, 2003
Kenya won by 53 runs. Kenya 210-9 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 157 (45 ov).

Pool A: Netherlands v Pakistan at Paarl - February 25, 2003
Pakistan won by 97 runs. Pakistan 253-9 (50 ov); Netherlands 156 (39.3 ov).

Pool A: England v India at Durban - February 26, 2003
India won by 82 runs. India 250-9 (50 ov); England 168 (45.3 ov).

Pool B: Bangladesh v New Zealand at Kimberley - February 26, 2003
New Zealand won by 7 wickets. Bangladesh 198-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 199-3 (33.3 ov).

Pool A: Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom - February 27, 2003
Australia won by 256 runs. Australia 301-6 (50 ov); Namibia 45 (14 ov).

Pool B: South Africa v Canada at East London - February 27, 2003
South Africa won by 118 runs. South Africa 254-8 (50 ov); Canada 136-5 (50 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v Netherlands at Bulawayo - February 28, 2003
Zimbabwe won by 99 runs. Zimbabwe 301-8 (50 ov); Netherlands 202-9 (50 ov).

Pool B: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Cape Town - February 28, 2003
Sri Lanka won by 6 runs. Sri Lanka 228-6 (50 ov); West Indies 222-9 (50 ov).

Pool A: India v Pakistan at Centurion - March 1, 2003
India won by 6 wickets. Pakistan 273-7 (50 ov); India 276-4 (45.4 ov).

Pool B: Bangladesh v Kenya at Johannesburg - March 1, 2003
Kenya won by 32 runs. Kenya 217-7 (50 ov); Bangladesh 185 (47.2 ov).

Pool A: Australia v England at Port Elizabeth - March 2, 2003
Australia won by 2 wickets. England 204-8 (50 ov); Australia 208-8 (49.4 ov).

Pool A: Namibia v Netherlands at Bloemfontein - March 3, 2003
Netherlands won by 64 runs. Netherlands 314-4 (50 ov); Namibia 250 (46.5 ov).

Pool B: Canada v New Zealand at Benoni - March 3, 2003
New Zealand won by 5 wickets. Canada 196 (47 ov); New Zealand 197-5 (23 ov).

Pool B: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban - March 3, 2003
Match tied. Sri Lanka 268-9 (50 ov); South Africa 229-6 (45 ov).

Pool A: Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo - March 4, 2003
No result. Pakistan 73-3 (14 ov).

Pool B: Kenya v West Indies at Kimberley - March 4, 2003
West Indies won by 142 runs. West Indies 246-7 (50 ov); Kenya 104 (35.5 ov).

Super Six: Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion - March 7, 2003
Australia won by 96 runs. Australia 319-5 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 223 (47.4 ov).

Super Six: India v Kenya at Cape Town - March 7, 2003
India won by 6 wickets. Kenya 225-6 (50 ov); India 226-4 (47.5 ov).

Super Six: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein - March 8, 2003
New Zealand won by 6 wickets. Zimbabwe 252-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 253-4 (47.2 ov).

Super Six: India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg - March 10, 2003
India won by 183 runs. India 292-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 109 (23 ov).

Super Six: Australia v New Zealand at Port Elizabeth - March 11, 2003
Australia won by 96 runs. Australia 208-9 (50 ov); New Zealand 112 (30.1 ov).

Super Six: Kenya v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein - March 12, 2003
Kenya won by 7 wickets. Zimbabwe 133 (44.1 ov); Kenya 135-3 (26 ov).

Super Six: India v New Zealand at Centurion - March 14, 2003
India won by 7 wickets. New Zealand 146 (45.1 ov); India 150-3 (40.4 ov).

Super Six: Australia v Kenya at Durban - March 15, 2003
Australia won by 5 wickets. Kenya 174-8 (50 ov); Australia 178-5 (31.2 ov).

Super Six: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at East London - March 15, 2003
Sri Lanka won by 74 runs. Sri Lanka 256-5 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 182 (41.5 ov).

Semi-Final: Australia v Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth - March 18, 2003
Australia won by 48 runs. Australia 212-7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 123-7 (38.1 ov).

Semi-Final: India v Kenya at Durban - March 20, 2003
India won by 91 runs. India 270-4 (50 ov); Kenya 179 (46.2 ov).

Final: Australia v India at Johannesburg - March 23, 2003
Australia won by 125 runs. Australia 359-2 (50 ov); India 234 (39.2 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup

In 7th version of the ICC cricket world cup, Australia emerged victorious, comprehensively beating Pakistan in the finals by a whooping 8 wickets. Pakistan, which throughout the world cup looked in great touch, lost it when they needed the most. While the Australians who just cleared every stage to enter next stage, produced a major setback in the finals when they bowled out the Paks for just 132 and chased it in just 20.1 overs loosing just 2 wickets.

Desperately needing a win to enter the super sixes, Australia won their last group stage game against the West Indies after they had score of just 12 runs in 10 overs, chasing 110. Similarly needing a win to enter the semi-finals, they won the last super six encounter against South Africa. In the semifinals the situation was die-hard when the match was tied because Lance Klusner, the last man left, was run-out with 1 run needing from 3 balls with only 1 wicket remaining, but given the advantage of winning their super sixes match against them. But whatever it is, the Aussies bid farewell to their captain in an ideal way.

The format this time was a bit confusing. The 12 entrants were split into two groups, and the top three in each group went into the Super Six, carrying with them the points they had earned against the two teams who had also qualified from their group. They then played the qualifying teams from the other group, creating a final all-played-all league table, with the top four going into the semi-finals. Confused? Most people were.

Also there were some matches/statistics, which can't be forgotten. The first one is the team in form, Pakistan, loosing to minnows Bangladesh in the group stage. Also at the end of the group stage they had won all except match against Bangladesh. Quite debatable! Also once again the Proteas lost a berth in the finals when they deserved it, because of their semi-final match tied with a Australia. And another, Zimbabwe firstly got a place in the super sixes leaving behind the Lankans and the British and after that was placed at the top among the teams which qualified for the super sixes before its start.

The players who bid farewell to world cup cricket include many high profile names. It includes the duo of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose (who topped the list of most economical bowlers), Arjun Ranatunga and Arvinda de Silva (last world cup heroes) and not to mention the Waugh brothers. But there were three people besides them, Shane Warne (after failing drugs test during 2003 world cup), Mohammad Azharuddin and Hansie Cronje (due the match fixing scandal).

As for India, they were somewhat unfortunate. They entered the super six matches with empty pockets as both the countries against whom they had lost the group matches also qualified for the super sixes. In the super sixes they were ruled out even after securing a comprehensive victory over the then world cup favorites, Pakistan. But the present India captain, Rahul Dravid got his name enshrined in the world cup history when he topped the most runs table with 461 runs.

A summary of results

Group A: England v Sri Lanka at Lord's - May 14, 1999
England won by 8 wickets. Sri Lanka 204 (48.4 ov); England 207-2 (46.5 ov).

Group A: India v South Africa at Hove - May 15, 1999
South Africa won by 4 wickets. India 253-5 (50 ov); South Africa 254-6 (47.2 ov).

Group A: Kenya v Zimbabwe at Taunton - May 15, 1999
Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets. Kenya 229-7 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 231-5 (41 ov).

Group B: Australia v Scotland at Worcester - May 16, 1999
Australia won by 6 wickets. Scotland 181-7 (50 ov); Australia 182-4 (44.5 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v West Indies at Bristol - May 16, 1999
Pakistan won by 27 runs. Pakistan 229-8 (50 ov); West Indies 202 (48.5 ov).

Group B: Bangladesh v New Zealand at Chelmsford - May 17, 1999
New Zealand won by 6 wickets. Bangladesh 116 (37.4 ov); New Zealand 117-4 (33 ov).

Group A: England v Kenya at Canterbury - May 18, 1999
England won by 9 wickets. Kenya 203 (49.4 ov); England 204-1 (39 ov).

Group A: India v Zimbabwe at Leicester - May 19, 1999
Zimbabwe won by 3 runs. Zimbabwe 252-9 (50 ov); India 249 (45 ov).

Group A: South Africa v Sri Lanka at Northampton - May 19, 1999
South Africa won by 89 runs. South Africa 199-9 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 110 (35.2 ov).

Group B: Australia v New Zealand at Cardiff - May 20, 1999
New Zealand won by 5 wickets. Australia 213-8 (50 ov); New Zealand 214-5 (45.2 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v Scotland at Chester-le-Street - May 20, 1999
Pakistan won by 94 runs. Pakistan 261-6 (50 ov); Scotland 167 (38.5 ov).

Group B: Bangladesh v West Indies at Dublin - May 21, 1999
West Indies won by 7 wickets. Bangladesh 182 (49.2 ov); West Indies 183-3 (46.3 ov).

Group A: England v South Africa at The Oval - May 22, 1999
South Africa won by 122 runs. South Africa 225-7 (50 ov); England 103 (41 ov).

Group A: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Worcester - May 22, 1999
Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets. Zimbabwe 197-9 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 198-6 (46 ov).

Group A: India v Kenya at Bristol - May 23, 1999
India won by 94 runs. India 329-2 (50 ov); Kenya 235-7 (50 ov).

Group B: Australia v Pakistan at Leeds - May 23, 1999
Pakistan won by 10 runs. Pakistan 275-8 (50 ov); Australia 265 (49.5 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v West Indies at Southampton - May 24, 1999
West Indies won by 7 wickets. New Zealand 156 (48.1 ov); West Indies 158-3 (44.2 ov).

Group B: Scotland v Bangladesh at Edinburgh - May 24, 1999
Bangladesh won by 22 runs. Bangladesh 185-9 (50 ov); Scotland 163 (46.2 ov).

Group A: England v Zimbabwe at Nottingham - May 25, 1999
England won by 7 wickets. Zimbabwe 167-8 (50 ov); England 168-3 (38.3 ov).

Group A: India v Sri Lanka at Taunton - May 26, 1999
India won by 157 runs. India 373-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 216 (42.3 ov).

Group A: Kenya v South Africa at Amstelveen - May 26, 1999
South Africa won by 7 wickets. Kenya 152 (44.3 ov); South Africa 153-3 (41 ov).

Group B: Australia v Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street - May 27, 1999
Australia won by 7 wickets. Bangladesh 178-7 (50 ov); Australia 181-3 (19.5 ov).

Group B: Scotland v West Indies at Leicester - May 27, 1999
West Indies won by 8 wickets. Scotland 68 (31.3 ov); West Indies 70-2 (10.1 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v Pakistan at Derby - May 28, 1999
Pakistan won by 62 runs. Pakistan 269-8 (50 ov); New Zealand 207-8 (50 ov).

Group A: England v India at Birmingham - May 29, 1999
India won by 63 runs. India 232-8 (50 ov); England 169 (45.2 ov).

Group A: South Africa v Zimbabwe at Chelmsford - May 29, 1999
Zimbabwe won by 48 runs. Zimbabwe 233-6 (50 ov); South Africa 185 (47.2 ov).

Group A: Kenya v Sri Lanka at Southampton - May 30, 1999
Sri Lanka won by 45 runs. Sri Lanka 275-8 (50 ov); Kenya 230-6 (50 ov).

Group B: Australia v West Indies at Manchester - May 30, 1999
Australia won by 6 wickets. West Indies 110 (46.4 ov); Australia 111-4 (40.4 ov).

Group B: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Northampton - May 31, 1999
Bangladesh won by 62 runs. Bangladesh 223-9 (50 ov); Pakistan 161 (44.3 ov).

Group B: Scotland v New Zealand at Edinburgh - May 31, 1999
New Zealand won by 6 wickets. Scotland 121 (42.1 ov); New Zealand 123-4 (17.5 ov).

Super Six: Australia v India at The Oval - June 4, 1999
Australia won by 77 runs. Australia 282-6 (50 ov); India 205 (48.2 ov).

Super Six: Pakistan v South Africa at Nottingham - June 5, 1999
South Africa won by 3 wickets. Pakistan 220-7 (50 ov); South Africa 221-7 (49 ov).

Super Six: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Leeds - June 6, 1999
No result. Zimbabwe 175 (49.3 ov); New Zealand 70-3 (15 ov).

Super Six: India v Pakistan at Manchester - June 8, 1999
India won by 47 runs. India 227-6 (50 ov); Pakistan 180 (45.3 ov).

Super Six: Australia v Zimbabwe at Lord's - June 9, 1999
Australia won by 44 runs. Australia 303-4 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 259-6 (50 ov).

Super Six: New Zealand v South Africa at Birmingham - June 10, 1999
South Africa won by 74 runs. South Africa 287-5 (50 ov); New Zealand 213-8 (50 ov).

Super Six: Pakistan v Zimbabwe at The Oval - June 11, 1999
Pakistan won by 148 runs. Pakistan 271-9 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 123 (40.3 ov).

Super Six: India v New Zealand at Nottingham - June 12, 1999
New Zealand won by 5 wickets. India 251-6 (50 ov); New Zealand 253-5 (48.2 ov).

Super Six: Australia v South Africa at Leeds - June 13, 1999
Australia won by 5 wickets. South Africa 271-7 (50 ov); Australia 272-5 (49.4 ov).

Semi-Final: New Zealand v Pakistan at Manchester - June 16, 1999
Pakistan won by 9 wickets. New Zealand 241-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 242-1 (47.3 ov).

Semi-Final: Australia v South Africa at Birmingham - June 17, 1999
Match tied. Australia 213 (49.2 ov); South Africa 213 (49.4 ov).

Final: Australia v Pakistan at Lord's - June 20, 1999
Australia won by 8 wickets. Pakistan 132 (39 ov); Australia 133-2 (20.1 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1996 ICC Cricket World Cup

The sixth edition of the ICC cricket world cup known as the Wills World Cup cricket tournament conducted in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was completely dominated by the Sri Lankans. The Lankans cruised to a 7-wicket victory with 3.4 overs remaining in the finals against the Aussies to win the world cup tournament. It was victory achieved by the dint of hard work and dedication. The Lankans remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and extended their winning streak to the finals at Lahore. In there way to the cup they felled the Zimbabweans, the Kenyans, the Indians and the Australians in the finals. In the finals chasing a target of 241 in 50 overs the Lankans finished the job in 46.2 overs, thanks to the glorious century by Arvinda de Silva.

This world cup was rather an eventful tournament. The world cup started on a rather rough note with Australia and West Indies adamantly refusing to play their group matches in Sri Lanka with an excuse of security reasons, as there had been a bomb blast in Colombo a fortnight ago. Also the opening ceremony was a big flop. The 1 lakh people who gathered for the ceremony were left wondering on what on earth they were watching as the mainstay of the ceremony, the laser show malfunctioned. Even the then BCCI chief Jagmohan Dalmiya was accused for wasting public money and misappropriation of accounts. But what was waiting was even more humiliating. The semi-final at Calcutta between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned after bottle throwing and fire lighting in the terrace after a dismal batting show by India, which is a disgrace for the standards of sportsmanship.

The world cup was characterized by one good thing that the whole world cup was telecasted on TV. As against the last version of the world cup, when on only 9 teams participated, there were 12 teams with 3 non test-playing nations namely Kenya, Holland and UAE. The teams also tried to get more than 100 runs in the first 15 overs rather the trend of 60-70 runs with the trend being set by the Lankans. The Lankan master blaster Sanath Jayasuriya was judged as the most valuable player of the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar topped the most runs table with the most number of runs (523) while Anil Kumble with the most number of wickets (15).

The Indians showed so-so performance. They won 3 of their 5 group matches and advanced to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals they won against Pakistan but lost in the semifinals after the match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Sri Lanka.

A summary of the results

Group B: England v New Zealand at Ahmedabad - February 14, 1996
New Zealand won by 11 runs. New Zealand 239-6 (50 ov); England 228-9 (50 ov).

Group A: West Indies v Zimbabwe at Hyderabad - February 16, 1996
West Indies won by 6 wickets. Zimbabwe 151-9 (50 ov); West Indies 155-4 (29.3 ov).

Group B: South Africa v United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi - February 16, 1996
South Africa won by 169 runs. South Africa 321-2 (50 ov); United Arab Emirates 152-8 (50 ov).

Group A: Sri Lanka v Australia at Colombo - February 17, 1996
Sri Lanka won by a walkover.

Group B: Netherlands v New Zealand at Vadodara - February 17, 1996
New Zealand won by 119 runs. New Zealand 307-8 (50 ov); Netherlands 188-7 (50 ov).

Group A: India v Kenya at Cuttack - February 18, 1996
India won by 7 wickets. Kenya 199-6 (50 ov); India 203-3 (41.5 ov).

Group B: England v United Arab Emirates at Peshawar - February 18, 1996
England won by 8 wickets. United Arab Emirates 136 (48.3 ov); England 140-2 (35 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v South Africa at Faisalabad - February 20, 1996
South Africa won by 5 wickets. New Zealand 177-9 (50 ov); South Africa 178-5 (37.3 ov).

Group A: India v West Indies at Gwalior - February 21, 1996
India won by 5 wickets. West Indies 173 (50 ov); India 174-5 (39.4 ov).

Group A: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Colombo - February 21, 1996
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets. Zimbabwe 228-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 229-4 (37 ov).

Group B: England v Netherlands at Peshawar - February 22, 1996
England won by 49 runs. England 279-4 (50 ov); Netherlands 230-6 (50 ov).

Group A: Australia v Kenya at Visakhapatnam - February 23, 1996
Australia won by 97 runs. Australia 304-7 (50 ov); Kenya 207-7 (50 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v United Arab Emirates at Gujranwala - February 24, 1996
Pakistan won by 9 wickets. United Arab Emirates 109-9 (33 ov); Pakistan 112-1 (18 ov).

Group A: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Colombo - February 25, 1996
Sri Lanka won by a walkover.

Group B: England v South Africa at Rawalpindi - February 25, 1996
South Africa won by 78 runs. South Africa 230 (50 ov); England 152 (44.3 ov).

Group A (replayed): Kenya v Zimbabwe at Patna - February 26, 1996
No result. Zimbabwe 45-3 (15.5 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v Netherlands at Lahore - February 26, 1996
Pakistan won by 8 wickets. Netherlands 145-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 151-2 (30.4 ov).

Group A: India v Australia at Mumbai - February 27, 1996
Australia won by 16 runs. Australia 258 (50 ov); India 242 (48 ov).

Group A: Kenya v Zimbabwe at Patna - February 27, 1996
Zimbabwe won by 5 wickets. Kenya 134 (49.4 ov); Zimbabwe 137-5 (42.2 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v United Arab Emirates at Faisalabad - February 27, 1996
New Zealand won by 109 runs. New Zealand 276-8 (47 ov); United Arab Emirates 167-9 (47 ov).

Group A: Kenya v West Indies at Poona - February 29, 1996
Kenya won by 73 runs. Kenya 166 (49.3 ov); West Indies 93 (35.2 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v South Africa at Karachi - February 29, 1996
South Africa won by 5 wickets. Pakistan 242-6 (50 ov); South Africa 243-5 (44.2 ov).

Group A: Australia v Zimbabwe at Nagpur - March 1, 1996
Australia won by 8 wickets. Zimbabwe 154 (45.3 ov); Australia 158-2 (36 ov).

Group B: Netherlands v United Arab Emirates at Lahore - March 1, 1996
United Arab Emirates won by 7 wickets. Netherlands 216-9 (50 ov); United Arab Emirates 220-3 (44.2 ov).

Group A: India v Sri Lanka at Delhi - March 2, 1996
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets. India 271-3 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 272-4 (48.4 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v England at Karachi - March 3, 1996
Pakistan won by 7 wickets. England 249-9 (50 ov); Pakistan 250-3 (47.4 ov).

Group A: Australia v West Indies at Jaipur - March 4, 1996
West Indies won by 4 wickets. Australia 229-6 (50 ov); West Indies 232-6 (48.5 ov).

Group B: Netherlands v South Africa at Rawalpindi - March 5, 1996
South Africa won by 160 runs. South Africa 328-3 (50 ov); Netherlands 168-8 (50 ov).

Group A: India v Zimbabwe at Kanpur - March 6, 1996
India won by 40 runs. India 247-5 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 207 (49.4 ov).

Group A: Sri Lanka v Kenya at Kandy - March 6, 1996
Sri Lanka won by 144 runs. Sri Lanka 398-5 (50 ov); Kenya 254-7 (50 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v New Zealand at Lahore - March 6, 1996
Pakistan won by 46 runs. Pakistan 281-5 (50 ov); New Zealand 235 (47.3 ov).

Quarter-Final: England v Sri Lanka at Faisalabad - March 9, 1996
Sri Lanka won by 5 wickets. England 235-8 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 236-5 (40.4 ov).

Quarter-Final: India v Pakistan at Bangalore - March 9, 1996
India won by 39 runs. India 287-8 (50 ov); Pakistan 248-9 (49 ov).

Quarter-Final: Australia v New Zealand at Chennai - March 11, 1996
Australia won by 6 wickets. New Zealand 286-9 (50 ov); Australia 289-4 (47.5 ov).

Quarter-Final: South Africa v West Indies at Karachi - March 11, 1996
West Indies won by 19 runs. West Indies 264-8 (50 ov); South Africa 245 (49.3 ov).

Semi-Final: India v Sri Lanka at Calcutta (Kolkata) - March 13, 1996
Sri Lanka won (match conceded). Sri Lanka 251-8 (50 ov); India 120-8 (34.1 ov).

Semi-Final: Australia v West Indies at Mohali - March 14, 1996
Australia won by 5 runs. Australia 207-8 (50 ov); West Indies 202 (49.3 ov).

Final: Australia v Sri Lanka at Lahore - March 17, 1996
Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets. Australia 241-7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 245-3 (46.2 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup

The 1992 world cup held in Australia/New Zealand saw Pakistan, under the captainship of Imran Khan, winning the world cup, beating England in the final. The tournament saw England once reaching the finals but loosing it. Pakistan who had the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and Rameez Raza, could only win only 1 of the 5 matches in the preliminary stage but reached the semis by winning the last 3 games beating the then unbeatable team of New Zealand in the last. New Zealand again lost to Pakistan in the semis to give the final berth to the Paks. It was a 60 from 37 bowls innings from the then unknown lad, Inzamam, which helped Pak take the prestigious cup home.

The world cup saw many changes in the format of the game. For the first time colored team uniforms were introduced in a world cup. The 1992 world cup was also the first to use white cricket balls and have day/night matches. Also this world cup had 9 participants with South Africa appearing in the world cup for the first time after returning to one-day cricket in 1991. Thus this time teams were not splits into 2 groups but teams played once with every team in the prelims. Also the world cup was also characterized by the controversial 'highest-scoring overs' rule that led to the controversial defeat of South Africa in the semifinals. South Africa needed 22 runs of 13 bowls to win the match when rain stopped play and South Africa was given an impossible revised target of 21 of 1 bowl using the 'highest-scoring overs' rule.

The New Zealand team captain introduced new innovative tactics by sending pinch hitters to start the innings and a spinner (Dipak Patel) to start the teams bowling rather than the seamers, as was the usual practice. The Indians finished the World Cup on a bad note loosing 5 out its 8 prelims and winning just 2 with 1 NR. The Indian team studded with stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, M. Azharuddin, Vinod Kambli and Kiran More could win only two encounters, one against their archrivals Pakistan and other the minnows Zimbabwe.

Summary of the results

England v India at Perth - February 22, 1992
England won by 9 runs. England 236-9 (50 ov); India 227 (49.2 ov).

New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - February 22, 1992
New Zealand won by 37 runs. New Zealand 248-6 (50 ov); Australia 211 (48.1 ov).

Pakistan v West Indies at Melbourne - February 23, 1992
West Indies won by 10 wickets. Pakistan 220-2 (50 ov); West Indies 221-0 (46.5 ov).

Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at New Plymouth - February 23, 1992
Sri Lanka won by 3 wickets. Zimbabwe 312-4 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 313-7 (49.2 ov).

New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Hamilton - February 25, 1992
New Zealand won by 6 wickets. Sri Lanka 206-9 (50 ov); New Zealand 210-4 (48.2 ov).

Australia v South Africa at Sydney - February 26, 1992
South Africa won by 9 wickets. Australia 170-9 (49 ov); South Africa 171-1 (46.5 ov).

England v West Indies at Melbourne - February 27, 1992
England won by 6 wickets. West Indies 157 (49.2 ov); England 160-4 (39.5 ov).

Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Hobart - February 27, 1992
Pakistan won by 53 runs. Pakistan 254-4 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 201-7 (50 ov).

India v Sri Lanka at Mackay - February 28, 1992
No result. India 1-0 (0.2 ov).

New Zealand v South Africa at Auckland - February 29, 1992
New Zealand won by 7 wickets. South Africa 190-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 191-3 (34.3 ov).

West Indies v Zimbabwe at Brisbane - February 29, 1992
West Indies won by 75 runs. West Indies 264-8 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 189-7 (50 ov).

Australia v India at Brisbane - March 1, 1992
Australia won by 1 run. Australia 237-9 (50 ov); India 234 (47 ov).

England v Pakistan at Adelaide - March 1, 1992
No result. Pakistan 74 (40.2 ov); England 24-1 (8 ov).

South Africa v Sri Lanka at Wellington - March 2, 1992
Sri Lanka won by 3 wickets. South Africa 195 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 198-7 (49.5 ov).

New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Napier - March 3, 1992
New Zealand won by 48 runs. New Zealand 162-3 (20.5 ov); Zimbabwe 105-7 (18 ov).

India v Pakistan at Sydney - March 4, 1992
India won by 43 runs. India 216-7 (49 ov); Pakistan 173 (48.1 ov).

Australia v England at Sydney - March 5, 1992
England won by 8 wickets. Australia 171 (49 ov); England 173-2 (40.5 ov).

South Africa v West Indies at Christchurch - March 5, 1992
South Africa won by 64 runs. South Africa 200-8 (50 ov); West Indies 136 (38.4 ov).

Australia v Sri Lanka at Adelaide - March 7, 1992
Australia won by 7 wickets. Sri Lanka 189-9 (50 ov); Australia 190-3 (44 ov).

India v Zimbabwe at Hamilton - March 7, 1992
India won by 55 runs. India 203-7 (32 ov); Zimbabwe 104-1 (19.1 ov).

New Zealand v West Indies at Auckland - March 8, 1992
New Zealand won by 5 wickets. West Indies 203-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 206-5 (48.3 ov).

Pakistan v South Africa at Brisbane - March 8, 1992
South Africa won by 20 runs. South Africa 211-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 173-8 (36 ov).

England v Sri Lanka at Ballarat - March 9, 1992
England won by 106 runs. England 280-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 174 (44 ov).

India v West Indies at Wellington - March 10, 1992
West Indies won by 5 wickets. India 197 (49.4 ov); West Indies 195-5 (40.2 ov).

South Africa v Zimbabwe at Canberra - March 10, 1992
South Africa won by 7 wickets. Zimbabwe 163 (48.3 ov); South Africa 164-3 (45.1 ov).

Australia v Pakistan at Perth - March 11, 1992
Pakistan won by 48 runs. Pakistan 220-9 (50 ov); Australia 172 (45.2 ov).

England v South Africa at Melbourne - March 12, 1992
England won by 3 wickets. South Africa 236-4 (50 ov); England 226-7 (40.5 ov).

New Zealand v India at Dunedin - March 12, 1992
New Zealand won by 4 wickets. India 230-6 (50 ov); New Zealand 231-6 (47.1 ov).

Sri Lanka v West Indies at Berri - March 13, 1992
West Indies won by 91 runs. West Indies 268-8 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 177-9 (50 ov).

Australia v Zimbabwe at Hobart - March 14, 1992
Australia won by 128 runs. Australia 265-6 (46 ov); Zimbabwe 137 (41.4 ov).

India v South Africa at Adelaide - March 15, 1992
South Africa won by 6 wickets. India 180-6 (30 ov); South Africa 181-4 (29.1 ov).

New Zealand v England at Wellington - March 15, 1992
New Zealand won by 7 wickets. England 200-8 (50 ov); New Zealand 201-3 (40.5 ov).

Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Perth - March 15, 1992
Pakistan won by 4 wickets. Sri Lanka 212-6 (50 ov); Pakistan 216-6 (49.1 ov).

Australia v West Indies at Melbourne - March 18, 1992
Australia won by 57 runs. Australia 216-6 (50 ov); West Indies 159 (42.4 ov).

England v Zimbabwe at Albury - March 18, 1992
Zimbabwe won by 9 runs. Zimbabwe 134 (46.1 ov); England 125 (49.1 ov).

New Zealand v Pakistan at Christchurch - March 18, 1992
Pakistan won by 7 wickets. New Zealand 166 (48.2 ov); Pakistan 167-3 (44.4 ov).

Semi-Final: New Zealand v Pakistan at Auckland - March 21, 1992
Pakistan won by 4 wickets. New Zealand 262-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 264-6 (49 ov).

Semi-Final: England v South Africa at Sydney - March 22, 1992
England won by 19 runs. England 252-6 (45 ov); South Africa 232-6 (43 ov).

Final: England v Pakistan at Melbourne - March 25, 1992
Pakistan won by 22 runs. Pakistan 249-6 (50 ov); England 227 (49.2 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1987 ICC Cricket World Cup

The 1987 Cricket World Cup held in India and Pakistan was the first World Cup hosted outside of England. It was also the first tournament where the West Indies was unable to reach the final. Australia won the championship by defeating England by 7 runs, the closest margin so far in World Cup final history. Also Australia's win hinted the emergence of a new dominator in cricket. In the finals held at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, England did make struggle to win the cup but it was the Kangaroos who had the last laugh.

This world cup also known as the Reliance Cup had 8 teams participating. Another feature of the fourth world cup was that the number of overs were reduced from 60 to 50 due shorter daylight hours in the subcontinent with the rest of the format same as the last world. As for India and Pakistan, the hosts, both of them reached the semis and lost there though they were the toppers of the respective group tables. India lost to England while Pakistan lost to Australia in the semis.

One of the especial feature of staging a world cup in India and Pakistan was that the spin dominated in contrast to the previous world cups where it was the seamers who dominated the batsmen. Also this world cup was characterised by high scores and run rates though the overs had been reduced. Thus the spectators had a splendid time watching it. Sunil Gavaskar retired after the world cup while Imran Khan made first of his many announcements of retirement before finally retiring after the 1992 world cup. Sidhu and Moody made their debuts in this world cup and while Sidhu averaged 50 Moody averaged only 5. Courtney Walsh, one of the greatest bowlers of all time, also came as a younster here and had a terrible time .

Summary of results

Group B: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Hyderabad - October 8, 1987
Pakistan won by 15 runs. Pakistan 267-6 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 252 (49.2 ov).

Group A: India v Australia at Chennai - October 9, 1987
Australia won by 1 run. Australia 270-6 (50 ov); India 269 (49.5 ov).

Group B: England v West Indies at Gujranwala - October 9, 1987
England won by 2 wickets. West Indies 243-7 (50 ov); England 246-8 (49.3 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Hyderabad - October 10, 1987
New Zealand won by 3 runs. New Zealand 242-7 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 239 (49.4 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v England at Rawalpindi - October 12, 1987
Pakistan won by 18 runs. Pakistan 239-7 (50 ov); England 221 (48.4 ov).

Group A: Australia v Zimbabwe at Chennai - October 13, 1987
Australia won by 96 runs. Australia 235-9 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 139 (42.4 ov).

Group B: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Karachi - October 13, 1987
West Indies won by 191 runs. West Indies 360-4 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 169-4 (50 ov).

Group A: India v New Zealand at Bangalore - October 14, 1987
India won by 16 runs. India 252-7 (50 ov); New Zealand 236-8 (50 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v West Indies at Lahore - October 16, 1987
Pakistan won by 1 wicket. West Indies 216 (49.3 ov); Pakistan 217-9 (50 ov).

Group A: India v Zimbabwe at Mumbai - October 17, 1987
India won by 8 wickets. Zimbabwe 135 (44.2 ov); India 136-2 (27.5 ov).

Group B: England v Sri Lanka at Peshawar - October 17, 1987
England won on faster scoring rate. England 296-4 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 158-8 (45 ov).

Group A: Australia v New Zealand at Indore - October 18, 1987
Australia won by 3 runs. Australia 199-4 (30 ov); New Zealand 196-9 (30 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v England at Karachi - October 20, 1987
Pakistan won by 7 wickets. England 244-9 (50 ov); Pakistan 247-3 (49 ov).

Group B: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Kanpur - October 21, 1987
West Indies won by 25 runs. West Indies 236-8 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 211-8 (50 ov).

Group A: India v Australia at Delhi - October 22, 1987
India won by 56 runs. India 289-6 (50 ov); Australia 233 (49 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Calcutta (Kolkata) - October 23, 1987
New Zealand won by 4 wickets. Zimbabwe 227-5 (50 ov); New Zealand 228-6 (47.4 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Faisalabad - October 25, 1987
Pakistan won by 113 runs. Pakistan 297-7 (50 ov); Sri Lanka 184-8 (50 ov).

Group A: India v Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad - October 26, 1987
India won by 7 wickets. Zimbabwe 191-7 (50 ov); India 194-3 (42 ov).

Group B: England v West Indies at Jaipur - October 26, 1987
England won by 34 runs. England 269-5 (50 ov); West Indies 235 (48.1 ov).

Group A: Australia v New Zealand at Chandigarh - October 27, 1987
Australia won by 17 runs. Australia 251-8 (50 ov); New Zealand 234 (48.4 ov).

Group A: Australia v Zimbabwe at Cuttack - October 30, 1987
Australia won by 70 runs. Australia 266-5 (50 ov); Zimbabwe 196-6 (50 ov).

Group B: England v Sri Lanka at Poona - October 30, 1987
England won by 8 wickets. Sri Lanka 218-7 (50 ov); England 219-2 (41.2 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v West Indies at Karachi - October 30, 1987
West Indies won by 28 runs. West Indies 258-7 (50 ov); Pakistan 230-9 (50 ov).

Group A: India v New Zealand at Nagpur - October 31, 1987
India won by 9 wickets. New Zealand 221-9 (50 ov); India 224-1 (32.1 ov).

Semi-Final: Pakistan v Australia at Lahore - November 4, 1987
Australia won by 18 runs. Australia 267-8 (50 ov); Pakistan 249 (49 ov).

Semi-Final: India v England at Mumbai - November 5, 1987
England won by 35 runs. England 254-6 (50 ov); India 219 (45.3 ov).

Final: Australia v England at Calcutta (Kolkata) - November 8, 1987
Australia won by 7 runs. Australia 253-5 (50 ov); England 246-8 (50 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup

The ICC cricket World Cup 1983 held in England in June 1983 can be said to be a golden era in history of Indian cricket. India, quoted at 1 to 66 before world cup began, won the most prestigious cricket cup defeating the then world champions, West Indies, in the finals held on June25, 1983 at Lord's by 43 runs. Though India batting first was all out for an average score of 183, India knocked out the champions for just 140 odd runs. It was the all round performance of Mohindar Amarnath and Indian captain, Kapil Dev which led India India to surprise victory in the finals.

This world cup saw the emergence of all time great players like Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikkanth, RMH Binny, Ravi Shastri and Syed Kirmani (Ind), Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir (Pak), Alan Border (Aus) and R Hadlee (NZ). A total of 8 teams participated in the world cup with Zimbabwe replacing Canada.

The world cup started with two fine surprises with India beating West Indies and Zimbabwe beating Australia in the group stages. While India won 6 out of its 8 group matches while lost one each to Australia and West Indies. As against the last two world cups the sides played twice with each other in the group stages in this world cup. Also each of the eight sides registered at least single victory. Unexpectedly Binny (Ind) and De Mel (SL) came out as leading wicket takers. The aggregate attendance was 232081 while gate receipts amounted to 1195712Pounds.

Summary of the results

Group A: England v New Zealand at The Oval - June 9, 1983
England won by 106 runs. England 322-6 (60 ov); New Zealand 216 (59 ov).

Group A: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Swansea - June 9, 1983
Pakistan won by 50 runs. Pakistan 338-5 (60 ov); Sri Lanka 288-9 (60 ov).

Group B: Australia v Zimbabwe at Nottingham - June 9, 1983
Zimbabwe won by 13 runs. Zimbabwe 239-6 (60 ov); Australia 226-7 (60 ov).

Group B: India v West Indies at Manchester - June 9, 1983
India won by 34 runs. India 262-8 (60 ov); West Indies 228 (54.1 ov).

Group A: England v Sri Lanka at Taunton - June 11, 1983
England won by 47 runs. England 333-9 (60 ov); Sri Lanka 286 (58 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Pakistan at Birmingham - June 11, 1983
New Zealand won by 52 runs. New Zealand 238-9 (60 ov); Pakistan 186 (55.2 ov).

Group B: Australia v West Indies at Leeds - June 11, 1983
West Indies won by 101 runs. West Indies 252-9 (60 ov); Australia 151 (30.3 ov).

Group B: India v Zimbabwe at Leicester - June 11, 1983
India won by 5 wickets. Zimbabwe 155 (51.4 ov); India 157-5 (37.3 ov).

Group A: England v Pakistan at Lord's - June 13, 1983
England won by 8 wickets. Pakistan 193-8 (60 ov); England 199-2 (50.4 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bristol - June 13, 1983
New Zealand won by 5 wickets. Sri Lanka 206 (56.1 ov); New Zealand 209-5 (39.2 ov).

Group B: Australia v India at Nottingham - June 13, 1983
Australia won by 162 runs. Australia 320-9 (60 ov); India 158 (37.5 ov).

Group B: West Indies v Zimbabwe at Worcester - June 13, 1983
West Indies won by 8 wickets. Zimbabwe 217-7 (60 ov); West Indies 218-2 (48.3 ov).

Group A: England v New Zealand at Birmingham - June 15, 1983
New Zealand won by 2 wickets. England 234 (55.2 ov); New Zealand 238-8 (59.5 ov).

Group B: India v West Indies at The Oval - June 15, 1983
West Indies won by 66 runs. West Indies 282-9 (60 ov); India 216 (53.1 ov).

Group A: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Leeds - June 16, 1983
Pakistan won by 11 runs. Pakistan 235-7 (60 ov); Sri Lanka 224 (58.3 ov).

Group B: Australia v Zimbabwe at Southampton - June 16, 1983
Australia won by 32 runs. Australia 272-7 (60 ov); Zimbabwe 240 (59.5 ov).

Group A: England v Pakistan at Manchester - June 18, 1983
England won by 7 wickets. Pakistan 232-8 (60 ov); England 233-3 (57.2 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Derby - June 18, 1983
Sri Lanka won by 3 wickets. New Zealand 181 (58.2 ov); Sri Lanka 184-7 (52.5 ov).

Group B: Australia v West Indies at Lord's - June 18, 1983
West Indies won by 7 wickets. Australia 273-6 (60 ov); West Indies 276-3 (57.5 ov).

Group B: India v Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells - June 18, 1983
India won by 31 runs. India 266-8 (60 ov); Zimbabwe 235 (57 ov).

Group A: England v Sri Lanka at Leeds - June 20, 1983
England won by 9 wickets. Sri Lanka 136 (50.4 ov); England 137-1 (24.1 ov).

Group A: New Zealand v Pakistan at Nottingham - June 20, 1983
Pakistan won by 11 runs. Pakistan 261-3 (60 ov); New Zealand 250 (59.1 ov).

Group B: Australia v India at Chelmsford - June 20, 1983
India won by 118 runs. India 247 (55.5 ov); Australia 129 (38.2 ov).

Group B: West Indies v Zimbabwe at Birmingham - June 20, 1983
West Indies won by 10 wickets. Zimbabwe 171 (60 ov); West Indies 172-0 (45.1 ov).

Semi-Final: England v India at Manchester - June 22, 1983
India won by 6 wickets. England 213 (60 ov); India 217-4 (54.4 ov).

Semi-Final: Pakistan v West Indies at The Oval - June 22, 1983
West Indies won by 8 wickets. Pakistan 184-8 (60 ov); West Indies 188-2 (48.4 ov).

Final: India v West Indies at Lord's - June 25, 1983
India won by 43 runs. India 183 (54.4 ov); West Indies 140 (52 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1979 ICC Cricket World Cup

The second Cricket World Cup was held in England in June 1979. The result of this mega event was the same as the first one with West Indies stealing the show with their dominating performance. West Indies continued their undefeatable performance by defeating England in the finals and clinching the cup. The only difference in the first WC and this one was that in the first WC it was Australia against them in the finals and who put up a great fight while in this one it was the host, England, against them who easily gave up the chase and lost by a hefty margin of 92 runs. Another thing to be noted of this world cup was that last time finalists didn't even clear the group stage and went out of contention.

In this world cup also 8 teams participated with Canada replacing East Africa. This world cup was full of stars which included great players like Ian Botham, G Boycott and M Hendrick (Eng), Asif Iqbal, Zaheer Abbas and Imran Khan (Pak), Garner, Holding, G Greennidge, Richards, Haynes, Lloyd and Croft (WI) , GJ Cosier (Aus) and Turner and Wright (NZ).

India on the other hand continued its dismal performance and was thrown out of the tournament in the group stages only. India lost all of its 3 groups matches against West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

A summary of the results of 1979 cricket world cup

Group A: Canada v Pakistan at Leeds - June 9, 1979
Pakistan won by 8 wickets. Canada 139-9 (60 ov); Pakistan 140-2 (40.1 ov).

Group A: England v Australia at Lord's - June 9, 1979
England won by 6 wickets. Australia 159-9 (60 ov); England 160-4 (47.1 ov).

Group B: India v West Indies at Birmingham - June 9, 1979
West Indies won by 9 wickets. India 190 (53.1 ov); West Indies 194-1 (51.3 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Nottingham - June 9, 1979
New Zealand won by 9 wickets. Sri Lanka 189 (56.5 ov); New Zealand 190-1 (47.4 ov).

Group A: Australia v Pakistan at Nottingham - June 13, 1979
Pakistan won by 89 runs. Pakistan 286-7 (60 ov); Australia 197 (57.1 ov).

Group A: England v Canada at Manchester - June 13, 1979
England won by 8 wickets. Canada 45 (40.3 ov); England 46-2 (13.5 ov).

Group B: India v New Zealand at Leeds - June 13, 1979
New Zealand won by 8 wickets. India 182 (55.5 ov); New Zealand 183-2 (57 ov).

Group B: Sri Lanka v West Indies at The Oval - June 13, 1979
Match abandoned.

Group A: Australia v Canada at Birmingham - June 16, 1979
Australia won by 7 wickets. Canada 105 (33.2 ov); Australia 106-3 (26 ov).

Group A: England v Pakistan at Leeds - June 16, 1979
England won by 14 runs. England 165-9 (60 ov); Pakistan 151 (56 ov).

Group B: India v Sri Lanka at Manchester - June 16, 1979
Sri Lanka won by 47 runs. Sri Lanka 238-5 (60 ov); India 191 (54.1 ov).

Group B: New Zealand v West Indies at Nottingham - June 16, 1979
West Indies won by 32 runs. West Indies 244-7 (60 ov); New Zealand 212-9 (60 ov).

Semi-Final: England v New Zealand at Manchester - June 20, 1979
England won by 9 runs. England 221-8 (60 ov); New Zealand 212-9 (60 ov).

Semi-Final: Pakistan v West Indies at The Oval - June 20, 1979
West Indies won by 43 runs. West Indies 293-6 (60 ov); Pakistan 250 (56.2 ov).

Final: England v West Indies at Lord's - June 23, 1979
West Indies won by 92 runs. West Indies 286-9 (60 ov); England 194 (51 ov).

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WC Remembrances - 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup

The 1975 ICC Cricket World Cup was the first ever cricket world cup held and it was held in The United Kingdom. It was the then unformidable team of West Indies studded with stars like CH Llyod, CG Greennidge and AME Roberts, which took the privileged cup home. West Indies defeated Australia in the final. The final, played at The Lord's ground, was a close encounter with West Indies stealing the win from Australia, defeating them by a mere margin of 17 runs.

A total of 8 teams (West Indies, Australia, India, Pakistan, East Africa, New Zealand, England and Sri Lanka) participated in this first ever major cricket event. As for India, India was out of contention for the cup in the group stage only and it could not reach the Semifinals. India placed with East Africa, New Zealand and England in group A, lost 2 of its 3 group matches and was thus unable to reach the semifinal stage.

A brief summary of the results

Group A: East Africa v New Zealand at Birmingham - June 7, 1975
New Zealand won by 181 runs. New Zealand 309-5 (60 ov); East Africa 128-8 (60 ov).

Group A: England v India at Lord's - June 7, 1975
England won by 202 runs. England 334-4 (60 ov); India 132-3 (60 ov).

Group B: Australia v Pakistan at Leeds - June 7, 1975
Australia won by 73 runs. Australia 278-7 (60 ov); Pakistan 205 (53 ov).

Group B: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Manchester - June 7, 1975
West Indies won by 9 wickets. Sri Lanka 86 (37.2 ov); West Indies 87-1 (20.4 ov).

Group A: East Africa v India at Leeds - June 11, 1975
India won by 10 wickets. East Africa 120 (55.3 ov); India 123-0 (29.5 ov).

Group A: England v New Zealand at Nottingham - June 11, 1975
England won by 80 runs. England 266-6 (60 ov); New Zealand 186 (60 ov).

Group B: Australia v Sri Lanka at The Oval - June 11, 1975
Australia won by 52 runs. Australia 328-5 (60 ov); Sri Lanka 276-4 (60 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v West Indies at Birmingham - June 11, 1975
West Indies won by 1 wicket. Pakistan 266-7 (60 ov); West Indies 267-9 (59.4 ov).

Group A: England v East Africa at Birmingham - June 14, 1975
England won by 196 runs. England 290-5 (60 ov); East Africa 94 (52.3 ov).

Group A: India v New Zealand at Manchester - June 14, 1975
New Zealand won by 4 wickets. India 230 (60 ov); New Zealand 233-6 (58.5 ov).

Group B: Australia v West Indies at The Oval - June 14, 1975
West Indies won by 7 wickets. Australia 192 (53.4 ov); West Indies 195-3 (46 ov).

Group B: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Nottingham - June 14, 1975
Pakistan won by 192 runs. Pakistan 330-6 (60 ov); Sri Lanka 138 (50.1 ov).

Semi-Final: England v Australia at Leeds - June 18, 1975
Australia won by 4 wickets. England 93 (36.2 ov); Australia 94-6 (28.4 ov).

Semi-Final: New Zealand v West Indies at The Oval - June 18, 1975
West Indies won by 5 wickets. New Zealand 158 (52.2 ov); West Indies 159-5 (40.1 ov).

Final: Australia v West Indies at Lord's - June 21, 1975
West Indies won by 17 runs. West Indies 291-8 (60 ov); Australia 274 (58.4 ov).

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