Cricket World Cup Winners List – Here are all the Winners of the ODI WC

The cricketing universe once again prepares to unleash the game’s ultimate extravaganza in October 2023, which will be hosted by the 2-time champions India. A total of 12 ODI World Cups have been played until now, and we saw 6 different champions from three different continents. But which team has won the most World Cup? Here’s the ODI Cricket World Cup Winners List.

Cricket World Cup Winners List

Here’s a list of all the World Cup finals and its winners.

1) Cricket World Cup Winners List 1975 – West Indies

The first-ever Men’s World Cup final saw Clive Lloyd’s West Indies lock horns with Ian Chappell’s Australia. The legendary Rohan Kanhai got himself a well-composed half-century, but it was the skipper Clive Lloyd who got himself a blazing century in just 75 deliveries and took his side to a commanding 291 run total. 

Ian Chappell’s half-century and some cameos from the bats of Jeff Thompson, Ross Edwards and Doug Walters brought Australia very close to the target, but they finished 17 runs short. A 23-year-old Vivian Richards inflicted 3 run-outs on the field, which involved the big dismissals Alan Turner and the Chappell brothers, a fielding performance revered to this day. 

2) 1979 Winers – West Indies 

The Caribbean contingent, which took the inaugural championship without losing a game, repeated the same feat in 1979. They encountered a feisty English unit in the final, who fought their way into the final after a narrow win against New Zealand. But they were taken aback by the Vivian Richards storm, who registered a stunning 138 to keep the side in contention for a total over 250.

But the real difference maker proved to be Collis King, who struck a 66-ball 86 and propelled his side to 286 runs in 60 overs. Openers Mike Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott added a 100-run stand in the run chase, but once they both departed, the English fell like a pack of cards. Joel Garner was the destructor in chief, picking up 5 wickets and helped his side register a whopping 92-run win, which was the biggest win in terms of runs until 2003. 

3) 1983 Winners – India

Next on the Cricket World Cup Winners List is India. While the West Indies were confident of making it three titles in a row, in front of them stood the underdog Indian unit, who weren’t expected to do anything significant. India struggled with the bat in the first innings after losing the toss, and could manage only 183 runs, with Kris Srikkanth top-scoring for the sub-continent side (38 off 57 balls).

Much to the surprise of the viewing world, Indian bowlers kept things very tight right from the outset and made life difficult for their batters. Vivian Richards looked determined to curb their ambitions, but once he was dismissed by a wonderful catch from Kapil Dev, the Indians sailed through to the winning line in style.   

4) 1987 Winners – Australia 

A game remembered for the infamous reverse sweep from Mike Gatting, saw Australia clinch their first of five 50-over World Cup titles. David Boon’s half-century, powered by a valiant cameo from Mike Veletta, helped Australia post 253 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. Allan Border and Dean Jones chipped in with crucial contributions as well. 

After Bill Athey’s half-century provided them a decent platform, Mike Gatting and Allan Lamb provided some acceleration to the scoring. Lamb seemed to have kept them going, but once Waugh dismissed him, England struggled to finish the game despite having a good chance do so. They fell short by 7 runs, which made it the most closely contested World Cup in terms of run-difference until 2019. 

5) 1992 Winners – Pakistan

Having lost two finals already, England started to grow more desperate to not lose the 1992 final, which took place at the MCG against Pakistan. The Asian side had a fairytale run themselves, and reached this stage against all the odds. Senior men Imran Khan and Javed Miandad scored half-centuries for the side batting first whilst Inzamam-ul-Haq chipped in with a gutsy 42. 

Pakistan posted 249 runs for the loss of 6 wickets and they took early wickets to take control immediately. Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb’s partnership threatened to provide an upset, but Wasim Akram’s magic with the ball propelled Pakistan to a 22-run win, which made them the second Asian team to win the trophy. 

6) 1996 Winners – Sri Lanka 

Mark Taylor’s Australian unit had decent fire power in them to go all the way in 1996, but a resurgent Sri Lankan side proved to be a bit too much. In the final held in Lahore, Mark Taylor an Ricky Ponting gave Australia a solid start, before Michael Bevan gave them a strong finish. They posted 241 runs and until then, no team had won the World Cup final while chasing a target, which kept the Aussies in the drivers’ seat. 

It took something extraordinary from Aravinda de Silva to break that deadlock. After losing the openers cheaply, Asanka Gurusinha and Silva added 125 runs for the 3^rd wicket, with Gurusinha getting 65 out of them. Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga finished the job alongside Silva, who became only the third man after Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards to score a century in the World Cup final. Sri Lanka won their first-ever major title, and De Silva was named player of the match. 

7) 1999 Winners – Australia 

The Aussies had a roller-coaster run into the 1999 final, where they faced Pakistan for the title. However, they put in a scintillatingly dominant performance against the Asian side, which kick-started an era of supremacy in world cricket that lasted nearly a decade. 

Shane Warne’s 4/33 and Glenn McGrath’s 2/13 in 9 overs each, dismantled the Pakistani batting order, who put just 132 runs batting first. Adam Gilchrist scored a 36-ball 54 to make things furthermore easy for the men in yellow, who bagged their second World title by chasing the total in 20.1 overs. 

8) 2003 Winners – Australia

It came as a massive shocker when India won the toss and chose to field first in the 2003 World Cup against Australia, and Ricky Ponting didn’t take long to make them regret it further. His 140 off 121 deliveries, powered by a couple of blazing half-centuries from Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn, took Australia to the highest-ever total registered by a team in the World Cup final, a record that still stands (359/2). 

Besides a couple of promising partnerships, it was evident that India were never getting close to that target despite Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid’s valiant efforts. They fell short by 125 runs, which is the biggest loss in a World Cup final. 

9) 2007 Winners – Australia

A final remembered for Adam Gilchrist’s cyclonic innings with the bat, the Aussie keeper played a crucial role in denying a spirited Sri Lankan unit their second World title. He fired in with a 149 in just 104 deliveries, which included 13 fours and 8 sixes. He also became the first person to register 3 50+ scores in World Cup finals. 

Australia posted 281 runs in 38 overs (reduced due to rain). Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara’s fifties kept the Lankan boat afloat for a while, but Australia fought back and ensured they came nowhere closed to the total. With 2 overs still left to play, bad light stopped the game and Australia were declared winners by D/L Method. 

10) 2011 Winners – India

The 2011 edition brought an end to many beliefs of the past. The impregnable Australian side finally lost a World Cup game for the first time since 1999, and the thought that hosts could not go all the way, was trashed aside. Mahela Jayawardene’s spellbound century took Sri Lanka to 274 runs in the final at the Wankhede, a total which seemed daunting enough to win the game. 

Lasith Malinga provided them two big early blows to further their claim, but Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni managed to take India home with 10 balls remaining. It was India’s first ODI World Cup title since 1983, and Sri Lanka became the second team to lose 2 finals in a row after England. 

11) 2015 Winners – Australia 

After India, Australia followed the same premise and managed to win the tournament as a hosting nation. They faced their Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in the final, who reached this stage for the first time in their history after five failed attempts. MCG recorded the greatest-ever attendance that day for a World Cup game, and the hosts did not disappoint.

New Zealand were bundled out for 183 runs batting first. Grant Elliot’s 82-ball 83 took them to a respectable total, but it was far too less for an Australian unit in full confidence. Skipper Michael Clarke led from the front and got a 72-ball 74, as they chased the total down in 33.1 overs. It was their fifth World Cup crown. 

12) 2019 Winners – England

A final regarded as the greatest-ever ODI game, England and New Zealand played out an absolute thriller at the Lord’s, which was also marred by some umpiring bloopers and cries of immorality. New Zealand snuck their way to a defendable total of 241 runs, courtesy of a fifty from Henry Nicholls and a valiant 47 from Tom Latham. 

England lost early wickets and looked in deep trouble, before Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes brought life back into the game with 110-run partnership. It went down to the wire with England needing 15 runs in the final over, and courtesy of some deflections and loose deliveries, Stokes managed 12 out of it. The game went into the Super Over, which also incidentally finished in a tie and that saw England getting crowned World Champions on Boundary Count. 

Also Read: T20 World Cup Winners List Over the Years – From India to West Indies