History of ICC World Cup
The ICC (International Cricket Championship) World Cup is an international ODI (One Day International) cricket championship. The event is organized by the ICC and held every four years following preliminary qualification rounds.
The ICC World Cup is considered the flagship event of the international cricket calendar and one of the most viewed sporting events worldwide. So if you’re a cricket fan and want to know more about how the ICC World Cup started, keep reading.
The First International Cricket Match
The first-ever international cricket match was between the United States and Canada; it was held on 24 and 25 September 1844. Meanwhile, the first credited Test match happened between England and Australia in 1877, and they competed regularly.
The ICC admitted South Africa to Test status in 1889, where representative teams were selected to tour each other. Cricket became an Olympic sport at the 1900 Paris Games, where Great Britain won the gold medal, defeating France.
The first official ICC cricket matches began in 1975 in England with eight teams, including the 6 Test-playing nations. The eight teams included England, Australia, Pakistan, India, West Indies, and New Zealand; East Africa and Sri Lanka were added. The tournament recorded a huge success when it was first held and has been held every four years since then.
Major teams from different parts of the world participate in the ICC World Cup at each game. In 1912, an attempt was made at a World Triangular Tournament between South Africa, Australia, and England; England Won.
The Trophy
Different types of prizes were given to champions of the tournaments held before the World Cup Trophy was adopted in 1999. The Trophy was designed and manufactured by Gerrard in London; it is a golden globe with three silver columns.
The Trophy is a 60-cm-high cup crafted in gilt and silver and is presented as a stylized cricket ball. The silver columns are styled as stumps and bails to represent the three essential pillars of the basketball game: fielding, battling, and bowling.
The cup is valued at 40,000 euros and weighs 11 kilos; its platonic design makes it instantly recognized from any angle. On the cup’s base are inscription plates where the six previous championships are acknowledged. The Trophy is the prize for the tournament’s overall winner, although they also get huge cash prizes.
ICC World Cup Evolution
The first ICC World Cup was held in 1975, organized in England, four years after the first ODI cricket match. The current format for ICC World Cup tournaments involves a qualification phase that lasts for three years.
Since the match is held every four years, qualification competitions are held over the preceding years to choose the qualified teams. Then, ten teams compete in the tournament phase for the title at venues chosen by the host nation for about a month.
Twelve tournament editions have already been held; the twelfth edition will be held in 2019. Australia has won the championship cup five times, West Indies and India twice, and England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. All of these editions continue to influence ICC world cup betting and the mind of bettors.
England is currently the reigning champion since they won the 2019 World Cup edition. The thirteenth tournament will be held in 2023 in India, while the 2027 tournament will be held jointly in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
ICC World Cup Tournaments and Winners Over the Years
The first World Cup was announced in 1966 by Rothman and Bagenal Harvey to be contested between England, West Indies, and Australia. However, this tournament isn’t counted as an official ICC World Cup because the ICC didn’t organize it.
The ICC discussed the proposal for the World Cup for the first time in 1971 and sprang into action immediately. In 1973, the ICC Women’s World Cup was held in England, after which the ICC endorsed the idea of a men’s competition.
The first ICC World Cup was held in 1975 and hosted by England; England continued to host tournaments until 1987. The first World Cup was held outside England in 1987, hosted by Pakistan and India and won by Australia.
Australia and New Zealand hosted the 1992 tournament, where Pakistan won the Trophy. In 1996, three countries jointly hosted the tournament: Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India – Sri Lanka won the cup.
In 1999, England and Wales hosted the World Cup; Australia won, finishing above their rivals in the Super Sixes. In 2004, South Africa hosted the tournament, which, unfortunately, marked another unusual elimination for the country: Australia won.
Australia beat India easily in the final, resulting in a tournament that started in ignominy. In 2007, West Indies hosted, and Australia won again, making that the third win in a row.
However, there wasn’t much celebration then due to the death of the Pakistan coach, Bob Woolmer. His body was discovered in his hotel room following Pakistan’s elimination in the group stage by Ireland.
India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh hosted the 2011 tournament, where India took the championship cup. In 2015, Australia and New Zealand hosted, and Australia won for the fourth time.
Conclusion
The International Cricket Championship is the premier competition in one-day cricket. The ICC World Cup is also one of the most viewed sporting events worldwide. Since 1975 when the first World Cup Tournament was held, several more have been held in different countries. Australia has won five times already and aims to reclaim the cup from England in the 2023 tournament.
