Teams With Most ODI World Cup Final Appearances

Teams with most ODI World Cup Final Appearances | Full List

The ODI World Cup is the pinnacle of white-ball cricket. Seven teams have reached a World Cup final, and six have found a place in the ICC World Cup winners list 1975 to 2019. Reaching the final is indeed an outstanding achievement, and let us look at those teams featured in at least one World Cup final.

Teams With Most World Cup Final Appearances

Australia has appeared in a World Cup final as many as seven times, winning it five times. The second-best team is England, reaching the final on four occasions. India, West Indies, and Sri Lanka have appeared in the ODI World Cup final as many as three times.

Here’s the list of most World Cup final appearances:

Australia – 1975, 1987, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2007, & 2015
England – 1979, 1987, 1992, & 2019
West Indies – 1975, 1979, & 1983
India – 1983, 2003, & 2011,
Sri Lanka – 1996, 2007, & 2011
Pakistan – 1992 & 1999
New Zealand – 2015 & 2019

Here’s a detailed look at seven teams who have reached the ODI World Cup finals.

Australia

Australia is undoubtedly the best team in the ODI World Cup, as the Kangaroos have reached the ODI World Cup finalists on seven occasions, winning the trophy five times. They have lost the final just twice, in 1975 and 1996. Besides these two years, they went on to win the trophy on five occasions -1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015.

England

The current defending champions, England, have had four ODI World Cup final appearances. They won the trophy in 2019 and appeared in the final in 1979, 1987, and 1992. After superb World Cup campaigns till the early 1990s, England suddenly lost their way and refused to change even as other teams evolved. Only after their knockout loss to Bangladesh in 2015 did they restructure their cricket and become the white-ball beasts.

West Indies

The West Indies are the third-most successful team in the ODI World Cup, jointly with India and Sri Lanka. The West Indies would win back-to-back trophies in 1975 and 1979 under Clive Llyod’s captaincy. They were also in the final of the 1983 ODI World Cup, which they lost to India. Since then, their decline began, and they never played an ODI World Cup final.

India

India, which had started so poorly in 1975 and 1979, came roaring back in 1983, winning the trophy against the West Indies, which remains one of the most iconic World Cup triumphs ever. They would be in the 2003 ODI World Cup final and would lose by 125 runs to Australia in Johannesburg. In 2011, the ‘Men in Blue’ were back in the ODI World Cup final, where they beat Sri Lanka at the iconic Wankhede Stadium to win their second ODI World Cup trophy.

Sri Lanka

The Lankans’ first ODI World Cup glory came in the 1996 World Cup, also their maiden World Cup final. The Arjuna Ranatunga-led side defeated Australia in the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. They would be in the finals of the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups, where they lost on both occasions, making them the third most successful team of the ODI World Cups, jointly with India and the West Indies.

Pakistan

Pakistan has reached the final twice, winning the trophy once. Imran Khan led the South Asian nation in its first-ever World Cup final appearance. Pakistan overcame England by 22 runs in the final, adding to the glory of Asian cricket. Seven years later, they reached the final for the second time in their history. However, they faced a red-hot Australia this time. In a one-sided final, Australia crushed Pakistan by eight wickets at Lord’s.

New Zealand

New Zealand has never won the ODI World Cup. However, in the last decade, they have played some fantastic cricket. Since 2007, they have been in the semi-final on all four occasions. The Down Under nation reached the final in the last two World Cups but lost on both occasions. The Kiwis lost to Australia by seven wickets in 2015, while in 2019, they lost to England in the Super Over in the final.

Concluding Thoughts

Teams like Australia and England are the old boys in the world of cricket, but two contrasting ones. While Australia has evolved as a team and won five ODI World Cup finals, England’s best came in the 1979, 1987, and 1992 World Cups.

As cricket evolved, England refused to budge and paid the price, completely contrasting to what Australia did. It was only in 2019 that England won the trophy when they brought in massive changes. Furthermore, the West Indies, India, and Sri Lanka are the third-best teams in the ODI World Cup history, with three final appearances each.

Mail us : [email protected]

Teams with most ODI World Cup Final Appearances | Full List