9 Reasons Why India Are ICC World Cup Favourites
Will the 9 factor work again for India? In case you are wondering what I am talking about, read on.
India are hot favourites to win the ICC World Cup, this year. How have India done in past ODI tournaments?
Note: For the purposes of this article, I have only considered tournaments with 5 or more participating teams.
In all, 30 tournaments, attracting 5 or more teams, have been held since, and including, the Prudential World Cup in 1975, These 30 titles, which do not include minnows’ competitions such as ICC World League Division 1 tournaments, have been won by Australia, the West Indies, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.
Australia with 11 of these championships, including 4 WCs, have been the best team, in terms of tournaments won.
The West Indies, have won 8, including 2 WCs; Pakistan have won 5, including one WC, in 1992. India are one title behind Pakistan with 4 won, incuding the 1983 WC. Sri Lanka bring up the rear of the list, with 2 tournaments won, including the 1996 WC.
In recent times, Australia have been the most dominant team, winning the last 3 tournaments featuring 5 teams and over, including the champions trophy in 2007 and 2009, and the WCup in 2007.
The West Indies began as the best ODI team, winning the innaugural world cup in 1975 and following it up by winning the 1979 event. A clear sign of the West Indies’ decline as a cricketing giant is in the fact that 7 of their 8 wins came before 1987. The sole other win came in the Champions trophy in 2004.
Pakistan’s golden period in ODIs came between 1986 and 1994; in fact, their last tournament win came in 1994 when they won the Australasia Cup.
The Asia Cup in 2004 was Sri Lanka’s first win in a tournament of 5 or more teams. But apart from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, minnows UAE and Hong Kong made up the other teams, on the occasion. But Sri Lanka went on to win the WC in 2006 to prove that they were no longer minnows themselves. But that was the last tournament of this size to be won by the islanders.
That brings us to India, favourites to win this year’s tournament. India’s first win in an ODI tournament with 5 or more teams was in the 1983 world cup. Thereafter, they seemed in a hurry to confirm their credentials as a top team and went on win the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup, 2 years later. It took nearly 9 more years for the next title, which came in the CAB Jubilee Cup in 1993. Another 9 years went by before India made the Champions Trophy their own in 2002. Thereafter, 9 additional years have elapsed and the 2011 WC is upon us.
How crucial will the number 9 prove in this year’s world cup? The best way to find out is to wait and watch.
Category: Cricket, ICC World Cup 2011
About the Author (Author Profile)
Jinxatious is the Chief Editor of SportingAttitude.com
An avid writer, on an eclectic range of subjects, he brings to bear editorial experience garnered with a national newspaper in South-East Asia. He also has sportscasting experience, as a cricket commentator, and his passion for sport extends beyond Cricket, to Football, Tennis, and Olympic Sports.
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