The first attempt at any kind of world championship was in 1912, when a three-way series was arranged between the then current Test playing nations, Australia, England and South Africa. Dogged by poor weather, the experiment was dropped and not repeated until 1975, when, following the success of domestic one-day competitions, the six Test-playing nations (England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India and Pakistan) were joined by Sri Lanka and East Africa in the first World Cup in England. A resounding success, the tournament was repeated in 1979 and 1983 in England, before moving abroad, maintaining a four-year cycle. The next tournament takes place in Asia in 2011. A brief history of previous tournaments follows.
Martin Williamson

• 1975 World Cup in England - West Indies beat Australia
• 1979 World Cup in England - West Indies beat England
• 1983 World Cup in England - India beat West Indies
• 1987 World Cup in India and Pakistan - Australia beat England
• 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand - Pakistan beat England
• 1996 World Cup in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka beat Australia
• 1999 World Cup in England - Australia beat Pakistan
• 2003 World Cup in South Africa - Australia beat India
• 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean - Australia beat Sri Lanka