What is the ICC Cricket World Cup?

The Cricket World Cup (ICC Cricket World Cup) is considered to be the flagship event of the international cricket calendar. This means that this is the highest professional sports league among other cricket leagues. It is a series of One Day International (ODI) matches held every four years. This is organized and administered by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

International Cricket Council

The International Cricket Council is the highest governing body of cricket. It has 105 members from all over the world that play in its tournaments. There are 12 full members that play Test matches and 93 Associate members.

The ICC sets the professional standards for international cricket and prevents match-fixing and corruption in its games. However, it does not make the laws of the game nor does it discipline local cricket matches in different countries.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is one of the world’s most watched sports event. This is because it is televised in over 200 countries and has more than 2.2 billion television viewers.

This tournament could be played by all members of the ICC. Most teams compete to be qualified during the World Cricket League and ICC World Cup Qualifier. Although the highest ranking teams will automatically be qualified to play in the tournament.

For most of the Cricket World Cup, 20 teams have competed against each other but it lessens every season. Only 10 teams will be playing for the 2019 tournament. The countries which host the tournament are members of the ICC. It usually rotates and is bidded over where England won the rights to host the 2019 edition.

Teams in Cricket World Cup

As there are 105 members of the ICC, these are the number of teams which could have the chance to compete in the ICC Cricket World Cup. However, less than half of them can play against each other in the tournament. For the 2019 edition, only 10 teams will be competing. These teams are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and West Indies.

Afghanistan

The Afghanistan national cricket team is the 12th Full Member of the ICC. It was formed in 1995 and is a member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003. They currently rank 8th in International Twenty20 Cricket among others in 2018. They currently hold the world record for the highest T20 score when they played against Ireland in February 2019 with 278-3.

Despite being an Associate member in the ICC since 2001, they have only achieved full Test status in 2017. They are the first country to achieve this after holding Affiliate Membership for ICC from 2001 to 2013. Additionally, they were the only affiliate country who was able to compete in a major ICC tournament. Afghanistan currently have +87500 odds to win the Cricket World Cup tournament.

Australia

The Australia national cricket team has been a Full member of the ICC in 1909. It is the oldest team to play Test cricket as it played the first Test match in 1877. This team plays in ODI and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches as well.

It is considered to be the most successful team in Test history considering its overall wins and win-loss ratio in Test, ODI, and T20I tournaments. It has played 820 Test matches where it won 386, lost 222, 210 draws, and 2 ties. They played a total of 932 ODI matches where they won 566, lost 323, had 9 ties, and 34 games where there was no result. For T20I matches, they had played 116 where they won 60, lost 52, tied twice, and 2 games where there was no result.

They have played in 11 Cricket World Cup where they have won 5 titles. Their championship years were 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015. Australia currently have +270 odds to win the World Cup.

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh national cricket team has been an Associate member of the ICC since 1977. It is also best known as The Tigers. They acquired their Test status in 2000 and has been a Full member of the ICC since then. It became the tenth country to be able to play in Test matches.

The Tigers currently hold the record for most consecutive losses in Test matches where they had played 114 and lost 85 of the matches. They are more successful in ODI matches as they had played 362 matches where they won 122 and lost 233.

They have appeared five times in the World Cup but had not won a championship title. Their best games where when they became part of the quarter finals in 2015 season and was part of the Super 8 in 2007. The Tigers currently have +5750 odds to win the Cricket World Cup.

England

The England cricket team is one of the oldest national teams to play in the ICC. They represent the cricket teams for England and Wales. This team has been a Full member of the ICC since 1909. They have Test, Twenty20 International, and ODI status. It is also one of the first teams along with Australia to have played a Test match in 1877.

This team has played in 1,010 Test matches where it won 365, lost 300, and were tied for 345 matches. It had played 732 ODI matches where it won 367, lost 330, tied for 8, and had 27 matches ending with no results. For T20I matches, it had played 109 where it won 54, lost 50, tied with 1, and had 4 matches ending with no results.

It had competed for 11 Cricket World Cup but has unfortunately only ended as runner-ups for three seasons. These seasons were 1979, 1987, and 1992. The home team for ICC Cricket World Cup currently have +165 odds to win the tournament.

India

The India national cricket team was the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status in 1932. It has been a Full member of the ICC since 1926. This means they play for ODI, T20I, and Test matches.

They have played 533 Test matches where they won 150, lost 165, had 217 draws, and tied with 1. For ODI matches, they had played 966 where they won 500, lost 417, tied with 9, and had 40 matches ending with no results. They played a total of 115 T20I matches where they won 70, lost 41, had 1 tie, and 3 matches ending with no results.

They had competed for 11 World Cup seasons where they won 2 championship titles. Their championship years were 1983 and 2011. The Men in Blue currently have +180 odds to win the Cricket World Cup.

New Zealand

The New Zealand cricket team is the fifth country to play Test cricket when they were granted this status in 1930. They are also known as Black Caps after its 1998 sponsor, Clear Communications. They have been a Full member of the ICC since 1926 and are qualified to play in Test, ODI, and T20I matches.

They have played 433 Test matches where they won 97, lost 171, and had 165 draws. On the other hand for their ODI matches, they have played 758 where they won 342, lost 370, tied with 6, and had 40 matches ending with no results. They have played a total of 118 T20I matches where they won 57, lost 53, tied with 5, and had 3 matches ending with no results.

The Black Caps had played in 11 Cricket World Cup but unfortunately has not one a championship title. Their best year was in 2015 when they became the runner-up for the season. The Black Caps currently have +650 odds to win the World Cup.

Pakistan

The Pakistan cricket team is commonly known as the Shaheens, Green Shirts, or Men in Green. They have achieved Test status and became a full member of the ICC in 1952. They have played over 423 Test matches where they won 136, lost 128, and had 159 draws. For ODI matches, they have played 921 matches where they won 48-, lost 413, tied in 8 matches, and had 20 games ending with no results. Lastly, they have played 143 T20I matches where they won 90, lost 50, and tied in 3 matches.

They have played in 11 Cricket World Cup tournaments and have won the trophy once in 1992. The Shaheens currently have +5400 odds to win the entire Cricket World Cup tournament.

South Africa

The South Africa cricket team is more commonly known as the Proteas after the country's national flower. They have been a Full member of the ICC since 1909 and have acquired Test status in 1889. They have played 432 Test matches where they won 164, lost 144, and had 124 games ending in a draw. In ODI matches, they have played 615 matches where they won 379, lost 213, tied with 6, and had 17 games that ended with no results. The Proteas also played 113 T20I matches where they won 67, lost 44, and tied with 1. They currently have +3300 odds to win the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka cricket team has been a Full member of the ICC since 1981 and acquired Test status in 1982. They are commonly known as the Lions. They have played 283 Test matches where they won 90, lost 107, and had 86 draws. They won 114 T20I games where they won 55, lost 56, tied with 2, and 1 game ending with no result. They also played 840 ODI matches where they won 381, lost 417, tied with 5, and had 37 matches ending with no results. They have appeared in 11 Cricket World Cup and won the trophy once in 1996.

The Tigers currently have +29950 odds to win the entire World Cup.

West Indies

The West Indies cricket team have been a Full member of the ICC since 1926 and have acquired Test status in 1928. They are commonly known as the Windies. They have played in 542 Test matches where they won 173, lost 193, had 175 draws, and tied with 1. They have played 803 ODI matches where they won 393, lost 371, tied with 10, and had 29 matches ending with no results. While for T20I matches, they have played 110 games where they won 49, lost 54, tied with 3, and had 4 matches ending with no results.

The Windies have played in 11 World Cup tournaments and won the championship twice in 1975 and 1979. They currently have +5500 odds to win the Cricket World Cup.

Qualifiers for Cricket World Cup

Various elimination tournaments were created as there are more than 100 teams competing for a spot to play in the Cricket World Cup. These competitions leading up to the World Cup were the World Cricket League, ICC Cricket World Cup League, and the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League.

World Cricket League

The World Cricket League (WCL) is a series of ODI tournaments for teams without Test status. This league served to identify which teams would be able to compete in the World Cup. However, it is replaced as an elimination tournament after its 2019 Division Two tournament held in April. The leagues which replaced it are the ICC Cricket World Cup League and ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League.

ICC Cricket World Cup League

The ICC Cricket World Cup League will be the qualification tournament for teams in the ICC for the 2023 Cricket World Cup. The tournament will be a series of international ODIs for 7 countries. It will run from August 2019 to January 2022.

The teams participating in this are Nepal, Scotland, United Arab Emirates, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and the United States. 

The top three teams here will advance to the Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament in 2022. The remaining four teams will compete in the play-offs in the same year for a chance to compete in the World Cup.

ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League

The ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League is one of the qualifying competitions for the 2023 World Cup. It will start in August 2019. It is under a round-robin format where the 12 teams will be divided into two divisions. The top teams in each division will then proceed to the 2022 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

The six teams in the first division for this league are Canada, Singapore, Denmark, Malaysia, Vanuatu, and Qatar. The teams for the second division are Hong Kong, Kenya, Uganda, Jersey, Bermuda, and Italy.

Tournament Format of Cricket World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup is a series of ODI tournaments held in the designated ICC member’s country. The format for the World Cup has been changing for its past few seasons. Originally for its first four seasons, the competing 8 teams were divided into two groups. This is similar to cricket division competitions where the leading teams in each division will compete for the World Cup finals.

However, since the teams for the 2019 season has been lowered down to 10, a different format will be used. Teams will compete against each other once in a round robin format. The highest teams will proceed to the semifinals where the ICC Cricket World Cup champion will be decided.

Awards in Cricket World Cup

The World Cup trophy is awarded to the champion of the tournament. The current trophy has been produced and given to winners since the 1999 season. It was produced and designed by Garrard & Co, a team of craftsmen from London.

The trophy is a golden globe which is held up by three silver columns. It is made from silver and gilt. The columns which are shaped as stumps and bails in cricket, represent the 3 fundamental aspects of the sport which are fielding, batting, and bowling. On the other hand, the globe in the trophy represents the ball used in cricket.

Where to Bet

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