Achievement of Australian Cricket in ICC World Cup

The prestigious Australian Cricket Team captured winning title of ICC Cricket World Cup for at least four times out of total nine events. Their continual three times win may be the most untouchable record for any other team in the history of Cricket World Cup.    

The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, who played in the first Test match of the Cricket in 1877 marking also a win by 45 runs.

As of 20 January 2010, the Australian team has played 718 Test matches, winning 51.87%, losing 20.87% and drawing 26.98% of its games.It has a winning record against every other Test nation.The Australian national cricket team has also led the ICC Test Championship table for the majority of the time since the creation of the ICC Test table system in January 2001.

Australia have made 6 world cup final appearances and have won the Cricket World Cup four times in total; 1987, 1999, 2003 & 2007. Australia have also won the ICC Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and in 2009 making them the first and the only team to become Back to Back champions in the Champions Trophy tournaments. Australia also have been the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup champions (Under 19 Cricket World Cup) in 1988, 2002 and 2010. Australia were runners-up in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010 (which was won by England).

Australia reconfirmed them the best and world's number one cricket player beating India in the World Cup final here in Johannesburg. India’s World Cup dreams were shattered by a savage batting assault from holders Australia who reaffirmed their status as the best one-day side with a comprehensive victory in the final on Sunday, March 23, 2003 for a record third title.

The 2003 Cricket World Cup (Official name: ICC Cricket World Cup 2003) was the eighth edition of the tournament and was played in South Africa from 9 February to 24 March. 2003 was the first time that the Cricket World Cup was held in Africa. The tournament featured 14 teams and 54 matches, the most in the tournament history up to that time.

Ponting hit eight sixes and his total of 140 not out is the highest score in a World Cup final

Australia won the match which was the 3rd win for them in the world cup held at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa on 23rd March 2003.

India won the toss, and Ganguly, slightly strangely, asked Australia to bat, hoping to take advantage of a pitch left damp by dew and rain. On a lively Wanderers Stadium pitch, the Australian openers took advantage of very wayward Indian opening bowlers to get off to a flying start.

Adam Gilchrist (57 from 48 balls, 8 fours, 1 six) and Matthew Hayden (37 from 54 balls, 5 fours) shared an opening partnership of 105 runs in 14 overs, forcing Ganguly to bring on the spinners unusually early. The change of pace brought wickets with Adam Gilchrist, who had been swinging at everything, holing out off a sweep shot from the bowling of Harbhajan Singh. Matthew Hayden, looking somewhat better than he had throughout the tournament, soon followed for 37, leaving Australia at 2/125.

Smiling Ponting holding world cup trophy 2003 

Captain Ricky Ponting (140 from 121 balls, 4 fours, 8 sixes) and Damien Martyn (88 from 84 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) (playing with a broken thumb) then completed a partnership of 234 runs in 30.1 overs, an Australian record for one-day cricket. Ponting and Martyn started efficiently, putting away bad balls but mostly keeping the scoring going with good running, then letting loose in the last ten overs, taking 109 from them. Ponting in particular dispatched the bowling over the fence with fearsome regularity in scoring 8 sixes, the most from one batsman in any World Cup match at the time. The final Australian total of 359 (2 wickets, 50 overs), at a run rate of 7.18 runs an over, was their second highest ever in ODI history.

India's colossal run chase was made even more difficult after their trump card, Sachin Tendulkar, was out in the first over after skying a pull shot, Glenn McGrath completing the caught and bowled.

India's batsmen continued to throw wickets away in the chase as the run rate crept up past 7 an over, and they were finally bowled out for 234 (all out, 39.2 overs) at a run rate of 5.97 runs an over giving Australia an emphatic victory by a record margin (in World Cup finals thus far) of 125 runs, underlining their dominance of the tournament. Ponting was named "Man Of The Match", and Sachin Tendulkar, for his demolition of bowling attacks, was named "Player of the Series."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting holds the World Cup Trophy 2003 after defeating India in the finals in Johannesburg on March 23, 2003.

The final of the 1999 Cricket World Cup was played in Lord's, London on 20 June, 1999. This was fourth time when Lord's hosted the final of a Cricket World Cup, the last ones being in 1975, 1979 and 1983. Australia cricket team won their second title by defeating Pakistan by 8 wickets in the final. Shane Warne was declared Man of the Match.

In the one sided final match, Pakistan was shattered within 132 runs playing 39 overs and losing all wickets  while Aussies scored 133 for 2 playing 20.1 overs only.

The 1999 Cricket World Cup, the seventh edition of the tournament, was hosted primarily by England, but Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Netherlands also hosted some games. New Zealand and South Africa were the other semifinalists.

Australian Captain Steve Waugh holding World Cup Championship Trophy 1999

After a high drama and emotion-draining excitement of the semi-final between Australia and South Africa, everybody expected the final match of the cricket World Cup to achieve similar peaks of sporting performance. The closing contest between Australia and Pakistan, however, was so much of an anti-climax that it almost registered as a non-event.

The match was over with two hours to spare and those spectators, especially Pakistanis, who had paid up to 500 pounds for a black market ticket at Lords felt very disappointed.

Their only recompense was briefly to see the bowling skills of a resurgent Shane Warne (4 wickets for 33 runs in 9 overs) and the ever-deadly Glen McGrath (2 for 13 in 9), the acrobatic catching and fielding of players like Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting and, above all, the steely determination of captain, Steve Waugh.

One felt sorry for the Pakistanis in having to meet the Aussies just as they reached the zenith of their individual talents and team affinity.

Australia won the toss in the final of 1987 World Cup held on November 8, 1987 at Eden Gardens, Calcutta, India. Aussies chose to bat first with David Boon (75 from 125 balls, 7 fours) top-scored for Australia, whose batsmen scored fluently.

Australian captain Allan Border with the 1987 world cup trophy

Australia posted 253 (5 wickets, 50 overs). Mike Veletta (45 from 31 balls, 6 fours) cut loose late in the innings, as Australia scored 65 runs from the last 6 overs of their innings.

In the English reply, opener Tim Robinson was bowled for a first ball duck. Bill Athey (58 from 103 balls, 2 fours) top-scored, and England were almost on target,when captain Mike Gatting (41 from 45 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) handed back the initiative with the loss of his wicket, which ended a growing partnership of 69 runs in 13 overs between him and Athey. Allan Lamb (45 from 55 balls, 4 fours) also posted a great innings, but it was in vain as the required run-rate for England began to rise. When England failed to score the last 17 runs from the final over, the cup went to Australia.