Two most recent teams to win the Cricket World Cup on foreign soil
The recent Cricket World Cup was an incredible spectacle. Reigning double world champions England suffered a number of humiliating losses en route to group-stage elimination.
Hosts India thrilled as they won every game in the opening round. But ultimately, that wasn’t enough, and they were stunned in the final by record champions Australia, who extended their lead over the rest of the world by lifting their sixth Cricket World Cup.
Hosts India stunned in final
But the Men in Blues’ failure to capture the trophy was shocking for several reasons. Firstly, cricket betting odds providers had made the hosts the overwhelming favourites for glory. Those odds were shortened after they topped their group with an undefeated record. Secondly, they became the first nation in 16 years to not win the tournament as the host nation.
Had they managed to knock off the Baggy Greens in the final, it would have marked their first triumph in 12 years and the fourth straight winner on home turf. Ultimately though, it wasn’t to be.
So with that in mind, who were the three most recent nations to lift the trophy on foreign soil?
Australia (2023, 2007, 2003 and 1999)
When it comes to cricket, Australia is a powerhouse, as they demonstrated this autumn with a shocking victory over India in the Ahmedabad showpiece. But interestingly, their win in the subcontinent shouldn’t come as a surprise. The last four Cricket World Cups to not be won by the host nation were all won by Australia.
They won three crowns in a row in 2007, 2003 and 1999. The first of those came in the West Indies just months after whitewashing England 5-0 in the Ashes to regain the urn. They won every game they played in the Caribbean, but also won group stage games, all seven games in the Super 8’s as well as lop-sided victories over both South Africa and Sri Lanka in the finals.
Four years prior, they did the same thing as the Proteas hosted, alongside Zimbabwe and Kenya. The Aussies won every game once more, before smashing India by 125 runs in the final, with captain Ricky Ponting smashing a blistering unbeaten 140 in the Johannesburg showpiece.
In 1999, they rode their luck, scraping into the final after winning three and losing two in the Super 6’s. They then tied with South Africa in the semifinals but progressed to the final courtesy of finishing higher than the Proteas in the Super 6’s table, and this feat was only achieved because they had a superior net run rate.
However, once Australia were in the final, they didn’t look back and managed to defeat Pakistan by eight wickets at Lord’s.
Sri Lanka (1996)
In the 1996 World Cup, Sri Lanka began as underdogs, but they quickly started turning heads with their performances. In a match against India, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya hit 21 runs in the first over and laid the foundation for what would become a winning momentum.
With a formidable batting line-up which included Aravinda de Silva and Romesh Kaluwitharana, Sri Lanka went on to finish 398 for five against Kenya in their final group game and also picked up a shocking victory by default in the semifinals against India. They met a heavily favoured Australia in the Lahore final and stunned their more illustrious rivals by picking up a seven-wicket victory against all odds.