Most Cricket World Cup Final Losses List Since 1975

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The ICC Cricket World Cup, known nowadays as the 50-over World Cup due to the presence of a T20 World Cup as well, is seen by most cricket fans as the pinnacle of the sport and it’s easy to understand why.

Cricket as a sport has always been about bilateral series, so a World Cup – which brings together the best teams in the world – is a good way to determine which team is the best in the world right now.

A total of 6 nations have been crowned champions of the world in the sport. But what about those teams who have finished second best on a given day, or maybe even multiple days?

In this list, we shall look at which teams have finished as runners-up the most in the history of the ICC World Cup.

7) India – Cricket World Cup Final 2003

India are one of three nations to have finished second-best in a tournament on just one occasion, which happened in 2003. This was at a time when Australian dominance was at its peak, and India felt the wrath of that dominance twice in that tournament.

The first time that happened was in the group stage, when Australia bundled India out for 125 and registered an easy win. India rebounded from that loss to make it to the final but standing in their way were the mighty Aussies once again.

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They put up a mammoth total of 359-2, aided massively by an unbeaten ton from skipper Ricky Ponting. India fought better than they did in the group stage match but were still bundled out for 234, handing Australia their third ICC World Cup title.

6) Pakistan – Cricket World Cup Final 1999

Seven years on from winning their first ever World Cup, Pakistan were in the final of the tournament once again. But, as their neighbours and rivals India would experience four years later, beating the Aussies at the time was a task too tall for them to achieve.

Batting first, Pakistan were unable to put up a competitive total and were bundled out for 132. This target was easily chased down in 20.1 overs by the Aussies with 8 wickets in hand, making it one of the more one-sided finals in the history of the tournament.

It was also the last time that Pakistan played in the final of the ICC World Cup, even though they have since gone on to play in the finals of the T20 World Cup on three occasions, losing twice and winning the tournament once in 2009.

5) West Indies – Cricket World Cup Final 1983

The one time that the West Indies finished as runners-up of the ICC World Cup would also turn out to be the last time they have played a World Cup final in the 50-over format till date. As weird as a stat that may sound like, it is true since the Windies declined considerably thereafter.

But that was not the case in 1983, when they made it to their third straight final. In fact, as the two-time defending champions, they were the standard bearers of the sport and, up against India, most figured they would claim a third straight title.

Instead, India scripted an underdog story for the ages. All out for just 183 at a time when ODI games lasted 60 overs, they hit back by dismissing West Indies for 140 and thus registering a 43-run win. India’s era had begun and the Windies era, unbeknownst to many at the time, was over.

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4) Australia – Cricket World Cup Final 1975 & 1996

The most successful nation in the history of the sport have also fallen short in not one but two separate finals, proving that even giants of the sport are not infallible and can be beaten. In Australia’s case, the two final losses came at two very different times.

The first of those came in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1975, when they were still a strong side but not the world beaters they would become. That final saw them lose out to the world beaters of that generation in the West Indies.

In 1996, the defeat was harder to take – not only had they won a World Cup by that point, but the final was against an associate nation in Sri Lanka. But the Aussies were given a reality check by a Lankan side full of stars. Amazingly, they’ve never lost a World Cup final since!

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3) Sri Lanka – Cricket World Cup Final 2007 & 2011

While 1996 was a turning point for the Australians, who went on to win 4 finals out of the 4 they contested, the exact opposite happened to Sri Lanka. After their first World Cup win, the tiny island nation is still awaiting a second triumph – and it’s not like they haven’t come close to it either.

In 2007, they made the final for the first time in 11 years and it was a rematch of that very same final against Australia. However, this Aussie team were a very different proposition and it surprised no one that they ended up registering a thumping win in the final.

Four years later the Lankans once again made the final and at one point looked favourites to win it too; they set India a total of 275 to win. However, India chased down the total with 1.4 overs to spare and the Lankans were once again second best on the night.

2) New Zealand – Cricket World Cup Final 2015 & 2019

Another team that have been having Sri Lanka’s luck but without a single World Cup to show for it, New Zealand have become the perennial bridesmaids of the last two World Cups. This is actually a harsh reality, especially since they have punched above their weight every time.

In 2015, few gave them a chance of making it to the finals and yet they did. However, they were steamrolled by a dominant Australian side in what is arguably the most one-sided final in recent history of the Cricket World Cup.

2019 saw more heartbreak, as they lost out on a rule so controversial – boundary count after both the match and Super Over ended in a tie – that the rule was almost immediately scrapped. Their wait for a maiden World Cup goes on – somehow.

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1) England – Cricket World Cup Final 1979, 1987 & 1992

England may have finally won their first World Cup title in 2019, but their drought in this tournament was not down to a lack of trying. Indeed, their 2019 final appearance was their fourth in history – with the previous three all ending in defeats.

They lost out in the final of the second ever ICC World Cup in 1979 to the West Indies, despite them once again being the hosts of the tournament. They then lost out to arch-rivals Australia in 1987 thanks in no small part to some pedestrian batting from their openers.

They made the finals once again in the next edition of the tournament held in 1992 but were defeated by a Pakistan side that were under the inspired leadership of Imran Khan. They were then unable to make it to the finals until 2019, which was when their losing jinx finally ended.

All Cricket World Cup Final Losses by a Team

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