The heart and soul of ICC Championships — the ODI Men's Cricket World Cup — will be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
Organised every four years by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the event is one of the most viewed sporting tournaments in the world.
Here we take a look at the history of the competition, and some of the landmark moments that have helped make the World Cup what it is today.
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When was the first ODI Cricket Word Cup?
England hosted the inaugural ODI World Cup back in 1975, and held the event the following three times too.
Initially, the game was played in cricket whites and with a red ball instead of a white ball.
Eight teams were a part of that inaugural tournament — India, Pakistan, England, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and a composite team from East Africa and Sri Lanka.
Current cricketing powerhouse South Africa was banned at the time from international sport due to its policy of racial segregation under the Apartheid system, and thus did not take part in the first ODI World Cup.
The West Indies won the first tournament and defended the title in the second World Cup in 1979, while India's first taste of glory came when they clinched the trophy in 1983 by defeating the West Indies by 43 runs in the final.
ODI World Cup full list of winners and finals
| Year | Host | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
| 1975 | England | West Indies | Australia | West Indies won by 17 runs |
| 1979 | England | West Indies | England | West Indies won by 92 runs |
| 1983 | England | India | West Indies | India won by 43 runs |
| 1987 | India & Pakistan | Australia | England | Australia won by seven runs |
| 1992 | Australia & New Zealand | Pakistan | England | Pakistan won by 22 runs |
| 1996 | Pakistan, India & Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | Australia | Sri Lanka won by seven wickets |
| 1999 | England | Australia | Pakistan | Australia won by eight wickets |
| 2003 | South Africa | Australia | India | Australia won by 125 runs |
| 2007 | West Indies | Australia | Sri Lanka | Australia won by 53 runs (DLS) |
| 2011 | India, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh | India | Sri Lanka | India won by six wickets |
| 2015 | Australia & New Zealand | Australia | New Zealand | Australia won by seven wickets |
| 2019 | England & Wales | England | New Zealand | England won on boundary count after a Super Over |
Who has won the most ODI Cricket World Cups?
Australia are the most successful nation in ODI World Cup history, with India and the West Indies chasing them.
| Country | World Cup titles | Years won |
| Australia | 5 | 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 |
| India | 2 | 1983, 2011 |
| West Indies | 2 | 1975, 1979 |
| England | 1 | 2019 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1996 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 1992 |
MORE: Complete ICC Cricket World Cup schedule and results from India
A 50-over ODI Cricket World Cup
The 1987 tournament saw two prime changes in the way the ODI World Cups were organised — a shift of venue from England to the Indian subcontinent, and games being played in 50 overs instead of 60.
The change in the number of overs was attributed to shorter daylight hours in Asia in comparison to England.
The 1987 tournament also had a new winner in Australia, who went on to defeat England by seven runs.
ODI World Cup kits, white ball introduction
Held in Australia and New Zealand, the 1992 World Cup saw a number of landmark moments.
That tournament was the first in which teams wore coloured kits, while it also saw the introduction of the white ball, changes in fielding rules, day/night matches and the inclusion of South Africa in the event for the first time following the end the Apartheid regime.
After a slow and disappointing start to their year, Pakistan made an historic comeback in the tournament to eventually win the trophy by defeating England in the final.
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The 1999 World Cup and a three-year gap
The 1996 tournament was jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and will go down in history as one of the most controversial episodes in the game.
Both the host teams met in the semi-finals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. India's poor performance sparked an unruly crowd to protest against the home team and Sri Lanka was declared the winner by default, due to the halt in play.
Sri Lanka then went on to win the trophy that year, and they were back to try and defend it three years later in England, rather than the usual four-year cycle.
Following the 1996 event the ICC opted to try and revamp the schedule, with three years between events rather than four. But the move proved unpopular and 1999 was the only tournament to follow that pattern.
When was the last time India hosted the ODI Cricket World Cup?
The last time India welcomed the ODI Cricket World Cup was in 2011, when they were co-hosts with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Pakistan were barred from hosting due to terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team when touring the country a couple of years prior to the World Cup.
The 2011 World Cup was a tournament of many firsts: Australia's streak of remaining unbeaten in 35 World Cup matches was broken when they were defeated by Pakistan. They hadn't lost a game since the 1999 tournament.
It was also the first time two Asian teams were in the finals, as India became the first country to win a World Cup at
home by defeating Sri Lanka in the decider.
After a prolonged drought of ICC trophies, India are favourites to bring the trophy home again this time in 2023.