Eighth Cricket World Cup 2003 - ICC World Cup 2003 Results - 8th ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe & Kenya 6th Match, Group A - United Arab Emirates v Afghanistan at Abu Dhabi Afghanistan won by 5 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) South Africa, Zimbabwe & Kenya hosted the eighth (8th) ICC Cricket World Cup, in 2003. The ODI tournament was won by Australia. Eighth Cricket World Cup 2003 The eighth edition of ODI World Cup was played in three countries, comprising of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, from February 9 to March 24, 2003. It saw the number of participating teams increase to 14, comprising of Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and Zimbabwe, along with the ICC Trophy Qualifiers - Canada, Namibia, and the Netherlands. A total of 54 matches were played in the tournament (the most in World Cup history so far), following the same format that was introduced in 1999.

The 8th ICC Cricket World Cup saw the teams being divided into two groups, each with seven teams. The top three teams of each group, i.e. Australia, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, competed with each other in the 'Super-6' stage. Out of these, Australia, Sri Lanka, India and Kenya qualified for the semi-finals. The final was played between Australia and India, with the former defeating the latter by 48 runs. Ricky Ponting was named "Man of the Match" in the final; while Sachin Tendulkar was awarded 'Player of the Series' (he also scored the maximum runs � 673). Chaminda Vaas took the maximum number of wickets (23) in the series.

2003 ICC World Cup statistics Administrator - International Cricket Council Attendance - 626,845 (11,608 per match) Most runs - Sachin Tendulkar (673) Most wickets - Chaminda Vaas (23) Player of the series - Sachin Tendulkar (India) Results Summary Group A Zimbabwe v Namibia at Harare, Feb 10, 2003, Zimbabwe won by 86 runs (D/L method) (Zim 340/2; Nam 104/5) Australia v Pakistan at Johannesburg, Feb 11, 2003, Australia won by 82 runs (Aus 310/8; Pak 228) India v Netherlands at Paarl, Feb 12, 2003, India won by 68 runs (Ind 204; NL 136) Zimbabwe v England at Harare, Feb 13, 2003, Zimbabwe won by a walkover without a ball bowled Australia v India at Centurion, Feb 15, 2003 Australia won by 9 w

ickets, (Ind 125; Aus 128/1) England v Netherlands at East London, Feb 16, 2003, England won by 6 wickets (NL 142/9; Eng 144/4) Namibia v Pakistan at Kimberley, Feb 16, 2003, Pakistan won by 171 runs (Pak 255/9; Nam 84) England v Namibia at Port Elizabeth, Feb 19, 2003, England won by 55 runs (Eng 272; Nam 217/9) Zimbabwe v India at Harare, Feb 19, 2003, India won by 83 runs (Ind 255/7; Zim 172) Australia v Netherlands at Potchefstroom, Feb 20, 2003, Australia won by 75 runs (D/L Method) (Aus 170/2; NL 122) England v Pakistan at Cape Town, Feb 22, 2003, England won by 112 runs

 (Eng 246/8; Pak 134) India v Namibia at Pietermaritzburg, Feb 23, 2003, India won by 181 runs (Ind 311/2; Nam 130) Zimbabwe v Australia at Bulawayo, Feb 24, 2003, Australia won by 7 wickets (Zim 246/9; Aus 248/3) Netherlands v Pakistan at Paarl, Feb 25, 2003, Pakistan won by 97 runs (Pak 253/9; NL 156) England v India at Durban, Feb 26, 2003, India won by 82 runs (Ind 250/9; Eng 168) Australia v Namibia at Potchefstroom, Feb 27, 2003, Australia won by 256 runs (Aus 301/6; Nam 45) Zimbabwe v Netherlands at Bulawayo, Feb 28, 2003, Zimbabwe won by 99 runs (Z

im 301/8; NL 202/9) India v Pakistan at Centurion, Mar 1, 2003, India won by 6 wickets (Pak 273/7; Ind 276/4) Australia v England at Port Elizabeth, Mar 2, 2003, Australia won by 2 wickets (Eng 204/8; Aus 208/8) Namibia v Netherlands at Bloemfontein, Mar 3, 2003, Netherlands won by 64 runs (NL 314/4; Nam 250) Zimbabwe v Pakistan at Bulawayo, Mar 4, 2003, No result (Pak 73/3) Group B South Africa v West Indies at Cape Town, Feb 9, 2003, West Indies won by 3 runs (WI 278/5; SA 275/9) New Zealand v Sri Lanka at Bloemfontein, Feb 10, 2003, Sri Lanka won by 47 runs (SL 272/7; NZ

 225) Bangladesh v Canada at Durban, Feb 11, 2003, Canada won by 60 runs (Can 180; Ban 120) South Africa v Kenya at Potchefstroom, Feb 12, 2003, South Africa won by 10 wickets (Ken 140; SA 142/0) New Zealand v West Indies at Port Elizabeth, Feb 13, 2003, New Zealand won by 20 runs (NZ 241/7; WI 221) Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Pietermaritzburg, Feb 14, 2003, Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets (Ban 124; SL 126/0) Canada v Kenya at Cape Town, Feb 15, 2003, Kenya won by 4 wickets (Can 197; Ken 198/6) South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg, Feb 16, 2003, New Zealand won by 9 wickets (D/L method) (SA 306/

6; NZ 229/1) Bangladesh v West Indies at Benoni, Feb 18, 2003, No result (WI 244/9; Ban 32/2) Canada v Sri Lanka at Paarl, Feb 19, 2003, Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets (Can 36; SL 37/1) Kenya v New Zealand at Nairobi, Feb 21, 2003, Kenya won by a walkover without a ball bowled South Africa v Bangladesh at Bloemfontein, Feb 22, 2003, South Africa won by 10 wickets (Ban 108; SA 109/0) Canada v West Indies at Centurion, Feb 23, 2003, West Indies won by 7 wickets (Can 202; WI 206/3) Kenya v Sri Lanka at Nairobi, Feb 24, 2003, Kenya won by 53 runs (Ken 210/9; SL 157) Bangladesh v New Zealand at Kimberley, Feb 26

, 2003, New Zealand won by 7 wickets (Ban 198/7; NZ 199/3) South Africa v Canada at East London, Feb 27, 2003, South Africa won by 118 runs (SA 254/8; Can 136/5) Sri Lanka v West Indies at Cape Town, Feb 28, 2003, Sri Lanka won by 6 runs (SL 228/6; WI 222/9) Bangladesh v Kenya at Johannesburg, Mar 1, 2003, Kenya won by 32 runs (Ken 217/7; Ban 185) Canada v New Zealand at Benoni, Mar 3, 2003, New Zealand won by 5 wickets (Can 196; NZ 197/5) South Africa v Sri Lanka at Durban, Mar 3, 2003,Match tied (D/L method) (SL 268/9; SA 229/6) Kenya v West Indies at Kimberley, Mar 4, 

2003, West Indies won by 142 runs (WI 246/7; Ken 104) Super Six Australia v Sri Lanka at Centurion, Mar 7, 2003, Australia won by 96 runs (Aus 319/5; SL 223) India v Kenya at Cape Town, Mar 7, 2003, India won by 6 wickets (Ken 225/6; Ind 226/4) New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein, Mar 8, 2003, New Zealand won by 6 wickets (Zim 252/7; NZ 253/4) India v Sri Lanka at Johannesburg, Mar 10, 2003, India won by 183 runs (Ind 292/6; SL 109) Australia v New Zealand at Port Elizabeth, Mar 11, 2003, Australia won by 96 runs (Aus 208/9; NZ 112) Kenya v Zimbabwe at Bloemfontein, Mar 12, 

2003, Kenya won by 7 wickets (Zim 133; Ken 135/3) India v New Zealand at Centurion, Mar 14, 2003, India won by 7 wickets (NZ 146; Ind 150/3) Australia v Kenya at Durban, Mar 15, 2003, Australia won by 5 wickets (Ken 174/8; Aus 178/5) Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at East London, Mar 15, 2003, Sri Lanka won by 74 runs (SL 256/5; Zim 182) Knockout 1st Semi Final: Australia v Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth, Mar 18, 2003, Australia won by 48 runs (D/L Method) (Aus 212/7; SL 123/7) 2nd Semi Final: India v Kenya at Durban, Mar 20, 2003, India won by 91 runs (Ind 270/4; Ken 179

) Final: Australia v India at Johannesburg, Mar 23, 2003, Australia won by 125 runs (Aus 359/2; Ind 234) ICC Cricket World Cup Schedule 2003 Rosie Douglas Foundation Become A Sponsor The Dominican provides a unique opportunity to advertise to the thousands of people who access this free site daily, while becoming a sponsor of the site.

For additional information, please Volume No. 1 Issue No. 36 - Wednesday, January 29, 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup Schedule 2003 by: Thomson Fontaine The ICC World Cup Cricket series is set to open this weekend in South Africa with the West Indies playing in the opening match against the host South Africa on Sunday. The West Indies team will have the services of star batsman Brian Lara who is making his comeback to international cricket after been out most of last year through injury. The worldï¿½s premier cricketing event, which takes place every four years will run until March 23, and will witness the participation of a record fourteen teams from around the world. Teams are divided into Group A and Group B with Group A comprising Australia, England, India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan and Zimbabwe, and Group B West Indies, Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka. West Indies badly needs to impress during this World Cup to regain some of the pride that has been lost over the past several years. The team is captained by Carl Hooper and West Indian fans will be looking for strong performances from Chanderpaul, Gayle, Lara and Sarwan.

Australia are the defending champions. ICC World Cup 2003: South Africa fail again, this time on calculations - Cricket Country ICC World Cup 2003: South Africa fail again, this time on calculations Of all South Africa's World Cup exits, 2003 was perhaps the most embarrassing. By Nishad Pai Vaidya | Updated : February 13, 2016 11:33 AM IST Shaun Pollock (left) looks on as rain falls during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Pool B match between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Kingsmead. The match ended in a tie © Getty Images On March 3, 2003, South Africa tasted another embarrassing exit from a World Cup, that too on home soil. Needing a victory in their last league game, they dramatically tied with Sri Lanka as captain Shaun Pollock was left to rue it. Nishad Pai Vaidya recalls the drama at Durban. In 2003, The Rainbow Nation hosted the World Cup, hoping to erase bitter memories of the past.

Since readmission in 1991, South Africa boasted of a fantastic one-day side that could dominate the best on their day. However, on the big stage, bad luck and nerves robbed them off the opportunity to go the distance. In 1992, an egregious rain-rule saw them crash out and in 1999 they stumbled on the cusp of qualification to the final. With the World Cup on home soil, the Proteas were positive about turning the tide. However, going into their last league game, they needed a victory to progress through to the Super Sixes. There was an unmistakable sense on déjà vu as they approached another banana skin at the world event. Up against them were the Sri Lankans — who seemed to have qualified, but wanted a win to seal the deal. Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan captain, won the toss and elected to bat first at Kingsmead, Durban. The pressure was on South Africa as they would now have to chase to seal a berth in the Super Sixes. Marvan Atapattu’s well-paced hundred and Aravinda de Silva’ s brisk 73 took Sri Lanka to 268.

A target of 269 was gettable, but not the easiest under light at Durban. Herschelle Gibbs and Graeme Smith got South Africa off to a good start and set a platform for a run-chase. A storm was brewing round the corner and the hosts knew they had to match the Duckworth–Lewis (D/L) targets in case the heavens opened up. In the 12th over, Smith holed out to the deep as Sri Lanka got their first breakthrough. Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis didn’t last too long, but Gibbs continued to attack and kept South Africa in the hunt. He brought up his fifty and his team’s hundred with a maximum over square-leg in the 20th over. The pressure was immense and it intensified when Muttiah Muralitharan bowled Gibbs for 73 with the score reading 149 for 4 in the 29th over. Boeta Dippenaar followed Gibbs the next ball as skipper Shaun Pollock walked out to save his side. The chirpy Kumar Sangakkara decided to play a few mind=games and the South African captain was the target of his famous “weight of expectations” sledge.

The words couldn’t have been more appropriate as Pollock and Mark Boucher were batting for their lives. Sangakkara didn’t make things easy by pointing out that “the weight of the country” was behind them “depending on Shaun.” Gradually, the South African batsmen started rebuilding the innings and made a steady march towards the total. However, the asking rate had risen over seven as they moved into the last ten overs of the game. The clouds were building and time was running out. To make matters worse, Pollock was run out with 57 to get off 45 balls. That dismissal set them back further and the task became tougher by the minute. The clouds finally gave way as a drizzle enveloped Kingsmead. With the rain building, the players knew they would go off anytime. Needing 46 off 32 deliveries, Boucher advanced down the track to loft Muralitharan for a six over wide long-on. The D/L par at the end of the over read 229 and the crowd celebrated as if their side had won. Boucher pumped his fists as the ball cleared the fence. The celebrations were certainly premature.

They had to get one more than the par score to register a win. The next delivery, Boucher worked it around the mid-wicket for no runs believing that he had done the job for his side. As the delivery was being bowled, Tony Greig said on air: “If they don’t get back on, they need one more run. They are probably aware of it.” The rain intensified and the umpires called for the covers. In the dressing room, Pollock held his face in disappointment as they walked back. He knew that they were a run short of the required score. As it rained, Pollock could do nothing but watch his country exiting the World Cup. No further play was possible and the match was a tie under the D/L method. Yet another World Cup ended in disappointment for South Africa. As a result, Pollock was sacked from captaincy and a young Smith was handed the reins The tag of “chokers” wasn’t going to leave the Proteas anytime soon. They are yet to win a world event despite having a fantastic side.

Mickey Arthur, their former coach, summed it up perfectly after another embarrassing exit at the 2011 World Cup, “The monkey’s almost become a gorilla now and until we win an ICC event it’s always going to be there I’m afraid.” Brief scores: Sri Lanka 268 for 9 in 50 overs (Marvan Atapattu 124, Aravinda de Silva 73; Jacques Kallis 3 for 41, Andrew Hall 2 for 62) tied with South Africa 229 for 6 in 45 overs (Herschelle Gibbs 73, Mark Boucher 45*; Aravinda de Silva 2 for 36, Sanath Jayasuriya 2 for 49) by D/L method. ( Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and an analyst, anchor and voice-over artist for the site’s YouTube Channel. He shot to fame by spotting a wrong replay during IPL4 which resulted in Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. His insights on the game have come in for high praise from cerebral former cricketers.

He has also participated on live TV talk-shows on cricket. Nishad can be followed on Twitter at ICC Cricket World Cup, Match Results, Teams, Venues ICC Cricket World Cup Download Cricket World Cup Schedule in PDF Download PDF Disclaimer Close Disclaimer : All efforts have been made to make this image accurate. However Compare Infobase Limited,its directors and employees do not own any responsibility for the correctness or authenticity of the same. The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup will be the eleventh edition of the quadrennial game. This is the second occasion that the tournament is being staged in Australia and New Zealand – the previous occasion was in 1992 when Pakistan led by Imran Khan defeated Graham Gooch’s England in the final, which was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The first ever World Cup was staged in England in 1975. West Indies, under the leadership of Clive Lloyd, defeated the Australians helmed by Ian Chappell. The second World Cup, staged once again in England in 1979, saw a repeat with West Indies, yet again under Clive Lloyd, demolishing the host nation in the final played at the Lord’s Cricket Ground, London like the previous edition.

In 1983, the tournament was once again played in England, with Clive Lloyd’s Caribbeans once again progressing to the finals, only to be thwarted by Kapil’s devils in a memorable final at Lord’s. In 1987, the tournament was played in India and Pakistan. None of the host nations, who were being regarded as possible winners, could progress to the finals. It was Australia who defeated England at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The 1996 edition of the World Cup was played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The tournament saw surprise winners in Sri Lanka, which proceeded to stop Australia in the final played in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. In 1999, the World Cup returned to England, who co-hosted it with Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In the final at Lord’s, Steve Waugh’s Australia won the second World Cup beating Wasim Akram’s Pakistan. The tournament will return to England in 2019. Africa hosted its first World Cup in 2003 with South Africa being the principal hosts along with Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Australia under Ricky Ponting absolutely hammered Saurav Ganguly’s India at the Wanderers, Johannesburg to win the team’s third World Cup. The sequence was repeated in 2007, when the World Cup was held for the first time in West Indies. Australia, once again under Ponting, managed to beat Sri Lanka in a rain-affected final. The 2011 edition was hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. At the final played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India ended a 28-year wait by trumping Sri Lanka decisively. World Cups History ICC World Cup 2003: Sri Lanka felled by Kenya - Cricket Country › ICC World Cup 2003: Sri Lanka felled by Kenya Sri Lanka were beaten by 53 runs by minnows Kenya, who would later go on to become the first Associate Nation to play a World Cup semi-final. | Updated : February 23, 2016 10:02 PM IST Is this not what sport is about?

© Getty Images Nairobi Gymkhana Club Ground saw one of the biggest upsets in the history of ICC Cricket World Cup on February 24, 2003. Abhishek Mukherjee saw the perfect David-slays-Goliath day that triggered one of the biggest fairytale journeys in World Cup cricket Why do we play sport? Is it about entertainment? Is it about money and fame and glamour? Why did Abebe Bikila run, or for that matter, why did Guor Marial, decades after Bikila? What prompted Sergei Bubka to go on breaking his own record, or made Emil Zatopek or Jack Hobbs (or, closer to home, Leander Paes) to remain age-proof? Kenya made their first World Cup cricket appearance in 1996, and caused quite a stir by beating West Indies at Pune. Unfortunately, losing all matches in ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 were not very encouraging for them. A 10-wicket humiliation against South Africa at Potchefstroom hurt them, but Kenya sort of made up for it following a four-wicket triumph over Canada at Newlands.

Also Read The biggest blow came when New Zealand declined to play the match at Nairobi Gymkhana Club Ground. Kenya got full points for the match, but both their stature and revenue took massive toll. Then came the match against Sri Lanka . The Big Brother Show Kennedy Otieno (who sometimes prefers to be called Kennedy Obuya) is the eldest of all Obuya brothers; all three brothers — Kennedy, David, and Collins — were in the Kenya squad for ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, but David was left out of the match against Sri Lanka. If one chronicles the history of Kenya cricket, Kennedy Otieno’s name will feature among the biggest names: he had scored 85 in Kenya’s second ever ODI, against Australia in World Cup 1996 — an innings that can easily be called the first great innings in Kenyan history; and his 144 against Bangladesh remains the highest score by a Kenyan in ODIs. Here, too, after Chaminda Vaas trapped the elegant Ravindu Shah LBW with the second ball of the match, Otieno counterattacked, slog-sweeping Vaas for six and following it with another.

He shepherded the Kenyan batting against Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan , scoring an 88-ball 60 with 8 fours and 2 sixes. After Otieno was fourth out on 112 in the 28th over, Hitesh Modi and Maurice Odumbe helped Kenya approach the 200-mark. With Collins Obuya holding one end up, Peter Ongondo played a cameo to take Kenya past the landmark. Vaas and Murali claimed seven wickets for 69 between them from 20 overs, but the other bowlers did not back them up sufficiently: Kenya finished with 210 for nine. It was certainly not a match-winning total, but at least the bowlers had something to fight with. Collins Obuya’s 5 for 24 remain the best figures by a bowler from an Associate Nation in World Cup cricket © Getty Images The Little Brother Show Did the Sri Lankans take the Kenyans lightly? They certainly did not have anything to be scared of when Martin Suji bowled removed Sanath Jayasuriya for three after Marvan Atapattu hit him for two fours in the first over.

Atapattu played sedately before Thomas Odoyo brought one back to bowl him, but Sri Lanka looked quite settled at 71 for two with Hashan Tillakaratne and Aravinda de Silva going strong. It was Tillakaratne’s wicket that turned the match on its head: with 140 to score from 195 balls, he holed out to Tony Suji: it was Obuya’s first wicket of the match. Mahela Jayawardene hit one back to Obuya, while Kumar Sangakkara was caught behind. The Kenyan fervour reached another dimension by this stage. They fielded with purpose, hurling themselves at anything remotely close to them. Wisden wrote: “The style, all wide-grinning, grassy-kneed enthusiasm, was unforgettable: Kenya chased like lion cubs, backed up in gangs and jigged after every wicket.” The big wicket fell when Aravinda tried to cut Obuya from close to his body; the ball landed into the gauntlets of Otieno, who threw the ball in the air as his younger brother ran in to join in the celebrations.

Vaas hit one back to Obuya shortly afterwards, who moved rapidly to his left and came up with the catch in one fluid motion and ran and ran and ran and ran… 119 for 7; 92 to score from 108 balls; 3 wickets in hand. It was perhaps then that the Sri Lankans realised it was too late. Russel Arnold tried to restore some sanity, but somewhere deep down he was also aware of the futility of the task. Steve Tikolo brought on himself to get rid of Prabath Nissanka; and Murali, going for a big hoick, found Tony Suji at deep mid-wicket: he held on to it, and broke into a slow war-dance as the partisan crowd cheered the hosts on. Odumbe ended things when Dilhara Fernando tried to reverse-sweep him and played on to the stumps; Otieno grabbed a couple, and off they ran into a huddle, celebrating, jumping and dancing in unison as a forlorn Arnold looked on; and when they did that much-deserved victory lap, it did not seem they would stop running anytime soon.

“The worst game of my career,” said a dejected Jayasuriya later at the presentation ceremony. What followed? - Both Sri Lanka and Kenya lost in the semi-final that year. - Obuya’s figures remain the best for any non-Test playing nation in ODIs. - Obuya also earned a stint with Warwickshire that summer. He became the first Kenyan to play a full season in the County Championship. - Obuya’s bowling faded out after the season. While he had bowled 222 overs in his first 28 ODIs, he sent down a mere 71 in his last 76. Brief scores: Kenya 210 for 9 in 50 overs (Kennedy Otieno 60; Chaminda Vaas 3 for 41, Muttiah Muralitharan 3 for 28) beat Sri Lanka 157 in 45 overs (Aravinda de Silva 41; Collins Obuya 5 for 24) by 53 runs. Man of the Match: Collins Obuya. ( Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry.

He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here .) First Published on February 20, 2015 11:30 AM IST Last updated on February 23, 2016 10:02 PM IST TOPICS: 16 Jan, 2017 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 16 Jan, 2017 20:30 IST | 15:00 GMT Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 17 Jan, 2017 20:30 IST | 15:00 GMT Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi 18 Jan, 2017 15:30 IST | 10:00 GMT Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai 18 Jan, 2017 20:30 IST | 15:00 GMT Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai ICC Cricket World Cup - Cricket Topics - ESPN ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Tournament The ICC Cricket World Cup is the most prestigious international competition in men's cricket, sanctioned by the International Cricket Council

 and occurring every four years.

Tournament matches are played under the One Day International format, after preliminary qualification rounds determine which nations earn the chance to compete. The first Cricket World Cup took place in 1975 in England and was won by the West Indies team. Defending champion Australia has won more World Cups than any other nation (four), including the last three competitions. The 2011 Cricket World Cup -- co-hosted by Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka -- featured the first all-Asian matchup in a final as India claimed its second World Cup title with a dramatic win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai. The first World Cup for cricket was played in 1975 in England, following the rise in popularity in one-day competitions played in various countries. (Until the advent of limited-overs, single-innings matches in English domestic cricket in the 1960s, such a concept was impractical.

A round-robin series of five-day Tests, even among as few teams as the six that then had Test status, was too time-consuming to contemplate.) Teams from eight nations were invited to compete in the inaugural event -- called the Prudential Cup (after its main sponsor) -- and were split into two groups of four teams, with round-robin play (of matches with 60-overs a side) determining which two teams from each pool would advance to the latter stages. With players still getting used to the new one-day international format, the hosts looked impressive in pool play and easily advanced to the semifinals but were eliminated there by the Australian team. The other group featured the favorites, the West Indies, who were rescued by their last-wicket pair against Pakistan before hammering Australia by seven wickets to claim top of its group. The Caribbean side eased past New Zealand in the other semifinal to face Australia for the title. Played on the longest day of the year (June 21) at Lord's in London, the West Indies took the trophy with Viv Richards able to run out opposing batsmen as his team won by 17 runs.

England would go on to host the next two World Cups, which were also sponsored by Prudential. West Indies repeated as champion in 1979, topping its group before defeating Pakistan in the semifinals. A victory over England in the final featured a century from Richards and Collis King blasting 86 for 66 balls. An inaugural qualifying competition was implemented prior to that tournament, with Sri Lanka and newcomer Canada earning their way to the final eight in that World Cup. The 1983 event brought a change of format for pool play, as each team played the others in its group twice, not once, to determine the four semifinalists. Host England dominated Group A play, with Pakistan squeezing through to the semifinals (over New Zealand) by virtue of a better runs-per-over average. Two-time champion West Indies again advanced from the opposite pool, alongside a dark horse India team ahead of a disappointing Australian side. In the semifinals, the West Indies brushed past Pakistan by eight wickets (with more than 11 overs to go) while India again surprised by topping a below-par England team.

And with the final expecting to be a third straight coronation for the West Indies, India rebounded from a slow start to pull off the big upset in a low-scoring title match at Lord's. The result helped establish the era of South Asian domination of cricket's finances, and India and Pakistan co-hosted the 1987 Reliance World Cup, as a new sponsor had taken over for the event. Games were reduced from 60 to 50 overs per inning in the first World Cup held outside England. And while the two co-hosts each made the semifinals, it was the older guard of Australia and England advancing to the final, with the Aussies prevailing by seven runs, the closest margin in World Cup final history. Victorious captain Allan Borders returned to lead Australia on home turf at the 1992 World Cup, but his team was knocked out at the group stage. This fifth World Cup included nine teams for the initial round-robin stage, and was the first to feature colored clothing, floodlights and fielding restrictions for the first 15 overs. Co-host New Zealand reached the semifinals, as did newcomer South Africa, allowed to compete after the fall of the country's apartheid regime.

But the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground came down to England versus Pakistan, with the Asian side prevailing by 22 runs. The 1996 World Cup expanded to two initial groups of six teams each, and a quarterfinal round was added to the knockout stages. Matches were played in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but the host countries and organizers took a hit after a shambolic opening ceremony and security-related boycotts. Both Australia and West Indies forfeited group matches against Sri Lanka in Colombo after a bomb killed hundreds there before the start of the tournament. Sri Lanka topped Group A, easily defeated England in the quarterfinals and then earned a win by default over India in Calcutta after an unruly crowd disrupted the match by starting fires as impending defeat faced the home side. Aravinda de Silva led the Sri Lankan recovery over India, and he dominated the final victory over Australia by taking two catches and three wickets, before adding 107 not out to lead his national team to a first-ever World Cup title. England served as host again for the 1999 World Cup, in which the 12 teams entered were split into two groups under yet another format.

The top three finishers in each group went into the Super Six, carrying with them the points they had earned against the two teams that had also qualified from their groups. They then played the qualifying teams from the other group, creating a final "all-played-all" league table, with the top four advancing into the semifinals. The system created some confusion, and two teams with just one win in Super Six matches -- Pakistan and New Zealand -- reaching the semifinals. Australia recovered from two early losses to become tournament favorite and reached the final after advancing past South Africa in one of the most thrilling one-day matches in history; the semifinal ended as a tied match after a mix-up by batsmen from South Africa, who had a lower net run-rate and were eliminated. The Aussies then dismissed Pakistan in the final, winning by eight wickets (with 179 balls remaining). Fourteen teams reached the 2003 ICC World Cup -- held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya -- which continued the Super Six format with some tweaking involved. Boycotts again played a role in which teams advanced out of the groups, and South Africa was eliminated after a misread of rain-rule figures.

Australia's Shane Warne was sent home after testing positive for an illegal diuretic (and later banned for a year), but the defending champions looked strong throughout and dominated Pakistan in a second straight one-sided final to repeat as World Cup winners. Australia's streak would reach three at the 2007 ICC World Cup, which was touted as a celebration of Caribbean cricket culture but became subdued after the death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, who was found dead in his hotel room a day after his team's early exit from the tournament. A record 16 entrants -- initially placed in four groups of four -- made for a long World Cup, with traditional powers India and Pakistan failing to reach the later rounds. Sri Lanka reached its second World Cup final but lost to Australia in a match that ended in darkness. And with the lack of light seemingly suiting the mood of the tournament, Australia lifted the World Cup trophy for a record fourth time. The 2011 ICC World Cup was held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and began with 14 teams placed in two groups of seven for intial pool play.

Round-robin matches in each group provided some tense and dramatic moments, with the favored sides making it through to the knockout rounds but Bangladesh not joining its fellow co-hosts in the quarterfinals. India eliminated defending champion Australia at that quarterfinal stage, before topping Pakistan to reach the final. On the other side of the knockout bracket, Sri Lanka outlasted England and New Zealand to set up the first all-Asian final in World Cup history. India gave up 274 runs but proved successful in the chase to defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets in the final at Mumbai and claim its second World Cup title. Cricket World Cup Winners Sri Lanka India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh In April 2006, the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded the hosting duties for the 2011 Cricket World Cup to the four-nation Asian bid containing India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But after an attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009, the ICC decided to remove Pakistan from the host group. Bangladesh will serve as a host nation for the first time in World Cup history, while India will provide eight of the 13 venues selected as sites for matches throughout the tournament.

Fourteen national teams qualified for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and were split up into two groups of seven teams for the initial stage. Group A

Question: Which country hosted the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup?
Answer: South Africa