Lifting the cricket World Cup is a dream for any nation really and Australia somehow made it a habit to kiss the biggest glory in the cricketing fabric for the highest number of times. They have always been a dominant force in the cricketing antiquity that has starred some of the biggest monikers of the sport and from the game’s very inception to the current day, the team continues to produce youngsters of the finest order.
Well, there is definitely a massive impetus in the domestic circuit in the form of Sheffield Shield that plays an instrumental role in shaping up the young talents of the nation. Add to that the new installment of the Big Bash League which has honed the T20 cricketing skills of the country.
A country that has hosted a slew of big names in the past starring the likes of Sir Donald Bradman, Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Ricky Ponting and the list goes on and on, is undoubtedly supposed to be one of the most reckoning forces in the cricketing circuit.
Not only is their men’s team a burning menace but their women’s team is equally brilliant and the most dominant team in the women’s cricketing roster. The latest feather that got added to their cap was that of the 2022 Women’s World Cup where Alyssa Healy went berserk in the grand finale and amassed a humongous total that left England, their closest competitor in arrant shock.
In this story, let us quickly take a look at the number of World Cups that the cricketing teams of Australia have secured over the years.
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – 5 times
Despite the early dominion of the West Indies in the World Cups, Australia would soon stage a turnaround and it would reverberate for ages to come. Their first triumph came in 1987 under the hallowed leadership of Sir Allan Border. They managed to beat rising Pakistan in the semi-finals and fixed a date with England in the finals. It was David Boon’s imposing 75 that propelled Australia to 253 while it was their skipper, Allan Border who secured the crucial scalp of Mike Gatting to leave them stranded.
Their second triumph came after a prolonged wait of 12 years where the team escaped from the very jaws of elimination as Allan Donald ran himself out in bizarre circumstances that would later spark countless conspiracy theories, making it one of the most surreal moments in the history of cricket. However, call it fortune or whatever you want to, Shane Warne had absolutely zero mercy for the Pakistan cricketers, bundling them within a modest 132 that allowed Australia to canter away with the title for the second time.
In 2003, there was no stopping the rampant force that they became. They won the World Cup without a single defeat and in the final, they stormed past India with a display that still hurts for the Indian cricket fans. Ricky Ponting blasted an unprecedented storm leaving India reeling in agony in the grand finale.
In 2007, Australia extended their domination to the third consecutive triumph in the history of the tournament as they got the better of Sri Lanka in a rain-curtailed finale with Adam Gilchrist spearheading the charge. Despite being knocked out by India in 2011 as Yuvraj Singh blitzed his way through the Australians, they regained the trophy back in 2015, besting New Zealand in a Trans-Tasmanian final.
ICC Women’s World Cup – 7 times
The women have been much more rampant than their male counterparts as their dominion in the biggest stages is ahead of the closest contender by a proverbial mile. They lifted the cup in 1978, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2005, 2013 and 2022. Being a part of 84 matches so far in the tournament, they have savoured landslide domination securing 70 wins with 11 defeats. With a win percentage of 85.47, they have dictated the proceedings handsomely and continue to be the most damning force in the history of women’s cricket.
Their latest triumph came against the might England where Alyssa Healy blasted home a blistering ton while their bowlers pulled off a phenomenal task of restricting their English counterparts despite Natalie Sciver’s phenomenal best.
ICC T20 World Cup – 1 time
Despite Australia’s unparalleled dominion in the longer formats of the game, their reign in the shortest format of the game hasn’t been as prominent as one usually expects from Australia. However, their reign in the shortest format of the game started late as their solitary triumph came in 2021 when they braved Pakistan in the semi-final while getting the better of their continental rival, New Zealand in a lopsided encounter as their batters made merry against a clueless Kiwi bowling attack.
