A look back at the World Cups

West Indies skipper Clive Lloyd was poised to hold aloft the World Cup for a third time, only to see Kapil Dev's "Devils" from India snatch it away in one of the biggest surprises.

When the 1987 World Cup arrived in the sub-continent, Australia were definitely not the favourites to win it in front of 70,000 spectators at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta.

South Africa would have have contested the 1992 World Cup final on their maiden appearance after more than two decades of isolation due to apartheid if it were possible to score 21 off one ball.

The 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent will be remembered as much for Sri Lanka's victory with bold and innovative batting tactics as for boycotts and riots.

Steve Waugh's Australians held their nerve in testing conditions to lift the 1999 World Cup in England, while South Africa continued to wrestle with their fate.

The 2003 World Cup was not only about Australia's triumph over adversity, but also about protests, boycotts, a drug-ban and some big players' farewells.

The 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean had what every glamorous event would like to avoid -- the death of a coach, a final completed in darkness, early eixts of favourites and only a few close matches.

Australia shed much of their strength in the 1979 World Cup after Australian TV tycoon Kerry Packer rocked the establishment by luring top players to his World Series Cricket in 1977.

The first World Cup in England in 1975 wore a different look from modern standards, for the game was traditional as players had not discarded whites for coloured clothing and money was scarce.