The England cricket team have appeared in every edition of the Cricket World Cup to date, being crowned champions in 2019. In addition, they were losing finalists in 1979, 1987 and 1992. England have been eliminated from the tournament in the group stage on five occasions (1999, 2003, 2007, 2015 and 2023)
England were the inaugural hosts of the World Cup, in 1975. The country has since hosted the tournament a further four times; in 1979, 1983, 1999 and 2019, the most of any country.
Cricket World Cup performances
+Key Champions Runners-up Semi-finals Host
World Cup recordQualification recordYearRoundPositionWin % 1975Semi-final3/84310075.00No qualifiers held 1979Runners-up2/85410080.00Did not enter (qualified directly as full member) 1983Semi-final3/87520071.43 1987Runners-up2/88530062.50 19922/910630160.00 1996Quarter-finals8/126240033.33 1999Pool stage5320060.00 2003Pool stage9/146330050.00 2007Super 85/169540055.55 2011Quarter-finals7/147331042.86 2015Pool stage10/146240033.33 2019Champions1/1011830068.18Qualified via ODI rankings (3rd place) 2023League stage 7/109360033.33Total1 title13/1393523911
*The win percentage excludes no results and counts ties as half a win.
Tournament results 1975 World Cup
Squad
Mike Denness (c) Dennis Amiss Geoff Arnold Keith Fletcher Tony Greig Frank Hayes John Jameson (wk) Alan Knott (wk) Peter Lever Chris Old John Snow Derek Underwood Barry Wood
Source:
Results Group stageSemifinalFinalOverall ResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankOppositionResultOppositionResultW by 202 runsW by 80 runsW by 196 runs1L by 4 wicketsDid not advanceSemi-finals Scorecards
Summary The inaugural Cricket World Cup was hosted in 1975 by England, the only nation able to put forward the resources to stage an event of such magnitude at the time, The matches consisted of 60 six-ball overs per team, played during the daytime in traditional form, with the players wearing cricket whites and using red cricket balls.Browning (1999), pp. 5–9 England won all their group stage matches but lost in their semi-final match against Australia.
In the semi-final, England were reduced to 37/7, as Gary Gilmour took 6/14, the best World Cup bowling figures at the time They were eventually bowled out for 93 in 36.2 overs. Australia initially suffered a collapse just as dramatic, falling to 39/6, before Gary Gilmour scored 28 from 28 balls, to help Australia to victory.
1979 World Cup
Squad
Mike Brearley (c) & (wk) Ian Botham Geoffrey Boycott Phil Edmonds Mike Gatting Graham Gooch David Gower Mike Hendrick Wayne Larkins Geoff Miller Chris Old Derek Randall Bob Taylor (wk) Bob Willis
Source:
Results Group stageSemifinalFinalOverall ResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankOppositionResultOppositionResultW by 6 wicketsW by 8 wicketsW by 14 runs1W by 9 runsL by 92 runsRunners-up Scorecards
Semi-final 1
Final
Summary The 1979 Cricket World Cup was once again held in England. England won all of their group matches, and defeated New Zealand in a close semi-final by 9 runs. In the final, they lost to the West Indies.
In the semi-final, England began badly, falling to 38/2, before Mike Brearley (53 from 115 balls) and Graham Gooch (71 from 84 balls) resurrected the innings. Derek Randall (42 from 50 balls) scored quickly in the second half of the innings, and 25 runs from the last 3 overs of the innings saw England reach 221/8 from their 60 overs. In response, New Zealand reached 47 from 16 overs, before Bruce Edgar was out lbw. John Wright top-scored with 69 from 137 balls, before being run out. However, New Zealand continued to lose wickets, and they required 14 runs from the last over of the match, and England won by 9 runs, at the time the smallest winning margin by runs in World Cup matches.
In the final, the West Indies got off to a bad start, falling to 99/4. However, a "match winning performance" of 138 from 157 balls from Vivian Richards, and an aggressive innings from Collis King (86 from 66 balls) consolidated the innings with a 139 run partnership, as the West Indies scored 286/9 from 60 overs. In reply, the English openers, Mike Brearley (64 from 130 balls) and Geoff Boycott (57 from 105 balls), scored very slowly. They put together a very methodical opening partnership of 129 runs in 38 overs, but by the time both batsmen were out, the run rate had risen too high. Graham Gooch played some hefty strokes in scoring his 32, taking England to 183/2. However, the loss of Gooch triggered the biggest collapse in World Cup history, as England lost 8/11; Joel Garner took 5/3 in 11 balls. They were eventually all out for 194 in 51 overs.
1983 World Cup
Squad
Bob Willis (c) Paul Allott Ian Botham Norman Cowans Graham Dilley Graeme Fowler (wk) Mike Gatting Ian Gould (wk) David Gower Trevor Jesty Allan Lamb Vic Marks Derek Randall Chris Tavaré
Source:
Results Group stageSemifinalFinalOverall ResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankOppositionResultOppositionResultW by 106 runsW by 47 runsW by 8 WicketsL by 2 wicketsW by 7 wicketsW by 9 Wickets1L by 6 wicketsDid not advanceSemi-finals Scorecards
Summary England were the host nation for the third consecutive tournament. They won 5 of their 6 group stage matches, losing against New Zealand, and qualified for the semi-final. In the semi-final, they were defeated by India "with great ease".
In the semi-final, England batted first, and reached 69 before losing opener Chris Tavaré. Medium pacer Mohinder Amarnath and off-spinner Kirti Azad helped slow the scoring rate, as England only managed 213 from their 60 overs. In reply, Yashpal Sharma (61 from 115 balls) and Sandeep Patil (51 from 32 balls) made half-centuries, and Amarnath and Yashpal's managed a 92 run partnership. India reached their target in 54.4 overs, winning the match by 6 wickets.
1987 World Cup
Squad
Mike Gatting (c) Bill Athey Chris Broad Phillip DeFreitas Paul Downton (wk) John Emburey Neil Foster Graham Gooch Eddie Hemmings Allan Lamb Derek Pringle Tim Robinson Gladstone Small
Source:
Results Group stageSemifinalFinalOverall ResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankOppositionResultOppositionResultW by 2 wicketsL by 18 runsW by 108 runsL by 7 wicketsW by 34 runsW by 8 Wickets2W by 35 runsL by 7 runsRunners-up Scorecards
Semi-final 2
Final
Summary The 1987 Cricket World Cup was the first tournament not held in England. England matched their previous best performance, by reaching the final before losing to Australia.
In the semi-final, India chose to field first. After reaching 79/2, Graham Gooch (115 from 136 balls) and captain Mike Gatting (56 from 62 balls) shared a partnership of 117 runs in 19 overs. In the end, England reached 254/6 from their 50 overs. In reply, India made a bad start, and were 73/3. The middle order were more fluent, with Mohammed Azharuddin, (64 from 74 balls) top scoring. When Azharuddien was dismissed, India were 204/5 from 41 overs, and required 51 from 9 overs with 5 wickets in hand. However, they collapsed and were all out for 219 in 45.3 overs.
In the final, Australia won the toss and chose to bat. David Boon (75 from 125 balls, 7 fours) top-scored for Australia, Helped by Mike Veletta (45 from 31 balls), Australia scored 65 runs from the last 6 overs of their innings, and posted 253/5 from their 50 overs. England opener Tim Robinson was out lbw for a first ball duck. Bill Athey (58 from 103 balls) top-scored, and England were almost on target. However, when captain Mike Gatting (41 from 45 balls) was out playing an attempted reverse sweep off the occasional off-spin bowling of Allan Border, this ended a growing partnership of 69 runs in 13 overs between him and Bill Athey. Allan Lamb's innings of 45 from 55 balls was insufficient, as the required run-rate for England began to rise, requiring 17 off the last over, and eventually losing by 7 runs.
1992 World Cup
Squad
Graham Gooch (c) Ian Botham Phillip DeFreitas Neil Fairbrother Graeme Hick Richard Illingworth Allan Lamb Chris Lewis Derek Pringle Dermot Reeve Gladstone Small Robin Smith Alec Stewart (wk) Phil Tufnell
Source:
Results Round-robin stageSemifinalFinalOverall ResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankOppositionResultOppositionResultW by 9 runsW by 6 wicketsNo resultW by 8 wicketsW by 106 runsL by 3 wicketsW by 7 wicketsL by 9 runs2W by 19 runsL by 22 runsRunners-up Scorecards
Summary England reached their third World Cup final, and again lost in the final, this time to Pakistan. England won 5 of their 8 pool stage matches, with 1 no result, and easily qualified for the semi-final, despite a surprising lost to Zimbabwe in their final group match. Their semi-final was memorable due to a target recalculation under the most productive overs rule which removed any chance for South Africa to win the match. Despite being favourites to win the final, England lost to Pakistan, their third World Cup Final defeat.
The semi final between South Africa and England ended in controversial circumstances when, after a 10-minute rain delay, the most productive overs method revised South Africa's target from 22 runs from 13 balls to an impossible 21 runs from one ball. After the World Cup, ODIs used a different formula as a result of this incident, and it was eventually superseded by the Duckworth–Lewis method for the 1999 World Cup. According to the late Bill Frindall, had the Duckworth–Lewis method been applied at that rain interruption, the revised target would have been four runs to tie or five to win from the final ball."Stump the Bearded Wonder".
England were favourites to win, having bowled out Pakistan for just 74 earlier in the tournament. A repeat looked possible when Derek Pringle dismissed both Pakistani openers, making the score 24/2. However, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad settled down to see off the new ball. A crucial moment occurred when Imran Khan was dropped by Graham Gooch at 9 runs. He later went on to score a match-winning 72. At the 25 over mark, Pakistan had only scored 70, but accelerated the score to 139 by the 31st over as Javed Miandad summoned a runner and Imran and him built a steady partnership. During his innings, Imran Khan hit a huge six off Richard Illingworth that landed far back into the members' section. Imran went on to score 72 and Miandad 58 to steady the innings, expectedly followed by an onslaught from Inzamam (42) and Wasim Akram (33) enabling Pakistan to give England a fighting target of 250. England's start was shaky. Ian Botham was dismissed for a duck by Wasim Akram, followed by Stewart, Hick and Gooch, which left England tumbling at 69/4. A solid partnership of 71 between Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother left Imran with no choice but to give an early second spell to his main pacer Wasim Akram in the 35th over. The decision wrote the fate of the match. Two magical deliveries from the great left-arm fast bowler showed Allan Lamb and the dangerous Chris Lewis the pavilion door. Soon Fairbrother was caught by Moin Khan off Aaqib Javed to seal England's last hope. When the cards were laid down, Captain Imran Khan had the last laugh when end man Richard Illingworth was caught by Ramiz Raja off his delivery to finish off the final and crown Pakistan World Cup winners.
1996 World Cup
Squad
Michael Atherton (c) Dominic Cork Phillip DeFreitas Neil Fairbrother Darren Gough Graeme Hick Peter Martin Richard Illingworth Jack Russell (wk) Neil Smith Robin Smith Alec Stewart Graham Thorpe Craig White Dermot Reeve
Source:
Results