Top 10 ICC ODI World Cup Finals ranked from worst to best — Which one tops the list?

The ICC World Cup final is where cricket history is being written, especially in ODIs. Every season of the event has produced a champion, but not every final of the competition has delivered unforgettable drama. Some of the finals, including the 2019 ODI World Cup final between England and New Zealand, kept millions of fans on the edge of their seats. 

However, there have been a few finals that have been one-sided contests that ended long before the final over, which is also a reflection of a team’s dominance over the other. Over nearly five decades, these title clashes have displayed some iconic performances and defining moments.

Ranking the World Cup finals is never an easy job because greatness isn’t just judged by the quality of cricket. The closeness of the games, the thrilling atmosphere, and the impact of the players play a crucial role in the game. A low-scoring thriller can also be more memorable than a high-scoring encounter.

Top 10 ICC ODI World Cup finals ranked from worst to best

Here is how the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup finals have been ranked from the worst to the best, based on the overall entertainment value, the competitiveness, and the significance, along with the unforgettable moments of the game.

Has your favourite World Cup made the top spot in the list, or do you feel another classic should have been part of the list? Here is the countdown from No. 10 to No. 1, along with some surprising rankings and debates that every fan will desire to join-

#10 Australia vs India- ODI WC 2003 final (Johannesburg)-

During the ODI World Cup 2003 final between Australia and India at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, the Ricky Ponting-led Australian side posted 359 runs for the loss of two wickets in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to their captain’s superb knock of an unbeaten 140 runs, with the help of four boundaries and eight sixes.

Ponting put up a dashing and unbeaten 234-run stand for the third wicket with Damien Martyn, who nailed an undefeated 88 runs off 84 balls at a strike rate of 104.76, thanks to seven boundaries and one six.

For India, the issue was their batters not converting the starts into big scores. Only Virender Sehwag got his fifty and ended up with 82 runs, thanks to 10 boundaries and three sixes, as Australia clinched the title with the 125-run victory.

Brief Scores: Australia 359/2 (Ricky Ponting 140*, Damien Martyn 88*, Harbhajan Singh 2/49) beat India 234 (Virender Sehwag 82, Glenn McGrath 3/52) by 125 runs.

#9 Australia vs England- ODI WC 1987 (Kolkata)-

During the 1987 World Cup final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, the two old-time arch-rivals met each other. Australia, under the leadership of Allan Border, recorded a very competitive score of 253 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 50 overs. It was led by the opener, David Boon’s strong knock of 75 runs with seven boundaries.

In reply, England, under the captaincy of Mike Gatting, fell short of the target by just seven runs. Bill Athey clubbed 58 runs while Allan Lamb and Gatting crossed the 40-run mark. But both Boder and Steve Waugh contributed with the ball, picking up two wickets each for the win. 

Brief Scores: Australia 253/5 (David Boon 75, Eddie Hemmings 2/48) beat England 246/8 (Bill Athey 58, Steve Waugh 2/37) by 7 runs.

#8 West Indies vs Australia- 1975 Prudential World Cup final (Lord’s)-

It was the very first final of the World Cup, being called as the Prudential World Cup, at Lord’s between West Indies and Australia, where the Caribbean side posted a strong score of 291 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted 60 overs of the innings, thanks to their captain, Clive Lloyd, who smashed a dashing knock of 102 runs off 85 balls with 12 boundaries and a couple of sixes. Rohan Kanhai also celebrated his fifty.

Australia kept themselves in the chase but failed to use the momentum with the continuous wickets. Their captain, Ian Chappell, also played a superb knock of 62 runs, shouldering six boundaries. But they fell short of the target by 17 runs as Keith Boyce finished with figures of 4/50 in 12 overs.

Brief Scores: West Indies- 291/8 (Clive Lloyd 102, Gary Gilmour 5/48) beat Australia 274 (Ian Chappell 62, Keith Boyce 4/50) by 17 runs.

#7 Australia vs New Zealand- ODI WC 2015 final (Melbourne)-

It was the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup between Australia and New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Once Mitchell Starc dismissed Brendon McCullum for a three-duck, it was known to be a tough period for the Kiwis. Grant Ellitor, the hero of their semifinal victory against South Africa, recovered them to 183 with his 83-run knock, thanks to seven boundaries and one six. 

Australia lost Aaron Finch early in the chase, but they didn’t sweat much in the seven-wicket victory in the 187-run chase with nearly 17 overs to spare. Michael Clarke and Steve Smith celebrated their respective half-centuries to get them over the line.

Brief Scores: Australia 183/3 (Michael Clarke 74, Steve Smith 56*, Matt Henry 3/46) beat New Zealand 183 (Grant Elliot 83, Mitchell Johnson 3/30) by seven wickets.

#6 West Indies vs England- Prudential World Cup 1979 final (Lord’s)-

It was the final encounter of the 1979 Prudential World Cup between West Indies and England at Lord’s. The former blasted a match-winning score of 286 runs for the loss of nine wickets on the board in their allotted 60 overs. It was built on the 139-run stand between Viv Richards and Lloyd, who smashed 86 runs off 66 balls. Richards clubbed 138 runs at a strike rate of around 88.

In reply, England found themselves in the chase, shouldering on the 129-run opening partnership between Mike Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott, both of whom celebrated their fifties with the bat. But it was never going to be enough. Joe Garner’s 5/38 and Colin Croft’s 3/42 bundled out the opposition for 194 runs and earned the victory by 92 runs.

Brief Scores: West Indies 286/9 (Viv Richards 138, Collis King 86, Phil Edmonds 2/40) beat England 194 (Mike Brearley 64, Joel Garner 5/38) by 92 runs.

#5 Australia vs India- ODI WC 2023 final (Ahmedabad)-

During the ODI World Cup 2023 final between Australia and India, which was played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, the hosts, who came with an unbeaten streak of nine games, batted first and were bundled out for 240, with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer celebrating their respective fifties. 

In reply, Australia found themselves in a nightmare at 47/3 before the 192-run fourth-wicket stand between Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne completed their chase to break billions’ dream in the six-wicket chase. Head smacked 137 runs off 120 balls while Marnus remained unbeaten on 58 runs.

Brief Scores: Australia 241/4 (Travis Head 137, Marnus Labuschagne 58*, Jasprit Bumrah 2/43) beat India 240 (Shreyas Iyer 66, Mitchell Starc 3/55) by 6 wickets.

#4 Sri Lanka vs Australia- 1996 Wills WC final (Lahore)-

Australia were clear favourites to win the Wills World Cup final in 1996 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore against Sri Lanka, who came into the clash as the underdogs. When the Mark Taylor-led side was restricted to 241/7 in their allotted 50 overs thanks to the leader’s 74-run knock, it could prove to be a tough chase. 

But Arjuna Ranatunga gave a strong sign of showing fight till the end against the most clinical side of the period. The 125-run third wicket stand, and the unbeaten 97-run fourth-wicket partnership carried them over the winning line. Aravinda de Silva remained unbeaten on 107 runs while Asanka Gurusingha scored 65 runs. Ranatunga remained unbeaten on 47 runs to earn the win by seven wickets with 22 balls to spare.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 245/3 (Aravinda de Silva 107*, Asanka Gurusingha 65, Damien Fleming 1/43) beat Australia 241/7 (Mark Taylor 74, Aravinda de Silva 3/42) by 7 wickets.

#3 Pakistan vs England- Benson & Hedges WC 1992 final (Melbourne)-

During the Benson & Hedges World Cup 1992 final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) between Pakistan and England, the former batted first and made their way to 249/6, thanks to the 139-run stand for the third wicket between captain Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, both of whom celebrated their respective fifties in the first innings.

For England, the challenge was to come up against Pakistan’s pace bowlers, especially against the old ball to counter the reverse-swing. Neil Fairbrother got 62 runs, but they lost their last four wickets for just 47 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Mushtaq Ahmed and Wasim Akram ended with the combined bowling figures of 6/90 in 20 overs to earn the 22-run win.

#2 India vs Sri Lanka- ODI World Cup 2011 final (Mumbai)-

India and Sri Lanka met each other during the ODI World Cup 2011 final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sri Lanka didn’t make a strong start with the bat before Mahela Jayawardene shouldered them to 274/6, thanks to his unbeaten knock of 103 runs off 88 balls with 13 boundaries, while Thisara Perera remained unbeaten on 22 runs in nine balls.

India lost Virender Sehwag on the second ball of the chase, and when Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed, there was only silence around the ground. But Gautam Gambhir showed resilience with his 97-run knock while the captain, MS Dhoni, remained unbeaten on 91 runs off 79 balls to win their second ODI World Cup by six wickets. No Indian fan has forgotten the iconic six of Dhoni to finish the game. 

Brief Scores: India 277/4 (Gautam Gambhir 97, MS Dhoni 91*, Lasith Malinga 2/42) beat Sri Lanka 274/6 (Mahela Jayawardene 103*, Yuvraj Singh 2/49) by 6 wickets.

#1 England vs New Zealand- ODI WC 2019 final (Lord’s)-

The 2019 ODI World Cup final remains the most exciting one in the 50-over format in the history of the game. At Lord’s, England met New Zealand, and when the latter posted 241/8, it was anticipated to be an easy chase for the hosts. But it wasn’t the case.

England fell in the middle overs before Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler carried themselves towards the end. The former remained unbeaten on 84 runs as the game moved into a super over. And to shock everyone, the one-over battle between the two sides also got the same drawn result.

And at the end, the Eoin Morgan-led side won the World Cup 2019 on the boundary count. It remains one of the most entertaining games of the format, let alone the World Cup finals.

Brief Scores: England 241 (Ben Stokes 84*, James Neesham 3/43) beat New Zealand 241/8 (Henry Nicholas 55, Chris Woakes 3/37) on super over in boundary count.

Top 10 ICC ODI World Cup Finals ranked from worst to best- FAQs