Melbourne, Australia: World Cup 2015 is just seven days away and connoisseurs of cricket waiting eagerly to be a part of the history of the game where each edition ha had its unforgettable moments.
A look at the previous 10 editions of the cricket World Cup:
2011
Final: India def. Sri Lanka by 6 wickets
India's victory in the final at Mumbai was described by legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the highest point of his illustrious career. India, winner of the World Cup in 1983 at Lord's, became the first country to lift the trophy on home soil -- the tournament was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan was also due to host some matches but was removed as co-hosts after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team bus in Lahore.
There was a touch of drama before the final, when match referee Jeff Crowe couldn't hear Kumar Sangakkara's call. Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed to have misheard the call, and so it had to be retaken. Sangakkara won the toss after calling heads, again, and batted.
Dhoni's belligerent 91 and Gautam Gambhir's sedate 97 overshadowed Mahela Jayawardene's century at Wankhede Stadium -- a final between two Asian teams for the first time. While Tendulkar rejoiced his first World Cup success, it was not so lucky for the great Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who quit international cricket after failing to take a wicket in the final.
Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul also ended on losing sides in their last ODIs during the World Cup. Akhtar announced his retirement during the World Cup, but his final over against New Zealand, which cost Pakistan 28 runs, proved to be his last game as he was left out of the lineup for the semifinal against India at Mohali. Chanderpaul had a forgetful last ODI when Pakistan bowled out West Indies for 112 in the quarterfinals.
England provided some of the exciting and bizarre results. It beat South Africa and West Indies and tied with India while chasing 339, but gave away 292 runs against the Netherlands, allowed Ireland to chase down 328. Sri Lanka beat them in quarterfinals without losing a wicket in pursuit of 230 runs.
Pakistan topped its group that included victory against Australia, which lost its first World Cup match since the group stage in 1999. South Africa continued its drought in playoff matches when it lost to New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
