1. Sri Lanka is the only (joint) host nation to have won a World Cup when they beat Australia in the finals of the 1996 World Cup.
2. Both Australia and West Indies refused to play against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka during the World Cup 1996, citing security reasons and the Lankans were awarded the match by default. Also Sri Lanka were awarded a victory in the semi finals against India following crowd riots. Eventually Sri Lanka won the World Cup that season.
3. The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, which hosted the first match between India and Bangladesh of the ICC World Cup 2011, was originally built for football and athletics and hence was rectangular in shape. A lot of demolition was done and the athletics tracks were dug up to bring it to a shape suited for cricket. Also, about three feet of soil was excavated to remove all the red clay.
4. Though the winner of the first two World Cups (1975 and 1979), West Indies has played the host only once – in 2007 in which, they did not even make it to the Semi-Finals.
5. Sir Vivian Richards, the legendary West Indies batsman, is the only player to have represented a team in both World Cup Football and World Cup Cricket – Antigua in World Cup Football (1974) and West Indies in World Cup Cricket (1975, 1979, 1983 and 1987).
6. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the only two Test playing nations to have totaled below 100 and lost the match.
In the qualifying match against England in 1992 World Cup at Adelaide, Pakistan managed a total of 74 in 40.2 overs. Rain cut down the victory target for England to 64 from 16 overs. The match had to be abandoned due to rain after the 8th over when England were at 23/1 and the points were shared. Had Pakistan lost the match that day, they would not have qualified for the knock-outs.
The then minnows Sri Lanka were crushed by the mighty West Indies for a total of 86 in 37.2 overs in the league round of World Cup 1975. The Sri Lankans could do little against the lively pacers like Andy Roberts, Bernard Julien and Keith Boyce. The West Indies took just four balls more than 20 overs to finish the match with just one wicket down. It was the time when a side bowled 60 overs in a limited over edition of the game. With the match getting over very early, the two teams entertained the 5,000 and odd spectators with an exhibition match.
7. The 1992 World Cup saw many innovations including coloured uniforms, day and night matches with floodlights, white balls and redefining of the fielding circle rules – only two fielders outside the 15-yard circle in the first 15 overs.
8. Designed by renowned architect and conservationist Danish Siddiqui and Naval Khanna, the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium, which would host 4 matches in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2011, was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq in 1354. The ground has been host to many Indian cricketing feats - Anil Kumble became only the second bowler to scalp 10 wickets in a test innings, in a match against Pakistan in 1999, Gavaskar equaled the most number of test 100s (29) of Sir Donald Bradman in a match against West Indies in 1983, Sachin Tendulkar surpassed Gavaskar’s record of most number of test 100s with his 35th 100 against Sri Lanka in 2005, and many more.
9. Anderson Cummins, who played for Canada in the 2007 World Cup, is the only player other than Kepler Wessels (captain of South Africa in 1992 World Cup) to have represented two countries in World Cups. Cummins had earlier represented West Indies in the 1992 World Cup and Kepler Wessels had represented Australia in the 1983 World Cup.
