Dates | 8 October – 8 November 1987 |
---|---|
Administrator(s) | International Cricket Council |
Cricket format | One Day International |
Tournament format(s) | Double round-robin and Knockout |
Host(s) | India Pakistan |
Champions | Australia (1st title) |
Runners-up | England |
Participants | 8 |
Matches | 27 |
Most runs | Graham Gooch (471) |
Most wickets | Craig McDermott (18) |
The 1987 Cricket World Cup (officially known as the Reliance Cup 1987 for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth Cricket World Cup. It was held from 8 October to 8 November 1987 in India and Pakistan – the first such tournament to be held outside England. The one-day format was unchanged from the eight-team 1983 event except for a reduction in the number of overs a team played from 60 to 50, the current standard for all ODIs.
The competition was won, for the first time, by Australia who defeated their arch-rivals England by seven runs in the second-most closely fought World Cup final to date in Kolkata's Eden Gardens stadium. The two host nations, India and Pakistan failed to reach the final, after both being eliminated in the semi-finals. The West Indies failed to live up to expectations and did not advance from the group stage.[1]