The ICC Cricket World Cup is the showpiece event of the cricket calendar and takes place every four years, with matches contested in a 50 overs per side format.

There have been nine events so far, with the first tournament taking place in England in 1975.

The last ICC Cricket World Cup took place in 2007 in the Caribbean which was won by Australia, which became the first side in history to win three consecutive titles.

In a final which was interrupted by rain, Australia won the title by 53 runs (Duckworth/Lewis method), with Adam Gilchrist's 149 off 104 balls, the highest score in a CWC Final, helping him take the Man of the Match Award.

Spectacular hitting dominated the tournament, most notably when South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs became the first man in ODI history to hit six sixes in one over against the Netherlands, Matthew Hayden of Australia scored the fastest hundred in CWC history off 66 balls against South Africa and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum's 50 off 20 balls against Canada was also a record.

India made a record team score in a CWC, with 413 against Bermuda, the Australia-South Africa group match was the highest match aggregate in CWC history and the 18 sixes in the South Africa-Netherlands match was also an ODI record.

There were also moments of individual brilliance with the ball, with Lasith Malinga becoming the first to take four wickets in four balls in an ODI and the fifth player to take a CWC hat-trick.

Other winners of the event include West Indies (1975, 1979), India (1983), Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996). Australia also captured the title in 1987.

The next ICC Cricket World Cup will be staged in the Asian subcontinent in 2011.

India have been placed in Group B — along with England and South Africa — for the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday after a Board meeting.

“In Group A there will be Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya. In Group B there will be India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands,” the ICC said in a statement.

“The working group will be chaired by ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and will include a representative from each Full Member as well as the ICC General Manager - Commercial, Campbell Jamieson and ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson,” it added.

Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya

Group B: India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands.

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