The first cricket World Cup was held in 1975. Back then there were just six teams competing in the World Cup and not much hullaballoo as we see in present times. The World Cup trophy also underwent significant changes during the course of time.
Trophies Named After Sponsors
The first three editions of World Cup (1975, 1979 and 1983) were held in England. The world cups were better known as Prudential Cups as Prudential plc (a UK-based financial services company). The trophies for all the three world cups were called Prudential Cups and similar trophies were lifted by Clive Lloyd in 1975 and 1979 and by Kapil Dev in 1983.
In 2008 the Prudential Cup trophy was re-awarded to the Indian team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the famous win.
The era of Prudential Cup trophies was over by 1987. The World Cup had shifted bases and was held in Indian sub-continent for the first time. Reliance was the new sponsor for the tournament and thus the cup was called Reliance Cup. Allan Border of Australia lifted the trophy in 1987.
In 1992 the world cup moved down-under and was held in Australia and New Zealand. The 1992 world cup was sponsored by Benson and Hedges and the trophy was called Benson and Hedges Cup. It was made of crystal and remains the only trophy to have no metal at all.
In 1996, the world cup came back to the subcontinent. It had 12 teams for the first time and 'quarter-finals' were introduced. Sri Lanka managed to lift the Wills World Cup Trophy.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy (1999 onwards)
It took ICC a good 24 years to introduce a unique, permanent trophy for the tournament which they intended to make it the prize for subsequent World Cups. Taking cue from FIFA, ICC thought of getting the trophy designed by experts. The trophy was crafted and designed by a team of craftsmen from London-based Garrard and Co (aka Crown Jewellers) who completed the job in two months.
The current trophy is composed of gold and silver. It weighs 11 kg and stands 60 cm high. The new trophy was designed with platonic dimensions so that one can recognise it from any angle. The most striking feature of the new trophy is a golden globe held up by three columns. The columns denote chief aspects of the game - bowling, batting and fielding while the globe represents a cricket ball.
Since 1999, the winners have been awarded an exact replica of the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy. The original trophy is kept by the ICC and has names of all winners inscribed on it. There is still room for putting down 10 more names. This suggests the trophy may be used for about 40 more years. The replica bears the name of the team which gets it.
As we stand on the brink of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final , there's just one cry from every cricket fan in India - Repeat 1983 and bring home the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy.
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