Every cricketer aspires to play under pressure and achieve great things for his/her country. No occasion can be as big as playing in the summit clash of an ICC tournament. In this article, we take a look at the five teams that have played the most ICC finals so far.
The three major ICC Tournaments include the 50-over World Cup, the Champions Trophy and recently, the World T20. The latest addition to this list is the World Test Championship, which will also be part of the prestigious pool from now. Here, we find out which nation has had the most number of appearances in these finals.
5) West Indies – 8
50-over World Cup – 3 || World T20 – 2 || Champions Trophy – 3
West Indies have reached the finals of ICC tournaments on eight occasions so far. It was the team from the Caribbean Islands that ruled the roost when the ICC tournaments were first started. The nation won the first two World Cups while they reached the final on the third competition, eventually losing to Team India. In recent times, thanks to their T20 stars, the country has also won two World T20 trophies. They also have a Champions Trophy in their cabinet.
4) Sri Lanka – 8
50-over World Cup – 3 || World T20 – 3 || Champions Trophy – 2
Sri Lanka was a successful team, especially after 1990 and mostly in the limited-overs competitions. Hence, it is of no surprise that they belong to this list of teams that have played the most ICC finals so far. They have played three 50-over WC finals, winning once and losing twice. The stats remain the same in World T20 too, with their sole win coming against India in 2014. In 2002, India and Sri Lanka played two ICC Champions Trophy finals, and hence, these games also add to the account. They were the joint winners along with India in that competition.
3) England – 8
50-over World Cup – 4 || World T20 – 2 || Champions Trophy – 2
The country where cricket was born, England have hardly had any success in the ICC tournaments. However, with their World Cup win in 2019, the Englishmen are slowly coming into the groove. They now have a strong team, that is sure to challenge for trophies in all the formats of the game. In fact, they are the favourites for the World T20, which is set to happen in 2021.
2) Australia – 10
50-over World Cup – 7 || World T20 – 1 || Champions Trophy – 2
The most successful team in the history of the game, Australia is surprisingly the No.2 team that has played the most ICC finals so far. That said, this stat is of no relevance here as the Aussies have been dominant and successful whenever they reached an ICC final. They have five 50-over World Cups and two Champions Trophies, which are more than any other nation. Nevertheless, they would want to improve their count in World T20.
1) India – 11
50-over World Cup – 3 || World T20 – 2 || Champions Trophy – 5 || WTC – 1
With their presence in the first final of the World Test Championship, Team India stands at the top of this list with eleven appearances in ICC finals. They have won two World Cups, two Champions Trophies and one World T20 in the limited-overs tournaments. That said, the cabinet is dry now and the squad will be itching to add a few trophies in the coming years.
