ODI World Cup: Which country has reached the finals but never won?

Source: X/VenuGopalPsPk

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 is less than a month away with the 1st match scheduled on the 5th of October. The first match between England and New Zealand will be a repeat of the previous edition’s finals where England won ‘by the barest of all margins’. England became the sixth nation to win the ODI World Cup in 2019 after West Indies (1975, 1979), India (1983, 2011), Australia (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007), Pakistan (1992) and Sri Lanka (1996). Before their triumph in 2019, England had reached the finals of the ODI World Cup thrice before in 1979, 1987 and 1992. In this article, we take a look at which is the only country that has reached the finals of the ODI World Cup but never won the tournament.

New Zealand

New Zealand has been a consistently performing team at the ODI World Cups since the very first edition in 1975. The New Zealand national cricket team has found it hard in the knock-out stages of the tournament.

They reached the semi-finals in the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. In 1983 and 1987 they failed to go past the group stage. In 1992, New Zealand were the co-host along with Australia. They once again lost in the semi-finals to the eventual winners, Pakistan. In 1996, they lost again in the knock-out stage in the quarterfinals to Australia. Pakistan defeated them in the semi-finals in 1999. In 2003, they made it to the Super Six stage but couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals after finishing 5th out of the six teams. In 2007, they topped their group and moved to the Super 8 stage where they finished 3rd and qualified for the semi-finals. Sri Lanka beat them in the penultimate match. It was once again Sri Lanka who ended their run in the World Cup in 2011. They lost to Sri Lanka in the semi-finals. The biggest heartbreaks for New Zealand came in 2015 and 2019 when they reached the finals but failed to win the game.

2015 ODI World Cup

New Zealand were once again the co-host along with Australia for the 2015 ODI World Cup. The 14 teams were divided into two groups of seven teams. New Zealand were placed in Group A along with Australia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, Afghanistan and Scotland. New Zealand won all six of their games in the group stage. Here is a look at their journey to the finals.

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They first defeated Sri Lanka by 98 runs. Corey Anderson was named Player of the Match for his knock of 75 runs in 46 balls bowling figures of 2/18 in 3.1 overs.
They defeated Scotland by 7 wickets with 151 balls remaining. Trent Boult won the Player of the Match award for his bowling figures of 2/21.
New Zealand defeated England in their third game. They bowled England out for just 123 runs in 33.2 overs. The New Zealand batters chased the small target with ease in 12.2 overs with Brendon McCullum hitting 77 runs off just 25 balls. Tim Southee was the Player of the Match for his impressive bowling figures of 7/33 in 9 overs. He became the 4th person to take a 7 fer in ODI World Cups.
They defeated Australia by just one wicket in one of the closest games at the World Cups. Australia were bowled out for 151 runs at Auckland courtesy of a 5-wicket haul from Boult. McCullum’s half-century and Kane Willamson’s unbeaten knock of 45 runs which included a six off the last ball ensured the victory for the Black Caps. Boult won the Player of the Match award for his fifer.
They defeated Afghanistan who were playing their first ODI World Cup in 2015. In the first innings, Daniel Vettori picked up a 4-wicket haul and bowled four maidens while conceding just 18 runs in his 10 overs. Afghanistan was bowled out for 186 runs which New Zealand chased in 36.1 overs while losing 4 wickets. Vettori won the Player of the Match award.
New Zealand defeated Bangladesh in their final group-stage game. Bangladesh scored 288 runs thanks to a century from Mahmadullah. New Zealand chased down the target in 48.5 overs with the help of a century from Player of the Match, Martin Guptill and a half-century from Ross Taylor.
Quarter-finals: New Zealand defeated West Indies in the quarter-finals. Guptill starred with a double-century in the first innings helping New Zealand to reach the total of 393 runs. The co-hosts then bowled out the two-time champions for just 250 runs and won the game by 143 runs. Guptill won his second consecutive Player of the Match award.
Semi-finals: New Zealand defeated South Africa in the semi-finals on the penultimate ball in a rain-affected match. South Africa scored 281 runs in their 43 overs and gave New Zealand a Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target of 298 runs. Grant Elliot’s unbeaten knock of 84 runs in 73 balls not only got his side into their first World Cup finals but also won him the Player of the Match award.
Finals: Australia got better of their trans-Tasmanian rivals in the finals. The five-time champions bowled out New Zealand for just 183 runs despite Elliot scoring 83 runs in 82 balls. Australia won by 7 wickets and chased down the target in 33.1 overs.

2019 World Cup

A single league format made a return to the ODI World Cup in 2019. New Zealand won five of their nine league games and lost three games along with one of their encounters ending in a no result. Here is a look at their journey to another World Cup finals.

New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka in their opening game. Sri Lanka was bowled out for 136 runs as Matt Henry in a Player of the Match performance picked up three wickets. New Zealand chased down the target without losing any wickets in 16.1 overs.
They defeated Bangladesh in their next game once again bowling out their opponent. Bangladesh scored 244 runs in the first innings. New Zealand chased down the target in 47.1 overs with two wickets remaining. Ross Taylor won the Player of the Match award for his knock of 82 runs in 91 balls.
James Neesham picked up a 5-wicket haul to bowl out Afghanistan for 172 runs. The batters chased down the total in 32.1 overs with the loss of three wickets. Neesham was adjudged Player of the Match.
Their fourth match against India was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
They defeated South Africa in their next game. They restricted South Africa to 241 runs in 49 overs. New Zealand chased down the target in 48.3 overs with the loss of 4 wickets thanks to a century from skipper, Kane Williamson.
New Zealand defeated the West Indies in a thriller game. New Zealand scored 291 runs after Williamson hit a knock of 148 runs in 154 balls. West Indies almost chased down the target with a century from Carlos Brathwaite. He was the last batter to be dismissed going for a maximum.
Pakistan defeated New Zealand in their 7th game. New Zealand scored 237 in their 50 overs. Pakistan chased down the total with Babar Azam hitting a century and Haris Sohail hitting a half-century.
Australia defeated New Zealand in their penultimate league game. The five-time champions scored 243 runs in the first innings. New Zealand were bowled out for 157 runs and lost the game by 86 runs.
England scored 305 runs in the first innings. New Zealand were then bowled out for 186 runs and lost the game by 119 runs.
Semi-finals: New Zealand defeated India in the semi-finals. They scored 239 runs in the first innings. India was bowled out for 221 runs. Matt Henry was named the Player of the Match for his bowling figures of 3/37.
Finals: The final between New Zealand and England was the closest finals ever played. There are high chance that it remains as the closest final ever. Both teams scored 241 runs. A super over followed where England scored 15 in their Super Over. England then restricted New Zealand to 15 runs and won on the ‘boundary count’ rule.

Conclusion

In the lead-up to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the cricketing world eagerly awaits another thrilling tournament. The first match, a rematch of the 2019 final, pits England against New Zealand. New Zealand, a consistently strong contender, has reached the ODI World Cup finals but never tasted victory. Their journey has been marked by heartbreak, coming closest in the 2019 final that ended in a dramatic tiebreak. As the 2023 edition approaches, cricket enthusiasts worldwide are poised on the edge of their seats. It will be interesting to see whether New Zealand will finally clinch the World Cup in the upcoming edition.