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International fixtures played over five days, known as Test matches, and also shorter games, known as one-day internationals arouse huge interest, debate and controversy in England, Australia, South Africa, the islands of the Caribbean (who play as a united West Indies team), India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Those nine teams hold the highest status in international cricket and are the only teams granted the right, by the International Cricket Council (ICC), to stage officially recognised five-day Test matches. There is also an ever-growing number of countries whose cricket is less established but growing in popularity and proficiency all the time. Three of those nations - Kenya, Bangladesh and Scotland - are competing in the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Others like Ireland and Holland are hosting fixtures in this year's tournament in recognition of their growing status. Although there is no world championship for the five-day game, teams are regularly placed in unofficial orders of merit according to recent results against each other. Five-day and one-day internationals are normally played between two countries over a series ranging from three to six matches (for Tests) and often more for one-day games. The shorter version of the game is often staged in triangular or quadrangular tournaments. The Cricket World Cup was first staged in 1975 in England with eight teams competing. West Indies, beginning to establish a world dominance in Test cricket that lasted for 20 years, beat Australia in a thrilling final at Lord's, the stadium on London which is regarded universally as the global home of cricket. West Indies won the next tournament four years later by defeating England in another Lord's showpiece final. The Caribbean stars were favourites once more for the 1983 competition but they were victims one of cricket's great upsets when they lost to India. The World Cup then moved away from England for the first time in 1987 when Australia began their ascent to the top of the world cricketing tree with a narrow defeat of England in Calcutta, India. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the 1992 tournament but the Aussies, favourites before the start, were a great disappointment to their expectant home following. It was Pakistan, under the inspirational leadership of playboy-cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, who beat England in the final. The most recent World Cup was played in 1996 over a range a venues in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the latter of the three overcoming political turmoil and civil unrest at home to stun the cricket world by winning the final against the highly-fancied Australians in Lahore, Pakistan. So here we are in 1999, with the top 12 cricket teams on the planet fighting it out for the right to be called World Champions. Let battle commence....
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