Does a team's form leading up to the World Cup determine the next champion? Judging from the number of people (and pundits) who have Australia and South Africa on their lips as winners of World Cup 2003, it would seem so.
But the figures suggest otherwise. Except in the 1979 edition of the tournament, which the West Indies firmly entered as favourites and finally won, the top team based on form prior to the championship has never won the World Cup.
In 1983, the West Indies, who were then the top one-day side, were toppled by seventh-placed India.
Form cuts both ways. In 1987, Australia, who were placed fifth in the rankings before the tournament began, took home the trophy. In 1992, the Aussies who were at the top of the table, failed even to qualify for the last four.
The 1996 champion, Sri Lanka, had a miserable time prior to the tournament and were placed a lowly sixth with a win percentage of 43. But the team went on to win the title without losing a single game in the tournament.
Ditto South Africa in the last World Cup. Having won 75 per cent of the matches in the four years running up to 1999, the Proteas were firm favourites. But it was the fourth-placed Australians (win percentage: 50.66) who took away the honours.
So, what do these figures mean in 2003? Australia (win percentage 73.56) and South Africa (64.42) enter the fray as the top-two teams. Will they buck the trend? Or will the current favourites end up biting the dust?
And in the midst of all that, is there hope for India, which enters the tournament placed fifth in the rankings? Or is it cold comfort?
| 1971-75 | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1975 WC |
| Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 66.66 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Australia | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | - | 57.14 | lost in the final |
| West Indies | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 50.00 | won the WC |
| England | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | - | 46.66 | lost in the semi-final |
| New Zealand | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | - | 14.28 | lost in the semi-final |
| India | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 00.00 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| 1975-79 | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1979 WC |
| West Indies | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | - | 71.42 | won the WC |
| New Zealand | 5 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 60.00 | lost in the semi-final |
| England | 17 | 9 | 7 | 1 | - | 52.94 | lost in the final |
| Australia | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | - | 50.00 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Pakistan | 10 | 3 | 7 | - | - | 30.00 | lost in the semi-final |
| India | 5 | 1 | 4 | - | - | 20.00 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| 1979-83 | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1983 WC |
| West Indies | 34 | 23 | 11 | - | - | 67.64 | lost in the final |
| New Zealand | 39 | 23 | 15 | 1 | - | 58.97 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| England | 40 | 19 | 21 | - | - | 47.50 | lost in the semi-final |
| Pakistan | 25 | 11 | 13 | 1 | - | 44.00 | lost in the semi-final |
| Australia | 64 | 28 | 32 | 4 | - | 43.75 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| India | 27 | 10 | 17 | - | - | 37.04 | won the WC |
| Sri Lanka | 15 | 4 | 9 | 2 | - | 26.66 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| 1983-87 | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1987 WC |
| West Indies | 80 | 61 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 76.25 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| England | 49 | 26 | 23 | - | - | 53.06 | lost in the final |
| Pakistan | 78 | 38 | 36 | 4 | - | 48.71 | lost in the semi-final |
| India | 73 | 32 | 36 | 5 | - | 43.83 | lost in the semi-final |
| Australia | 82 | 35 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 42.68 | won the WC |
| New Zealand | 48 | 16 | 29 | 3 | - | 33.33 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Sri Lanka | 42 | 8 | 32 | 2 | - | 19.04 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Bangladesh | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 00.00 | did not participate |
| 1987-92 | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1992 WC |
| Australia | 75 | 55 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 73.33 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Pakistan | 79 | 43 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 54.53 | won the WC |
| West Indies | 79 | 41 | 33 | 3 | 2 | 51.89 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| England | 48 | 23 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 47.91 | lost in the final |
| India | 72 | 31 | 39 | 1 | 1 | 43.06 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| New Zealand | 59 | 23 | 36 | - | - | 38.98 | lost in the semi-final |
| South Africa | 3 | 1 | 2 | - | - | 33.33 | lost in the semi-final |
| Sri Lanka | 50 | 12 | 38 | - | - | 24.00 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Bangladesh | 7 | - | 7 | - | - | 00.00 | did not participate |
| Zimbabwe | - | - | - | - | - | - | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Team | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1996 WC |
| Australia | 75 | 45 | 29 | - | 1 | 60.00 | lost in the final |
| India | 63 | 37 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 58.73 | lost in the semi-final |
| West Indies | 78 | 45 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 57.69 | lost in the semi-final |
| Pakistan | 87 | 46 | 37 | - | 4 | 52.87 | lost in the quarter-final |
| South Africa | 70 | 33 | 35 | 2 | - | 47.14 | lost in the quarter-final |
| England | 38 | 17 | 21 | - | - | 44.73 | lost in the quarter-final |
| Sri Lanka | 78 | 33 | 40 | 5 | - | 43.30 | won the WC |
| New Zealand | 65 | 23 | 38 | 3 | 1 | 35.38 | lost in the quarter-final |
| Zimbabwe | 31 | 4 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 12.90 | lost first round |
| UAE | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 00.00 | lost first round |
| Bangladesh | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 00.00 | did not participate |
| Team | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 1999 WC |
| South Africa | 76 | 57 | 16 | 3 | - | 75.00 | lost in the semi-final |
| Sri Lanka | 81 | 43 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 53.08 | did not qualify for the super league |
| Pakistan | 106 | 54 | 49 | 3 | - | 50.94 | lost in the final |
| Australia | 75 | 38 | 36 | - | 1 | 50.66 | won the WC |
| West Indies | 50 | 24 | 25 | - | 1 | 48.00 | did not qualify for the super league |
| England | 49 | 22 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 44.90 | did not qualify for the super league |
| India | 119 | 50 | 59 | 9 | 1 | 42.02 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| Zimbabwe | 60 | 24 | 34 | - | 2 | 40.00 | failed to qualify for the semis |
| New Zealand | 65 | 23 | 34 | 5 | 3 | 35.38 | lost in the semi-final |
| Kenya | 19 | 6 | 13 | - | - | 31.58 | did not qualify for the super league |
| Bangladesh | 18 | 1 | 17 | - | - | 05.55 | did not qualify for the super league |
| Team | P | W | L | D | T | %win | Team position in the 2003 WC |
| Australia | 87 | 64 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 73.56 | ? |
| South Africa | 104 | 67 | 34 | 1 | 2 | 64.42 | ? |
| Pakistan | 108 | 64 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 59.25 | ? |
| Sri Lanka | 107 | 61 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 57.01 | ? |
| India | 118 | 58 | 56 | 4 | - | 49.15 | ? |
| England | 64 | 28 | 34 | 2 | - | 43.75 | ? |
| West Indies | 88 | 38 | 46 | 4 | - | 43.18 | ? |
| New Zealand | 89 | 35 | 51 | 3 | - | 39.32 | ? |
| Zimbabwe | 97 | 25 | 70 | 2 | - | 25.77 | ? |
| Kenya | 22 | 1 | 20 | 1 | - | 04.54 | ? |
| Netherlands | 2 | - | 2 | - | - | 00.00 | ? |
| Bangladesh | 26 | - | 25 | 1 | - | 00.00 | ? |
