Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
6 November 2023
Angelo Mathews became the first batsman in international cricket history to be timed out after his helmet strap broke while walking to the crease.
Afghanistan vs Pakistan
23 October 2023
A controversial short run call during the 2023 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Pakistan led to Afghan fans accusing the umpires of costing their team the match.
India (selection controversy)
16 April 2019
After being overlooked for the 2019 World Cup squad in favor of Vijay Shankar — whom selectors described as a '3-dimensional' player — Ambati Rayudu posted a sarcastic tweet about ordering '3D glasses' for watching the World Cup.
England vs New Zealand
14 July 2019
Umpire Kumar Dharmasena awarded six runs on an overthrow that deflected off Ben Stokes' bat, when the correct call should have been five. The decision may have changed the outcome of the World Cup final.
India vs New Zealand
10 July 2019
MS Dhoni's run out by Martin Guptill's direct hit in the World Cup semi-final was upheld by the third umpire after a close review that many felt could have gone either way.
England vs New Zealand
2019-07-14
Trent Boult took a seemingly match-winning catch but stepped on the boundary rope, gifting England a crucial six in the World Cup Final.
England vs New Zealand
14 July 2019
England won the 2019 World Cup Final on a boundary count tiebreaker after both the match and Super Over were tied, amid controversy over a crucial overthrow that awarded England six runs instead of five.
Pakistan vs Australia
20 March 2015
Wahab Riaz bowled a fearsome spell of fast bowling to Shane Watson in the World Cup quarter-final, hitting him multiple times and sledging aggressively.
Pakistan vs Australia
2015-03-20
Wahab Riaz bowled a ferocious spell at Shane Watson in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, complete with death stares, near-misses, and theatrical confrontations that became compulsive viewing.
New Zealand vs South Africa
2015-03-24
Grant Elliott hit Dale Steyn for six to win the 2015 World Cup semi-final, ending South Africa's 'choking' curse in the most dramatic way possible before helping the devastated Steyn to his feet.
India vs Pakistan
30 March 2011
Sachin Tendulkar survived multiple contentious decisions in the World Cup semi-final against Pakistan, including a caught-behind appeal that Pakistan chose not to review.
Pakistan (coaching staff)
18 March 2007
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in Kingston, Jamaica, the day after Pakistan's shock elimination from the 2007 World Cup, sparking a murder investigation and wild conspiracy theories.
Australia vs South Africa
25 April 2007
South Africa's World Cup semi-final against Australia was affected by rain and bad light, with DLS calculations and umpiring decisions combining to produce a controversial result.
Bermuda vs India
2007-03-19
Bermuda's 20-stone Dwayne Leverock defied physics to take a spectacular one-handed diving catch at slip, then celebrated like he'd won the World Cup.
England vs Zimbabwe (forfeited)
13 February 2003
England refused to play their 2003 World Cup group match in Harare, Zimbabwe, citing security and political concerns related to the Mugabe regime, forfeiting crucial points that contributed to their early elimination.
Kenya
20 March 2003
Kenya's fairy-tale run to the 2003 World Cup semi-final was followed by decades of mismanagement, corruption, and ICC neglect that reduced them from genuine contenders to cricketing irrelevance.
Zimbabwe
10 February 2003
Zimbabwe players Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands during the 2003 World Cup to mourn 'the death of democracy' in Zimbabwe, in a courageous protest against Robert Mugabe's regime.
India vs England
1 March 2003
Sachin Tendulkar was given out LBW off a ball that appeared to be going well over the stumps, sparking outrage among Indian fans.
India vs Kenya
18 March 2003
Steve Bucknor's umpiring during the 2003 World Cup reinforced his reputation as an umpire who frequently made errors in high-profile matches involving India.
India vs Pakistan
1 March 2003
In the 2003 World Cup India-Pakistan match, Sachin Tendulkar was bowled by Shoaib Akhtar early in his innings, but Pakistan failed to appeal for an LBW earlier, and there were claims Akhtar was overstepping throughout.
Pakistan vs Various
1 March 2003
Pakistan captain Waqar Younis came under scrutiny during the 2003 World Cup for bowling an unusually high number of no-balls, raising suspicions of spot-fixing.
Australia
11 February 2003
Shane Warne was sent home from the 2003 World Cup after testing positive for a banned diuretic, receiving a one-year ban from cricket.
Australia vs South Africa
17 June 1999
South Africa's Lance Klusener hit two fours off successive balls to bring the scores level, but a catastrophic run out of Allan Donald off the last ball sent Australia through on net run rate in one of cricket's greatest ever finishes.
India vs Pakistan
8 June 1999
Sachin Tendulkar was given out caught behind in the high-stakes India-Pakistan World Cup match despite replays suggesting the ball brushed his pad, not bat.
Australia vs South Africa
17 June 1999
Allan Donald was run out in the most dramatic fashion in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, but South Africa argued the initial call by the square leg umpire was premature.
India vs South Africa
1999-06-05
Herschelle Gibbs dropped a catch off Sachin Tendulkar after celebrating prematurely, reportedly prompting Tendulkar to tell him 'You've just dropped the World Cup, mate.'
India vs Sri Lanka
13 March 1996
The 1996 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens was effectively decided by the match referee after the crowd rioted when India collapsed in the chase.
India vs Sri Lanka
13 March 1996
The 1996 World Cup semi-final at Eden Gardens was abandoned after Indian fans rioted, hurling bottles and setting fires when India's batting collapsed against Sri Lanka's spinners.
England vs South Africa
22 March 1992
A farcical rain rule calculation left South Africa needing 22 runs off 1 ball in the World Cup semi-final, robbing them of a realistic chance of reaching the final.
Pakistan vs India
1992-03-04
Javed Miandad mocked Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More's jumping celebrations by doing exaggerated frog-like jumps at the crease, creating one of cricket's most iconic comedy moments.
England, Australia
1987-11-08
Cruising at 135 for 2 chasing 254 in the 1987 World Cup final, Mike Gatting attempted a reverse sweep off Allan Border's first ball, gloved it to wicketkeeper Greg Dyer, and triggered the collapse that lost England the World Cup.
West Indies vs Pakistan
1987-11-01
Courtney Walsh refused to run out Pakistan's non-striker Saleem Jaffar who was backing up too far, costing West Indies a World Cup spot in one of cricket's greatest acts of sportsmanship.
India, Zimbabwe
1983-06-18
India were 17 for 5 against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells in the 1983 World Cup when Kapil Dev walked in and made an unbeaten 175 — the highest individual ODI score at the time and the innings that turned the tournament.
West Indies vs Australia
21 June 1975
The first Cricket World Cup — the Prudential World Cup of 1975 — culminated in a 60-overs-a-side final at Lord's on 21 June, in which West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs. Clive Lloyd's 102 from 85 balls anchored West Indies' 291/8; Vivian Richards ran out three Australian batters, including the Chappell brothers; Australia were dismissed for 274 in 58.4 overs. The match finished after 8.43 pm under summer twilight and crowned West Indies as the inaugural one-day champions.