Cricket History and Tournaments

The 1992 Cricket World Cup was won by Pakistan, defeating England in the final at Melbourne. This was Pakistan's first and only World Cup victory. Australia won in 1987 and 1999; Sri Lanka won in 1996; West Indies won in 1975 and 1979.

The 2003 Cricket World Cup runner-up was India, losing to Australia in the final at Wanderers, Johannesburg. Australia dominated the tournament, winning all matches including the final. England lost to Australia in the group stage; New Zealand didn't reach the final.

Sri Lanka won the 1996 Cricket World Cup, defeating Australia by 7 wickets in the final played at Lahore on March 17, 1996. This was Sri Lanka's first World Cup victory.

In the 2007 T20 World Cup, India defeated Australia in the semi-final. Australia had beaten India earlier in the tournament, but India avenged that loss with a 15-run victory in the semi-final at Durban, propelled by Yuvraj Singh's explosive 70 off 30 balls.

The 2007 ICC World Twenty20 featured 12 teams total - the 10 Test-playing nations (India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh) plus two associate teams (Kenya and Scotland). This was the inaugural T20 World Cup tournament.

Ireland did not participate in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. Of the options given, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Scotland all featured in the tournament. Ireland was not among the 12 participating teams (10 Test nations + Kenya + Scotland). Ireland would make their T20 World Cup debut in 2009.

Sri Lanka posted 260/7 against Kenya in the 2007 T20 World Cup, which remains the highest team total in T20 World Cup history. This was a record-breaking innings with Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara scoring centuries.

VVS Laxman's last six in Test cricket was hit against Pakistan. This is a specific cricket trivia fact about the final six of his distinguished Test career. Laxman played many memorable innings against Australia, but his last six came against a different opponent.

Courtney Walsh's famous 5/1 performance came against Sri Lanka. This is a legendary bowling spell where Walsh took 5 wickets for just 1 run. The spell is remembered as one of the most devastating bowling performances in Test history.

Among cricket-playing nations, England, South Africa, and West Indies are all established cricket powers with long Test history. Sri Lanka, though a Test nation since 1982, is geographically and historically the newest entrant to top-level cricket among these options. Note: 'ENGLNAD' is a typo.

At the time of this series, India was ranked first in Test cricket. A 3-0 loss would have dropped them to second place. A 2-0 or 2-1 loss would not have been sufficient to displace them from the top ranking.

South Africa won the ODI series 3-2 in a closely contested series. India won the first two ODIs, but South Africa made a strong comeback to win the remaining three matches and take the series.

The first official Test match was played between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from March 15-19, 1877. This is widely recognized as the birth of international cricket, though the sport had been played informally for decades before.

Virender Sehwag made his international Test debut against South Africa in Bloemfontein in November 2001. His debut was impressive as he scored 105 and 31 in the match. India was not the host (debut against South Africa in South Africa), and he did not debut against Pakistan or England in Tests.