West Indies player after a defeat (Source: The Gaurdian)
On August 11, 2026, West Indies failed to secure a direct qualification spot in the 2027 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup. Yes, you read it right: the two-time ODI World Cup champions will have to go through a qualifying tournament to make it to the 2027 showpiece.
Although West Indies, ranked 10th, have two ODIs against India inside the cut-off date, even two wins still wouldn't push them back into contention. That means they once again have to go through the grind of playing in the Qualifier, being held in February next year, to have a shot at the title.
How West Indies’ dominance in ICC ODI World Cups ended?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that the Windies have to make their way through the Qualifier. They were also unable to make the 2023 ODI World Cup via direct entry and had to play the Qualifier.
For the uninitiated, this is the same team which was once considered the strongest in the world in Test and ODI cricket.
A number of cricketing legends who have played for the Men in Maroon have been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, including Garfield Sobers, Brian Lara, Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose and many more.
So what exactly happened over the years that the West Indies cricket has stooped this low?
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To better understand their steady slump, let’s take a look at West Indies’ journey through the ODI World Cups.
1975 World Cup
The Windies entered the inaugural edition of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup with an unmatched reputation as a world beater. Led by Clive Lloyd, the Men in Maroon went through the 1975 showpiece unbeaten, defeating Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in the group stages and New Zealand in the semi-final.
West Indies faced Australia once again in the final, where captain Lloyd led from the front with a brilliant 102, guiding his team to 291/8 in 60 overs.
In reply, Ian Chappell’s half-century gave Australia a solid start, but three sharp run-outs by Viv Richards turned the tide. Australia slumped to 233 for nine before a valiant last-wicket stand of 41 between Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson brought them close.
However, a fifth run-out ended their innings at 274, handing the West Indies a 17-run win and the inaugural Men’s Cricket World Cup title.
1979 World Cup
Following an inspiring run in the maiden edition, the lads from the Caribbean returned to England for the 1979 contest with ambitions of securing the grip on the trophy they earned four years earlier.
The final was played at the historic Lord’s ground on June 23, 1979, between the two unbeaten sides, West Indies and England.
Batting first, the defending champions plunged into trouble at 99/4 after losing early wickets like Gordon Greenidge and captain Clive Lloyd.
The West Indies rebounded remarkably through a 139-run partnership between Viv Richards and Collis King. Richards scored an unbeaten 138 off 157 balls, and King blasted 86 off just 66 balls.
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Chasing the target, openers Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott put on 129 runs, but played very slowly. Once the partnership broke, Joel Garner dismantled the batting lineup with a fiery spell of 5 wickets for 38 runs, causing England to collapse from 183/2 to 194 all out.
It was time to rejoice for Clive Lloyd and his Caribbean clan as the crown was retained in style. The emphatic 92-run thrashing once again proclaimed their supremacy as the giants of ODI World Cups.
1983 World Cup
June 25, 1983, remains one of the most striking moments in Indian and West Indies sporting history.
The Windies entered the final as overwhelming favourites. Led by a formidable lineup and boasting one of the most feared pace attacks in cricket, the Caribbean side was hunting an unprecedented third consecutive title, against a team that entered the tournament as underdogs.
Batting first, India’s innings lasted 54.4 overs and produced just 183 runs, a total that appeared well below par against one of the strongest teams in world cricket.
However, India's bowlers and fielders produced one of the finest defensive performances in World Cup history.
The West Indies innings never gained momentum as Indian bowlers consistently applied pressure and restricted scoring opportunities.
Eventually, in the 1983 edition, India stunned the cricketing world by defeating the mighty West Indies at Lord’s to win its first-ever ODI World Cup title. The victory not only transformed cricket in India, but also ended the dominance of the West Indies.
1987 World Cup
Following the embarrassing loss at the hands of India, West Indies had an even more surprisingly poor run in the consecutive edition hosted in India and Pakistan.
For the first time in tournament history, the former champions failed to advance past the group stage, finishing third in Group B with two wins and four losses under captain Viv Richards.
1992 World Cup
After dominating the sport for almost 20 years, the West Indies cricket team witnessed one of the most heartbreaking declines in dominance since 1990.
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The Windies soon lost its title as the best in the world as they finished in 6th place during the round-robin stage, recording 4 wins and 4 losses. Led by captain Richie Richardson, they narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot due to an inferior net run rate compared to eventual champions Pakistan and Australia.
1996 World Cup
After a hiatus of 13 years, the West Indies finally went past the group stage and secured a semi-final spot in the 1996 World Cup co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Led by Richie Richardson, they won three group matches; however, they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Kenya.
On February 29, 1996, Kenya recorded one of the greatest upsets in cricket history by defeating the mighty West Indies by 73 runs. Defending a modest total of 166, the Kenyan bowlers bundled out a star-studded West Indies lineup for just 93 runs.
Recovering from the Kenya shock, they defeated South Africa to reach their first semi-final since 1983. In the semi-final against Australia, they suffered a dramatic batting collapse, losing their last 8 wickets for 37 runs to finish at 202 all out, falling short by 5 runs.
1999 World Cup
The West Indies had yet another disappointing campaign at the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England, failing to advance past the group stage under captain Brian Lara.
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Despite winning two of their five group matches, they finished fifth in Group B and missed out on the Super Six round due to an inferior net run rate.
2003 World Cup
While the 1996 and 1999 editions gave a glimmer of hope, West Indies’ performance in the 2003 was heartbreaking.
Hosted in South Africa, Windies finished fifth in Pool B, behind teams like Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, and South Africa. They secured 3 wins, 2 losses, and 1 no-result match, accumulating 14 points and failing to reach the Super Six stage.
2007 ODI World Cup
Even as the host, West Indies’ fortunes didn’t change in the 2007 ODI World Cup, as they once again finished 6th in the Super Eight stage.
After winning all three group matches against Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland, they entered the Super Eights as the table toppers of their group.
However, a contrasting fate followed them into the later stages as they carried into the Super Eights and won only one of their six matches there, failing to reach the semi-finals in Brian Lara’s final international tournament.
2011 ODI World Cup
In the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the West Indies cricket team once again gave a gleam of hope to their fans and supporters, reaching the quarterfinals. They qualified for the quarterfinals from Group B (alongside South Africa, India, and England) after finishing fourth. They secured six points: three wins and three losses.
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However, they were once again humbled by Pakistan, where they were bowled out for 112 after an embarrassing batting collapse. Pakistan went on to win the game by ten wickets after chasing the score within 21 overs.
2015 ODI World Cup
The Men in Maroon had an up-and-down run in the 2015 edition, where they reached the quarter-finals again. However, they were eventually knocked out heavily by New Zealand.
They finished fourth in Pool B with three wins and four losses from their seven group fixtures, plagued by inconsistency and heavy thrashing.
2019 ODI World Cup
In the 2019 ODI World Cup, West Indies’ cricket stooped to a new low. It was arguably one of their worst performances at a World Cup.
Not only did they fail to qualify, out of the 10 participating nations, but they finished ninth, just above Afghanistan.
In nine games, they only gathered five points, with two wins and six defeats. They won games against Asian sides Pakistan and Afghanistan, while their encounter against South Africa was abandoned midway through the game.
2023 ODI World Cup
West Indies couldn't qualify for the 2023 World Cup round robin stage and had to play the qualifiers. The two-time World Champions had a miserable run in the ODI format in the leadup to the 2023 World Cup.
In the Qualifier, the Windies finished fifth in the Super Six stage and ultimately lost to Sri Lanka and were out of the tournament.
Even in the qualifiers, the team was lacklustre. It faced defeats against Zimbabwe and the Netherlands earlier in the tournament.
It was the first ODI World Cup that they ever missed, which in turn led to their missing the 2025 Champions Trophy, a competition they haven’t played since 2013.
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