Playing at home an advantage for men's cricket teams in ODI World Cup since 2011?

Men's Cricket World Cup was first started in the year 1975. Over the years, the dynamics of the biggest cricket tournament has changed immensely. Till the start of the decade of 2010s, no team had won a World Cup final at home. Back in time, winning the tournament in home conditions was considered a big deal, as it involved pressure from fans.

India from the 1996 ODI World Cup could tell it better. In the tournament, India could not handle the pressure and lost the semifinal against Sri Lanka. Till 2011, it was considered almost impossible for a team to win the ODI World Cup final at home. There was certainly the pressure factor to perform in front of the home crowd. It did not help the home teams.

From 1975 to 2011, no team won a World Cup final at home. But the things changed when India became the first team to win the World Cup at home. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, India won the World Cup final at home, in Wankhede. Since then, the tide has shifted completely in the Cricket World Cup. The two World Cups following the 2011 season, 2015 and 2019, saw the home team win the final.

Men's ODI World Cup (Source: Twitter)

Home sides dominate in the ODI World Cup since 2011

Australia won the 2015 ODI World Cup in their own backyard. Michael Clarke's men won the final of the tournament against New Zealand in front of a packed stadium in Melbourne. It was the second instance of a home team winning the World Cup final. The feat of winning the World Cup being a home side repeated in the 2019 edition as well. England hosted and won the tournament in 2019.

It was the first ever World Cup win for England in ODIs. Under the captaincy of Eoin Morgan, England won the World Cup final against New Zealand on boundary count. For the third time in a row, a home side won the ODI World Cup final. It showed that the teams are looking at playing in home conditions as an advantage, rather than looking it as a pressure.