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Another Australian summer of cricket, another ATG Championship. The World Cup is the pinnacle achievement in cricket. It only comes around once every four years and a small mistake can send even the greatest teams packing. Since the very first World Cup in 1975, 13 different teams have held the trophy aloft. This ATG Championship will find out which of these teams of greats truly is the All Time Great World Cup XI. Will one of the fearsome West Indies teams take home all the accolades? Maybe an ever-present Australian XI will take top honours? Or will another stroke of luck see the English take out the trophy? Anything can happen when it comes to World Cups so any team could ultimately be crowned All Time Greats at the end of the tournament.
Format
Similar to previous ATG Championships, the greatest players from around the world will gather to face off against each other. This edition of the ATG Championship will pit each World Cup winning XI against each other. To even up the numbers, the inaugural Champion Trophy winning XI, South Africa, will be the 14th team. The teams will be split into two groups and the top three from each group will progress to the round of finals.
Teams
1975 - West Indies
Clive Lloyd led one of the most dominant teams in the history of the game to defeat Australia in the first World Cup final. Lloyd's 102 off 85 was one of the fastest centuries ever seen at the time and he would be a key player in this legendary lineup.
1979 - West Indies
The West Indies made it two from two in 1979. This team is arguably the stronger of the West Indies team with a full-strength bowling lineup including the likes of Garner, Roberts and Holding.
1983 - India
It took one of the best bowling performances in World Cup history to finally beat the West Indies in a World Cup final when India lifted the World Cup. Dev's men could very well stun the world again.
1987 - Australia
Border was the first Aussie captain to lift the cup for his country. Border, Marsh and Waugh all feature in this team so there should be no shortage of runs.
1992 - Pakistan
Swing kings, Khan and Akram, led Pakistan to victory at the MCG. They have one of the most complete teams in the tournament with explosive batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders.
1995 - Sri Lanka
One of the greatest upsets of all time. If they can beat a team of Ponting, Waugh(x2), Bevan, Warne and McGrath, Ranatunga's team can take on anyone. Vaas, Murali, de Silva and Jayasuriya would love another crack at glory.
1998 (Champion's Trophy)- South Africa
While making up the numbers, South Africa was the first team to win what is now called the Champions Trophy. And with players like Boucher, Kallis, Rhodes and Cronje, they certainly do deserve the title of champions.
1999 - Australia
Australia's second World Cup title came with one of the most convincing World Cup final wins of all time. It only took Waugh, Gilchrist, Ponting and Lehmann to knock over a measly Pakistan total, which was dismantled by the likes of Warne and McGrath.
2003 - Australia
With just a few changes, Australia dominated for a second consecutive win. Ponting's century with springs in his bat meant that Australia didn't even have to bring out all of their weapons. Not to mention, their bowlers included Lee and McGrath as well as big-hitting Symonds who was underused.
2007 - Australia
Not only did Australia complete their hat trick, but they completed their three wins by some of the biggest margins we've seen in World Cup finals. The same old faces appear, McGrath, Gilchrist, Ponting.
2011 - India
It took an all-time performance from one of the best teams ever for India to get their second World Cup title. Tendulkar finally got his time to bask in glory alongside a young Kohli. Dhoni's grit could be the deciding factor once again.
2015 - Australia
Yet another Australia win but with an almost entirely different XI playing. Modern greats such as Starc, Warner and Maxwell add their strength to this team.
2019 - England
The closest match of all time. A lucky/unlucky moment gave England their first World Cup win after falling short 11 times, leaving New Zealand the only team from the first World Cup to not have a title to their name. Root, Stokes and Morgan all would like to prove everyone wrong by showing the world they were the best team on the day.
2023 - Australia
Arguably not the best team of the tournament but the Aussies won their fifth World Cup by being the best team on the day. This Australian team shows that no matter how the tournament progresses, once a match begins, history and expectations have little to do with the result.
Standings
| Group A | Played | Wins | N/R | NRR | Total | Group B | Played | Wins | N/R | NRR | Total |
| West Indies '75 | 0.00 | 0 | West Indies '79 | 0 | |||||||
| India '83 | 0.00 | 0 | Australia '87 | 0 | |||||||
| Pakistan '92 | 0.00 | 0 | Sri Lanka '96 | 0 | |||||||
| South Africa '98 | 0.00 | 0 | Australia '99 | 0 | |||||||
| Australia '03 | 0.00 | 0 | Australia '07 | 0 | |||||||
| India '11 | 0.00 | 0 | Australia '15 | 0 | |||||||
| England '19 | 0.00 | 0 | Australia '23 | 0 |
Fixtures
| Group A |
| WI 75 vs AUS 03 |
| IND 83 vs IND 11 |
| PAK 92 vs ENG 19 |
| SA 98 - Bye |
| Group B |
| WI 79 vs AUS 07 |
| AUS 87 vs AUS 15 |
| SL 96 vs AUS 23 |
| AUS 99 |
And with that, the tournament is ready to begin.
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