How many times have Australia made it to the final of Men's ODI World Cup?

The Australian cricket team have reached the 50-over World Cup final for the record eighth time. They outclassed South Africa in the second semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday, November 16. The Men in Yellow have won five of their previous seven finals.

The Aussies lost the inaugural World Cup final in 1975 against the West Indies at Lord's, losing by 17 runs. Their first World Cup victory came in the year 1987. They defeated arch-rivals England in Kolkata as Australia triggered a collapse while defending 253 in their allotted 50 overs.

They went on to lose the 1996 World Cup final to Sri Lanka in Lahore, thanks to a masterclass from Aravinda de Silva, who made 107. The Men in Yellow completed a World Cup hat-trick in the subsequent three editions, two of which came under Ricky Ponting (2003 and 2007).

Their most recent tournament win came in 2015 under Michael Clarke as they became only the second team to win the tournament on home soil.

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Australia edge South Africa in a low-scoring thriller

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. (Credits: Getty)

The second 2023 World Cup semi-final was nothing short of an eventful fixture as it went down to the wire. The Proteas won an important toss, but Pat Cummins' men pushed them to the backfoot with some magnificent swing bowling.

David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen built a partnership of 95 before Travis Head struck to remove the latter. Miller hit a brilliant hundred and lifted the Proteas to a competitive 212 on a turning track.

During the chase, Travis Head and David Warner gave the Aussies early momentum, building a 60-run partnership. Australia lost a few wickets in the middle overs but also kept the runs coming.

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins held their nerves to get their side over the line with 16 balls to spare. India and Australia will meet in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19 (Sunday).