A look at the 5 Cricket World Cup trophies

When we look at the course of change of any object, especially when it is a much-revered object, we tend to view the same with positive sentiment. Since there have been five Cricket World Cup trophies thus far, we tend to use the word “evolution” when it comes to the changes in the trophy. Is it really an evolution or a devolution? The question can be debated on a design standpoint, but when it comes to debating whether the trophy is better off for being independent of an external sponsor, the question isn't moot. So we are quite justified in calling it an evolution.Here's a look at the World Cup trophy's evolution over the years:

#1 The Prudential Cup (1975-1983)

The Prudential Trophy was named after Prudential plc, an insurance company. In the first edition of the Cricket World Cup, it wasn't even known as the World Cup. Perhaps the use of the word 'World' is debatable as only 19 different countries have participated in the Cricket World Cup thus far.

In any case the Prudential Trophy was in play for the 1975, 1979 and 1983 editions of the competition, which we know now as the Cricket World Cup. In 1975, the competition was called the Prudential Cup, and in 1979 and 1983, it was called the Prudential World Cup. They were won by West Indies in 1975 and 1979 while India emerged victorious in 1983.

#2 Reliance World Cup (1987)

1987 was the first time the Cricket World Cup was held away from England. It was held in the Indian sub-continent, sponsored by Reliance, and named the Reliance World Cup. A somewhat unimaginative but straightforward trend seemed to be emerging here when it came to naming the cups.

If KFC had to sponsor the World Cup, I'd have expected them to call it the KFC Bucket. If Cisco sponsored it, they ought to have called it Cisco Chalice for alliteration appeal. In any case, the Reliance World Cup trophy was won by Australia.

#3 Benson & Hedges World Cup Trophy (1992)

The Benson and Hedges Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand. This was a dapper looking trophy, made of crystal. It remains the only Cricket World Cup trophy to not comprise of metal, and thus it was a bit on the lighter side. This trophy was awarded to Pakistan.

While this was named the Benson and Hedges World Cup, there were subsequent Benson and Hedges Cups held every year from 1992 to 2002. This remains one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals, and it was brought to a close over a confluence of three reasons - a ban on tobacco sponsorship restricting advertisement of Benson and Hedges, an over saturation of one-day cricket in England and Wales and the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup.

#4 Wills World Cup Trophy (1996)

The Wills World Cup was held in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who were the eventual winners. Recently, this trophy came into the news for the wrong reasons, with it transpiring that the trophy was damaged in 2012. It was allegedly damaged when it was taken out for the Deyata Kirula Exhibition. “It’s sad that these things are happening while we are alive.

“A lot of sacrifices had been made by not only the 14 players who played in the tournament, but others who worked behind the scenes for years and it seems that people running cricket at the moment simply don’t care. I hope all players who were part of that World Cup squad will condemn what had happened in the strongest possible way,” said Arjuna Ranatunga, the then Sri Lankan skipper, of the travesty. Two rivets of the World Cup trophy were stolen.

#5 ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy (1999-)

The ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy came into play in 1999 and has been the trophy awarded since then. It's introduction marked the end of an era of title sponsors for the trophy. This trophy was produced by a team of craftsmen from Garrard & Co in London over a period of 2 months. This trophy is made of gold and silver and weighs approximately 11 kgs and it stands 60cm high.

The three silver columns of the trophy are shaped as stumps and bails and they represent batting, bowling and fielding. The original trophy is housed by ICC and a replica is permanently awarded to the winning team. The replica is identical to the original in all but two aspects: the original has the ICC logo while the replica has the event logo and the original has the inscriptions of the previous champions. Australia won this trophy in 1999, 2003 and 2007 while India took it home in 2011.

While there was a small element of surprise and anticipation in looking for what new design would be unveiled for the Cricket World Cup trophies before 1999, it is far more appealing to have the consistency of an identical trophy for teams to aspire to win. The current trophy definitely takes the cake when it comes to aesthetic design as well.