The Cricket World Cup, the top-level and the most important competition in One Day International cricket, was first played in 1975. This tournament, known as The Prudential World Cup, was played in England and was won by the West Indies. Since then, the tournament has been played every four years, in a number of different countries. Between eight and sixteen teams have contested the various competitions, and lengths of matches have ranged from 60 overs per side in the early tournaments down to 50 overs per side in recent ones.
