World Cup factfile - The journey of the Women's WC

1973 World Cup - England

20 June 1973 - The day the inaugural Women's Cricket World Cup opened with a fixture between Jamaica and New Zealand in Kew Green. Just that there was none of the glitz and glamour associated with a global event. It also turned out to be an uphill battle for the organisers to attract sponsors. In such a scenario, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, the former England captain, turned out to be a pioneer of the event. After playing a game of cricket at Eastbourne, Heyhoe-Flint had a conversation with the businessman Jack Hayward on finding ways to branch out the women's game. Heyhoe-Flint was also able to convince Hayward to donate GBP 40,000 in order to hold a global event in England.

The pair then discussed the plan of hosting the tournament with the then president of Women's Cricket Association, Sylvia Swinburne, who in turn gave the green signal. The W.C.A were able to draw up seven teams for the event: Australia, England, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, Young England and an International Invitation XI. The organisers also decided to hold it in a league-based format, with each team taking on the other and the side with most victories taking the trophy home.

The tournament didn't exactly start on the right note as the tournament opener was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. However, lady luck smiled for the rest of the tournament as the rain relented. The top two teams - England and Australia - locked horns in the final game of the tournament. Enid Bakewell, the legendary all-rounder, top-scored for England with 118 and also picked up a couple of scalps as the hosts emerged victorious by a substantial margin of 92 runs. Princess Anne presented the trophy to the jubilant England side.

Most runs- Enid Bakewell - 264. Most wickets - Rosalind Heggs - 12.

1978 World Cup - India

By 1973, India had formed its women's cricket association, with Premila Bai Chavan as president. Around four-five years later, India hosted the second edition of the Women's World Cup. This tournament was supposed to be held in South Africa, but due to the sporting boycott of the country, they lost the chance of hosting it and also couldn't participate in the tournament. Incidentally, even in 1973, the invite to South Africa had to be cancelled as a result of their isolation. Eventually, the tournament attracted six teams - India (hosts), Australia, England, New Zealand, the West Indies, and the Netherlands. Keenan Stadium, Eden Gardens, Moin-ul-Haq stadium and Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium were the four venues.

Unfortunately, the Netherlands and the West Indies had to withdraw due to financial hurdles. So only four teams (the fewest number of teams in a Women's World Cup) partook in the event. Australia, who lost out to England in 1973, went on an unbeaten run and emerged victorious by defeating their arch-rivals in the last game. Sharon Tredrea, who was arguably the fastest bowler in the women's game at the time, ripped through the heart of England's batting unit by picking up a four-for. Margaret Jennings, the Australian skipper, then compiled a fifty as her side chased down the paltry target of 97 for the loss of only two wickets. Surprisingly, England dropped their charismatic cricketer and captain, Heyhoe-Flint, from the squad.

One of the features of the World Cup was it largely attracted good crowds, reportedly in excess of 40,000 for some of the matches.

Most runs - Margaret Jennings -127. Most wickets - Sharyn Hill - 7.

1982 Women's World Cup - New Zealand

The World Cup moved towards the Southern Hemisphere with New Zealand holding it in 1982. The tournament witnessed a few changes for the better. For instance, the governing body - IWCC - was actively involved in organising the event. New Zealand Women's Cricket Council spent months together to plan for the tournament and were able to find a sponsor. In total, five visiting teams were invited - Australia, England, India, the Netherlands and the West Indies. The Dutch team couldn't partake in the tournament because of financial problems. The West Indies also withdrew from the event as a mark of protest against New Zealand hosting South Africa's rugby union side in 1981.

Ultimately, an International XI was invited in order to make sure it wouldn't be just a four-team tournament. Every team played against each other three times with Australia topping the charts by securing 46, while England came distant second (32 points). The tournament also had a summit clash and it was televised live. It was once against Australia that pipped England by five wickets. Lyn Fullston with the ball and Jen Jacobs with the bat were the chief contributors for Australia. Incidentally, Fullston has the most number of wickets (39) in the history of Women's World Cups. The World Cup also saw the emergence of a young Janette Brittin who went on to compile 391 runs. Brittin would go on to become one of the finest batters in the history of the Women's game.

Most runs - Janette Brittin - 391. Most wickets- Lyn Fullston - 23

1988 Women's World Cup - Australia

After six years of wait, it was Australia's chance to take over the baton of hosting the tournament. England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Netherlands were the participating teams. India were also invited but couldn't make it because of financial issues. Just like the previous World Cup, there was a sponsor. The player of the tournament - Carole Hodges - was also presented with a Waterford Crystal trophy worth AUD 4000.

Every team played against each other twice, with Australia and England topping the points table with 28 and 24 points respectively. The only match that Australia lost in the round-robin was against arch-rivals England at the Richmond Cricket Ground. Hodges (62) and future England skipper, Karen Smithies (two wickets) were the key performers. The World Cup also saw Australia breaking the record for the largest winning margin (by runs) in an WODI when they defeated the Netherlands by 255 runs. The match also saw Lindsay Reeler notching up the highest individual score (143*) in WODIs. This record stood for about nine years.

The final of the tournament between England and Australia was played at the colosseum of Melbourne Cricket Ground. The organisers also ensured that it was free for the spectators to watch the summit clash with around 3000 witnessing the match. Unfortunately, it rained overnight and the outfield was slow as England amassed only 127 for 7 in their allotted 60 overs. Australia too were in a spot of bother early on, losing a couple of wickets up front. England could have picked up another scalp, but Reeler was given not out despite having edged one behind. Reeler then accumulated an unbeaten fifty to guide the side home.

Most runs - Lindsay Reeler - 448. Most wickets - Lyn Fullston - 16.

1993 World Cup - England

The 1993 World Cup was almost a non-starter as a result of a lack of funding. But a GBP 90,000 donation from the Foundation for Sport and Arts, alongside individual gifts from certain cricket enthusiasts, helped the organisers to conduct the tournament. There were still a few other teething problems. To illustrate the point, England's players had to roll the pitch by themselves in Ealing when they locked horns against the Netherlands.

For large parts of the tournament, there was a lack of media coverage. However, it changed for the summit clash between England and New Zealand at the hallowed turf of Lord's - only for the second time, women cricketers were allowed to play at Lord's. Even though only the Grandstand side of the ground was opened, around 5000 witnessed the final at Lord's.

The Sarah Illingworth-led New Zealand did restrict England to 195 for 5 in their allotted 60 overs. The visitors, though, dropped four catches in the innings. The fluffed chance to give Jo Chamberlain (when on 7) a reprieve proved to be a turning point as she cracked a 33-ball 38. Debbie Hockley's run-out on the back of a direct hit from covers basically sealed the fate of the game as England triumphed by 67 runs. The 1993 World Cup saw as many as eight teams taking part.

Most runs - Jan Brittin - 410. Most wickets - Karen Smithies 15.

1997 World Cup - India

The 1997 World Cup was held on the shores of India. Before the tournament commenced, the warm-up games in Chennai were washed out. Rain played spoilsport even during the opening fixture of the Group A clash between Australia and Ireland in Chennai. Thankfully, the rain didn't affect matches in other parts of the country. The other problem was the hectic schedule with teams moving across the length and breadth of the country.

The 11-team, 50-over World Cup would also be remembered for a slew of records that were broken. On December 16, 1997, Charlotte Edwards broke the record for the highest individual score in WODIs. Unfortunately for Edwards, the record didn't remain for long, as Belinda Clark surpassed Edwards's superlative performance by becoming the first cricketer to score a double ton in ODIs on the same day against Denmark.

Australia, India, New Zealand and England completed the semi-final line-up. In a 32-over-a-side reduced-game due to bad light, Australia edged out India by 19 runs. One of the talking points of the game was India losing two overs due to slow over-rate. The Indian camp might point to the fact that they lost precious time as the fielders themselves had to move the sightscreen. New Zealand got the better of England in the other semi-final to progress to the summit clash versus Australia. In the final, medium-pacer Bronwyn Calver bagged a couple of scalps and Belinda Clark cracked a measured fifty to pilot Australia to yet another World Cup triumph. The final was reportedly watched by around 50,000 fans.

Most runs- Debbie Hockley - 456. Most wickets - Katrina Keenan - 13.

2000 World Cup - New Zealand

The tournament witnessed a new champion, with New Zealand overcoming Australia in a humdinger in Lincoln by a mere four runs. The turning point of the final came in the 42nd over when Australia's lynchpin Belinda Clark attempted a rather ambitious sweep off Clare Nicholson and was castled. Nicholson also played a part in providing the finishing touches when she induced Charmaine Mason to essay the cut, only for her to edge it to an ever-agile Rebecca Rolls.

The tournament also would be fondly remembered for Karen Rolton's blistering, record-breaking 67-ball 107 versus South Africa in a league game in Lincoln. South Africa themselves charted history as they beat former champions England and entered the last four. India, who also pipped England in a nail-biter by eight runs, were the other semi-finalist.

Most runs - Karen Rolton -393. Most wickets - C Mason - 17.

2005 World Cup - South Africa

In 2005, the World Cup caravan travelled to South Africa for the first time. After slipping to a heart-breaking loss in 2000, Australia bounced back in style by adding one more World Cup trophy to their glittering cabinet. Australia played first-time World Cup finalist India in the summit clash, with Karen Rolton aggregating a game-changing 107. The turning point of the game came when Rolton was dropped on 60 by Amita Sharma at mid-on off Neetu David. The drop catch allowed Rolton to not just essay an epoch-making hand but also stitch a vital alliance of 139 with Lisa Sthalekar to pilot Australia to a respectable 215 for 4.

India then struggled to absorb the pressure of playing in a major final as they lost four wickets via the run-out mode. To make matters worse, the lynchpin of the batting unit - Mithali Raj - was dislodged on the back of a rather iffy LBW decision as they hurtled to 117 all out. The eight-team tournament would also be recalled for the cliffhanger between the West Indies and South Africa in the league phase, with the latter clinching the contest by a solitary run. In relation to individual performances, David and Charlotte Edwards left an indelible mark on the tournament with the ball and bat respectively. On the flip side, the tournament also witnessed a slew of matches being abandoned because of inclement weather.

Most runs - Charlotte Edwards - 280. Most wickets - Neetu David - 20.

2009 World Cup - Australia

On April 3, 2005, one significant change took place in the history of women's cricket, with the ICC taking over from IWCC as the governing body of the women's game. Nearly four years after ICC assumed responsibility of running women's cricket, the ninth World Cup commenced in Australia. The eight teams in the World Cup were divided into two groups. The 2009 edition also included the Super Six stage.

England and New Zealand lost only one game each during the group and Super Six stages and ended up playing the final. On the back of Nicky Shaw's four-wicket burst and her useful, unbeaten hand of 17, England edged out New Zealand by four wickets to hoist their first 50-over World Cup trophy in 16 years. Coincidentally, Shaw wasn't supposed to play in the final, but a calf niggle ruled Jenny Gunn out of the game, which in turn paved the way for Shaw to represent her country in a final. After the game, Edwards, England skipper, said in the presser: "We knew we were up against a really good team today. We've repaid a lot of people that have shown a lot of faith in the girls."

Most runs -Claire Taylor - 324. Most wickets -Laura Marsh - 16.

2013 World Cup - India

One memory from the 2013 World Cup final that still echoes in the cricketing landscape is Australia's Ellyse Perry bowling with an injured ankle and bagging three wickets to script her side's sixth World Cup title. In the final against the West Indies, she pulled up and aborted her run-up while trying to bowl her first ball. She again tried to zip through the crease but to no avail. One could see pain and agony in her eyes. The star all-rounder, however, wasn't going to give up easily as she somehow managed to deliver her first ball of the game on her third attempt. As the skipper Jodie Fields collected the ball behind the stumps, there were words of encouragement. Perry soon settled into her rhythm and ripped through the cream of West Indies' top order as Australia emerged victorious by 114.

The eventual runner-up, West Indies, also left a marker. Deandra Dottin, the explosive all-rounder, slammed 12 sixes in the tournament while Stafanie Taylor aggregated 309 runs. The West Indies also had the satisfaction of overcoming Australia in the Super Sixes. On the other hand, the home side didn't exactly have fond memories to take from the tournament as they exited in the group phase. There were a few administrative problems, with confusion over venues before the tournament commenced.

Most runs - Suzie Bates - 407. Most wickets - Megan Schutt -15.

2017 World Cup - England

One of the biggest positives from the 2017 World Cup held in England was the popularity of the game grew exponentially with an estimated 180 million watching the tournament. As India stormed their way into the final, women's cricket also made rapid strides in the country, with 156 million witnessing the final versus England. Unfortunately for the Mithali Raj-led Indian side, they couldn't take that final step to taste glory as they lost to England by only 9 runs. Anya Shrubsole galvanized the England side in the Lord's final by zooming it on the stumps, with the visitors losing their last seven wickets for a mere 28 runs.

There were enough highlights from the tournament. Harmanpreet Kaur cracked a believe-it-or-not 115-ball 171 to send the defending champions Australia hurtling to a defeat in the last four. Earlier in the tournament, Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu did something similar versus Australia when she smacked an astounding 143-ball 178, only to end up on the losing side. On the other hand, Ekta Bisht, Dane van Niekerk and Rajeshwari Gayakwad bowled memorable spells.

Most runs - Tammy Beaumont - 410. Most wickets - Dane van Niekerk - 15