While some of cricket's greatest names have shone in the showpiece match, the World Cup has also provided a stage where lesser-known names have also sparkled.
Here are some of the World Cup's unlikely heroes.
1975:Gary Gilmour (Australia)
No one did more than the left-arm swing bowling all-rounder to get Australia into the inaugural World Cup final.
Although not selected for any of the group matches, he claimed six wickets for just 14 runs as England was dismissed for 93. When Australia collapsed to 39 for six in reply, he saw it home with an unbeaten 28.
Three days later in the final at Lord's, Gilmour took five for 48 .
But it was not enough to prevent the West Indies winning.
1979: Collis King (West Indies)
The West Indies was in trouble at 99 for four when King joined Richards at the crease. King then proceeded to do what few men, before or since, have managed and outshone Richards, who went on to score a hundred, while the pair were at the crease.
King scored 86 off just 66 balls as he added 139 in 21 overs with Richards to put the match beyond England's reach.
But Kingjoined World Series Cricket and then effectively terminated it by opting to go on a ‘rebel' West Indies tour of South Africa in 1982/83.
1983: Mohinder Amarnath (India)
Amarnath became known as one of the bravest players of fast bowling.
Yet it was in his second string role of a medium-pacer that he won the Man-of-the-Match award in the final — he'd also been given the honour in the semifinal win against England — as India upset the odds to deny the West Indies a hat-trick of World Cup titles at Lord's in 1983.
Amarnath produced the astonishing analysis of three for 12 in seven overs as India, defending a seemingly low score of 183, won by 43 runs.
1987: Mike Veletta (Australia)
He belied his reputation as a dogged opener for Western Australia by scoring 45 off just 31 balls as Australia beat England by seven runs in the 1987 World Cup final in Calcutta.
