The 1992 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, delivered a major surprise as New Zealand topped the round-robin table after winning their first seven matches. In contrast, co-favorites Australia lost their first two games and, despite recovering to win four of the next six, narrowly missed the semi-finals on run-rate—with the West Indies also finishing on a 4-4 record but just behind them. Making a triumphant return to international cricket, South Africa defeated Australia at the SCG in their opening match, and together with England, they qualified comfortably for the semis despite upset losses to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe respectively. India had a disappointing campaign, while a developing Sri Lanka managed wins only over Zimbabwe (who lacked Test status) and South Africa. Pakistan were fortunate to reach the knockout stage, scraping a single point from a rain-affected match against England (after being all out for 74), but they ultimately defeated New Zealand twice—in the final group game and again in the semi-final—to advance.