England's final failures in ICC tournaments

England players celebrate during the semifinal against South Africa.

England will try to end nearly 40 years of one-day international heartbreak when they face India in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Tournament hosts England have not won a major ODI title, losing three World Cup finals and the 2004 Champions Trophy final when, as now, they were the home side.

Reigning world champions India, by contrast have won both the 1983 and 2011 World Cups and in 2002 they shared the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka after a Colombo wash-out.

Below AFP Sport looks back at England’s near-misses in major one-day finals.

1979, Lord’s: World Cup final v West Indies — England lost by 92 runs

England, without the injured Bob Willis, reduced the West Indies to 99 for four but paid for the fast bowler’s absence as Vivian Richards (138 not out) and Collis King (86) cut loose to take the defending champions to 286 for nine.

Mike Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott shared a century opening stand but England were rarely up with the run-rate and giant Joel Garner, one of several formidable fast bowlers in a powerful West Indies side, finished off the hosts with five wickets for 38 runs.

1987, Eden Gardens: World Cup final v Australia — England lost by seven runs

England held arch-rivals Australia to 253 for five despite contributions from David Boon (75) and Mike Veletta (45 not out).

They were well-placed at 135 for two when England captain Mike Gatting reverse-swept opposing skipper Allan Border and was caught behind. Bill Athey’s run out left England 170 for four and from then on wickets fell steadily with Gatting’s men eight down as they finished within touching distance of victory.

1992, Melbourne: World Cup final v Pakistan — England lost by 22 runs

Derek Pringle had arguably his greatest match for England, the tall all-rounder taking three for 22 after dismissing both openers.

Had Pringle’s appeal for lbw against Javed Miandad (58) been upheld the match might have taken a different course but together with captain Imran Khan (72) he shared a stand of 139 that took Pakistan to 249 for six.

England’s Neil Fairbrother made 62 in the chase but the match turned Pakistan’s way decisively when Wasim Akram produced two stunning deliveries to bowl Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis off successive balls.

Defeat meant England’s Graham Gooch had lost three World Cup finals in three different decades.

2004, The Oval: Champions Trophy final v West Indies — England lost by two wickets

England on a dreary September day had the match all but won when, after making 217 with opener Marcus Trescothick contributing 104, they reduced the West Indies to 147 for eight with the loss of their last top-order batsman, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

But wicketkeeper Courtney Browne and paceman Ian Bradshaw, numbers nine and 10 respectively, turned the match on its head with an unbroken stand of 71 as the West Indies won with seven balls to spare.