This competition also saw Afghanistan make their first ever appearance in a major ICC international cricket tournament, and was made even more remarkable as at the time they only held Affiliate Membership and subsequently became the only Affiliate member ever to compete in a major ICC international cricket tournament.

All matches were played at the following three grounds: During the group stage and Super Eight, points are awarded to the teams as follows: In case of a tie (i.e. both teams score exactly the same number of runs at the end of their respective innings), a Super Over decides the winner.

The final, played in Barbados on 16 May 2010, featured the game's oldest rivalry less than six months before the Ashes in Australia.

[8] England won by seven wickets with three overs to spare to seal its first International Cricket Council world championship after losses in three World Cup finals – 1979 against the West Indies at Lord's, 1987 against Australia and 1992 against Pakistan – and a loss in the 2004 Champions Trophy final to the West Indies on home soil.

[9][10] Australia batted first and scored 147 runs for the loss of six wickets, with David Hussey's top score of 59 proving crucial after England had reduced the Aussies to 8/3 after 2.1 overs and then removed captain Michael Clarke.