World Cup Cricket 1975: The birth of World Cups and West Indies

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World Cup Cricket 1975: The birth of World Cups and West Indies

The 1975 World Cup was the genesis of modern One Day International (ODI) cricket as thousands of enthusiastic fans turned up in numbers to have a look at the gentlemen’s game in its brand-new avatar. The tournament took place in England and was accompanied with a lot of excitement thanks to the novelty factor surrounding the first-ever abridged version of the game. Eight participants comprising Australia, England, West Indies, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and a composite team from East Africa, were separated into two groups of four.

Players took to the field wearing traditional white flannels, used a red ball and had to field for a maximum of 60 overs. The first-ever ODI and opening match of the competition pitted hosts England against India in what was a historic day in the annals of the game. The game, itself, was a rather forgetful occasion as teams took time to come to terms with cricket’s newest format. Eventually, India lost to England by 202 runs at Lord’s but the technically astute Sunil Gavaskar’s 36 not out off 174 balls is what many remember this match for.

Perhaps the best match from the inaugural edition of the World Cup was West Indies’ humdinger against Pakistan at Edgbaston. It was an ebb-and-flow encounter that saw the tide turn in both sides’ favour, multiple times in the contest. In the end, it was wicket-keeper Deryck Murray and pacer Andy Roberts’ 10th-wicket partnership that got West Indies over the finish line. Chasing a target of 267, all hope seemed lost when Pakistan reduced the Windies to 203 for 9. However, Murray and Roberts demonstrated their unflappable temperament and held their nerve to win the game with a wicket and two balls to spare.

West Indies’ win over Pakistan may have lit up the World Cup, but hosts England were still very much the favourites following wins in all their group games. England’s World Cup dream though came to an end in the semi-final courtesy of a remarkable all-round performance by Australia’s Gary Gilmour. After restricting England to a mere 93, Gilmour scored an unbeaten 28 to help the Aussies to a 4-wicket win and lead them to the final. Gilmour had earlier claimed six English wickets and finished with figures of 6 for 14, which was the best bowling figures in this World Cup.

However, the Australians ran out of steam once up against the West Indies in the final at Lord’s. Rohan Kanhai’s 55 and skipper Clive Lloyd’s 102 helped Windies set a target of 292 for the Aussies to chase. Gilmour once again delivered for Australia with figures of 5 for 48, but it wasn’t enough to deny the West Indians the inaugural World Cup. Keith Boyce and Lloyd both took four scalps each in the second innings as the Windies won by 17 runs to become cricket’s first-ever World Champions. Lloyd was rightfully adjudged the Man of the Match after the game as West Indies began their era of dominance.