The battle between the ball and the willow was revived with the emergence of ODI cricket. Nurutred by test cricket for almost a century, the notion was an invigorating experience and a newborn prospect for the gentlemen’s game.
With the growing popularity, the ICC was met with dozens of proposals to organize an ODI competition involving cricket playing nations. It became a reality in1975 as England hosted the first ever World Cup. The inaugural tournament was backed by the London based insurance company ‘Prudential’ as the cup itself was named the ‘Prudential Cup’.
Cricket to Grace English Summer
The inaugural tournament took place with the participation of the six test playing nations and two minnows, Sri Lanka and East Africa. The East African team comprised of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia and the Kenyan middle order batsman Harilal Shah led the alliance. Anura Tennekoon captained the Sri Lankans. Six venues across five cities in England hosted the event.
The opening game took place between hosts England and India on 7th June at Lord’s. Batting first, the hosts posted a mammoth total of 334 runs in the allocated 60 overs. Opening batsman Dennis Amiss played an elegant 137-run innings in 147 balls, thus becoming the first ever person to score a century in a World Cup. Keith Fletcher played a supportive role with 68 runs. The reply from India was marked by probably one of the most bizarre batting efforts in ODI history as Sunil Gavaskar scored an unbeaten 36 off 174 balls. The Indians ended with 132/3 at the end of 60 overs giving a massive 202-run victory to England. Amiss was named man of the match. However India’s innings portrayed a clear indication that most teams still treated ODI cricket as a curtailed version of tests.
On the same day, Pakistan met Australia at Leeds. After winning the toss, Australia made 278/7 in 60 overs. Ross Edwards top scored with 80 runs. Chasing 279, Pakistan was in a comfortable position at 180 for 4 with skipper Asif Iqbal dominating the proceedings. But Dennis Lillee who had other ideas, stepped in to claim 4 quick wickets as the Pakistani innings faced a sudden collapse. The last 6 wickets fell for a mere 24 runs as they were bundled out for 205. Lillee took 5 for 34.
Windies Commence their Rout 
It was indeed an era marked by the domination of West Indian authority on the cricketing world. Clive Lloyd and his team made their way to England with an armoury that carried the potential to destroy any formidable opposition. Along with an intense bowling attack spearheaded by Andy Roberts, Bernard Julien and Keith Boyce, the skipper himself led the brutal batting department alongside Vivian Richards, Rohan Kanhai and Gordon Greenidge.
West Indies battled against minnows Sri Lanka at Manchester in their first ever world cup game. The newcomers were proved to be no match for the unsparing Caribbeans as they crumbled for 86 runs. Out of the three batsmen who were able to reach double figures, D.S. De Silva scored 21 runs. Bernard Julien and Keith Boyce took 4 and 3 scalps respectively. West Indies managed to score 87, losing just one wicket. The solitary wicket of Roy Fredericks was taken by D.S. De Silva.
Brave Lions Tussle Against a Ruthless Onslaught
Four days later, Sri Lanka were faced with another strong opposition, this time it was Australia. The crowd at the Kennington Oval were expecting an easy win for the Australians as they posted 328 for 5 with Alan Turner and Rick McCosker hoisting an opening partnership of 182 runs. Turner scored 101 while McCosker added 73. It seemed to be another thrashing for the Sri Lankans but the determined Lions fought hard by reaching 150/2 in the 32nd over. They had survived Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson’s opening ambush, but when the pair returned, it proved a little too much. Sunil Wettimuny and Duleep Mendis were constantly struck, with Thomson charging in, causing the most havoc. Duleep Mendis was retired hurt at 33, while Wettamuny was forced to join him later. Mendis was knocked out and was taken to hospital, while Thomson was booed, by the displeased crowd. The noise grew in Thomson’s following over when he rammed Wettimuny, who had already taken dreadful blows to the legs and body. The brave fight-back continued but fell 52 runs short of the target as the Lankans scored 276/4 at the end of the innings.
Roberts and Murray Star in a Thriller
An exciting encounter took place between Pakistan and West Indies at Edgbaston on June 11th. After Pakistan chose to bat, Mushtaq Mohammad, Wasim Raja and Majid Khan made half-centuries to set a target of 267. West Indies were 99 for 5 when Clive Lloyd and wicketkeeper Deryck Murray started to fortify hopes, but 18-year old Javed Miandad’s effort removed Lloyd for 53.
At 203 for 9, Murray and Andy Roberts, were required to bat towards the end. Ultimately, five runs required off the last over that was bowled by Wasim Raja with Roberts on strike. He tried to pull the first one, missed it completely, the ball hit the pads and they ran two. With the field spread out, they stole another two to midwicket as scores were tied. Finally the batsmen decided to run regardless of where the ball went as West Indies won with two balls to spare. The last pair added 64 runs in this memorable game.
Gilmour Shatters English Hopes
England and New Zealand topped Group A while West Indies and Australia led Group B, qualifying for the semi-finals. The hosts steered through their group stage, manifesting the ambitions of claiming the title. Their ‘tightest’ game was an 80-run win over New Zealand. The first semi-final between England and Australia was played on 18th June at the fast bowling paradise, Headingley. Heeding the threat of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, the English were tricked as it was the late inclusion of Gary Gilmour that did the damage. The 23-year old left arm seamer exploited ideal conditions of a stiff breeze and a grassy wicket, recording the best bowling performance of the tournament. England were bowled out for 93 runs as Gilmour hauled 6 wickets for 14 runs. The match seemed to be over for England but the dramatic turnaround happened in the run chase when the Australians were struggling at 39/6. But Gilmour stepped up again, this time with the willow to nudge them through to the finals, bringing heartbreak to the English camp.
The West Indies; the favourites, beat New Zealand by 5 wickets in the other semi-final. Batting first, New Zealand happened to score only 158 runs after being at a strong position of 98 for 1. Although skipper Glenn Turner and Geoff Howarth built a solid foundation, the end of their partnership resulted in the certain end of their campaign as the remaining 8 batsmen were bowled out for 60 runs. Bernard Julien took 4 for 27. It was a comfortable run chase for the Windies as they reached 159 losing 5 wickets. Alvin Kallicharran scored 72 and Gordon Greenidge made 55. The pair annexed 125 runs for the second wicket.
Caribbean Mastery Decorates the Final
The first ever final took place on 21st June at the historical Lord’s Cricket Ground between West Indies and Australia. A flock of 26,000 fans gathered at Lord’s to witness a close encounter between the heavyweights. The mid-summer’s day carried longer daylight to host the game. Of course, the two sides met once before at the group stage, which resulted in a West Indian win, mastered by Alvin Kallicharran. At 11am, umpires Dickie Bird and Tom Spencer walked into the field amidst the massive roar of the crowd. Ian Chappell won the toss and put West Indies in to bat. It wasn’t the ideal start as they were left with 50/3 after 18 overs. However captain Clive Lloyd and Rohan Kanhai responded powerfully by adding 149 runs for the 4th wicket. The 6’ 5” tall left handed batsman who exhibited nothing but sheer competence muscled his way to a century off 85 deliveries, taking West Indies to 291/8. Rohan Kanhai scored 55. Gary Gilmour took 5 for 48. In reply, Australia were in a good position at 162 for 3 with 21 overs remaining. But unnecessary run outs slid Australia to 233/9. The fight-back by Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee wasn’t enough to secure their way through as West Indies won by 17 runs. Five run outs, including three by Viv Richards sealed the ultimate demise of the Australian innings. Keith Boyce took 4 for 50.
Skipper Clive Lloyd raised the first ever World Cup trophy, marking an irrefutable gesture of relentless dominance. New Zealand captain Glenn Turner became the top run getter in the tournament with 333 runs while Gary Gilmour took the most number of wickets (11).
