Upsets, calypso kings and an exhilarating last: Looking again on the first males’s Cricket World Cup

June 7 marked the 50th anniversary of the hole tournament of the primary males’s Cricket World Cup. And now is a perfect alternative to revisit the event, with a World Test Championship last simply across the nook.

The one-day limited-overs structure had begun in England in 1962, as a method of reviving a suffering county festival. Australia adopted go well with in 1969/70, with the New Zealand nationwide aspect defeating Victoria within the last.

The first One-Day International came about on the MCG on 5 January 1971. It was once unscheduled, and performed best to strengthen the Australian Cricket Board’s coffers following the abandonment of an Ashes Test and not using a unmarried ball bowled. The following 4 years would duly characteristic 84 Tests, however simply 18 ODIs.

The ODI and its flagship tournament have come a ways since then. While the structure’s long term may well be unsure, its contribution to the sport’s tradition and prosperity must now not be understated.

The structure

England had already hosted and received a soccer World Cup in 1966, and the inaugural girls’s Cricket World Cup in 1973. It was once the most obvious location for a primary males’s cricket identical. England’s cancellation of a scheduled excursion by way of South Africa created a window for each the event, and a four-match Ashes sequence.

The best six Test aspects on the time had been Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. To create an eight-team festival, invites had been additionally prolonged to Sri Lanka, and to a blended East Africa aspect representing Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The event comprised 15 suits, and was once finished inside of 15 days. And every around’s 4 video games came about on the exact same day, with broadcasters now not hard a one-match-a-day agenda. By comparability the 2023 model was once triple the dimensions, with 45 suits over the process 46 days.

Each aspect’s innings comprised 60 overs, with every bowler limited to 12. Balls had been pink, clothes white, and no day-night suits had been performed. There was once no restriction on bouncers, or strict interpretation of wides. And there have been no fielding circles both, let by myself Power-Plays and Super Overs.

Total prizemoney was once £9,000, together with £4,000 for the profitable aspect, £2,000 for the runner-up, and £1,000 for every dropping semi-finalist. Each pool sport’s Player of the Match was once awarded £50.

By comparability the 2023 event’s prize pool was once 500 instances better, at $US10 million. It integrated $US4 million for the winner, $US2 million for the runner-up, $US800,000 for every dropping semi-finalist, $US100,000 for every non-qualifier, and $US40,000 for every pool tournament received.

The aspects

England’s aspect boasted immense limited-over enjoy whilst different groups additionally boasted county execs similar to Keith Boyce, Rohan Kanhai, Majid Khan, Clive Lloyd, Glenn Turner and Zaheer Abbas. Bookmakers duly put in the West Indies as 9/4 event favourites, adopted by way of England (11/4), Pakistan and Australia. East Africa was once a rank outsider at 1500/1.

Australia picked successfully their Test aspect, and after the World Cup was once over all of the squad remained in England to shield the Ashes. Its excursion birthday party was once Ian Chappell (c), Greg Chappell, Ross Edwards, Gary Gilmour, Alan Hurst, Bruce Laird, Dennis Lillee, Rick McCosker, Ashley Mallett, Rod Marsh, Jeff Thomson, Alan Turner, Max Walker and Doug Walters.

Of the ones 14 avid gamers, Hurst and Laird in the end didn’t play a unmarried tournament, whilst Gilmour didn’t make an look till the finals sequence.

The pool video games

If the hole tournament at Lord’s was once supposed to provide an attractive first affect of the World Cup thought, it failed. The domestic aspect did amass 4/334, with Dennis Amiss (137 from 147 deliveries) exorcising his Ashes demons. However in answer, India limped to a dark overall of 3/132 from its 60 overs.

The leader contributor to the go-slow was once Sunil Gavaskar (36 from 174 deliveries, together with only one boundary) who used the instance for centre-wicket apply. After the tournament his staff supervisor GS Ramchand mentioned: “It was the most disgraceful and selfish performance I have ever seen… his excuse was, the wicket was too slow to play shots but that was a stupid thing to say after England had scored 334.”

Australia with ease disposed of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Greg Chappell (45 and 50), Edwards (80no), McCosker (73), Turner (46 and 101), Walters (59) and Lillee (5/34) appearing welcome shape.

Thomson hospitalised Sri Lanka’s Sunil Wettimuny (with a damaged foot from consecutive sandshoe-crushers, in addition to a fractured rib) and Duleep Mendis (who he struck within the brow).

The Aussies then ended their pool suits with a loss to the West Indies, in spite of the efforts of Edwards (58) and Marsh (52no). Its opponent’s key individuals had been Andy Roberts (3/39), Roy Fredericks (58) and Alvin Kallicharran (an exciting 78 from 83 deliveries, together with 35 from Lillee’s final 10 balls).

The event’s closest tournament came about at Edgbaston. The West Indies defeated Pakistan by way of only one wicket with best two balls to spare, due to a 64-run last-wicket partnership between Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts. The outcome would end up a very powerful to the World Cup’s eventual end result.

The undefeated England and West Indies crowned their respective swimming pools. Australia and New Zealand additionally certified for the semi-finals, with data of 2 wins and one defeat apiece. NZ’s staff featured dual-centurion Turner, and 3 Hadlee brothers in Barry, Dayle and Richard.

Sunil Gavaskar. (Photo by way of Jason McCawley – CA/Cricket Australia by the use of Getty Images)

The semi-finals

Australia’s eventual collection of Gilmour, for its knockout tournament towards England at Headingley, paid dividends. He delivered one of the most nice all-round World Cup performances, swinging and seaming the brand new ball prodigiously from the Football Stand finish. His unchanged spell of 6/14 from 12 overs lowered the house aspect to 6/36. Walker (3/22) then got rid of the tail, and England totalled a trifling 93 from 36.2 overs.

The guests struggled in a similar fashion with the bat, and slumped alarmingly to 6/39. Fortunately Walters (20no) and- you guessed it- Gilmour were given Australia domestic with an unbroken 55-run seventh-wicket partnership. Man-of-the-Match Gilmour’s contribution was once a run-a-ball 28, with 5 barriers.

At The Oval on the exact same day, the West Indies secured their position within the decider with a relaxed win over New Zealand. Bernard Julien (4/27) and Vanburn Holder (3/30) limited the Kiwis to 158, in spite of the efforts of Geoff Howarth (51) and captain Turner (36).

They had been overtaken for the lack of 3 wickets, with Alvin Kallicharran (72 from 92 deliveries) and Gordon Greenidge (55) sharing a 125-run stand.

The last

The event’s eagerly expected decider came about at Lord’s on Saturday 21 June, the longest day of the yr. It pitted an Australian aspect that had beaten England best months prior to now to regain the Ashes, towards an exhilarating West Indian one supported by way of an excitable- and successfully home- crowd. The climate was once best possible, because it have been for the event’s complete fortnight.

Ian Chappell received the toss and invited his warring parties to bat first, a choice which reaped early rewards when the early lack of Fredericks, Kallicharran and Greenidge lowered it to 3/50. Fredericks was once unfortunate to tread on his wicket within the act of hooking Lillee for 6.

Captain Clive Lloyd (an imperious 102 from 85 balls) and the veteran Rohan Kanhai (55 from 105 deliveries, in spite of at one degree ultimate scoreless for 11 overs) became the sport with a 149-run partnership, and overdue cameos by way of all-rounders Boyce (34) and Julien (26no) took their staff to a last rating of 8/291 from its 60 overs. Gilmour (5/48) persisted his semi-final shape.

The Times’ John Woodcock wrote of Lloyd that “His innings will always be talked about while those who watched it are still alive. He made the pitch and the stumps and the bowlers and the ground and the trees all seem much smaller than they were.”

When Australia batted, it took the sport deep in spite of dropping wickets at common durations. Viv Richards introduced himself to the sector with an excellent fielding show, highlighted by way of operating out first Turner and Greg Chappell with direct hits, after which brother Ian (62 from 93 deliveries) as neatly, to cut back their aspect to 4/162. Lloyd (1/36 from 12 overs), nonetheless an invaluable bowler at the moment, then bowled Walters.

After Walker become Australia’s fourth run-out sufferer, its final pair Thomson and Lillee required 59 runs from 8 overs for an not going victory. They had whittled their goal down to simply 24, when a run-out enchantment brought on a pitch invasion in spite of umpire Dickie Bird having dominated Thomson now not out.

From the very subsequent supply, Lillee was once stuck off a no-ball, and loads of spectators once more invaded the bottom. In the following chaos, he and Thomson stored on operating, including precious runs to the Australian rating. Bird was once robbed of his hat and a few fielders’ sweaters, and the ball was once additionally misplaced.

Play ultimately resumed, and 3 balls later a 5th run-out delivered the West Indies victory by way of 17 runs. The final of the day’s floor invasions would value Thomson his pads, and Boyce his boots.

Lloyd was once introduced with the Player-of-the-Match award, for an excellent all-round efficiency topped by way of the one century of his 87-match ODI profession. And a capability crowd of 26,000 had witnessed the longest day’s play in cricket historical past, which started at 11.00am and in the end ended at 8.43pm.

What took place subsequent

Ian Chappell retained the Ashes in England, ahead of handing the captaincy reins to brother Greg. His aspect retained the Frank Worrell Trophy by way of a 5-1 margin, with Lillee and Thomson at their intimidating highest. It then drew with Pakistan, defeated New Zealand and received the Centenary Test, ahead of relinquishing the Ashes.

Amazingly in hindsight, the Australian Cricket Board scheduled only one domestic ODI all through the 3 summers that adopted the World Cup. However media multi-millionaire Kerry Packer had attended its last, and two years later he would join maximum of that tournament’s contributors, and lots of the event’s different stars, to take part in a contest he dubbed ‘World Series Cricket.’

A couple of months after his aspect have been bullied in Australia, Lloyd’s three-man spin assault may just now not save you India from scoring 4-406 to win a Test in Trinidad.

His consequent trade to a tempo battery comprising Roberts, Michael Holding and Wayne Daniel destroyed England in 1976, and would quickly be enhanced by way of the likes of Colin Croft, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall.

The West Indies would move directly to effectively shield its World Cup name in 1979, and dominate global cricket for nearly 20 years. However they didn’t qualify for the newest event, after dropping a qualifying tournament to Scotland.

The West Indies all through their 1980s glory days. (Photo by way of PA Images by the use of Getty Images)

Viv Richards temporarily evolved into one of the most greatest batters of all time. In the 1976 calendar yr he scored a then-record 1,710 runs at 90.00, highlighted by way of 829 at 118.42 in England together with particular person innings of 291, 232 and 135.

India swiftly received first the World Cup in 1983, after which webhosting rights for the 1987 event. Those two achievements modified the route of global cricket. Sunil Gavaskar went directly to constitute it in 4 World Cups, was once a member of India’s triumphant 1983 aspect, and scored a century within the 1987 event in entrance of his domestic crowd.

Sri Lanka received Test standing in 1981, and Kenya participated as a stand-alone staff in 5 World Cups. The general collection of taking part aspects step by step larger, attaining 14 for the 2011 and 2015 tournaments.

The collection of ODIs performed yearly peaked at 218 in 2023, then greater than halved to simply 104 suits in 2024. And the International Cricket Council, after introducing an ‘ODI Super League’ for World Cup qualification in 2019, deserted the concept that in 2023.

The structure’s long term is unsure, given the competing calls for of Twenty20 World Cups, World Test Championships and Champion’s Trophy tournaments, in addition to the rising collection of home Twenty20 leagues.

Its destiny would possibly in the end relaxation on what the Board of Control for Cricket in India prioritises. I will foresee it surviving for monetary causes, with India webhosting each 2nd event, and England (and in all probability very every now and then Australia and New Zealand) every intervening one.