From the initial edition way back in 1975, World Cup finals have come a long way, having seen people deliver all sorts of heroic and not-so-heroic peformances on the field to don the ultimate honour in cricketing glory

WHEN the inaugural cricket World Cup was staged in 1975, One-Day International cricket was barely four years old. Back then, the shortened version of the game was regarded as a hugely inferior form of cricket when compared to a five-day matches. But now, 32 years on, the One-Day game is arguably the most popular type of cricket around.

The initial competition was a very modest affair, consisting of just 15 games and a mere five playing days, the matches were of 60 overs per side, and the West Indies received the princely sum of 4000 pounds for winning the cup. Hereunder we recall the past World Cup finals.
 

1975

Australia v West Indies; Date: June 21, 1975; Result: West Indies won by 17 runs; West Indies: 291 for eight (60 overs); Australia: 274 all out (58.4 overs); Man of the Match: Clive Lloyd.

The inaugural World Cup final at Lords is definitely one of the greatest One-Day matches of all time. The favourites, West Indies, beat Australia by 17 runs in a match that was memorable in every sense. After losing their first three wickets for 50 runs, the West Indies captain Clive Lloyd led them out of a mini crisis. He hit 102 off 82 balls, which included 12 fours and two sixes. He was helped by Rohan Kanhai who played the anchor role in the decisive fourth wicket stand of 149. Kanhai scored 55 (who went 11 overs without scoring a run from 105 balls), while Bernard Julain (26 not out) and Keith Boyce (34) made other significant contributions as the West Indies totalled 291-8 in 60 overs. Gilmour took 5 wickets, and poor Max Walker was hit for 70 runs off his 12 overs.

In reply, Australia had reached 81-1 when they suffered the first five run outs. Two of the run out were the work of a brilliant young fielder called Viv Richards who was just starting to establish his presence in the team. Australians made a valiant effort before succumbing at 274 all out (58.4 overs).

Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson put on 41 in six overs for the final wicket but the game was up, with the pair needing 18 off nine balls, when Thomson became the fifth man to be run out. West Indies, acknowledged as the best Test team in the world, also showed they could master the shorter version and were worthy champions led by Clive Lloyd, the man of the final. 1979

England v West Indies; Date: 23 June 1979; Result: West Indies won by 92 runs; West Indies: 286 for nine (60 overs); England: 194 all out (51 overs); Man of the Match: Viv Richards.

The format of the tournament was similar to that of 1975, with two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals, and the games at 60 overs per innings. The final was marked by two stunning performances, Viv Richards’ 138 not out remains the highest individual score in a World Cup final, and Joel Garner ripping through the England batting.

Richards made an unbeaten 138, with 11 fours and 3 sixes, supported by a hard-hitting 86 (66 balls) from Collis King. Brearley and Boycott made a sedate start, putting on 129 in 28 overs, but at a slow run rate. This proved a tough proposition against Garner. England fell from 183/2 to 194 all out. Garner’s final spell consisted of five wickets for four runs in 11 balls. The West Indies side were worthy winners.
 

1983

India v West Indies; Date: June 25, 1983; Result: India won by 43 runs; India: 183 all out (54.4 overs); West Indies: 140 all out (52 overs); Man-of-the-Match: Mohinder Amarnath.

There was a change of format, with again two groups of four, but this time they played each other twice each, thus doubling the number of matches played. The West Indies — still with Greenidge, Haynes and Lloyd at the top of the order, and Marshall, Roberts, Garner and Holding forming a strong pace attack — were hot favourites.

Most anticipated a one sided game, with the Indian team having exceeded expectations to make it to the final against a powerful West Indian team. A sell-out crowd at Lord’s turned up to see what many predicted would be a West Indian walkover and Clive Lloyd’s World Cup hat-trick. Earlier, Lloyd and his men had lost their first-ever World Cup match to the Indians after 10 successive wins. Lloyd won the toss, put India in and saw Sunil Gavaskar dismissed with the score on two. India never got going and were all out for only 183, Srikkanth top scoring (33), and Roberts (3/32) the best of the bowlers.

When the West Indies batted, Greenidge fell early, and the unheralded Indian medium pacers bowled tight and accurately. Richards hit a composed 33, but when he was out to Madan Lal, Indians had their chance. Dujon and Marshall were both out to Amarnath when looking set, and when Amarnath trapped Holding lbw, India achieved an astonishing victory.
 

1987

Australia v England; Date: November 8, 1987; Result: Australia won by seven runs; Australia: 253 for five (50 overs); England: 246 for eight (50 overs); Man of the Match: David Boon.

The first World Cup final to be played outside of England was also the closest. Australia won the toss, elected to bat and made a fast start that ultimately proved the difference at the end of the match. On a slow pitch it was an advantage to bat first, and this is what Border chose to do on winning the toss.

Boon (75) and Marsh got Australia off to a flying start against the wayward bowling from DeFreitas and Small, and solid support from Border and Velletta took Australia to 253. David Boon took full advantage with the bat, top scoring with 75, later Allan Border and Mike Veletta kept the scoreboard ticking over to set an imposing 254 for victory. Robinson fell early but Gooch and Athey (58) laid a solid foundation for England, and when Gooch was out, Gatting (45) took up the chase.

The turning point was when Border chose to bowl himself against his rival captain, and an unwise reverse sweep off his first ball only result in a catch to the keeper. The run rate rose to eight per over, and then 36 required off the last three. DeFreitas then hit four, six, and another four in the 48th over, reducing the target to 19 off 12 balls. Steve Waugh bowled the 49th over, conceding only two runs and having DeFreitas caught, and Australia won their first World Cup by just seven runs.
 

1992

England v Pakistan; Date: March 25, 1992; Result: Pakistan won by 22 runs; Pakistan: 249 for six (50 overs) England: 227 all out (49.2 overs); Man of the Match: Wasim Akram.

Pakistan had always been strongly fancied to win the World Cup, right from the very first tournament in 1975. But, for one reason or another, they had failed. In Australia they finally got it right. Imran Khan had played in all four previous World Cup competitions and, at the age of 39, he finally got his hands on the trophy. He steered his side out of trouble, at 24-2, by making 72 runs as Pakistan set a challenging total of 249-6 from 50 overs. The key to the innings was a 139 runs partnership between Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, whose impressive run of form continued with 58 from 98 balls. Inzamam-ul-Haq clocked 42 from 35 balls, while Wasim Akram made 33 from 19. Pakistan hammered 136 from their last 16 overs. Despite this late furry of runs, Derek Pringle’s 3-22 in 10 overs was an excellent performance.

England lost wickets at regular intervals, although a partnership of 72 between Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother threatened Pakistan’s grip on the contest. Lamb made 31, while Fairbrother top scored with 62 from 72 deliveries. And when England’s last wicket went down in the final over, it was appropriately taken by Imran himself. Pakistan had won by 22 runs.
 

1996

Australia v Sri Lanka; Date: March 17, 1996; Result: Sri Lanka won by seven wickets; Australia: 241 for seven (50 overs); Sri Lanka: 244 for three (46.2 overs); Man of the Match: Aravinda De Silva.

Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 because they deserved to and had displayed excellent teamwork. The tournament returned to Asia, with the games spread over three countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Thus, Australia met Sri Lanka in the final in Lahore — a fitting end to a tournament that had started with Australia forfeiting their match in Colombo because of their refusal to play there.

All five previous finals had been won by the side batting first, but Ranatunga put Australia in after winning the toss, not wanting to field under the lights as the dew fell. But Australia made a strong start, Mark Waugh failed, but Taylor was in fine form. Supported by Ponting, he took Australia to 137/1 in the 27th over, and a big total looked likely. After Taylor holed out, however, Ranatunga used some astute bowling changes and clever field placings to stifle the Australians.

Muralitharan bowled his 10 overs for 31 runs, and Australia managed but one boundary in 25 overs. The total of 241 was respectable. After the two openers failed, the phlegmatic Gurusinha and the flamboyant de Silva came together in a partnership of 125. De Silva played an innings that was perfectly paced, and his 107* was the third century in a final and every bit as good as the preceding innings of Lloyd and Richards.

When Reiffel bowled Gurusinha, Ranatunga joined de Silva and saw Sri Lanka to a famous victory with 3.4 overs to spare. Ranatunga made the winning run and the Sri Lankans became the first host team to win a World Cup. They had completely outplayed their opponents, and, being unbeaten in the tournament, they were worthy winners.
 

1999

Australia v Pakistan; Date: June 20, 1999; Result: Australia won by eight wickets. Pakistan: 132 all out (39 overs); Australia: 133 for two (20.1 overs); Man of the Match: Shane Warne.

Once again there were 12 participating teams, placed in two groups. The nine Test-playing nations were joined by Kenya, Bangladesh and Scotland. The top three in each group qualified for the Super Six stage that was played on a league basis and the top four made it to the knock-out semi-finals.

Pakistan, who had played exciting cricket throughout the tournament, never found their form when it mattered most and the match was over in less than four-and-a-half hours, the shortest final in World Cup history. Wasim Akram won the toss and elected to bat, but his decision backfired and none of his batsmen ever got to grips with either the wicket or the bowlers. From the moment Wajahatullah Wasti fell in the fifth over, batsmen kept walking out to bat — and back to the pavilion — with alarming frequency. Extras finished as top scorer with 25 runs in a 39-over innings in which each of the Australian bowlers picked up wickets, Shane Warne finishing with four.

As they had with the ball, Australia batted with utter professionalism. Adam Gilchrist who reached his 50 off 33 balls and gave Steve Waugh’s men the perfect start, they needed only 121 balls to reach the 133 runs needed for victory.