History of the World Cup finals
Guyana Chronicle
February 22, 2007
LONDON, England (Reuters) - History of the World Cup finals 1975-87:
1975 England
Glorious sunshine on the longest day of the year bathed Lord's during the first and best of the eight finals to date, featuring Clive Lloyd's extrovert West Indians and Ian Chappell's brash Australians.
Lloyd captained an XI brimming with sometimes undisciplined talent, Chappell led a team forged in his own forthright image headed by the ferocious fast bowling duo Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
Australia reduced West Indies to 50 for three before Lloyd joined Rohan Kanhai, the grey-haired elder statesman of the team.
Kanhai played the anchor role while Lloyd swatted the bowlers with casual ease to all parts of the ground, scoring 102 from 82 balls to take West Indies to 291 for six from their 60 overs.
Chappell responded with 62 before he became one of three run-outs effected by the electric reactions of Viv Richards. Richards had also run-out Chappell's brother Greg, and only a spirited last-wicket partnership of 31 between Lillee and Thomson as dusk fell on Lord's kept the Australians in contention.
Scores: West Indies 291 off 60 overs (C.Lloyd 102); Australia 274 off 58.4 overs (I.Chappell 62). West Indies won by 17 runs.
1979 England
Two years on, Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series circuit had turned West Indies into a ruthlessly efficient outfit who were to dominate world cricket for the next 15 years.
Peace was declared with the establishment in time for West Indies to field their strongest team in the second World Cup final against England, where they initially struggled before Collis King joined Richards.
Helped by the short boundaries at Lord's and England's unsuccessful gamble to use three part-time bowlers for 12 of their overs, King smacked three sixes and 10 fours in his 86. Richards, disciplined then destructive, paced his innings to perfection, swinging the last ball over square leg for six to reach 138 not out.
Captain Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott put on 129 for the first wicket but their sedate approach was suited more to a five-day than a one-day game. When both were dismissed the giant Joel Garner ran through the remainder of the batting with a succession of toe-crushing thunderbolts.
Scores: West Indies 286 (V.Richards 138 not out, C.King 86); England 194 (M.Brearley 64, J.Garner 5-38). West Indies won by 92 runs.
1983 England
West Indies swaggered into Lord's seeking a hat-trick of trophies. They slipped away in stunned disbelief as joyous Indian supporters acclaimed their greatest day.
A puny victory target of 184 looked a formality as Richards laid bat to ball with contemptuous certainty, striking seven fours in his 33. But after striking Madan Lal for three fours he top-edged an attempted six to allow India captain Kapil Dev to run back and claim a skilful catch above his head.
Lloyd pulled a muscle attempting his first run and the innings subsequently disintegrated. For days all India celebrated a match which generated the explosion in one-day cricket on the sub-continent.
Scores: India 193 off 54.4 overs (K.Srikkanth 38); West Indies 140 off 52 overs (V.Richards 33). India won by 43 runs.
1987 India/Pakistan
One misjudgment by England captain Mike Gatting was enough to swing the Calcutta final to Australia in the first tournament staged outside England.
England were well set at 135 for two chasing 254 to win at Eden Gardens when Australia captain Allan Border put himself on to bowl. Gatting attempted a reverse sweep off the first ball but succeeded only in skying a catch to wicketkeeper Greg Dyer.
The result was a breakthrough for Border and his team, languishing in the doldrums during the mid-1980s after the great side led by Ian and then Greg Chappell finally broke up.
Now a new generation, headed by the iceman Steve Waugh who took two wickets at the death, were to take Australia to new heights during the next decade.
Scores: Australia 253 for five off 50 overs (D.Boon 75); England 246 for eight off 50 overs (W.Athey 58). Australia won by seven runs.
History of the World Cup finals 1992-2003
LONDON, England (Reuters) - History of the World Cup finals 1992-2003:
1992 Australia and New Zealand
Captain Imran Khan famously urged Pakistan to fight like cornered tigers after they appeared down and out in the fifth World Cup. They responded by surging to the final against England where the great all-rounder produced his final match-winning performance for his country.
Imran promoted himself to number three and his measured 72, coupled with 58 from Javed Miandad in a third-wicket partnership of 139, took Pakistan to 249 for six.
Wasim Akram, moving the ball fiendishly late, took key wickets as England steadily fell behind the asking rate while Imran took the final wicket in a farewell to international cricket he could have scripted himself.
Scores: Pakistan 249 for six off 50 overs (Imran Khan 72, Javed Miandad 58); England 227 off 49.2 overs (N.Fairbrother 62). Pakistan won by 22 runs.
1996 India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Asia had proved the natural home for one-day cricket and appropriately it was Sri Lanka who took an increasingly sophisticated game into a new dimension.
Pugnacious left-handed opener Sanath Jayasuriya had set the tone throughout the tournament as Sri Lanka flailed the ball mercilessly in the first 15 overs when fielding restrictions were in place.
The Sri Lankans also defied conventional wisdom by embracing rather than avoiding run chases and, even though no side had won the World Cup batting second, Arjuna Rantunga asked Australia to bat in the final.
His confidence was justified when Australia managed only 241 for seven. Jayasuriya failed for once but Aravinda de Silva stroked a serenely untroubled unbeaten century to guide Sri Lanka to victory.
Scores: Australia 241 for seven off 50 overs (M.Taylor 74); Sri Lanka 245 for three off 46.2 overs (A.Gurusinha, A.de Silva 107 not out). Sri Lanka won by seven wickets.
1999 England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales
Steve Waugh at his steeliest had rescued Australia when they faced elimination in their final super-six match against South Africa. The two teams had then met in the semi-finals where a tie put Australia into the final against Pakistan.
By now Australia were unstoppable and they ran through a volatile Pakistan side with Shane Warne taking four wickets in a miserably inadequate 132 all out. Australia romped to victory by eight wickets after only 20.1 overs.
Scores: Australia 132 off 39 overs (S.Warne 4-33); Australia 133 for two off 20.1 overs (A.Gilchrist 55). Australia won by eight wickets.
2003 South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya
Even without Warne, who failed a drugs test for a slimming tablet shortly before the tournament, Australia scaled new heights when they went through the tournament unbeaten in 10 matches.
In the final against India captain Ricky Ponting struck a chanceless, unbeaten 140 with eight sixes to propel Australia to a daunting 359 for two.
India’s remote victory chances disappeared when Glenn McGrath caught and bowled Sachin Tendulkar for four and Virender Sehwag’s fighting 82 only delayed the inevitable.
Scores: Australia 359 for two (A.Gilchrist 57, R.Ponting 140 not out, D.Martyn 88 not out); India 234 off 39.2 overs (V.Sehwag 82). Australia won by 125 runs.