World Cup 1979: The second edition of the ODI Cricket World Cup, which took place from June 9 to June 23, 1979, was known as the 1979 World Cup. Eight teams were split into two groups for the initial stage of the competition, which was followed by the knockout round. This structure was repeated from the tournament that took place in 1975. The West Indies took part in the main event as the defending champions and were able to do so thanks to their outstanding performances.
At the renowned Lord’s, the Windies team easily defeated England in the championship match, taking the prestigious trophy home with them. Pakistan made waves during this World Cup after defeating the titans of cricket, Australia, to go to the semi-final. Asif Iqbal led Pakistan, who lost to the reigning champions by 43 runs in the semi-final, to end their campaign.
World Cup 1979 teams:
Eight teams competed in the competition, with six regular participants—India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, England, and the West Indies—directly qualifying for the event. While Canada made their ODI World Cup debut after finishing as the runners-up in the qualification competition in the shape of the 1979 ICC Trophy, Sri Lanka made their tournament debut after winning the first ICC Trophy.
Regarding the 1979 World Cup, Clive Lloyd once again captained the Caribbean team to victory and demonstrated his leadership skills. In their first World Cup appearances, Graham Gooch, Michael Holding, John Wright, Ian Botham, Joel Garner, and Sikander Bakht stood out as the top competitors.
Four countries played each other once during the 1979 World Cup, just like the 1975 edition, which had eight teams divided into two groups. Following the cricketing activity in the group stage, the top two teams advanced to the knockout rounds.
Iconic moments:
The competition got underway with a match between Australia and England, two archrivals. At the famous Lord’s Stadium, the hosts destroyed the Australians by six wickets by taking advantage of the favourable home conditions. Following their resounding victory over Australia, England maintained their assured attitude against Canada and Pakistan and finished first in the standings with twelve points.
The English side defeated New Zealand by a narrow margin of nine runs in the semi-final at Old Trafford, becoming the third team to advance to the ICC World Cup final. The West Indies defeated England in all areas of the game in the Lord’s final, winning by a commanding margin of 92 runs.
Solid Performers:
Gordon Greenidge, Vivian Richards, Michael Holding, Colin Croft, and Joel Garner all played significant roles in the Windies team’s successful title defence. Greenidge finished the season as the competition’s top run scorer with 253 runs in four games. Following him, Richards finished the tournament as the second-highest run-getter with 217 runs in four games.
Richards scored an unbroken 138 runs during the last match against England, which enabled the Caribbean team to score a staggering 286 runs overall. The batsman at the top of the order also won Player of the Match for his outstanding batting performance. Holding, Croft, and Garner all performed admirably as bowlers, taking eight wickets each during the competition. After Richards and Collis King’s outstanding batting in the championship game, Garner batted through England’s order and led his team to a decisive victory. Joel won the game with a fifer.
In terms of outstanding players from other teams, Graham Gooch led England in scoring with 210 runs in five games at a strike rate of 63.82. Mike Hendrick was the competition’s top wicket-taker with the ball after taking 10 wickets in five games. Glenn Turner carried on from his outstanding World Cup performance in 1975. The seasoned player became New Zealand’s most productive hitter in the competition after scoring 176 runs in four games.
Innovations:
The 1979 ICC Trophy was played prior to the World Cup, giving lesser-known teams like Sri Lanka and Canada an opportunity to compete for the title. Both teams qualified to compete in the second World Cup by making it to the ICC Trophy final.
Sri Lanka, who had previously participated in the World Cup in 1975, made a comeback in the event. In the Group B match, which was played at Old Trafford, the Island country defeated India by 47 runs and experienced their first World Cup victory.
Powerful impact:
Cricket was popularised among the Caribbean islands thanks to the Windies’ title win in the competition. After the West Indies’ first World Cup victory in 1975, ODI cricket gained popularity in the Caribbean. After the victory in 1979, cricket in the area really took off.
Following the 1979 World Cup, cricket gained popularity in Asian nations like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Pakistan defeated Canada and Australia under Asif Iqbal’s captaincy to advance to the semifinals for the first time. Another factor that contributed to cricket gaining some admirers in the island nation was Sri Lanka’s victory over India.
Personal moments:
Sir Viv Richards, the winner of the 1979 World Cup final, made an appearance on the Lord’s Channel’s Rewind series in 2015 and recalled the memorable victory over England at the venerable Lord’s. “I recall pulling one too wide mid-on to get things going. That was the catalyst,” Richards remarked with a smile.
Richards withstood a leg-by-wicket appeal during the game on a pitch from Mike Hendrick. The former West Indian hitter claimed that when discussing it, blocking across the line became a topic of discussion. “The subsequent delivery, specifically that shot, was what finally brought the subject of blocking to a head. It was against the rules,” Richards added.
The West Indies were four down on 99 in the championship game after being ordered to bat first after losing the toss. Richards and Collis King’s 139-run partnership, which they knitted together while already at the crease, enabled the Windies team to put up a staggering 286 runs on the board. Richards praised his coworker while talking with King about the collaboration. He said, “Actually, with Collis King in, I believe we were down four or five. He entered and, “Wow!”
So, this was all about the World Cup 1979. Also read, Pakistan Cricket Board busts reports in an official statement.
