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The first attempt at a World Championship of cricket was in 1912, when a three-way series was arranged between the current Test playing nations, Australia, England and South Africa. Dogged by poor weather, the experiment was not repeated until 1975, when following the success of domestic one-day competitions, the six Test playing nations (England, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India and Pakistan) were joined by Sri Lanka and East Africa in the first World Cup. Played in England in June, the tournament was blessed by superb weather, with not a minute of playing time lost to rain. Unlike later tournaments, the games were 60 overs per side, and required an early start, often giving an advantage to the side bowling first.

Preliminary Rounds:-

The tournament got underway on June 7th with four games. England took on India in an extraordinary encounter that emphasized the gulf of experience in the one-day game that separated the sides. England made a mammoth 334 for 4, based on a solid 137 from Dennis Amiss (including a record 2nd wicket partnership with Fletcher), and a whirlwind 30 ball fifty from Chris Old. India appeared to have little idea of how to score quickly in such conditions, and made 132 for 3 from their 60 overs, with Sunny Gavaskar plodding to 36* in an innings of stunning pointlessness. East Africa were no match for New Zealand in their opening game at Edgbaston, with Glenn Turner's 171* (setting a record for highest score in a World Cup game that stood until 1983) and Dale Hadlee's and Howarth's bowling resulting in a 181 run victory for the Kiwis (Hadlee bowled his 12 overs conceding only 10 runs). The other non-test team, Sri Lanka also had difficulty, being bowled out for 86 by Andy Roberts, Keith Boyce, and Bernard Julien. The West Indies had no trouble knocking off the runs in under 21 overs, without calling on the services of Lloyd or Richards. The final game on the 1st day appeared to be more even, as Australia, thanks to a fine 80* from Ross Edwards, set Pakistan 279 to win. However only Majid Khan was able to withstand a rampant Dennis Lillee (5/34), and a 73 run win for Australia was the result.

Four days later it as Keith Fletcher's turn to lead England to a comfortable win, and an almost certain semi-final place with 131 against New Zealand. This combined with 4 wickets from England's all-rounder Tony Greig was too much for a New Zealand side inexperienced in the one day game. East Africa again were over-matched, this time against India, struggling for 55 overs to make 120. Bishen Bedi recorded the astonishing figures of 12-8-6-1, the most economical 12 over spell in World Cups. India with a Gavaskar transformed and Engineer cruised to a 10 wicket win. Sri Lanka showed a hint of their potential when faced with a daunting 329 to win (Turner A making a century), they came within 50 runs of the win against a strong Australian bowling attack. They might have come closer if both Wettimuny and Mendis had not been forced to retire hurt. The match of the tournament was possibly Pakistan against West Indies. West Indies won by one wicket, the winning run being scored off the fourth ball of the last over. A magnificent match hung in the balance until the end and the West Indies could not have been confident when their eighth wicket fell at 166 and their ninth at 203. The last pair, Murray and Roberts, who came together in the 46th over [of 60], scored the necessary 64 runs for victory. The Pakistan batsmen followed Majid`s example, punishing anything not on a length and going boldly for their strokes, but Mushtaq and Wasim Raja were unfortunate to play on when both threatened to dominate the bowling. The West Indies batsmen showed almost indecent haste and, with the exception of Lloyd and Murray, lacked the patience to build a major innings. Murray's brand of discipline and the courage of Roberts eventually carried them to victory.

England completed an easy passage to the semi-finals by a predictable 196 run win over East Africa, who had no answer to the pace of John Snow (12-6-11-4). The 196 run margin of victory is the highest in World Cups. India and New Zealand battled for the other semi-final place from Group-A, and in a tense encounter, Glenn Turner's unbeaten century was the difference between the sides, and New Zealand won with 7 balls to spare. India were grateful to a fine 70 from Abid Ali that allowed them to set a reasonable target, but his all-round efforts were not quite enough. In Group B Australia and West Indies faced off for first place, both having qualified for the semi-finals already. The match was memorable for a thrilling encounter between Lillee and Kallicharan, where Kallicharan repeatedly hooked very fast bouncers from Lillee to the boundary, taking 24 from one over. His innings of 78 earned him the man of the match award, and Australia's 192 was never going to be enough against a strong West Indies batting line up. The powerful Pakistan batting line up finally clicked against the Sri Lankans, with Zaheer, Sadiq, and Majid taking them to 330, and an easy win.

Semi Finals:-

The first semi-final between the old rivals England and Australia was much anticipated, but was effectively over in the first hour. Gary Gilmour's left arm bowling was ideally suited to the conditions, and his devastating opening spell reduced England to 37/6 - he took 6/14 in all (the second best figures recorded in World Cups), and was virtually unplayable. England's final total of 93 still offered a challenge in conditions that suited the English seamers, and with Australia at 35/5 they were still in with a chance. Steady batting by Walters and Australia's hero Gilmour saw them through. The bowlers dominated the other semi-final, with Julien leading the way for the West Indies with 4 wickets, but Roberts capturing the critical scalp of Turner. Kallicharran and Greenidge saw the West Indies to an easy victory, and on to the final.

The Final:-

A great occasion at Lord's, with a packed house, and splendid weather was graced by a match worthy of the first World Cup final. The West Indies were put into bat, and struggled against Gilmour and Lillee, with Fredericks, Greenidge and Kallicharran back in the pavilion for 50. Fredericks was dismissed in bizarre circumstances, dislodging a bail as he hit Lillee out of the ground for six. Lloyd played an innings worthy of the occasion, treating the bowling with disdain and racing to his century. He and Kanhai put on 149 (still the record partnership for the 4th wicket). Gilmour took 5 wickets, and poor Max Walker was hit for 70 runs off his 12 overs. Australia faced a stiff task chasing 291, and fell just short, with magnificent fielding from the West Indies resulting in 4 run outs. 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.

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