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News18
12 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
On This Day In 1979: West Indies Crowned Cricket World Cup Champions At Lord's
On this day in 1979, West Indies won their 2nd Cricket World Cup, beating England by 92 runs. Viv Richards hit 138*, and Joel Garner took 5 wickets at Lord's to seal victory. On This Day In 1979: The mighty West Indies playing under their inspirational skipper Clive Lloyd were crowned World Cup champions on this day. The Calypso Kings flexed their dominance in world cricket by lifting the prestigious trophy for the second consecutive time. Lloyd's men hammered England in the 1979 Prudential World Cup final played at Lord's after a comprehensive display. Unleashing their battery of renowned quicks and flamboyant set of batters, West Indies pulverised the Englishmen, who were left regretting the decision to bowl first on a good batting surface on this day in 1979. The legendary Sir Vivian Richards bossed the England attack in one of the most memorable knocks played in World Cup history. The charismatic right-hander was at his freeflowing best as he smashed138 not out off 157 deliveries, including 11 fours and 3 maximums. Richards sent the Mike Brearley-led England side on a leather hunt and recorded a strike rate of 87.89, which was unheard of in the early years of One-Day Internationals. It was the most glorious innings that helped West Indies overcome multiple hiccups at the other end. Reduced to 4 down for 99 at one stage, West Indies had Richards combining with the aggressive Collis King in the most brutal counterattacking stand of 139 runs for the fifth wicket. Notably, King dominated the partnership with the maestro and ended with an amazing 86 off 66 deliveries. Even as King fell after his breathtaking knock, Richards stood in no mood to relent and kept attacking the English attack that needed to create inroads into the lower order to restrict the West Indies to an imposing 286/9 after 60 overs in the second World Cup final played. Sir Ian Botham took 2 for 44 for England in his 12 overs. During the run-chase, the stark difference between the two teams' powerhitting game stood exposed. Captain Brearley and Geoffrey Boycott batted painstakingly slow at the top of the innings. In a 129-run opening partnership that would've fit perfectly in a Test match against the new, moving ball, Brearley took 130 deliveries to make 64 while Boycott ended with 57 off his 105-ball stay. That pushed the asking rate through the roof against a Caribbean attack that offered no respite. Both Brearley and Boycott were removed by the great Michael Holding before the tall Joel Garner got into the act and scripted a fifer in a World Cup final for the West Indies. The fiery spell ran through the English middle-order as Graham Gooch's 32 ended up being the third-highest score on a disappointing scorecard. England could only muster 194 all out in their response in 51 overs, not even managing to bat the full quota of overs. About the Author First Published: June 23, 2025, 07:20 IST
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
On This Day In 1983: India Beat England To Reach Historic World Cup Final
Last Updated: On This Day In 1983: India raced to their maiden World Cup final appearance by defeating England in a memorable semifinal played in Manchester, chasing down the target of 213. On This Day In 1983: India continued their inspiring run at the 1983 Prudential World Cup with a memorable semifinal victory over England in Manchester on this day. Kapil Dev's courageous brigade overcame heavy odds staked against them and surpassed Bob Willis' experienced English side considered massive favourites to qualify for the final. Proving the pundits wrong, Kapil's men got the tri-colour flying high at Old Trafford with a brilliant allround performance. After a magnificent turnaround in their campaign with wins over Zimbabwe and Australia that propelled them to the knock-outs stage, the Indians carried confidence and momentum to the semifinal versus the hosts. But they were hardly given a chance to stand the English juggernaut that had the wealth of experience and understanding of the 60-over game in the early years of domestic and international limited-overs cricket. The Englishmen were further boosted by the toss as the coin fell in their favour and Willis decided to bat first. But Kapil's Devils turned the tables on them with a spirited bowling performance. Allrounder Roger Binny (2/42) continued his magnificent form with the new ball, dismissing both of England's set openers Graeme Fowler (33) and Chris Tavaré (32). On a day where the ball swung and seamed, India's battery of medium pacers didn't allow England's middle-order to settle down. The steady Mohinder Amarnath once again came in handy with the ball, taking 2 wickets while conceding just 27 runs off his 12 overs. Kapil then ran through the English tail in his 3 for 35 and helped dismiss the hosts for 213. In the chase, maestro Sunil Gavaskar missed out on an opportunity to regain form as his departure for 25 off 41 broke a useful opening stand of 46 shared with the attacking Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who was out soon for 19. India needed their middle-order to come to the fore and two senior pros Amarnath and Yashpal Sharma did not disappoint. They stitched an exceptional third-wicket stand of 92 runs to bring India's noses ahead before Amarnath was out for 46. The solid-looking Sharma was then joined by the aggressive Sandeep Patil. Batting in contrasting fashions, the duo didn't allow the England bowling unit to create inroads until the match was sealed. Patil went hell for leather, taking confidence from the assurance provided by the calming Sharma at the other end. The Mumbaikar hammered an unbeaten 51 off 32 balls while Sharma produced an important 61 before his wicket. Skipper Kapil walked out and gave the strike back to Patil, witnessing the winning moment where Patil smashed Willis (1/42) to the deep mid-wicket region. The Old Trafford crowd rushed to the ground while Kapil and Patil somehow evaded them in the most jubilant scenes that marked one of the greatest days in Indian cricket history. First Published: June 22, 2025, 07:20 IST
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
On This Day In 1983: Kapil Dev Smashed 175 Against Zimbabwe In World Cup
Last Updated: On this day in 1983: Kapil Dev's legendary 175 against Zimbabwe in the Prudential World Cup changed India's fortunes, leading them to win the World Cup. On This Day In 1983: The legendary Kapil Dev lit up the 1983 Prudential World Cup in England with a game-transforming knock of 175 against Zimbabwe on this day. The ultimate trailblazer played an innings widely regarded as the finest and most impactful hundred in the history of ODI cricket. Kapil's innings revived India's fortunes in the tournament before the captain famously lifted the World Cup at the Lord's balcony to trigger a nonstop wave that changed Indian cricket's landscape. Kapil etched Kent's Tunbridge Wells in the history books with a century for the ages after a disastrous batting collapse from India. It's said that the skipper was in the shower when a teammate knocked on his door after India were reduced to just 9-4 in a must-win Group B encounter versus the Zimbabweans. Despite his team staring at a defeat, Kapil approached the situation in trademark fashion and hammered the inexperienced Zimbabwe attack for what was then the fastest ODI century and the record-highest World Cup score. The ball flew over the roof at the Nevill Ground with the tenacious right-hander hitting 16 fours and 6 sixes. In an era where batting in One-Day Internationals was about survival for 60 overs, especially in challenging English conditions, Kapil emerged at his brave and destructive best, finishing unbeaten with a strike rate of 126.81. The next highest score to Kapil's 175* off 138 deliveries was 24 from wicketkeeper-batter Syed Kirmani. The one-man show from the aggressive and inspiring Indian cricketer took his team's score to 266/8 which they later defended by 31 runs and kept their World Cup hopes alive. Having suffered two consecutive defeats, India needed to beat Zimbabwe to stay in contention for the semifinals. Kapil's heroics did exactly that with the captain leading from the front before going on to beat Australia in the final group-stage encounter. India then surpassed hosts England in the semifinal and defeated the mighty West Indies in the final at Lord's in one of the game's pathbreaking triumphs that only heightened the value of Kapil's courageous display. Unfortunately, there is no footage available for the glorious innings. While some believe English broadcasters BBC were on strike for the contest, few count that as a myth alluding to the West Indies versus Australia game televised on the same day. First Published:
