New Delhi: Nobody would have imagined in his/her wildest dream 39 years ago that one day the limited over cricket will upstage pure form of the game and that is TEST CRICKET. But that's has what happened and now longest format of the game needs medical attention on a regular basis to keep it alive after the huge success of limited over cricket knows as One Day Internationals today.
Dated back in 1975, first Cricket World Cup was organized in England and known as the Prudential Cup. Eight teams participated in the first tournament: Australia, England, the West Indies, Pakistan, India, and New Zealand. It was initially considered a fun game but soon became popular though die hard connoisseurs of the game still look at with disdain.
Peeping in the past, the cricket fans witnessed some historic moments of the cricketing history.
It was West Indies who won the maiden world Cup 1975 under the captaincy of Clive Lloyd.
No field restrictions, 60 over a side, 12 over per bowler to bowl- first world Cup had it all.
If one looks at it in today's perspective it was a short tournament with just 15 matches played. In the first edition of the tournament most runs were scored by Glenn Turner (333) and most wickets were bagged by Gary Gilmour (11).
West Indies beat New Zealand in semi-finals to make it through the final and on the other side Australia defeated-the hosts-England to face the Caribbean team. So, it was west Indies vs Australia at the end in the maiden World Cup final.
Apart from the main event, in which West Indies defeated the Kookaburras, here are some highlights from the 1st ever World Cup which made it memorable:
While Pakistan faced West Indies there was all together a different combination with murderous pace-duo of Lillee and Thompson rearing to tear apart the then minnows of cricket Sri Lanka after Australia posted a mammoth total of 328.
The result was a foregone conclusion but Sri Lankan at one stage looked like chasing down the total. Soon there was blood on the pitch and three Sri Lankans had to be helped off the field. Dilip Mendis was one of them.
The hostility was at its peak.
