HISTORY
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament held every four years. The tournament is one of the world's most viewed sporting events and is considered the "flagship event of the international cricket calendar" by the ICC.
The first World Cup was organised in England in June 1975, with the first ODI cricket match having been played only four years prior. However, a separate Women's Cricket World Cup had been held two years before the first men's tournament, and a tournament involving multiple international teams had been held as early as 1912, when a triangular tournament of Test matches was played between Australia, England and South Africa. Each of the first three World Cups were held in England. From the 1987 tournament onwards, hosting has been shared between countries under an unofficial rotation system, with fourteen ICC members having hosted at least one match in the tournament.
The finals of the World Cup are contested by the ten full members of the ICC (all of which are Test-playing teams) and a number of teams made up from associate and affiliate members of the ICC, selected via the World Cricket League and a later qualifying tournament. A total of 19 teams have competed in the ten editions of the tournament, with 14 competing in the 2011 tournament. Australia has won the tournament four times, with the West Indies, India (twice each), Pakistan and Sri Lanka (once each) also having won the tournament. The best performance by a non-full-member team came when Kenya made the semi-finals of the 2003 tournament.
1975 Cricket World Cup
The 1975 Cricket World Cup was the first edition of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Cricket World Cup. It was held from 7 to 21 June 1975 in England. The tournament was sponsored by Prudential Assurance Company and had 8 participating countries. These were the 6 Test playing teams of that time (namely Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan & West Indies) and Sri Lanka & East Africa. The preliminary matches were played in 2 groups of 4 each. The top two teams from each group then played the knock-out rounds of semi-finals and final.
The matches were played as 60 overs per team in traditional white clothing and with red balls. They were all played during the day and, hence, started early. One of the most bizarre batting efforts in one-day history was made by Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar. England scored 334 (4 wickets, 60 overs) with Dennis Amiss (137 from 147 balls, 18 fours) scoring the first ever World Cup century, nobly supported by Keith Fletcher (68 from 107 balls, 4 fours, 1 six). The response of Gavaskar (36 from 174 balls, 1 four) was to bat through the 60 overs for 36 not out.The Prudential Cup was lifted by Clive Lloyd, captain of West Indies, who had started the tournament as the favourites.
This was the only ODI Cricket World Cup which didn't feature a sub-continent team in the semi-finals.The format of the first world cup was 2 groups of four teams each, and each team playing each other. The top two team from each group then advance to the Semi Finals where the winners then advance (qualified) to the finals.The first Cricket World Cup was played in England on seven different venues. A total of 16 matches were played in the 1975 Cricket World Cup including 2 Semifinals and a Final match. England hosted the each of the first three competitions. The ICC decided that England should host the first tournament because it was ready to put the resources needed in organising the inaugural event. India proposed that it should host the third Cricket World Cup, but most ICC members believed England was a more suitable venue because longer period of daylight in June. This meant that a match could be completed in one day.The 8 teams qualified for the final tournament. Sri Lanka and East Africa were the only two teams without Test status.
SEMIFINALS
In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six for fourteen as England were bowled out for 93 (36.2 overs), after having fallen to 37/7. Australia initially suffered a collapse just as dramatic, falling to 39/6, before Gilmour (28 from 28 balls, 5 fours) brought them home in a fantastic all-round performance.
The West Indies won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat first. New Zealand batted well against the bowling at first, reaching 98/1. However, when captain Glenn Turner (36 from 74 balls, 3 fours) and Geoff Howarth (51 from 93 balls, 3 fours) fell, breaking a second-wicket partnership of 90 runs, New Zealand lost 9/60 to fall to 158 (all out, 52.2 overs). The West Indies responded, with Alvin Kallicharan (72 from 92 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) and Gordon Greenidge (55 from 95 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) sharing a second-wicket partnership of 125 runs that brought the West Indies to their target.
FINAL
In the final, the West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs, after an accomplished innings from captain Clive Lloyd (102 from 85 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes). The Australian innings was marked by top-order batsmen being run out when going for runs after misfields. A total of five of their team were run out, three by Vivian Richards. There was no 'Man of the Series' awarded in 1975.
Group A England,New Zealand,India,East Africa
Group B West Indies,Australia,Pakistan,Sri Lanka
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the international championship of One Day International (ODI) cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament held every four years. The tournament is one of the world's most viewed sporting events and is considered the "flagship event of the international cricket calendar" by the ICC.
The first World Cup was organised in England in June 1975, with the first ODI cricket match having been played only four years prior. However, a separate Women's Cricket World Cup had been held two years before the first men's tournament, and a tournament involving multiple international teams had been held as early as 1912, when a triangular tournament of Test matches was played between Australia, England and South Africa. Each of the first three World Cups were held in England. From the 1987 tournament onwards, hosting has been shared between countries under an unofficial rotation system, with fourteen ICC members having hosted at least one match in the tournament.
The finals of the World Cup are contested by the ten full members of the ICC (all of which are Test-playing teams) and a number of teams made up from associate and affiliate members of the ICC, selected via the World Cricket League and a later qualifying tournament. A total of 19 teams have competed in the ten editions of the tournament, with 14 competing in the 2011 tournament. Australia has won the tournament four times, with the West Indies, India (twice each), Pakistan and Sri Lanka (once each) also having won the tournament. The best performance by a non-full-member team came when Kenya made the semi-finals of the 2003 tournament.
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| 8 teams lined up for the first World Cup 1975 in England © Getty Images |
1975 Cricket World Cup
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-The match ended astonishingly late (8.43pm) and Lloyd's men
became worthy winners of the first World Cup ©Getty Images
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SEMIFINALS
In the best World Cup performance to date by a bowler, Gary Gilmour took six for fourteen as England were bowled out for 93 (36.2 overs), after having fallen to 37/7. Australia initially suffered a collapse just as dramatic, falling to 39/6, before Gilmour (28 from 28 balls, 5 fours) brought them home in a fantastic all-round performance.
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-West Indies CAPTAIN Lloyd's With Prudential Cup © Getty Images
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FINAL
In the final, the West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs, after an accomplished innings from captain Clive Lloyd (102 from 85 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes). The Australian innings was marked by top-order batsmen being run out when going for runs after misfields. A total of five of their team were run out, three by Vivian Richards. There was no 'Man of the Series' awarded in 1975.
Group A England,New Zealand,India,East Africa
Group B West Indies,Australia,Pakistan,Sri Lanka