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Home , Alan Turner (cricketer), Andy Roberts (cricketer), Clive Lloyd, Colin Croft, Dennis Amiss, Dennis Lillee

N 1975, the first World Cup gave the their stage. The Test playing nations gathered, and for two weeks the English summer was a carnival of . By the tournament's end, a cricketing dynasty that would rule world cricket for 15 years had been born. Flamboyant, colourful and charismatic on the pitch and in the stands, the calypso kings served up a brand of play which stamped them as Ithe equal to the great Brazil football team of the era. , , , Alvin Kallicharan. These were cricket's Tostao, Jairzinho and Garrincha. Entertainers with a ruthless edge, they would win in style. Injury deprived them of their Pele in 1975. But as Sir bowed out of the game, the World Cup offered a glimpse of his heir, the man who would become West Indies' next cricketing knight - Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards. On June 21 at 11am the battle for world cricketing supremacy began. Chappell's tenacious Australians would be at loggerheads with the West Indies for the next five years. And on this day, in front of 26,000 at Lord's, it was cricket's history books. "The best he ever who struck first. played," says Australian . "I'd bowl an , West Indies' Lara-esque in swinger with a bit of leg cut and he'd smash it opener, smashed a Lillee out of the midwicket. I'd think 'you're not allowed to be ground and then trod on his stumps. Fredericks, able to do that'." a pocket-sized , who the following year In a stand of 149 with the evergreen Kanhai, would hit one of the most scintillating hundreds Lloyd helped the West Indies to a then-massive seen on Australian soil, was soon joined in the 8-291 from their 60 overs. Max Walker's normally pavilion by Kallicharan and , as reliable fast-medium swingers went for 71 and the Windies limped to 3-50. neither Lillee nor Thomson made an impression. When the West Indian appeared, things Only , with 5-48, held the West changed, and quickly. Eighty-five balls and 102 Indies at bay. "Not much you can do when a runs later, the name Clive Lloyd was etched into player like Lloyd is in the zone," Walker says, »

Windie> photography NEWSPIsX + GETTY IMAGE S

The thrilling first ever World Cup final also launched the West Indies as a major force in the game. Crispin Andrews reports

fCBKUARY I MARCH ion MSMWMCM "his huge 31b bat, with five grips, was like an humanity was expressing itself at Lord's in a way racked up 4-330, as pre-tournament predictions extension of his arm." "Best natural batsman I it had never been allowed before," Walker says. about the ineffectiveness of spin in English ever saw," adds 's , a losing And yet, the West Indies nearly didn't make conditions saw go in with five medium semi-finalist against Australia on a rain-affected it to the final. It took a last stand of 63 pacers, whilst the great Bishan Bedi sat in the Headingley wicket. Gilmour was the Australian between and Andy Roberts to stands. , obviously unimpressed, star in the semi too, with 6-14, and then smashed beat and qualify, from a group that also crawled to 36 from 174 balls as India a quickfire 28 when Australia was 39-6, chasing included Australia and newcomers, . managed only 132-3 from their 60 overs. 93. "It was ironic that we'd spent the winter East Africa, a motley collection of part timers "Internal politics, maybe?" says England's Chris ducking Lillee and Thomson on fliers and now we from Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Uganda, Old who smashed 51 from 30 balls earlier in the were rolled over by a medium pacer on a typical were whipping boys to England, game. "We were bemused at first but realised English green seamer," Amiss says. and India in the other. that if we kept him in, we'd win." recalls the atmosphere at the The opening game produced high drama, Dennis Amiss, who scored the World Cup's Oval, as New Zealand lost to the West Indies in even if those watching might not agree. England first in England's innings, wonders if the other semi-final. "It was like a home game for them," he says. "Brixton is just down the road and there were a lot of local West Indians at making a lot of noise." For Walker, the final was a kaleidoscope of colour, even if the players back then still wore traditional whites in one-day internationals. Purple, orange, with flags, banners everywhere. And the noise - thousands of animated voices, accompanied by steel cans and whistles - the vuvuzelas of the mid-70s. "This constant low hum reverberated around the ground," Walker says, "a hypnotic pulse that vibrated in your rib cage." As the bowler ran in, Lord's crackled with expectation. When Lloyd thumped it over square leg or Kanhai stroked one through the covers, the ground exploded. "This coherent mass of There were few better in full flight than the Master Blaster,

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Few had heard of Viv Richards. In his early days, he was like lightning in the field. He ran out Turner and both Chappells and the innings never recovered"

hsUeChetU FIBRUARY / MARCH ion From left: Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd and Roy Fredericks

Gavaskar was protesting against the defensive "In any tournament, people only ever was 8.42 pm on the longest day of the year. fields set by England captain . He remember the final and this was as good as it "We should have won that game," Walker would have been wasting his time. The modern gets," he says. says, "those five outs cost us." game had arrived. From now on there would be On a flat pitch, Australia fancied their The party continued many hours after Clive no 'throwing a few up to keep the opposition chances of chasing down the West Indies'.29J, Uoyi) M6 the iwptyaM. Wker remembers in the game'. Hard nosed win/lose cricket, you A solid start from and standing on the West Indies balcony at 11pm, got yourself in the game and fought to stay soon turned to chaos, though. And for once, it the pitch still covered with fans, chanting and there. "Risk-averse batsmen found they could wasn't a West Indian fast bowler who instigated waving their banners. play a few shots without getting out," Old says. it. Few outside of and parts of the The World Cup had arrived on the "They had to move the game forward, not just English West Country had heard of Viv Richards. international cricketing calendar and by accumulate runs." In his early days, he was like lightning in the the time it came around again four years later, The new game suited adventurous batters. field. He ran out Turner and both Chappells, a new generation had picked up the mantle Glenn Turner, the tournament's leading scorer and the Australian innings never recovered. The left by Lloyd, Chappell and their teams. •#1330. including two centuries, says: "I was middle order chipped in with a few, but when In 1979, , , a bit of a plodder when I first started in the late number 11, , joined , and were the star turns. Of the but I was scoring at a fair clip by 1975. I Australia still needed 58 runs to win from seven 1975 Australians, only Lillee, Thomson and 't a big hitter, so I'd chip the ball into space overs. Marsh would play in the World Cup again, in push the fielders." "We believed in each other's ability so we 1983, when their Packer indiscretions had then, most teams approached the few hadn't given up," says Walker, himself another been forgiven. nternationals they played like short Test victim, who watched from the Lord's Lloyd's team, of course, rose to even . "There was enough time to build an balcony as the two firebrands edged Australia greater heights. , , Amiss says. "You often saw a couple closer to their target. and joined Roberts of slips and a gully if the ball was doing a bit." It was pulsating stuff. Lillee was off to form the most devastating pace attack the Without video analysts and armies of coaches, a no-ball, and the crowd, thinking the game world had ever seen. Richards was in his master players sorted out their own games. "There were over, invaded the pitch. While the West Indies blasting prime, and with Greenidge, Des Haynes no special strategies," Walker adds. "The only tried to find the ball, the Aussies kept running. and Lloyd as able lieutenants, a decade-and-a- computer was the one between your ears." compu Eventually, umpire Bird called dead ball and half of domination followed. But despite the comparatively low scores awarded Australia three runs. Soon after, with But i Walker remembers the day it all began, today's standards, the 1975 World Cup has bytodc 19 needed from nine balls, Thomson was run though. June 21, 1975. The day when a cool been seen as an unbridled success, out by wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, going for a Caribbean breeze blew through world cricket knows why. suicidal single and the crowd invaded again. It for the first time. %

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