Sir Clive Lloyd achieved the feat of winning the inaugural and second Cricket World Cup in 1975 and 1979. He is arguably, one of the greatest captains of both Tests and ODIs all time. Under his captaincy, the star-studded West Indies team was filled with some unparalleled talents, who remained the best at their trade for a long time.
The conquering heroes of West Indies proved what the world already knew. They beat England by a whopping 92 runs to win the Cricket World Cup for the second time – showcasing their immense prowess on the field as the best team in the world. They also formed a powerful force off the field as the ambassadors for the game and representing West Indians at home in the Caribbean and millions of others who lived and worked around the world.
Sir Clive Lloyd in ODIs
On June 23, 1979, at Lords, the home of cricket, just over four years since they won the inaugural tournament, Clive Lloyd led his team to be crowned the kings of cricket at the same venue they won the inaugural 1975 World Cup.
Captain Sir Clive Lloyd was proud of what his team achieved: “We proved we were the best team in the world. There was no doubt about that. We played unbeaten throughout the tournament… a similar feat to what we achieved when we con four years earlier. By winning and dominating we weren’t just showing we were the best cricket team, but one of the best sporting teams of all time.”
As Lloyd sat in the pavilion preparing to accept the Prudential Cup Trophy (as it was known from 1975 to 1983), he reflected on the magnitude of what his players such as great batsmen Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge and devastating bowlers like Michael Holding, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Colin Croft, achieved. He realized that the victory was not just for the team but the many people who supported them.
He said: “We thought if we won the World Cup, we could promote the game in the West Indies and bring enormous job to the people living in the West Indies and those living in the UK, who had made the journey to start lives there. You were playing for everyone. The matches were all very well attended and what I realized was that they poured their heart into supporting us. We owed then those victories… we were happy to celebrate with them.”
Clive Lloyd nicknamed, “Big C,” “Hubert,” and “Super Cat” made his ODI debut on September 5, 1973 versus England. In the One-Day International format, the left-handed batsman had 1,977 runs in 87 games at an average of 39.54. His last ODI was on March 6, 1985 versus Pakistan. He had one century, eleven 50s, 8 wickets and 39 catches in ODIs.
Lloyd’s men were quite brilliant in the One Day Internationals (ODI) as well, where they had won a staggering 64 matches out of 84 with a winning percentage of 77.71 under his captaincy from 1974 to 1985. Lloyd was the first West Indian player to take a wicket on his very first ball on ODI debut.
In the 1975 Cricket World Cup Final against Australia, the West Indies were in deep trouble with 50/3 when Lloyd strode to the crease. He made a scintillating century at Lord’s, to etch his name as the first centurion at finals to history books. It was a timely 102 (85) which earned him the prestigious ‘Player of the Match’ award and enabled the West Indies to win the match by 17 runs.
He made a mark in world cricket through his outstanding batting skills and also through his impeccable leadership qualities. It was under his captaincy that the West Indies team dominated cricket for over a decade in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1985, Lloyd was made an honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his services to the sport of cricket, particularly in relation to his outstanding and positive influence on the game in Australia. He was knighted (CBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to cricket at an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.
In 2005, Lloyd offered his patronage to Major League Cricket for their inaugural Inter-State Cricket Cup in the United States, to be named the Sir Clive Lloyd Cup. His son, Jason Clive Lloyd, is a goalkeeper for the Guyana national football team. In 2007, Lloyd’s authorised biography, “SUPERCAT” was published by the cricket journalist Simon Lister.
World Cup Background
The first cricket competition at international level was the 1912 Triangular Tournament in England, played between the three test nations at the time – England, Australia and South Africa. The first one-day match to occur was in 1962 when four English county cricket teams filled in a gap to play in a limited overs knockout competition.
The limited-over format had been used in what sponsors marketed as a ‘World Cricket Cup’ in England in 1966 and 1967, contested between England, a Rest of the World XI, and a touring team (the West Indies in 1966 and Pakistan in 1967). The 1966 ‘World Cricket Cup’ was won by England and the Rest of the World in 1967.
It was not until 1971 that the first official ODI took place at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds as a replacement for the third test of the 1970/71 Ashes series between Australia and England. It was a 40-over match with each over being eight deliveries. After England made 190, Australia chased the target and won the match.
1979 World Cup
The 1979 Cricket World Cup was the second edition of the Cricket World Cup. Just like the 1975 Cricket World Cup, the edition in 1979 was held in England and was organised by the International Cricket Conference from June 9 to 23, 1979. West Indies entered the tournament as the defending champions. The tournament had a total of 8 teams. Canada was making its debut.
The eight teams were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of Australia, England, Pakistan, and Canada. Group B included the defending champions West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and India. The top two from both groups qualified for the Semi Finals. The format remained the same with two teams qualifying from each group with the final once again being at Lord’s.
Group Stage Summary
There were 12 matches at the Group stage: Australia 159/9 (60 overs) vs England 160/4 (47.1 overs) - England won by 6 wickets; Canada 139/9 (60) vs Pakistan 140/2 (40.1) - Pakistan won by 8 wickets; Pakistan 286/7 (60) vs Australia 197 (57.1) - Pakistan won by 89 runs; Canada 45 (40.3) vs England 46/2 (13.5) - England won by 8 wickets; Canada 105 (33.2) vs Australia 106/3 (26) - Australia won by 7 wickets; England 165/9 (60) vs Pakistan 151 (46) - England won by 14 runs.
India 190 (53.1) vs West Indies 194/1 (51.3) - West Indies won by 9 wickets; Sri Lanka 189 (56.5) vs New Zealand 190/1 (47.4) - New Zealand won by 9 wickets; Sri Lanka vs West Indies - match abandoned without a ball bowled; India 182 (55.5) vs New Zealand 183/2 (57) - New Zealand won by 8 wickets; Sri Lanka 238/5 (60) vs India 191 (54.1) - Sri Lanka won by 47 runs; West Indies 244/7 (60) vs New Zealand 212/9 (60) - West Indies won by 32 runs.
On completion of 12 Group matches, England (12 points) and Pakistan (8 points) qualified for the semi-finals from Group A whilst the West Indies (10 points) and New Zealand (8 points) qualified from Group B.
West Indies Journey
Similar to the 1975 edition, West Indies was undefeated in the 1979 tournament as well. They played the first match of the tournament against India on June 9 at Edgbaston. West Indies dismissed India for 190 runs in 53.1 overs with Michael Holding taking four wickets. Chasing the target, Gordon Greenidge scored 106 not out, and West Indies made 194/1 to win their first game by nine wickets.
Then, their second game against Sri Lanka at Kennington Oval, London, got washed out due to rain, leaving both teams with two points each. The third game against New Zealand was a must-win contest for the defending champions.
Batting first, the West Indies made 244/7 with Gordon Greenidge (65) and Clive Lloyd (73 not out) becoming the top scorers. Chasing the target, New Zealand couldn’t match the West Indies and scored only 212/9 and lost by 32 runs. This win helped the West Indies top their group with 10 points. With this win, West Indies made to their second successive final.
However, the final was against England, who was also undefeated in the tournament. The match took place at Lord’s on June 23. Batting first, the West Indies lost their in-form opener Gordon Greenidge (9) early. But that was the time when Vivian Richards stood tall and scored a brilliant century. He made 138 not out, while Collis King supported him well for his 86. West Indies made 286 and dismissed England for 194 to lift their second ODI World Cup.
Semi-Final Matches
In a very close semi-final match at Old Trafford, England prevailed. New Zealand won the toss and fielded. England began badly, falling to 38/2, before Mike Brearley 53 (115) with three fours and Graham Gooch 71 (84) with three sixes and one four resurrected the innings. Derek Randall 42 (50) with one six and one four played well in the second half of the innings, as England recovered from 98/4 to post 221/8 (60 overs).
In response, John Wright 69 (137) attacked well at the beginning. However, the loss of wickets bogged down New Zealand, and despite several late flourishes in the batting order, New Zealand started to drop behind and finished 212/9 (60 overs). This enabled England to win by 9 runs and qualify for the final.
At Kennington Oval, the West Indies locked horns with Pakistan. Batting first, the West Indies scored 293/6. The opener, Gordon Greenidge scored his third successive 50-plus score and made 73 (107) and with Desmond Haynes made 65 (115) to set a first wicket partnership of 132 runs in a match dominated by batting. Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd also contributed solidly, as West Indies filed up 293/6 (60 overs).
Pakistan had a great start with Majid Khan 81(124) and Zaheer Abbas 93(122), sharing a second-wicket partnership of 166 runs in 36 overs. However, none other Pakistani batsmen flourished, with Javed Miandad being bowled for a first ball duck, Pakistan lost 9 wickets for 74 runs. Richards followed suit and cleaned up the middle-order with the wickets of Asif Iqbal, Mudassar Nazar and Imran Khan. Roberts was only too happy to take out the tail and Pakistan was bowled out for 250 (56.2 overs), enabling the West Indies to record a 43-run victory.
1979 World Cup Final
On another fine day for cricket the Lord’s was completely filled by an enthusiastic crowd of 32,654 cricket lovers. Dickie Bird and Barrie Meyer were the umpires. England won the toss and chose to field first. The West Indies got off to a bad start, falling to 99/4, losing the wickets of Greenidge, Haynes, Kallicharan, and Lloyd.
Then came the partnership that turned the scales. Vivian Richards, the hero of the day and rightly named the ‘Player of the Match’ for his magnificent 138 not out (157) was already installed. He found the right ally in Collis King who scored 86 from 66 balls, virtually taking charge of the moment and ripped through the English bowling, with a striking rate of 130.3.
The West Indies were already at 238/5 when the 139- run partnership ended with the loss of Collis King, whose invaluable contribution of 86 runs for the fifth wicket came in just 77 minutes. Most of these runs came from England’s three fill-in bowlers as King struck three sixes and ten fours in his amazing inning. He drove, hooked and pulled with astonishing power and accuracy, confirming the impressive form he showed when he toured England with the West Indies in 1976.
Following King’s dismissal through a well-taken catch by Randall at deep square leg, Vivian Richards, at first, was subdued by Edmonds. However, Richards completed his century in the 52nd over from 130 balls. At the end, Richards remained 138 not out in just under three and a half hours of batting. His innings contained three sixes and 11 fours. Richards was instrumental in guiding the West Indies to a very imposing total of 286/9 (60 overs).
England had the better batting conditions under brilliant sunshine and their batsmen got off to a good start. The openers, Mike Brearley (64 from 130 balls, 7 fours) and Geoff Boycott (57 from 105 balls, 3 fours) scored very slowly in putting together their very methodical opening partnership of 129 runs in 38 overs. By the time both batsmen were out, the run rate had risen too high. Graham Gooch played some hefty strokes in his 32, taking England to 183/2.
However, the loss of Derek Randall triggered the most devastating collapse in World Cup history, as England lost 8 wickets for a mere 11 runs with the six-foot-eight-inch Joel Garner taking five wickets for four runs in a 11-ball spell and was twice on a hat-trick. Croft chipped in with three wickets.
Garner claimed 5/38 (11 overs) to demolish England and the England team was all out for 194 in 51 overs. The West Indies recorded a comfortable 92-run victory along with the title of supremacy once more and the West Indians at Lord’s made the evening a Caribbean carnival.
The West Indies squad for the 1979 World Cup: Clive Lloyd (captain), Faoud Bacchus, Colin Croft, Joel Garner, Larry Gomes, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Alvin Kallicharran, Collis King, Malcolm Marshall, Deryck Murray, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts and Clyde Walcott (manager).
Heroes of World Cup
Gordon Greenidge of West Indies ended the tournament as the leading run scorer with 253 runs from his four games. Second was fellow West Indian player, Vivian Richards who finished with 217 runs from four games which included the highest individual score of the tournament of 138 not out in the final. Graham Gooch from England rounded out the top three with 210 runs.
Mike Hendrick from England was the leading wicket taker for the tournament with ten wickets from five matches with a three-way tie for the second place amongst Brian McKechnie (New Zealand), Asif Iqbal (Pakistan) and Chris Old (England), each taking nine wickets for the tournament.
(The author is an Associate Professor, International Scholar, winner of Presidential Awards and multiple National Accolades for Academic pursuits. He possesses a PhD, MPhil, and double MSc. His email is [email protected])