History of the ICC Cricket World Cup – Part 1
The inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup was played in 1975 in England. This was the time when ODI cricket was played with each side bowling 60 overs. The mighty West Indies, who came into the tournament as favorites, beat Australia in the final and became holders of the first World Cup. West Indies over came New Zealand in the semi-final while Australia demolished England. The trophy in the Prudential Cup, official name of the 1975 World Cup, was lifted by legendary West Indian captain Clive Lloyd.
Lloyd was to lead his team to their second consecutive World Cup win in 1979. After beating Pakistan comprehensively in the semi finals, West Indies faced the home side, England in the final. England themselves managed to book a place in the final after defeating New Zealand in a close match. In the final, batting first, West Indies made 286/9 in their allotted 60 overs. In reply, the English side crumbled at a low score of 194 all out. This was to be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760’ last World Cup trophy.
The 1983 tournament was held in England, for the 3rd consecutive time. West Indies again made their way through to the semi-finals, where they beat Pakistan by 8 wickets after Pakistan had made only 184-8 in 60 overs. West Indies’ opponent in the 1983 final was India. India reached the final after registering a comprehensive 6 wicket win over England. The clash between West Indies and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 was expected to be a one sided affair, in favor of the West Indies however, India managed to crush West Indies’ dominance in world cricket by beating the favorites in the final. India managed to score only 183 in 54.4 overs but restricted their opponents to 140 runs, to attain their maiden World Cup title.
The 1987 World Cup was held in India and Pakistan with the overs being reduced from 60 per each side to 50. This was mainly done to take into account the shorter daylight availability in the Sub-Continent, compared to England. This would turn out to be the first World Cup without West Indies in the Final. In fact, they did not even manage to reach the semi-finals. The first semi-final was played against Pakistan and Australia, at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Pakistan. Australia came out victorious, beating the home side by 18 runs. The second semi-final between India and England ended with a 35 run win for the English side. In the final, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 clinched a 7 run win against their arch rivals to claim the first of their 4 World Cup trophies.
Australia and New Zealand were to host the 1992 tournament. The competition triggered a change in world cricket and was a stepping stone to the way modern limited over cricket is played. 1992 was the first time World Cup matches were played under lights. Participating teams wore colored kits and the red ball was replaced by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Inzamam-ul-Haq-c64383, turned the game around on its head. Pakistan went on to win the match by 4 wickets and an over to spear.
The second semi-final was between England and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Miandad-c66580 steadied Pakistan’s innings. In reply, the English batsmen never looked settled against the Pakistan bowling attack as wickets fell at regular intervals. Pakistan sealed their first World Cup title with a wicket by captain Imran Khan, ending England’s innings at 227 all out.
Click http://www.senore.com/History-of-the-ICC-Cricket-World-Cup-Part-2-a49519 to read Part 2
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