The second edition of the cricket World Cup was also held in England from June 9 to June 23. The format of the event was the same as it was four years ago. There was the round robin stage followed by the knockout round. The matches continued to be played in white clothing for 60 overs using the tradition red ball. Eight countries again featured in the event, and were divided into two groups of four teams each. The top two teams from each group made it ahead to the semi-finals, and the subsequent teams to the mega final.
The six Test playing nations that qualified for the second event were West Indies, Australia, England, New Zealand, India and Pakistan. Sri Lanka made it to the World Cup for the second time without having achieved Test status. The other non-Test playing nation in the event was Canada, who replaced East Africa. Gordon Greenidge of West Indies was the top scorer in the event with 253 runs while Mike Hendrick of England claimed the most number of wickets – 10.
Semi-final 1: England took on New Zealand in the first semi-final at Old Trafford. New Zealand won the toss and decided to field first. Although the hosts lost two wickets early, they recovered well to post a competitive 221 on the board. Graham Gooch top scored with 71 from 84 balls, and Mike Brearley chipped in with a slow but crucial 53 from 115 balls. Lower down the innings, Derek Randall chipped in with a handsome 42 from 50 balls to help England finish well. New Zealand's response was led by a patient 69 from John Wright. However, Wright failed to find much support from the rest, and New Zealand ended up on 212 for 9.
Semi-final 2: Defending champions West Indies took on the Pakistanis in the second semi-final at The Oval. The Windies were off to a sensational start with Gordon Greenidge with 73 and Desmond Haynes with 65 featuring in a first wicket stand of 132. Vivian Richards and Clive Lloyd were among the runs as well, as the Windies blasted the Pakistani bowling to finish with an intimidating 293. To their credit, Pakistan replied equally well with Majid Khan (81) and Zaheer Abbas (93) featuring in a second-wicket partnership of 166 runs. When the two were together, it seemed like an upset might be in store. But, the lack of big match experience hurt them as they collapsed to 250 all out, Javed Miandad making a first-ball duck.
Final: England won the toss and decided to field first at Lord’s. Windies lost Greenidge, Haynes, Kallicharan, and captain Lloyd before crossing the hundred mark. However, Vivian Richards (138 from 157 balls) and Collis King (86 from 66 balls) featured in a breathtaking 139-run partnership. West Indies ended up with 286 for the loss of nine wickets. The Englishmen batted as if they just did not believe they could win. Both the openers, Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott made half centuries, but they took well over hundred deliveries to get there. They added 129 in 38 overs, completely putting the game out of England's reach. Graham Gooch made a quick 32, but England completely collapsed after his dismissal losing eight wickets for 11 runs. In the end, they only managed 194. Vivian Richards was the Man of the Match for his defining knock.
--By A Cricket Analyst
