The First Cricket World Cup Final

The first Cricket World Cup final was played at Lord’s on 21 June 1975 between West Indies and Australia. West Indies won by 17 runs, with captain Clive Lloyd scoring a magnificent 102 off 85 balls. It was the crowning moment of the inaugural tournament and the start of West Indies’ dominance of world cricket.

The 1975 tournament, officially the Prudential World Cup, was a bold experiment. One-day cricket was still young, and nobody knew whether a global 60-over tournament could capture the public imagination. By the end of a long summer’s day at Lord’s, with the sun still up at nearly nine in the evening, the answer was clear. The World Cup had arrived, and a new era of cricket had begun.

The First Cricket World Cup Tournament Format

Eight teams took part in the first World Cup: the six Test-playing nations of the time, England, Australia, West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand, plus Sri Lanka and East Africa. Matches were 60 overs per side, played in traditional white clothing with a red ball, and the tournament followed a group stage followed by semi-finals and a final, all hosted in England.

The format produced a fitting final. West Indies, led by the calm and authoritative Clive Lloyd, had the most explosive batting line-up in the world, built around Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge and Alvin Kallicharran. Australia, captained by Ian Chappell, had a formidable pace attack led by Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. The two strongest teams of the tournament met at Lord’s, and the game they produced is still remembered as one of the finest one-day matches ever played.

Road to the First World Cup Final

West Indies beat New Zealand in one semi-final at The Oval, chasing down New Zealand’s 158 to win by five wickets with 159 for 5. Australia reached the final through one of the most dramatic low-scoring matches in World Cup history. England were bowled out for just 93 at Headingley, with the left-arm seamer Gary Gilmour taking 6 for 14 in blustery, seaming conditions. Australia then collapsed to 39 for 6 before Gilmour returned with the bat to drag them home by four wickets, finishing on 94 for 6.

Gilmour’s semi-final spell made him one of the players to watch in the final, and he did not disappoint. On the biggest day in one-day cricket’s short history, he would take five more wickets. But it was Lloyd, Richards and Australia’s own run-out chaos that decided the trophy.

First World Cup Final Match Summary

Detail	Information
Date	21 June 1975
Venue	Lord’s, London
Toss	Australia won the toss and chose to field
West Indies	291 for 8 (60 overs)
Australia	274 all out (58.4 overs)
Result	West Indies won by 17 runs
Player of the match	Clive Lloyd
Umpires	Dickie Bird and Tom Spencer
Note	Matches in 1975 were 60 overs per side, not 50

Clive Lloyd’s Century in the 1975 World Cup Final

Australia won the toss and put West Indies in to bat, and at first the decision looked inspired. West Indies lost three early wickets, Roy Fredericks holing out after stepping on his stumps, Gordon Greenidge grinding out 13 from 61 balls, and Alvin Kallicharran falling for 12. With the innings drifting, West Indies needed their captain to turn the match.

Lloyd provided it. The West Indies captain smashed 102 off just 85 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes. His partnership with Rohan Kanhai, who made a composed 55 off 105 balls, rebuilt the innings and then accelerated it beyond Australia’s reach. Lloyd attacked both pace and spin, launching the ball to all parts of Lord’s in a display of controlled, brutal hitting that defined the final.

Even then, Australia fought back. Gary Gilmour, who had destroyed England in the semi-final, took 5 for 48, including the wicket of Lloyd, and West Indies slipped late in the innings. But useful runs from Keith Boyce, who hit 34 off 37, and an unbeaten 26 from Bernard Julien carried West Indies to 291 for 8 from their 60 overs, a formidable total for the time.

West Indies Batting in the 1975 World Cup Final

Batter	Runs	Balls
Roy Fredericks	7	13
Gordon Greenidge	13	61
Alvin Kallicharran	12	18
Rohan Kanhai	55	105
Clive Lloyd (captain)	102	85
Viv Richards	5	11
Keith Boyce	34	37
Bernard Julien (not out)	26	37
Deryck Murray	14	10
Vanburn Holder (not out)	6	2
Extras	17
Total	291 for 8	60 overs

Andy Roberts did not bat. For Australia, Gilmour’s 5 for 48 was backed by Jeff Thomson with 2 for 44 and Dennis Lillee with 1 for 55. Lillee bowled with real pace but could not break the Lloyd-Kanhai stand, and it was that partnership, in the middle of the innings, that set up West Indies’ winning total.

Viv Richards’ Fielding Turns the 1975 World Cup Final

Chasing 292, Australia kept up with the required rate but kept losing wickets at the worst moments, and most of them were self-inflicted. Viv Richards, just 23 years old and batting at number five, had made only 5 with the bat, but with the ball in his hand in the field he produced one of the great fielding performances in cricket history. Richards ran out Alan Turner with a direct hit, then ran out Greg Chappell, and finally produced the moment of the match when he ran out Australia’s captain.

The Chappell run-out was the defining fielding moment of the match. Ian Chappell pushed the ball into the off side and set off for a single, only for Richards to swoop, pick up one-handed and throw down the stumps in one motion. The Australian captain, who had made 62 and was the one batter capable of winning the chase, was gone. Five Australian wickets fell to run-outs in total, with Max Walker and Jeff Thomson also run out, and Australia’s chase never recovered from the chaos.

There was a late twist. With Australia nine down, Dennis Lillee, unbeaten on 16, and Jeff Thomson added runs for the last wicket and briefly threatened a miracle, until Thomson was run out with Australia 274 all out in 58.4 overs, 17 runs short. West Indies had won the first World Cup, and Lloyd lifted the Prudential Cup on the Lord’s balcony as the long summer evening closed in.

Australia Batting in the 1975 World Cup Final

Batter	Runs
Alan Turner	40
Rick McCosker	7
Ian Chappell (captain)	62
Greg Chappell	15
Doug Walters	35
Rod Marsh	11
Ross Edwards	28
Gary Gilmour	14
Max Walker	7
Jeff Thomson	21
Dennis Lillee (not out)	16
Extras	18
Total	274 all out (58.4 overs)

Keith Boyce’s 4 for 50 led the West Indies bowling, with Lloyd taking 1 for 38 and Andy Roberts going wicketless from 11 overs for 45 runs. But the bowling figures tell only half the story. Five run-outs, three of them by Richards, broke Australia’s chase apart, and it remains the classic example of fielding deciding a World Cup final.

Legacy of the First Cricket World Cup Final

The first final established the World Cup as cricket’s premier one-day event. Lloyd’s captaincy and Richards’ fielding set the template for West Indies’ all-conquering teams of the late 1970s and 1980s, who would win the next World Cup too, beating England in the 1979 final at Lord’s. West Indies’ run of dominance, built on fast bowling and fearless batting, is still reflected in the record for the most matches won in ODI World Cup history.

The final also proved that one-day cricket could produce drama to match any Test match: a captain’s century, a five-wicket haul in a losing cause, three run-outs by one fielder, and a last-wicket stand that almost stole the game. It was the perfect advertisement for the tournament, and it ensured the World Cup would return. Four years later it did, and West Indies won again. Their reign would only end in 1983, when the Indian cricket team won the 1983 World Cup by beating them in the final at the same ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the first Cricket World Cup final?

West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs in the first World Cup final at Lord’s on 21 June 1975, scoring 291 for 8 and bowling Australia out for 274.

Who scored a century in the first World Cup final?

Clive Lloyd scored 102 off 85 balls for West Indies, with 12 fours and two sixes. He was named player of the match.

How many overs were bowled in the 1975 final?

Matches in the 1975 World Cup were 60 overs per side, not 50. The 50-over format came later, so West Indies batted the full 60 overs and Australia were bowled out in 58.4 overs.

How did Viv Richards change the 1975 World Cup final?

Richards effected three run-outs, dismissing Alan Turner, Greg Chappell and captain Ian Chappell. In total, five Australian batters were run out in the final.

Who took the most wickets in the 1975 World Cup final?

Gary Gilmour of Australia took 5 for 48, the best bowling figures of the match, but finished on the losing side. Keith Boyce took 4 for 50 for West Indies.

Which teams played in the first World Cup?

Eight teams took part: England, Australia, West Indies, India, Pakistan and New Zealand, plus Sri Lanka and East Africa. West Indies and Australia reached the final.