They won the inaugural ODI world cup and the following one too. They were close to their third win, but India had other plans. The West Indian cricket team has performed splendidly in this format over the years. There are some particular matches in which their players have shone like knights. Let us know more about the top performances.
1. WI Versus AUS - 1975 Final
It was the first world cup, and they played the final at Lord’s. It pitted two very strong forces of world cricket against each other. The West Indian cricket team took home the trophy, beating Australia by 17 runs. Captain Clive Lloyd was the man of the match, scoring 102 runs off 85 balls. Keith Boyce scalped four wickets conceding 50 runs. The strong opposition overpowered Ian Chappell’s valiant 62.
2. WI Versus ENG - 1979 Final
The second edition held four years later had the West Indians playing in it again. This time their opponent was England, the country that invented the sport. Sir Vivian Richards was young and dashing at the time. He scored 138 runs off 158 balls. This innings fetched him the player of the match award. Joel Garner spearheaded the bowling attack and took 5 wickets conceding a mere 38 runs. Mike Brearly’s 64(130) and Geoff Boycott’s half-century went in vain.
3. WI Versus PAK - 1975 Semi-Final
Yes, West Indies were in the finals for the second time. But for that, they had to overcome the Pakistani team. Asif Iqbal had won the toss and elected to field first. Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes contributed a total of 293. Colin Croft picked three crucial wickets, two of which were Zahir Abbas and Majid khan. Furthermore, Sir Viv Richards's other three wickets restrained Pakistan, and they got bowled out for 250 runs.
4. WI Versus Netherlands -2011
As a part of the group fixtures, West Indies won over the Netherlands with a record margin of 215 runs. The West Indies scored 330 runs and bowled out the opposition for a meager 115 runs. Kemar Roach won The Player of the Match award for his brilliant spell. He took six wickets, conceding 27 runs. Amongst the batters, Chris Gayle scored a commendable 80 off 110 that pressured the weaker Netherlands team.
5. WI Versus Zimbabwe - 2015
Zimbabwe had to face the mighty WI in the group b stage of the 2015 ICC world cup. That night wasn't great for them because the West Indians registered their highest total of all time which was 372 runs. The innings was shouldered by Chris Gayle, who scored 215(157), and Marlon Samuels who scored 133(156). Additionally, their bowling attack led them to a comfortable win.
6. WI Versus NZ - 1975 Semi-final
This match was the stepping stone to this team's first prudential world cup win. Alvin Kallicharan was the Player of the Match for scoring 72 runs off 92 balls. Bernard Julien took 4 wickets to restrict New Zealand to 158 when they chose to bat first.
7. WI Versus IND - 1983 Final
The team, was in the finals for the third time consecutively, winning on both the earlier occasions. The West Indians were the favorites and were expected to win the trophy. But India were the underdogs and brought out their best game and took home their maiden title. Andy Robert's significant 3-wicket haul wasn't enough for them to win it. Kapil Dev lead the bowling dismissing Viv Richards early and the batting line-up crumbled quickly. Though they were on the losing side this is a match to remember.
8. WI Versus PAK - 1983 Semi-Final
These two teams were pitted against each other consecutively for the second time. The result was similar to the previous fixture. The West Indians won by eight wickets. Vivian Richards hit an unbeaten 80 in 96 balls. Mohsin Khan was batting well until Andy Roberts got him ut on 70.
9. WI Versus AUS - 1983 Group Stage
Part of the 1983 world cup group stage matches, the strong force of Australia was to face them. That night had Winston Davis register the best bowling figures of all time for their country. He scalped seven wickets with an economy of 51 runs.
10. WI Versus SL 1989 Group Stage
This night solely belonged to Sir Vivian Richards. He scored 181 runs off 125 balls and took his team to the win. He also went on to win the man of the match award. Unfortunately that year West Indies did not make it to the finals.
