West Indies at World Cups – the lost glory

After dominating the tournament in the first two editions, West Indies were shocked by India in the 1983 World Cup final. Since then, they have never been title contenders. They did give glimpses of reclaiming the throne but they only made it as far as a semifinal.  Here’s an outline of their journey in the World Cups.

Team Record:

Played – 71, Won – 41, Lost – 29, No result – 1

Notable performances:

Champions – 1975, 1979

Runner up  – 1983

Semifinals – 1996

Most runs: Brian Lara (1225 runs in 34 matches)

Most wickets: Courtney Walsh (27 wickets in 17 matches)

History:

Years of domination

West Indies was clearly the strongest team in the first two World Cups. They won both the titles comfortably. The team did not lose even a single match in both the campaigns. The closest they came to losing was against Pakistan in the group stage of the 1975 World Cup. 

Chasing 267, West Indies was languishing at 203/9 but Deryck Murray and Andy Roberts saw them through. The Caribbean team defeated Australia in the final of 1975 tournament with Captain Clive Lloyd scoring a century. Four years later, Sir Viv Richards scored 138 in the final against England and clinched their second consecutive title.

Dethroned

West Indies were on course of completing the hat-trick of World Cup when they surged in the final of 1983 World Cup. Their journey this year was not without blemishes as they lost to India in the group stage. West Indies muscled over Pakistan in the semifinal and were overwhelming favourites in the final against India. 

West Indies skittled the Asian team for only 183 runs and with Richards in blazing form, they had the match firmly in their grip. However, the Indian team fought back hard and bowled them out for 140. The 43-run loss at the Lord’s remains the last appearance of West Indies in a World Cup final.

The struggles

West Indies failed to qualify beyond the group stages in the 1987 World Cup with three losses, two of them were close encounters. A similar fate awaited them in the 1992 World Cup where they fell away in the group stages due to low run-rate. 

One of the biggest upsets in the World Cups involved West Indies in the 1996 World Cup. Kenya shot them down for 93 at Pune while defending 167 runs. The Caribbean team still managed to clear the group stage. In the quarterfinal, Brian Lara’s breathtaking 111(94) and Roger Harper’s four-wicket haul helped West Indies overcome South Africa. 

In the semifinal versus Australia at Mohali, the team was cruising at one stage with 43 runs needed from 48 balls with eight wickets in hand. The Australians choked West Indies and defeated them by five runs.

In the next two campaigns, West Indies failed to progress beyond the group stage as they only defeated teams ranked lower than them. Hosting the World Cup in 2007, the Caribbean side topped their group with three wins in three matches. In the Super Eight stage, West Indies won only against Bangladesh and bowed out for the tournament.

In the 2011 World Cup, West Indies cleared the group stage thanks to their higher net run-rate than Bangladesh. However, they were rolled over in the quarterfinal by Pakistan at Dhaka. The Caribbean side was all out for 112 and lost by 10 wickets. 

Under the leadership of Jason Holder, West Indies had an up-and-down campaign in the 2015 World Cup. They lost to Ireland in their opening encounter and AB de Villiers smashed 66-ball 162 to hand West Indies a 257-run defeat. Against Zimbabwe, Chris Gayle became the first double-centurion in the World Cup as Windies broke records. They scraped through the group stage and faced co-host New Zealand in the quarterfinal. Martin Guptill’s 237 not out ended West Indies’ campaign with a 143-run loss.

…

This year, West Indies have assembled a fresh-looking squad which is aggressive and can take down any team. This will be the best chance for the 15-man unit to revive their glory years.