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(Part 44.) ‘Kalli’ the conqueror.
There are just seven days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies victory over Australia in the 1975 World Cup final.
And on this day, we focus on the first meeting of those two teams at The Oval in London, on the last day of preliminary group action—as reported by Tony Cozier and first published in his celebratory brochure World Cup Champions ‘75:
There was no blood. There was no thunder. There was almost no contest.
What made this first round match, so comfortably won by the West Indies, memorable was not the first eagerly-anticipated confrontation between Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee and Andy Roberts—but instead an innings of pure genius by Alvin Kallicharran.
Scores:
Australia 192 all out of 53.4 overs (Ross Edwards 58, Rod Marsh 52 not out, Ian Chappell 25; Andy Roberts 3-39, Viv Richards 2-18, Keith Boyce 2-38, Bernard Julien 1-31, Vanburn Holder 1-31);
West Indies 195 for 3 off 46 overs (Alvin Kallicharran 78, Roy Fredericks 58; Ashley Mallett 1-35, Max Walker 1-41, Dennis Lillee 1-66).
Result: West Indies won by 7 wickets.
Toss: West Indies.
As an indication as to who the world’s fastest bowler is, or which is currently the most powerful team, this day was as inconclusive as an afternoon’s net practice.
(via News.com.au.)
All the pre-match ballyhoo about a spectacle of hostile pace bowling seldom before seen on a single day was made meaningless by a desperately slow pitch and the batting of Kallicharran.
By the time Kallicharran came to the wicket, the match had been virtually decided already. The Australians had struggled to an inadequate total of 192 without even utilising all their allotted overs—and the threat of Thomson and Lillee never materialised.
The West Indies could have coasted to victory without any display designed to titillate the thousands of their countrymen who came to see the feared Australian fast bowlers put in their places by men who fear no bowling.
Photo: Patrick Eagar/ Patrick Eagar Collection via Getty Images.
From the start, however, it was evident that the West Indies intended to let the Australian pair know who were the masters.
On a pitch so slow that anything short was virtually a long hop, Fredericks and Gordon Greenidge sent the innings off to a rapid start.
Yet it was not until after tea, when Kallicharran singled out Lillee for particular attention, that the crowd witnessed something extra-special. The little left-hander took 18 off Lillee’s eighth over.
Photo: Patrick Eagar.
There were four consecutive boundaries which sent several West Indian spectators into a state of hysteria from which they had not recovered by the time their hero was presented with the Man of the Match award at the conclusion of play.
Three hooks and a sliced cut raced to the boundary.
The faster Lillee steamed in, it seemed, the faster the ball left the bat.
In his next over, there was more punishment. This time Kallicharran drove sweetly through the covers for four, hooked fine for six and edged a cut through the vacant slip area to the third man boundary.
It could not last. Off the last ball of that over, Lillee again shortened, the hook was miscued and midwicket held a skied catch. The innings included a six and 14 fours and was greeted by a standing ovation as he returned to the dressing room.
The assault on Lillee was its indelible feature but there were other earlier strokes—such as a cover-drive off Walker and an on-drive off Mallett, as memorable as any.
By the time he was out, after a second wicket partnership with of 124 in 27 overs with Fredericks, the match was as good as over.
(via Wisden.)
Fredericks, struggling to find some type of form, was never troubled—but then he never is—by the number of times he played and missed, particularly against Walker’s late swing. He just kept on going and seemed peeved when given out caught behind with only 34 needed.
While Kallicharran and Fredericks ensured there would be no repetition of the batting nonsense of the previous Wednesday, the necessary groundwork had been done by the bowlers earlier.
Clive Lloyd asked the Australians to bat on winning the toss, a shrewd reading of humid, overcast conditions on a pitch with a little early bounce. His decision was quickly vindicated as within 24 overs, five wickets—including the Chappells and Doug Walters—went for a mere 61.
Fortunately, for the sake of Australia and the match, Edwards and Marsh revived the batting with a sensible, level-headed approach which was responsible for a sixth wicket partnership of 99.
Julien, again wobbling the ball about and also slanting it across the right-handers, disposed of Rick McCosker in his first over, caught at short-leg via the glove.
Roberts beat the left-handed Alan Turner for pace on the backfoot and, after the Chappell fraternity fought desperately to steady the ship, Boyce found two superb away swingers to find the outside edges of their bats.
Photo: Patrick Eagar.
The first induced Greg to drive; the second was pitched middle and off and had Ian in an embarrassing square-on position.
When Greenidge, with a spectacular pick up and throw on the run from midwicket, hit the bowler’s stumps with Walters well short, the die had been cast.
Edwards and Marsh, however, gave evidence of the Australian spirit and looked capable of raising at least a respectable score when Edwards, with as many as 13 overs to go, suddenly launched a reckless offensive against Richards.
Next ball, though, he was bowled for 58.
Photo: Central Press.
He lofted him for successive fours but, trying to repeat the shot, was bowled—a crucial dismissal.
The last half of the Australian batting subsided meekly. Thomson swung hopefully at Richards and Holder at square-leg held a difficult, swirling catch well; Walker was lbw and Roberts claimed the numbers 10 and 11 with successive balls, having the satisfaction of comprehensively yorking Lillee.
Lloyd, at that stage, must have known the match was his and that his semi-final opponents would be the comparatively weak New Zealanders.
Next: How the other final group matches unfolded.
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Fazeer Mohammed is a journalist/broadcaster with almost 40 years’ experience across a range of media.
His interest in cricket, and particularly its history, started at home via his father’s small collection of autobiographies and magazines, offering perspectives and context which have informed his commentary and analysis on contemporary issues in the game.
