Wired868 Wired868 for smart sport news and opinion
(Part 48.) West Indies too good.
With just three days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies triumph in the 1975 Cricket World Cup final, we focus now on the semi-final contest between the tournament favourites from the Caribbean and the perennial overachievers from way Down Under, New Zealand, at The Oval in London.
(via Sportskeeda.)
The match report is provided by Tony Cozier from his commemorative brochure World Cup Champions ‘75:
The West Indies advanced to the World Cup final with few real worries.
The New Zealanders were, as to be expected, good, hard opponents who never said die—but they lacked the class and dynamism which this kind of cricket demands.
At no time did they threaten to upset the bookmakers’ odds.
Julien finished with four wickets as New Zealand were dismissed for 159 batting first in their semifinal encounter at the 1975 World Cup.
Photo: Central Press.
Scores: New Zealand 158 all out off 52.2 overs (Geoff Howarth 51, Glenn Turner 36, Brian Hastings 24 not out; Bernard Julien 4-27, Vanburn Holder 3-30, Andy Roberts 2-18, Clive Lloyd 1-37);
West Indies 159 for 5 off 40.1 overs (Alvin Kallicharran 72, Gordon Greenidge 55; Richard Collinge 3-28, Brian McKechnie 1-37, Dayle Hadlee 1-54).
Result: West Indies won by 5 wickets.
Toss: West Indies.
When New Zealand, put in by Lloyd, went to lunch at 92 for one after 29 overs with their dangerous captain, Glenn Turner, still in occupation, it appeared as if the West Indies batsmen would have had a greater challenge than they expected.
(via Wisden.)
Andy Roberts soon altered that situation with a spell of bowling as fast as any he produced at any time in the Cup.
In the space of five overs, he disposed not only of Turner—to a wonderful, low catch at slip by Rohan Kanhai—but also of Howarth, who batted with great fluency for his half-century.
Both edged outswingers and that was, to all intents and purposes, the end of the New Zealand effort.
Photo: Central Press.
Everything in this New Zealand batting team hinged on Turner and, when he was around—apparently attempting to bat all the way through the innings as he did against both East Africa and India—an impressive New Zealand score was possible.
He watched John Morrison fall an early leg-before victim to Julien’s inswing and then allowed Howarth, a professional with Surrey, to have his head. The latter, particularly strong off the backfoot, played a confident innings, filled with fine shots.
But when Roberts removed first Turner and then Howarth and Lloyd bowled the experienced John Parker in between, New Zealand slipped to 106 for four.
Here, John Parker is bowled by West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.
Photo: Central Press.
The rest of their batting offered little to bring concern to the West Indies. The dangerous Ken Wadsworth tried to hit Julien over the top and miscued instead to mid-on, while Julien also removed McKechnie and Hadlee before his 12 overs were up.
Hadlee fell to an excellent, tumbling catch by Holder at mid-off. The fielder picking himself up and almost immediately rounding off the innings by bowling Lance Cairns, Hedley Howarth and Collinge.
This left Hastings high and dry with 24 although he had never given the impression of being able to dominate, even if someone had stayed with him.
New Zealand utilised only 52.2 of their allotted 60, a vital shortfall. It left the powerful West Indian batting team with a comfortable target which, initially, they approached with the utmost caution.
The fact that New Zealand lost their last nine wickets for 66 runs in 23.2 overs after lunch and the happenings in the other semi-final at Headingley seemed to convince them—if they needed convincing—that the strangest things can happen in this game.
The early loss of Roy Fredericks, caught at square-leg off a tame pull shot, brought a response from Greenidge and Kallicharran which would not have been out of place in a five-day Test.
Photo: PA Photos.
The first ten overs yielded just 21 runs and Collinge, the big, awkward left-arm fast-medium bowler, came off after six overs which cost him seven runs.
The crowd desisted from slow-handclapping probably because their attention was as much focused on the swaying fortunes in the other match as the slow going in this. It was fair to assume that the West Indies team was also showing similar interest.
However, Greenidge and Kallicharran were in top gear by tea and, even though there was a minor collapse towards the end, the result was never in question.
Photo: Central Press.
Kallicharran is currently enjoying wonderful form and, if his touch was not quite as devastating as it had been against Australia four days previous, it was only because the bowling—Collinge, Hadlee (medium-fast), Cairns and McKechnie (medium) and Howarth (slow left-arm)—was not as short as Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson had been.
Yet Kallicharran’s timing remained sweet and there was not a false shot in his eight boundaries, one of which was a hooked six off Hadlee to raise his fifty. He and Greenidge had added 125 off 29 overs when he drove too early against Collinge and offered a low return catch.
Greenidge, in contrast, started his innings woefully short of runs, a situation which had affected his confidence. He reportedly had been lbw several times in the season playing across the line, as he eventually was here.
Before then, however, he had gained enough assurance to play several typically robust shots and his 55—including a six and nine fours—could hardly have come at a more opportune time.
Richards, lbw on the backfoot, also needed runs while Lloyd, out to a catch at backward square-leg when only eight were needed, probably would have enjoyed a longer hand.
However, victory was easily achieved and that, after all, was all that really mattered.
Next: Old rivals duel in the second semi-final.
(Part 47.) When Guyana hailed its conquering hero It has taken the imminent occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Read more
(Part 46.) Getting inside the numbers. At the last men’s 50-overs-per-side Cricket World Cup in 2023, Australia’s vanquishing of previously Read more
(Part 45.) Turner turns up again. With only six days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies victory Read more
(Part 44.) ‘Kalli’ the conqueror. There are just seven days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies Read more
(Part 43.) ‘Thommo’ on the rampage. With eight days to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies’ defeat of Australia in Read more
(Part 42.) “West Indies surely now cannot win!” Television commentator and former Australian captain and leg-spinner Richie Benaud’s crisp, precise Read more
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.
