Cricket · 1975 · London, England
West Indies Win the First World Cup
Clive Lloyd's West Indies beat Australia in the first ever Cricket World Cup final, the opening chapter of a run of world dominance that would last close to two decades.
West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs
1975 final result
102 (85 balls)
Lloyd's final score
2 of first 2
World Cups won, 1975-79
The inaugural Cricket World Cup, held in England in 1975, was the first time the sport's best one-day teams had gathered in a single global tournament. West Indies, captained by Clive Lloyd, reached the final against Australia at Lord's and posted 291 for 8, Lloyd himself contributing a rapid 102 from 85 balls.
Australia fought hard in reply but were bowled out for 274, giving West Indies a 17-run win and the first World Cup title. It was the opening statement of what became close to two decades of West Indian dominance in both Test and one-day cricket, built on a relentless four-man fast-bowling attack and a powerful, aggressive batting line-up that also won the 1979 World Cup and reached the 1983 final.
The West Indies teams of this era, chronicled in the acclaimed documentary 'Fire in Babylon', are widely regarded as the greatest side the sport has produced, and their success carried significance well beyond cricket, becoming a symbol of post-colonial Caribbean identity and pride during a period of decolonisation across the region.
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