The first World Cup Final in cricket history was held on June 21, 1975, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. This historic match pitted the mighty West Indies against Australia. The West Indies team, led by Clive Lloyd, was known for its aggressive batting and strong bowling, while Ian Chappell’s Australian team was also full of experienced and talented players.
Winning the toss, West Indies chose to bat first. Their start was not very good. Opener Roy Fredericks was quickly dismissed, and Gordon Greenidge batted quite slowly. Alvin Kallicharran also could not score many runs. However, Rohan Kanhai and captain Clive Lloyd formed a partnership for the fourth wicket. This pair built the backbone of the West Indies innings. Kanhai batted patiently to score 55 runs, but the match was turned around by Clive Lloyd. He played a devastating innings of 102 runs off just 85 balls, which included 12 fours and 2 massive sixes. This extraordinary innings at Lord’s propelled the West Indies towards a big score. Towards the end, Keith Boyce also made a crucial contribution of 34 runs. The West Indies scored 291 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 60 overs. Among the Australian bowlers, Gary Gilmour took 5 wickets, an extraordinary feat in a World Cup final.
West Indies Batting
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4 | 6 | Strike Rate |
| Roy Fredericks | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 70.00 |
| Gordon Greenidge | 13 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 68.42 |
| Alvin Kallicharran | 12 | 26 | 2 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Clive Lloyd (C) | 102 | 85 | 12 | 2 | 120.00 |
| Viv Richards | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Rohan Kanhai | 55 | 105 | 4 | 0 | 52.38 |
| Keith Boyce | 34 | 40 | 3 | 0 | 85.00 |
| Bernard Julien (not out) | 26 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 123.81 |
| Derek Murray (not out) | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 90.91 |
| Total | 264/8 | 360 | 31 | 2 | 80.83 |
Australia Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Dennis Lillee | 12 | 2 | 53 | 1 | 4.41 |
| Max Walker | 12 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 5.16 |
| Gary Gilmour | 12 | 2 | 48 | 5 | 4.00 |
| Ashley Mallett | 12 | 1 | 52 | 1 | 4.33 |
| Jeff Thomson | 8 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 5.75 |
| Alan Turner | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9.50 |
| Total | 60 | 6 | 280 | 8 | 4.85 |
Total Run West Indies Scorecard: 291 Runs / 8 Wickets / 60 Overs
In reply, Australia started quite cautiously. Alan Turner and Rick McCosker added 40 runs for the opening partnership. However, after that, Australia started losing wickets at regular intervals. Greg Chappell and captain Ian Chappell tried to put up some resistance. Ian Chappell played a fighting innings of 62 runs off 93 balls. Doug Walters also scored 35 runs. But the Australian batsmen became helpless against the tight bowling and fielding of the West Indies. In particular, Viv Richards’s exceptional fielding secured three crucial run-outs, which turned the tide of the match. Keith Boyce was the best bowler for the West Indies, taking 4 wickets for 50 runs. Clive Lloyd also got one important wicket. In the end, Australia was all out for 274 runs in 58.4 overs.
Australia Batting
| Batsman | Runs | Balls | 4 | 6 | Strike Rate |
| Alan Turner | 40 | 54 | 4 | 1 | 74.07 |
| Rick McCosker | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Ian Chappell | 62 | 93 | 6 | 1 | 66.67 |
| Gary Gilmour | 14 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 63.64 |
| Doug Walters | 35 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Ross Edwards | 28 | 65 | 2 | 0 | 43.08 |
| Rod Marsh | 11 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 45.83 |
| Max Walker | 15 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 53.57 |
| Jeff Thomson | 21 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 116.67 |
| Dennis Lillee | 16 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 123.08 |
| Ashley Mallett (not out) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Total | 249/10 | 352 | 19 | 3 | 77.84 |
West Indies Bowling
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Andy Roberts | 11 | 0 | 44 | 1 | 4.00 |
| Bernard Julien | 12 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 4.83 |
| Keith Boyce | 12 | 0 | 50 | 4 | 4.17 |
| Viv Richards | 7 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 4.71 |
| Vanburn Holder | 10 | 2 | 43 | 1 | 4.30 |
| Roy Fredericks | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 5.50 |
| Clive Lloyd | 6 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 3.33 |
| Total | 60 | 2 | 259 | 10 | 4.57 |
Australia Scorecard: 274 Runs / 10 Wickets / 58.4 Overs
West Indies won by 17 runs.
With this victory, the West Indies achieved the glory of becoming the first Cricket World Cup Champions in history. Clive Lloyd’s captaincy and his explosive century were the main attractions of this final. This victory by the West Indies opened a new chapter in the cricket world and marked the beginning of their dominance in the following years. That historic day at Lord’s is still etched in the memory of cricket fans.
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