The First Three Cricket World Cups: 1975, 1979, 1983

The first three men's Cricket World Cups — held in 1975, 1979, and 1983, all in England — established one-day international cricket as the sport's most commercially significant format. West Indies won the first two editions, asserting their dominance of world cricket through the 1970s. India's victory in the 1983 final against West Indies at Lord's remains one of sport's greatest upsets and transformed cricket's global reach.

1975: The Inaugural World Cup

The first World Cup was played in June 1975 using 60-over matches in whites under natural light. West Indies defeated Australia in the final at Lord's, with Clive Lloyd hitting a match-winning century. Rohan Kanhai and Gordon Greenidge contributed key innings, and the West Indian pace attack of Roberts, Holder, and Boyce restricted Australia to 274. West Indies made it with three wickets to spare, Lloyd's 102 setting the template for dominant tournament batting.

1979: West Indies Repeat

The 1979 edition saw West Indies again dominate. Viv Richards' devastating 138 not out in the final against England — batting at four and carrying West Indies to 286 — is considered one of the greatest limited-overs innings in history. Richards hit nine fours and three sixes with a display of power hitting that was ahead of its era. West Indies restricted England to 194, winning by 92 runs. Their fast bowling quartet of Holding, Roberts, Garner, and Croft was essentially unplayable.

1983: India's Upset

India entered the 1983 World Cup as 66-1 outsiders and beat the two-time champions West Indies in the Lord's final. Batting first, India scored only 183. But Madan Lal, Roger Binny, and Balwinder Sandhu reduced the dominant West Indian batting order, and Mohinder Amarnath finished with 3 for 12 to dismiss them for 140. Kapil Dev's match-winning catch — running backwards under Viv Richards' miscued pull shot — remains one of the iconic images of the tournament.