West Indies at World cup cricket: Two-time champions haven’t made semi-finals since 1996

1979 World Cup; champions

Led by Lloyd again, the West Indies crushed India by 9 wickets in the first game (Group B) and after their second match against Sri Lanka was abandoned because of rain, the Caribbeans defeated New Zealand by 32 runs in the third match to proceed to the semi-final as the group toppers.

Opener Gordon Greenidge’s 73 saw the West Indies winning the semi-final against Pakistan by 43 runs and they then went on to win their second consecutive title, defeating hosts England by 92 runs, thanks to the latter’s dramatic collapse in which they lost their last eight wickets for 11 runs! Sir Viv Richards was the centurion in this final and picked as the man of the match.

1983 World Cup lost to India in final

Clive Lloyd led the West Indies for the third consecutive time in the WC and this time, they started off with a 34-run loss against India, the eventual champions. It was their first loss on the World Cup stage though they went on to win their next five games to finish as the group (B) toppers. They beat Australia by 101 runs; Zimbabwe by 8 wickets; India by 66 runs; Australia by 7 wickets and Zimbabwe by 10 wickets.

The Caribbeans then hammered Pakistan by 8 wickets after a terrific knock from Richards (80 not out off 96 balls) but failed to complete a hat-trick as they went down to a spirited India by 43 runs in the final even after restricting Kapil’s Devils for just 183. That the Caribbeans did not take this lightly was evident when they thrashed India in their den later that year (won Test series 3-0; ODI series 5-0).