ICC Cricket World Cup 1979
The second edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup took place in 1979 and was officially sponsored as the Prudential Cup 79.
Organized by
International Cricket Conference (ICC)
Host
From 9 to 23 June 1979 in England.
Sponsored by
Prudential Assurance Company
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Champions
West Indies (2nd title)
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Participants
• Australia
• England
• India
• New Zealand
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka
• West Indies
• Canada
| Team | Method of qualification | Finals appearances | Last appearance | Previous best performance | Group |
| England | Hosts | 2nd | 1975 | Semi-finals (1975) | A |
| India | Full member | 2nd | 1975 | Group stage (1975) | B |
| Australia | 2nd | 1975 | Runners-up (1975) | A | |
| Pakistan | 2nd | 1975 | Group stage (1975) | A | |
| West Indies | 2nd | 1975 | Champions (1975) | B | |
| New Zealand | 2nd | 1975 | Semi-finals (1975) | B | |
| Sri Lanka | 1979 ICC Trophy winner | 2nd | 1975 | Group stage (1975) | B |
| Canada | 1979 ICC Trophy runner-up | 1st | — | Debut | A |
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Venues
The ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 matches were hosted across six venues in England: Lord’s, The Oval, Old Trafford, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, and Headingley.
Official ICC team rankings
There were no official global ICC team ranking systems or numerical rating tables in 1979.
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Format
Round-robin and Knockout
Group A: England, Pakistan, Australia, and Canada.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | RR |
| 1 | England | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3.066 |
| 2 | Pakistan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3.602 |
| 3 | Australia | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3.164 |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.606 |
| 9 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Australia 159/9 (60 overs) | v | England 160/4 (47.1 overs) |
| England won by 6 wickets Lord’s, London, England |
| 9 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Canada 139/9 (60 overs) | v | Pakistan 140/2 (40.1 overs) |
| Pakistan won by 8 wickets Headingley, Leeds, England |
| 13–14 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Pakistan 286/7 (60 overs) | v | Australia 197 (57.1 overs) |
| Pakistan won by 89 runs Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England |
| 13–14 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Canada 45 (40.3 overs) | v | England 46/2 (13.5 overs) |
| England won by 8 wickets Old Trafford, Manchester, England |
| 16 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Canada 105 (33.2 overs) | v | Australia 106/3 (26 overs) |
| Australia won by 7 wickets Edgbaston, Birmingham, England |
| 16 June 1979 Scorecard |
| England 165/9 (60 overs) | v | Pakistan 151 (56 overs) |
| England won by 14 runs Headingley, Leeds, England |
Group B: New Zealand, West Indies, India, and Sri Lanka
| Pos | Team v t e | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | RR |
| 1 | West Indies | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3.928 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3.553 |
| 3 | Sri Lanka | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3.558 |
| 4 | India | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.128 |
| 9 June 1979 Scorecard |
| India 190 (53.1 overs) | v | West Indies 194/1 (51.3 overs) |
| West Indies won by 9 wickets Edgbaston, Birmingham, England |
| 9 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Sri Lanka 189 (56.5 overs) | v | New Zealand 190/1 (47.4 overs) |
| New Zealand won by 9 wickets Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England |
| 13–15 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Sri Lanka | v | West Indies |
| Match abandoned without a ball bowled The Oval, London, England |
| 13 June 1979 Scorecard |
| India 182 (55.5 overs) | v | New Zealand 183/2 (57 overs) |
| New Zealand won by 8 wickets Headingley, Leeds, England |
| 16–18 June 1979 Scorecard |
| Sri Lanka 238/5 (60 overs) | v | India 191 (54.1 overs) |
| Sri Lanka won by 47 runs Old Trafford, Manchester, England |
| 16 June 1979 Scorecard |
| West Indies 244/7 (60 overs) | v | New Zealand 212/9 (60 overs) |
| West Indies won by 32 runs Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England |
Knockout stage
Semi-finals
20 June 1979
| West Indies 293/6 (60 overs) | v | Pakistan 250 (56.2 overs) |
| West Indies won by 43 runs The Oval, London, England |
| England 221/8 (60 overs) | v | New Zealand 212/9 (60 overs) |
| England won by 9 runs Old Trafford, Manchester, England |
Final
23 June 1979
| West Indies 286/9 (60 overs) | v | England 194 (51 overs) |
| West Indies won by 92 runs Lord’s, London, England |
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Statistics
Most Runs
| Player | Team | Innings | Runs | High score |
| Gordon Greenidge | West Indies | 4 | 253 | 106 not out |
| Viv Richards | 4 | 217 | 138 not out | |
| Graham Gooch | England | 5 | 210 | 71 |
| Glenn Turner | New Zealand | 4 | 176 | 83 not out |
| John Wright | 4 | 166 | 69 |
Most Wickets
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best bowling |
| Mike Hendrick | England | 5 | 10 | 4/15 |
| Brian McKechnie | New Zealand | 4 | 9 | 3/24 |
| Asif Iqbal | Pakistan | 4 | 9 | 4/56 |
| Chris Old | England | 5 | 9 | 4/8 |
| Michael Holding | West Indies | 4 | 8 | 4/33 |
1979 cricket world cup Interesting Facts
Match format: Consisted of 8 teams playing 60-over-per-side matches across 15 total games.
The Packer effect: Australia fielded a heavily weakened, second-string squad because their star players were signed to Kerry Packer’s rebel World Series Cricket.
Inaugural ICC Trophy: Sri Lanka qualified for the World Cup by winning the very first ICC Trophy qualifying event.
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 Player of the Tournament
An official “Player of the Tournament” or “Player of the Series” award was not officially named or presented by the International Cricket Conference (ICC) during the ICC Cricket World Cup 1979.
Tournament Innovations and Quirks
The ICC Trophy: Introduction of a preliminary qualifying tournament allowing associate nations like Sri Lanka and Canada to reach the global stage.
Visual Experiments: Early trials involving distinct ball colors (such as orange/white variations) to test visibility, though traditional red balls remained standard for the main event.
Commercial Growth: Secured £100,000 sponsorship from Prudential Assurance, turning the multi-week event into a profitable venture.
Bizarre and Memorable Matches
Canada’s 45 All Out vs. England: Played at Old Trafford on June 16, 1979, outmatched Canada was skittled for a paltry 45 runs in 40.3 overs. England chased the target in just 13.5 overs to win by 8 wickets.
Canada’s 105 vs. Australia: Canada struggled again managed only 105 against Australia at Edgbaston, a match where Australia comfortably secured a 7-wicket victory with 204 balls to spare.
ICC Cricket World Cup 1979 squads
Australia Squad for 1979
| Player | Date of birth | Batting style | Bowling style | First class team |
| Kim Hughes (c) | 26 January 1954 | Right hand | Right arm medium | Western Australia |
| Allan Border | 27 July 1955 | Left hand | Left arm orthodox spin | Queensland |
| Gary Cosier | 25 April 1953 | Right hand | Right arm medium | South Australia |
| Rick Darling | 1 May 1957 | Right hand | – | South Australia |
| Geoff Dymock | 21 July 1945 | Left hand | Left arm fast-medium | Queensland |
| Andrew Hilditch | 20 May 1956 | Right hand | Right arm medium | South Australia |
| Rodney Hogg | 5 March 1951 | Right hand | Right hand fast | South Australia |
| Alan Hurst | 15 July 1950 | Right hand | Right arm fast | Victoria |
| Trevor Laughlin | 30 January 1951 | Left hand | Right arm medium | Victoria |
| Jeff Moss | 29 June 1947 | Left hand | – | Victoria |
| Graeme Porter | 18 March 1955 | Right hand | Right hand medium | Western Australia |
| Kevin Wright (wk) | 27 December 1953 | Right hand | Wicket-keeper | Western Australia |
| Graham Yallop | 7 October 1952 | Left hand | Left arm medium | Victoria |
| Dav Whatmore | 16 March 1954 | Right hand | – | Victoria |
Canada Squad for 1979
England Squad for 1979
India Squad for 1979
New Zealand Squad for 1979
Pakistan Squad for 1979
Sri Lanka Squad for 1979
West Indies Squad for 1979
Manager: Clyde Walcott
Related Posts
No Posts Found
