Cricket World Cup 1979: Viv Richards receives the man of the match award

West Indies got a bad start when they were 99 for four.

West Indies dominated the cricket world during the 70s and the 80s. They won the first-ever World Cup in 1975 and defended their title well in 1979, winning it for the second consecutive time.

This photograph above shows legendary West Indies batsman Viv Richards receiving the man of the match award from Ronald Owen, Chairman of Prudential Assurance for his blistering knock of 138 runs off 157 balls. Richards’s fantastic innings in the 1979 final helped West Indies team to set a total of 287 runs in 60 overs. Earlier, England had won the toss and opted to field.

West Indies got a bad start when they were 99 for four. However, Richards and Collins King who scored 86 valuable runs consolidated the West Indies innings as the 139 runs partnership gave them a respectable score to defend.

England started their chase in a cautious manner, but lost their way as pacer Joel Garner demolished the team by picking five for 38 in his 11 overs. Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott scored a good 64 and 57 runs respectively but they were scoring at a slow rate. England were 183 for two at one stage and lost eight wickets for 11 runs as the bundled out for 194 runs to lose the final.