Best team to not win the World Cup - Australia, 1975

When 11 men take part in a World Cup, it is once-in-a-lifetime experience for many. It is a tournament, where you go through a gamut of emotions - from the euphoria of ending on the winning side in a heart-stopping contest to existentialist angst after being at the receiving end. But that is what a sportsman yearns for; to be involved in a sporting combat in the mother of all tournaments World Cup.

However, in 1975, when the cricket World Cup came into existence, it took place in the background of humble and bucolic settings. Until then, only 17 ODI games had been played and crowds didn't flock into stadiums to watch those matches either. A far cry from those raucous fans creating an electric atmosphere in a high voltage encounter. In fact, even the Amateur Golf Championship of 1975 that was won by Vinny Giles was given more importance in a couple of newspapers in UK!

No wonder, captains around the cricketing world weren't too nonplussed with the event. Australia's famed leader, Ian Chappell, for one didn't want to captain the side. Back in the year 1972 when the World Cup was announced, he had reportedly told the selection committee to appoint the-then vice captain, Keith Stackpole, as the skipper. Intriguingly, even Stackpole wasn't too keen on taking over the mantle of leading the side. Australia's lead fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, thought the format was 'un-Australian' as one had to restrict their opponents.

However, all said and done, this was a skillful Australian side and on July 21, 1975, they were taking on an equally talented West Indies set-up in the final of the World Cup played at Lord's. To keep the organisers happy, crowds unexpectedly made a beeline entry into stadiums and the final was played in front of a packed house, with the Caribbean fans adding lustre to the game with their drums.

Unfortunately, for the men from Down Under, they lost out to the West Indies in the summit clash. The scenario looked different when West Indies were reduced to 50 for 3 on a wicket offering enough assistance for Lillee and Jeff Thomson to lick their lips in anticipation of bowling on it. West Indies' captain, Clive Lloyd then, proceeded to play with a royal flourish especially, off the back-foot to take them to 291 for 8 in their allotted 60 overs. One has to also remember Rohan Kanhai for composing a tenacious fifty. It was followed by Viv Richards, with bits of brilliant fielding, effecting run outs of both Chappells (Ian and Greg) to give the Caribbean side the upper hand.

After an action packed thriller that included a tense last-wicket stand between the pace duo of Thomson and Lillee, it was the Windies, who emerged triumphant at 8.43 PM on a glorious day. Australians could only ponder what might have been as Ross Edwards, the athletic fielder, known for taking spellbinding catches, inexplicably dropped Lloyd when he was on 26. Edwards, tried to make up for the drop, with his patient-vigil at the crease, but to no avail.

In a television interview, Chappell had later said: "Since 1980, I worked with Ross Edwards for many years at Channel Nine. I would walk past him at the car park and I'd yell out, 'Is that the man who dropped Clive Lloyd for nought in the World Cup final?'

Actually, if we rekindle memories of Australia's fine run in that tournament, barring the edge of the seat thriller against the Windies, Australia certainly showed that they were the team to beat. They started on a good note by thrashing the mercurial Pakistan unit at Leeds.

In their second game at The Oval though, the minnows of the tournament, Sri Lanka, gave them plenty of headaches. Sunil Wettimunuy, Duleep Mendis, Anura Tennekoon and Michael Tissera showed exemplary technique and composure to counter-punch Lillee, Thomson, Gary Gilmour and Max Walker. Finally, Thomson had to step up a gear and bowl a volley of thunderbolts from the Pavilion End. Poor Wettimunuy and Mendis, both had to visit the hospital after being struck on their head. Mendis, who was initially struck on his foot then, was felled by one of those snorters from Thomson. It felt as if Mendis was hit by a rock, as he went down.

Thomson on his part said: "I hit this bloke on the head. They were only little fellas so you couldn't call it a bouncer exactly."

Australia eventually won the game against the spirited Lankans by 52. A few days later, the team that didn't seem to care about ODIs were playing England in the semi-final on a greentop at Leeds. When old foes, England take on Australia, sparks tend to fly.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Chappell had said: "The one game we wanted was to beat the Poms. We used to get so pissed off with them saying how we couldn't play one-day cricket. How you had to play different cricketers. We just replied, 'Bull. A good cricketer is a good cricketer.'"

To add fuel to fire, the blood-thirsty pacers, Lillee and Thomson, had smashed England to pieces during The Ashes 1974-75. The battered and bruised England unit still led by Mike Denness would have looked at the mouth-watering semi-final as a way to give a fitting riposte to the Aussies. After all, English cricketers had been playing the limited overs format ever since the Gillette Cup was introduced way back in 1963.

In what turned out to be a low-scoring affair, it was Gilmour, who emerged from the shadows of Lillee and Thomson to script a memorable win for Australia. He swung the ball with jaw-dropping perfection to snaffle six wickets as England were bundled out for a paltry 93. He followed it up by leaving stunned English fielders in a state of trance, with a run-a-ball 28 to take Australia from a precarious 39 for 6 to victory.

All good things though, have to come to an end. In the final at Lord's, Australia fell agonisingly short of beating the Windies, and Chappell (Snr) and his teammates could only watch with a forlorn look on their faces, Lloyd lift the coveted trophy at the famous Lord's balcony.