Cricket went truly global in 1987, when the fourth edition of World Cup was organised outside England. 1983 winner India hosted the Reliance World Cup in association with Pakistan. The underdogs Australia not only lifted the cup, but started the new era of domination, with West Indies even failing to qualify for the semifinals.
1979 World Cup Statistics
1979 World Cup: Matches and Results
2015 World Cup: Complete Fixture in Indian Time
Australia, under Allan Border, evolved with every match. It could not top the group coming second behind host and tournament favorite India. Yet in Semifinal it did defeat another host and tournament favorite Pakistan.
While the sweep of Graham Gooch put India out of the tournament, the dropped catch of Waugh helped Australia become the new winner.
The tournament accounted for many records. Sunil Gavaskar scored the fastest ODI century, while Chetan Sharma took the first hattrick in World Cup. Both the record came against hapless Kiwis at group stage.
Navjot Singh Sidhu hit 4 consecutive half centuries. Geoff Marsh scored 2 centuries. McDermott remained the only bowler to take 5 wickets in an innings of the 1987 World Cup. West Indies scored 360, the highest team score. David Boon and Marsh became the dreaded opening pair.
The 1987 World Cup marked the formal end of a glorious West Indies dominated era. Vivian Richards scored another big century. Yet, under Allan Border, the Australians ushered a new era of domination in all formats of Cricket.
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