Richards 138* and Collis King 86 — 1979 World Cup Final

West Indies arrived at the 1979 tournament as the unambiguous favourites. The 1976 series in England (post-Greig 'grovel') and the dominant 1977-78 home series against Australia had established the four-pronged pace attack of Roberts, Holding, Garner and Croft as the strongest in cricket. The batting was led by Greenidge, Haynes, Richards and Lloyd. The team had been split by the World Series Cricket schism but had reunited for the World Cup under Lloyd's continued captaincy.

England under Brearley had developed a one-day method — built on tight bowling, percentage batting, and conservative tactics — that had carried them to the final without a defeat. The contrast with West Indies' all-out aggression was the principal narrative of the build-up.

King's selection ahead of Roberts was Lloyd's tactical choice and remains debated; he had performed well in the lead-up matches and offered batting depth in conditions Lloyd anticipated would suit a longer batting line-up.

Brearley won the toss and chose to field. The first hour produced wickets for England — Greenidge, Haynes and Kallicharran fell cheaply, and at 99/4 with Lloyd back in the dressing room (caught Hendrick bowled Old for 13), West Indies were vulnerable. Richards, on 9 when King joined him, switched gears immediately. The pair took 17 from one Boycott over and 18 from one Larkins over.

Brearley's containment plan unravelled. He had built his attack around Willis, Hendrick, Old and Botham, with Larkins, Boycott and Wayne Larkins as fifth-bowler options. The fifth-bowler weakness — exposed because the front-line bowlers had completed their allotted overs — gave Richards and King the runs they needed.

The final was contested between two unbeaten sides. West Indies, the holders, had progressed through the tournament with comfortable wins over India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand and a semi-final demolition of Pakistan. England under Mike Brearley had topped their group and beaten New Zealand in the semi-final. The Lord's pitch was true; the conditions clear.

England chose to bowl, opening with Bob Willis. West Indies were 99/4 when Richards joined Collis King — the Antiguan all-rounder who had been preferred to Andy Roberts in the lower middle order. The pair put on 139 in 21 overs, with King particularly severe on Brearley's containment bowlers — Wayne Larkins and Geoff Boycott included as a desperate measure. King made 86 from 66 balls before being caught off Mike Hendrick. Richards continued; he finished 138 not out from 157 balls, including a memorable hit-and-walk-off final ball — a flick over square leg off Hendrick that he turned into a six.

England's chase began conservatively and then ossified. Boycott and Brearley put on 129 for the first wicket — but in 38 overs, leaving 158 needed from 22 with eight wickets in hand. The collapse, when it came, was complete: Garner finished with 5/38, including a spell of 5/4 in 11 deliveries. England were dismissed for 194 in 51 overs.

“His innings was a complete demonstration of how to win a World Cup final.”

“We had restricted them to 99/4 and the match was ours. Then Richards and King took it away from us in twenty overs.”

The Richards 138* established him as the most influential one-day batter of the era and the most-feared white-ball player in cricket. Wisden noted that "his innings was a complete demonstration of how to win a World Cup final". The performance was the centrepiece of his case for being recognised — over the next decade — as the leading batter in the world in any format.

England's slow opening partnership produced a long retrospective debate about white-ball strategy. Boycott and Brearley were not formally censured, but the selection mood shifted: by the early 1980s the England side had moved to a more attacking opening template (initially with Boycott replaced by Tavare and Gower opening in some matches). The 1979 final's tactical lesson — that conservative powerplay batting cannot succeed against a modern total — became a permanent feature of one-day cricketing analysis.