Viv Richards made 138 not out — the highest score in a World Cup final until 2003 — as West Indies defended their 1975 title by beating England at Lord's in a match that confirmed West Indian dominance of world cricket.
West Indies were the dominant cricketing force of the late 1970s — Marshall, Holding, Roberts, Garner all firing. Richards himself was at the peak of his powers, considered the most destructive batsman in the world. England, under Mike Brearley, were strong but faced an almost impossible task.
West Indies made 286/9 from 60 overs — Richards at the heart of it with an innings that combined aggression with technically brilliant strokeplay. England's bowlers, including Mike Hendrick and Chris Old, could not contain him. After Richards fell, England were set 287.
Richards's 138 off 157 balls was a masterclass — not the hurricane he could produce, but a measured dominance that ground England's bowlers into submission. He hit 11 fours and 3 sixes and controlled the innings for 49.2 overs before being dismissed near the end.
England chased 287 and fell 92 runs short — bowled out for 194. The West Indian fast bowling was relentless. Clive Lloyd raised the trophy at Lord's for the second time in four years.
Richards's innings remains the standard by which World Cup final batting performances are measured — the first batsman to play a genuinely match-dominating innings in the biggest match in cricket.
Richards reaching his century — the final effectively settled
Richards dismissed for 138 — West Indies post 286
England bowled out for 194 — West Indies retain title by 92 runs
June 23, 1979
World Cup Final, Lord's — West Indies bat first
Over 47
Richards reaches century — West Indies dominant
Over 49.2
Richards out for 138 — West Indies 286/9
England innings
England bowled out for 194 — West Indies win by 92 runs
West Indies won back-to-back World Cups (1975 and 1979) and remained the dominant force in world cricket until the early 1990s. Richards went on to captain West Indies and scored over 8,500 Test runs without ever wearing a helmet.
The innings that confirmed Viv Richards as the best batsman in the world. A World Cup final 138 not out remains one of the great individual batting performances in any World Cup across all formats.
Richards's 138 set the template for what a World Cup final batting performance should look like — authoritative, unafraid, match-defining. Every batsman who has made a century in a World Cup final since has been measured against it.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.