Today we bring to you the top 5 big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979 in terms of runs. The tournament saw were many dominant performances by teams in both batting and balling departments. Some of them culminated in the all-round supremacy over the rival team. The batting line-up made a great score and then the bowlers fired from all cylinders to dominate the match. Here are the sides who registered big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
5. West Indies beat New Zealand (32 Runs)
Both West Indies and New Zealand had already booked their place in the knockout stage of the 1979 cricket world cup. They met in the last group match at Trent Bridge with the Caribbean team batting first. The West Indies scored a fighting total of 244 runs in their innings with Gordon Greenidge and Clive Lloyd making the important contributions of 65 and 73 runs respectively.
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In reply, the Kiwis fought hard but were restricted for just 212 runs and thus falling short by 32 runs. Most of the New Zealand middle order batters got the starts but could not consolidate their innings with no one even reaching a 50. Andy Roberts took 3 wickets among the West Indian bowlers. The Clive Lloyd led team thus went to the knockout stage without a loss. They would remain unbeaten in the whole series to become the 1979 cricket world cup champions. Among the top few big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
4. West Indies beat Pakistan (43 Runs)
The semi-final match between Pakistan and West Indies was an exciting encounter. The Caribbean team batted first to put 293 runs on the board. Their opening pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes built an excellent foundation by scoring 73 and 65 runs respectively. They put together 132 runs for the first wicket. Collis King gave a finishing touch to the innings with a quick-fire 34 runs from 25 balls.
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Pakistan in return had a great start with 176 runs for just 1 wicket lost. After that, they lost wickets quickly and were bundled out for 250 runs. For the Pakistanis, Zaheer Abbas and Majid Khan were excellent with the bat with 93 and 81 with the bat. Collin Croft and Vivian Richards took 3 wickets each to send their side into the final of the 1979 cricket world cup and defend their title. Among the top few big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
3. Sri Lanka beat India (47 Runs)
India and Sri Lanka took on each other at Manchester with the later batting first. They scored 238 runs with Sunil Wettimuny and Duleep Mendis top scoring with 67 and 64 runs respectively. The Indian batsmen batting slowly in their chase and were dismissed on 191 runs in the 53rd over. Dilip Vengsarkar and Anshuman Gaekwad made 36 and 33 runs.
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The Indian team thus lost the match by 47 runs. Like in the previous edition of 1975, India remained without a win in the 1979 cricket world cup also. They would then go a long way to be declared the champions in the 1983 world cup. The Kapil Dev led side handed the mighty West Indians their first-ever defeat in the world cup and that too in the all-important final in 1983. Among the top few big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
2. Pakistan beat Australia (89 Runs)
Pakistan and Australia met in the 3rd match of the Group A at Trent Bridge. The Pakistanis batted first and put a healthy total of 286 runs on the board. Their star opening batsman Majid Khan and Skipper Asif Iqbal scored 61 runs each. It was going to be a very strong total to defend against any side.
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In reply, the Australian batsmen could only manage to reach till 197 runs. Andrew Hilditch who opened the batting for the Aussie team top scored with 72 runs. He however did not receive enough support from the middle order batsmen. Pakistan thus won a tricky group match in the 1979 cricket world cup. Among the top few big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
1. West Indies beat England (92 Runs)
The biggest winning margin of the whole tournament came in the final match of the 1979 cricket world cup. The West Indies batted first and made 286 runs. They were aided by great knocks from Vivian Richards and Collis King who made 138 and 86 runs respectively. The total was challenging for the English batting unit with the Caribbean team having a mighty bowling battery.
The hosts in return could manage to score only 194 runs in return and lost all their wickets. This was despite the great opening partnership by Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott. The West Indies fast bowlers did their part nicely with Joel Garner taking 5 wickets. He was well supported by Collin Croft and Michael Holding who took 3 and 2 wickets each respectively. The West Indies team thus lifted the 1979 cricket world cup trophy. Led the top few big margin wins at Cricket World Cup 1979.
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Those were the highest winning margins registered by teams in the 1979 cricket world cup. Hope that you enjoyed this detailed look back of that historical cricket series. We will keep bringing to you many more interesting facts, figures, and records of the cricketing history.
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