World Championship of Cricket
Encyclopedia
The Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket was a One Day International tournament held from 17 February to 10 March 1985 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and won by India.

The tournament was part of the celebrations commemorating the 150th anniversary of European
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...

 settlement in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

. All of the then Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

 playing teams participated with matches played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

 and the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...

. The tournament saw the first matches played under lights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

.

India was the reigning World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...

 holders having defeated the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup
1983 Cricket World Cup
The 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup was the third edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament. It was held from 9 June to 25 June 1983 in England and was won by India. Eight countries participated in the event. The preliminary matches were played in two groups of four teams each, and each...

 final, however the bookmakers had installed the West Indies as favourites.

Tournament format

Each team was required to name a 14-player squad for the tournament. Matches were played with coloured clothing, white balls, fielding restrictions and innings limited to 50 overs.

The seven teams were split into two qualifying groups. Each played a round robin with two points awarded for a win and one point for a draw or tie. Teams on equal points would be separated by run rate.

Cross-over semi finals would then be played with the winner from each group playing the runner-up from the other group. The losers played in the Plate Winners Final while the winners contested the Final.

Australia

Allan Border
Allan Border
Allan Robert Border AO is a former Australian cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test matches in his career, a record until it was passed by fellow Australian Steve Waugh...

 (captain), Terry Alderman
Terry Alderman
Terence Michael Alderman is a former Australian cricketer.He began his first-class career in 1974 with Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield and came to international prominence when he was chosen for the Australian national team to tour England in 1981...

, Peter Faulkner
Peter Faulkner
Peter Ian Faulkner was an Australian first-class cricketer who played for Tasmania. An allrounder, he took over 100 wickets and made over 2000 runs in his first-class career....

, Rodney Hogg
Rodney Hogg
Rodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47.-Career:...

, Kim Hughes
Kim Hughes
Kimberley John Hughes is a former cricketer who played for Western Australia, Natal and Australia. He captained Australia in 28 Tests between 1979 and 1984 before captaining a "rebel" Australian team in a tour of South Africa, who at the time were subject to a sporting boycott.A right-handed...

, Dean Jones
Dean Jones (cricketer)
Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...

, Robbie Kerr
Robbie Kerr (cricketer)
Robert Byers Kerr is a former Australian cricketer who played in 2 Tests and 4 ODIs in 1985....

, Geoff Lawson
Geoff Lawson (cricketer)
Geoffrey Francis Lawson, OAM is a former Australian cricketer and the former coach of the Pakistan cricket team....

, Rod McCurdy
Rod McCurdy
Rodney John McCurdy is a former cricketer who played for Australia, Border, Derbyshire, Eastern Province, Natal, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. He now lives in South Africa....

, Craig McDermott
Craig McDermott
Craig John McDermott is a former Australian cricketer. He is currently the bowling coach for the Australian cricket team....

, Simon O'Donnell
Simon O'Donnell
Simon Patrick O'Donnell is a former Australian cricketer and VFL footballer, currently a horse racing and cricket commentator.-Cricket:...

, Wayne B. Phillips, Kepler Wessels
Kepler Wessels
Kepler Christoffel Wessels is a former South African cricketer who captained South Africa after playing 24 Tests for Australia. He was the first man to have played One Day International cricket for two countries....

, Graeme Wood
Graeme Wood
Graeme Malcolm Wood is a former Australian cricketer who played in 59 Tests and 83 ODIs from 1978 to 1989. He scored nine Test centuries in his career and it was a West Australian record until 2001-02 when it was passed by Justin Langer....

.

England

David Gower
David Gower
David Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...

 (captain), Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Agnew
Jonathan Philip Agnew is an English cricket broadcaster and former professional cricketer. He was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and educated at Uppingham School. He is nicknamed "Aggers", and, less commonly, "Spiro"....

, Norman Cowans
Norman Cowans
Norman Cowans is a former English cricketer who played in nineteen Tests and twenty three ODIs from 1982 to 1985. He also played first-class cricket for Middlesex and Hampshire....

, Chris Cowdrey
Chris Cowdrey
Christopher Stuart "Chris" Cowdrey is an English former cricketer. Cowdrey played for Kent, Glamorgan and England as an all-rounder...

, Paul Downton
Paul Downton
Paul Downton is a former English cricketer, who played in thirty Tests and twenty eight ODIs from 1977 to 1989. He was a wicket-keeper and a useful batsman in the lower middle-order...

, Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds
Phil Edmonds is a former English cricketer and a successful, albeit controversial, corporate executive....

, Richard Ellison, Neil Foster
Neil Foster
Neil Foster and educated at Philip Morant Comprehensive, Colchester, is a former English cricketer, who played in twenty nine Tests and forty eight ODIs for England from 1983 to 1993. He played for Essex from 1980 to 1993, earning his county cap in 1983...

, Graeme Fowler
Graeme Fowler
Graeme "Foxy" Fowler is a former English professional cricketer, who played for Lancashire, England, and later for Durham...

, Mike Gatting
Mike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...

, Allan Lamb
Allan Lamb
Allan Joseph Lamb is a former England cricketer and captain who played for the first class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire, the latter as an Overseas player...

, Vic Marks
Vic Marks
Vic Marks is a former Somerset and England cricketer, who played in six Tests and thirty four ODIs....

, Martyn Moxon
Martyn Moxon
Martyn Douglas Moxon is a former English cricketer, who played ten Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England and appeared for Yorkshire for 17 seasons from 1981 to 1997...

, Tim Robinson
Tim Robinson
Tim Robinson is an English former cricketer, and current cricket umpire, who played in 29 Tests and 26 ODIs for England from 1984 to 1989....


.

India

Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...

 (captain), Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath
Mohinder Amarnath Bhardwaj is a former Indian cricketer and current cricket analyst. He is commonly known as "Jimmy". He is the son of Lala Amarnath, the first post-independence captain of India. His brother Surinder Amarnath was a Test player...

, Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin
Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...

, Roger Binny
Roger Binny
Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...

, Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...

, Madan Lal
Madan Lal
Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma is a former Indian cricketer and Indian national cricket coach. He currently coaches Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League...

, Chetan Sharma
Chetan Sharma
Chetan Sharma was a medium pace bowler who represented India at cricket.Sharma was coached by Desh Prem Azad, a Dronacharya Award winner, who was also the mentor of Kapil Dev...

, Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan , popularly known as Siva and LS, is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right arm leg-spinner. He is now a commentator.-Early days:...

, Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...

, Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Vengsarkar
Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar is an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator. He was one of the most stylish batsmen of his time, known as one of the foremost exponents of the drive. He was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'....

, Sadanand Viswanath
Sadanand Viswanath
Sadanand Viswanath is a former Indian cricketer who played in 3 Tests and 22 ODIs, from 1985 to 1988. Currently, he is a first class umpire and coach....

, Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar
Manoj Prabhakar is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right-arm medium-pace bowler and a lower-order batsman who also opened the innings sometimes for the Indian cricket team until his retirement in 1995–96. He was banned by the BCCI for his involvement in match fixing scandals...

.

New Zealand

Geoff Howarth
Geoff Howarth
Geoffrey "Geoff" Philip Howarth OBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who remains the only New Zealand captain to have positive win-loss records in both Test cricket and ODI cricket. Howarth played some Test cricket with his elder brother, Hedley Howarth, but most of his 47-Test career did not...

 (captain), John Bracewell
John Bracewell
John Garry Bracewell is a New Zealand cricketer and coach. He played 41 Test matches between 1979-80 and 1990, as well as 53 One Day Internationals. He has been the coach of the New Zealand cricket team since the autumn of 2003...

, Lance Cairns
Lance Cairns
Bernard Lance Cairns is a former all-rounder who played for the New Zealand cricket team, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns....

, Ewen Chatfield
Ewen Chatfield
Ewen John Chatfield is a former cricketer who played 43 Tests and 114 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. A medium-pace bowler, his chief weapon was his accuracy, giving him economical bowling figures, although he occasionally would come in for punishment in the late stages of limited overs...

, Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...

, Jeff Crowe
Jeff Crowe
Jeffrey John Crowe is a former New Zealand cricketer. He is the son of Dave Crowe and elder brother of Martin Crowe. They are cousins of Oscar winning actor, Russell Crowe....

, Martin Crowe
Martin Crowe
Martin David Crowe is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1985, and was credited as one of the "best young batsmen in the world". Crowe represented New Zealand from the early 1980s until his retirement in 1996 as a right-handed batsman...

, Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...

, Paul McEwan
Paul McEwan
Paul Ernest McEwan is a former Canterbury and New Zealand cricketer who played in 4 Tests and 17 ODIs from 1980 to 1985....

, John Reid
John Fulton Reid
John Fulton Reid is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was born in Auckland.Reid played in 19 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals between 1979 and 1986. His Test average was 46.28 and included six Test centuries...

, Ian Smith, Martin Snedden
Martin Snedden
Martin Colin Snedden played 25 Tests, between 1981 and 1990, and 93 One Day Internationals, between 1980 and 1990, for New Zealand...

, John Wright
John Wright (cricketer)
John Geoffrey Wright is a former international cricketer representing - and captaining - New Zealand, and, following his retirement in 1993, coaching the Indian national cricket team from 2000 to 2005. He made his international debut in 1978 against England...


Pakistan

Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...

 (captain), Anil Dalpat
Anil Dalpat
Anil Dalpat or Anil Dalpat Sonavaria was the first Hindu ever to play Test cricket for Pakistan. Dalpat was a lower-order batsman and wicket keeper, and represented Pakistan for a brief interval in the early 1980s, when Wasim Bari was injured...

, Azeem Hafeez
Azeem Hafeez
Raja Azeem Hafeez was a Pakistani cricketer. A fast bowler, Hafeez was perhaps better known for his birth defect: he has two fingers missing on his right hand. Hafeez never established himself in the Pakistani team, predominantly because of the strength of its fast bowling at that time, anchored...

, Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...

, Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Hasan Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 48 Tests and 75 ODIs from 1977 to 1986 mainly as an opening batsman.-Life and Career:...

, Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...

, Qasim Omar
Qasim Umar
Qasim Ali Umar is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 26 Tests and 31 ODIs from 1983 to 1987.-Playing career:...

, Rameez Raja
Rameez Raja
Rameez Hasan Raja is a former Pakistani right handed batsman in cricket, who represented the Pakistan cricket team during the 1980s and 1990s. He also worked as captain of the national team...

, Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan
Ustad Rashid Khan is an Indian classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition. He belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, and is the great grandson of Gharana founder Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.He is married to Joyeeta Bose, from the illustrious family of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose.In a...

, Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik
Saleem Malik is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1981/82 and 1999, at one stage captaining the Pakistani cricket team. He was a right-handed wristy middle order batsman who was strong square of the wicket. His legbreak bowling was also quite effective...

, Tahir Naqqash
Tahir Naqqash
----Tahir Naqqash is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 15 Tests and 40 ODIs from 1980 to 1985....

, Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....

, Wasim Raja
Wasim Raja
Wasim Hasan Raja , was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 57 Tests and 54 ODIs for the Pakistani national cricket team from 1973 to 1985. His younger brother, Rameez Raja, also represented Pakistan in Tests and ODIs, becoming captain of the national side...

, Zaheer Abbas
Zaheer Abbas
Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani , popularly known as Zaheer Abbas, is a former Pakistani cricketer, regarded as one of the finest batsman produced by that country. He is widely known as the "Asian Bradman", a reference to former Australian great Sir Donald Bradman...

.

Sri Lanka

Duleep Mendis
Duleep Mendis
Louis Rohan Duleep Mendis is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who captained Sri Lanka to their first Test series victory in 1985. He was primarily a specialist batsman, whose best period as a player came from 1982 to 1985. His first years of school were spent at St. Sebastian's College, Moratuwa...

 (captain), Ashantha de Mel
Ashantha De Mel
Ashantha Lakdasa Francis De Mel is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and selector for the national team. He was one of few Sri Lanka bowlers in the 1980s who could get the ball to anything above medium pace, and he was also said to have the ability to get the ball to swing out.- Cricketing career :He...

, Somachandra de Silva
Somachandra de Silva
Dandeniyage Somachandra de Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer. He bowled leg spin, and captained the Sri Lankan cricket team for two Test matches in 1983, as the regular captain, Duleep Mendis missed the tour of New Zealand due to injury...

, Roy Dias
Roy Dias
Roy Luke Dias is a former Sri Lankan cricketer, who played 20 Test matches as a specialist batsman, and became the first Sri Lankan to hit 1,000 Test runs...

, Vinothen John
Vinothen John
Vinothen Bede John is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 6 Tests and 45 ODIs from 1982 to 1987.-Notes:*His name is often spelled as Vinodhan John....

, Uvais Karnain, Ranjan Madugalle
Ranjan Madugalle
Ranjan Senerath Madugalle is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who became a match referee in 1993. He was educated at Trinity College, Kandy, and Royal College, Colombo....

, Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga
Arjuna Ranatunga is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and politician. He was the captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, and led them to an unbeaten title-winning campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup...

, Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 70 ODIs from 1982 to 1993.Ratnayake was a right arm fast-medium bowler who was capable of swinging the new ball and generating considerable pace and bounce...

, Ravi Ratnayeke
Ravi Ratnayeke
Joseph Ravindran 'Ravi' Ratnayeke is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who batted right-handed and bowled medium pace. Ratnayeke played 22 Tests and 78 ODIs from 1982 to 1990, his Test best bowling performance of eight wickets for 83 runs at Jinnah Stadium Pakistan was a Sri Lankan Test record at the...

, Amal Silva
Amal Silva
Sampathwaduge Amal Rohitha Silva is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 9 Tests and 20 ODIs from 1983 to 1988. He was a left-handed wicketkeeper batsman and opened the batting for Sri Lanka....

.

West Indies

Clive Lloyd
Clive Lloyd
Clive Hubert Lloyd CBE AO is a former West Indies cricketer. He captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation, a position that was only relinquished in the latter half of the 1990s...

 (captain), Winston Davis
Winston Davis
Winston Walter Davis is a former West Indian cricketer.Davis played his first representative match for West Indies Young Cricketers against their English counterparts at Port-of-Spain in August 1976, making an immediate impact by taking 4-35 in his first innings, including the wickets of future...

, Jeff Dujon
Jeff Dujon
Peter Jeffrey Leroy Dujon is a retired West Indian cricketer.He was the wicketkeeper for the West Indian cricket team of the 1980s, an athletic presence behind the stumps as well as a competent lower-order batsman....

, Joel Garner
Joel Garner
Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....

, Larry Gomes
Larry Gomes
Hilary Angelo Gomes is a former West Indian cricketer.He toured England with the West Indian Schoolboys team in 1967 and he made his first-class debut as a left-handed batsman for Trinidad and Tobogo versus the New Zealanders in 1971/72. He joined Middlesex in 1972 and played between 1973 and 1976...

, Roger Harper
Roger Harper
Roger Andrew Harper is a former West Indies cricketer turned coach, who played both Test and ODI cricket for the West Indies...

, Desmond Haynes
Desmond Haynes
Desmond Leo Haynes is a West Indian cricketer and cricket coach. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991. Haynes formed a formidable partnership with Gordon Greenidge for the West Indies cricket team in Test cricket during 1980s. Between them they managed 16 century stands, four in excess of...

, Michael Holding
Michael Holding
Michael Anthony Holding is a former West Indian cricketer. One of the fastest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease...

, Gus Logie
Gus Logie
Augustine Lawrence Logie is a former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago cricketer and is currently an international cricket coach....

, Malcolm Marshall
Malcolm Marshall
By 1984 Marshall was seen as one of the finest bowlers in the world, and he demoralised England that summer, especially at Headingley, where he ran through the order in the second innings to finish with 7-53, despite having broken his thumb whilst fielding in the first innings...

, Thelston Payne
Thelston Payne
Thelston Rodney O'Neale Payne is a former West Indian cricketer.He played only one Test and seven One Day Internationals for the West Indies...

, Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...

, Richie Richardson
Richie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...

.

Group A

The tournament began with Australia and England playing the first ever match under lights at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

. Australia won the match by seven wickets, however neither of them would make the semi finals.

India quickly showed that it was on track to repeat its World Cup
Cricket World Cup
The ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...

 success with comfortable wins in each of its group matches, while Pakistan found a new hero in 18 year old left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....

 who took 5 for 21 against Australia.
Team Pts Pld W L RR
6 3 3 0 4.42
4 3 2 1 4.39
2 3 1 2 3.98
0 3 0 3 3.41

  • Australia v England in Melbourne (day/night) - Sunday 17 February 1985
    • England 8-214 (Allan Lamb
      Allan Lamb
      Allan Joseph Lamb is a former England cricketer and captain who played for the first class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire, the latter as an Overseas player...

       53, Geoff Lawson
      Geoff Lawson (cricketer)
      Geoffrey Francis Lawson, OAM is a former Australian cricketer and the former coach of the Pakistan cricket team....

       3-31, Craig McDermott
      Craig McDermott
      Craig John McDermott is a former Australian cricketer. He is currently the bowling coach for the Australian cricket team....

       3-39)
    • Australia 3-215 (45.2 ov) (Robbie Kerr
      Robbie Kerr (cricketer)
      Robert Byers Kerr is a former Australian cricketer who played in 2 Tests and 4 ODIs in 1985....

       87*, Dean Jones
      Dean Jones (cricketer)
      Dean Mervyn Jones AM is a retired Australian cricketer, and is presently a coach. He also worked as a media commentator.-Career:...

       78*, Vic Marks
      Vic Marks
      Vic Marks is a former Somerset and England cricketer, who played in six Tests and thirty four ODIs....

       1-33)
      • Australia won by 7 wickets
  • India v Pakistan in Melbourne (day/night) - Wednesday 20 February 1985
    • Pakistan 183 (Qasim Omar
      Qasim Umar
      Qasim Ali Umar is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 26 Tests and 31 ODIs from 1983 to 1987.-Playing career:...

       57, Roger Binny
      Roger Binny
      Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...

       4-35)
    • India 4-184 (45.5 ov) (Mohammad Azharuddin
      Mohammad Azharuddin
      Mohammad Azharuddin also known as Azhar, is an Indian politician and former cricketer. He was an accomplished batsman and captained the Indian cricket team for much of the 1990s, until his involvement in a match-fixing scandal forced him into retirement...

       93*, Sunil Gavaskar
      Sunil Gavaskar
      Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...

       54, Imran Khan
      Imran Khan
      Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...

       3-27)
      • India won by 6 wickets
  • Australia v Pakistan in Melbourne (day) - Sunday 24 February 1985
    • Pakistan 6-262 (Mohsin Khan
      Mohsin Khan
      Mohsin Hasan Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 48 Tests and 75 ODIs from 1977 to 1986 mainly as an opening batsman.-Life and Career:...

       81, Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...

       69, Simon O'Donnell
      Simon O'Donnell
      Simon Patrick O'Donnell is a former Australian cricketer and VFL footballer, currently a horse racing and cricket commentator.-Cricket:...

       2-42)
    • Australia 200 (Simon O'Donnell
      Simon O'Donnell
      Simon Patrick O'Donnell is a former Australian cricketer and VFL footballer, currently a horse racing and cricket commentator.-Cricket:...

       74*, Wasim Akram
      Wasim Akram
      Wasim Akram is a former Pakistani left arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman in cricketer and model. who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International matches....

       5-21)
      • Pakistan won by 62 runs
  • England v India in Sydney (day/night) - Tuesday 26 February 1985
    • India 9-235 (Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...

       57, Norman Cowans
      Norman Cowans
      Norman Cowans is a former English cricketer who played in nineteen Tests and twenty three ODIs from 1982 to 1985. He also played first-class cricket for Middlesex and Hampshire....

       3-59)
    • England 149 (Martyn Moxon
      Martyn Moxon
      Martyn Douglas Moxon is a former English cricketer, who played ten Tests and eight One Day Internationals for England and appeared for Yorkshire for 17 seasons from 1981 to 1997...

       48, Ravi Shastri
      Ravi Shastri
      Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

       3-30, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
      Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
      Laxman Sivaramakrishnan , popularly known as Siva and LS, is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right arm leg-spinner. He is now a commentator.-Early days:...

       3-39)
      • India won by 86 runs
  • England v Pakistan in Melbourne (day/night) - Saturday 2 March 1985
    • Pakistan 8-213 (Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...

       77, Richard Ellison 3-42)
    • England 146 (Allan Lamb
      Allan Lamb
      Allan Joseph Lamb is a former England cricketer and captain who played for the first class teams of Western Province and Northamptonshire, the latter as an Overseas player...

       81 (69), Tahir Naqqash
      Tahir Naqqash
      ----Tahir Naqqash is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 15 Tests and 40 ODIs from 1980 to 1985....

       3-24)
      • Pakistan won by 67 runs
  • Australia v India in Melbourne (day) - Sunday 3 March 1985
    • Australia 163 (Wayne B. Phillips 60, Roger Binny
      Roger Binny
      Roger Michael Humphrey Binny is an Indian former cricket all-rounder who is best known for his impressive bowling performance in the 1983 Cricket World Cup where he was the highest wicket-taker , and in the 1985 World Series Cricket Championship in Australia where he repeated this feat .Binny...

       3-27)
    • India 2-165 (36.1 ov) (Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...

       93*, Ravi Shastri
      Ravi Shastri
      Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

       51)
      • India won by 8 wickets

Group B

Group B was slightly farcical with the West Indies being comfortably the number one team in world cricket at the time and Sri Lanka being comfortably at the bottom of the list of Test nations.

The match between the West Indies and New Zealand was rained off which meant that whoever was more successful in beating up on Sri Lanka would top the group. While the West Indies easily accounted for Sri Lanka on the scoreboard, fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Ratnayake
Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 70 ODIs from 1982 to 1993.Ratnayake was a right arm fast-medium bowler who was capable of swinging the new ball and generating considerable pace and bounce...

 forced both Richie Richardson
Richie Richardson
Richard Benjamin Richardson is a retired West Indies cricketer and a former captain of the West Indian cricket team.Richardson was born in Five Islands Village, Antigua. He began his career with the Leewards Islands in 1982 as an opener and after his second season he was called up by the West...

 and Larry Gomes
Larry Gomes
Hilary Angelo Gomes is a former West Indian cricketer.He toured England with the West Indian Schoolboys team in 1967 and he made his first-class debut as a left-handed batsman for Trinidad and Tobogo versus the New Zealanders in 1971/72. He joined Middlesex in 1972 and played between 1973 and 1976...

 to retire with searing bouncers.
Team Pts Pld W L NR RR
3 2 1 0 1 5.87
3 2 1 0 1 4.07
0 2 0 2 0 3.16

  • New Zealand v West Indies in Sydney (day/night) - Tuesday 19, Thursday 21 February 1985
    • New Zealand 2-57 (18.4 ov)
      • No result (no play possible on 19 Feb, only 18.4 overs possible on reserve day)
  • New Zealand v Sri Lanka in Melbourne (day/night) - Saturday 23 February 1985
    • New Zealand 223 (John Reid
      John Fulton Reid
      John Fulton Reid is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was born in Auckland.Reid played in 19 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals between 1979 and 1986. His Test average was 46.28 and included six Test centuries...

       62, Vinothen John
      Vinothen John
      Vinothen Bede John is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 6 Tests and 45 ODIs from 1982 to 1987.-Notes:*His name is often spelled as Vinodhan John....

       3-29, Rumesh Ratnayake
      Rumesh Ratnayake
      Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 70 ODIs from 1982 to 1993.Ratnayake was a right arm fast-medium bowler who was capable of swinging the new ball and generating considerable pace and bounce...

       3-40)
    • Sri Lanka 172 (Arjuna Ranatunga
      Arjuna Ranatunga
      Arjuna Ranatunga is a retired Sri Lankan cricketer and politician. He was the captain of Sri Lankan cricket team, and led them to an unbeaten title-winning campaign at the 1996 Cricket World Cup...

       34, Jeremy Coney
      Jeremy Coney
      Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...

       4-46)
      • New Zealand won by 51 runs
  • Sri Lanka v West Indies in Melbourne (day/night) - Wednesday 27 February 1985
    • Sri Lanka 7-135 (Ravi Ratnayeke
      Ravi Ratnayeke
      Joseph Ravindran 'Ravi' Ratnayeke is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who batted right-handed and bowled medium pace. Ratnayeke played 22 Tests and 78 ODIs from 1982 to 1990, his Test best bowling performance of eight wickets for 83 runs at Jinnah Stadium Pakistan was a Sri Lankan Test record at the...

       50, Viv Richards
      Viv Richards
      Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...

       3-27)
    • West Indies 2-136 (Desmond Haynes
      Desmond Haynes
      Desmond Leo Haynes is a West Indian cricketer and cricket coach. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1991. Haynes formed a formidable partnership with Gordon Greenidge for the West Indies cricket team in Test cricket during 1980s. Between them they managed 16 century stands, four in excess of...

       36, Rumesh Ratnayake
      Rumesh Ratnayake
      Rumesh Joseph Ratnayake is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who played in 23 Tests and 70 ODIs from 1982 to 1993.Ratnayake was a right arm fast-medium bowler who was capable of swinging the new ball and generating considerable pace and bounce...

       1-29)
      • West Indies won by 8 wickets

Semi Finals

After the group stages, the expected outcome was that 1983 World Cup finalists India and the West Indies would meet again in the final of the World Championship. India held up their end of the bargain by beating New Zealand in the first semi final, however Pakistan produced the one major upset of the tournament to beat the West Indies.
  • India v New Zealand in Sydney (day/night) - Tuesday 5 March 1985
    • New Zealand 206 (John Reid
      John Fulton Reid
      John Fulton Reid is a former New Zealand cricketer. He was born in Auckland.Reid played in 19 Tests and 25 One Day Internationals between 1979 and 1986. His Test average was 46.28 and included six Test centuries...

       55, Madan Lal
      Madan Lal
      Madan Lal Udhouram Sharma is a former Indian cricketer and Indian national cricket coach. He currently coaches Delhi Giants in the Indian Cricket League...

       4-37, Ravi Shastri
      Ravi Shastri
      Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

       3-31)
    • India 3-207 (43.3 ov) (Dilip Vengsarkar
      Dilip Vengsarkar
      Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar is an Indian cricketer and cricket administrator. He was one of the most stylish batsmen of his time, known as one of the foremost exponents of the drive. He was also known by the nickname 'Colonel'....

       63*, Kapil Dev
      Kapil Dev
      Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...

       54*, Ravi Shastri
      Ravi Shastri
      Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

       53, Lance Cairns
      Lance Cairns
      Bernard Lance Cairns is a former all-rounder who played for the New Zealand cricket team, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns....

       1-35)
      • India won by 7 wickets
  • West Indies v Pakistan in Melbourne (day/night) - Wednesday 6 March 1985
    • West Indies 159 (Roger Harper
      Roger Harper
      Roger Andrew Harper is a former West Indies cricketer turned coach, who played both Test and ODI cricket for the West Indies...

       25*, Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar
      Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...

       5-28, Tahir Naqqash
      Tahir Naqqash
      ----Tahir Naqqash is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 15 Tests and 40 ODIs from 1980 to 1985....

       3-23)
    • Pakistan 3-160 (46 ov) (Rameez Raja
      Rameez Raja
      Rameez Hasan Raja is a former Pakistani right handed batsman in cricket, who represented the Pakistan cricket team during the 1980s and 1990s. He also worked as captain of the national team...

       60, Joel Garner
      Joel Garner
      Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....

       1-19)
      • Pakistan won by 7 wickets

Plate Winners Final

The third place play-off in this tournament was known as the Plate Winners Final and the West Indies were indeed awarded a plate for winning the match. Geoff Howarth
Geoff Howarth
Geoffrey "Geoff" Philip Howarth OBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who remains the only New Zealand captain to have positive win-loss records in both Test cricket and ODI cricket. Howarth played some Test cricket with his elder brother, Hedley Howarth, but most of his 47-Test career did not...

, in one of his last acts as New Zealand captain. Richard Hadlee
Richard Hadlee
Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...

 began with a spell of 2 for 8 in 6 overs. Viv Richards
Viv Richards
Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...

 then hit 51 off 61 deliveries.
  • New Zealand v West Indies in Sydney (day) - Saturday 9 March 1985
    • New Zealand 9-138 (Jeremy Coney
      Jeremy Coney
      Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...

       35, Joel Garner
      Joel Garner
      Joel Garner , also known as "Big Joel" or "Big Bird", is a former West Indian cricketer, and a member of the highly regarded late 1970s and early '80s West Indies cricket teams....

       3-29)
    • West Indies 4-139 (37.2 ov) (Viv Richards
      Viv Richards
      Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards, KNH, OBE is a former West Indian cricketer. Better known by his second name, Vivian or, more popularly, simply as Viv or King Viv Richards was voted one of the five Cricketers of the Century in 2000, by a 100-member panel of experts, along with Sir Donald...

       51, Richard Hadlee
      Richard Hadlee
      Sir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...

       3-23)
      • West Indies won by 6 wickets

Final

India got on top early in the final with Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev
Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...

 reducing Pakistan to 4 for 33 before Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...

 and Imran Khan
Imran Khan
Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...

 began a rescue act. 17-year-old leg spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
Laxman Sivaramakrishnan , popularly known as Siva and LS, is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right arm leg-spinner. He is now a commentator.-Early days:...

 had been a revelation during the tournament and produced another superb spell in the final. Pakistan's eventual total of 9 for 176 constituted a good recovery. It was the first time, in the tournament, that India had failed to bowl out the opposition. India bagged 49 out of a maximum possible 50 wickets in the tournament.

Indian openers Ravi Shastri
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

 and Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...

 each had wonderful tournaments and their century opening stand did most of the work for their strong batting line-up. Each were rewarded at the end of the match with Srikkanth winning the Player of the Match award and Shastri being named the player of the tournament, or as it was known, the Champion of Champions. He was awarded his prize of an Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

 motorcar, valued at the then princely sum of $A35 000 and immediately drove it around the MCG with his entire team sitting either in or on the car.
  • India v Pakistan at Melbourne (day/night) - Sunday 10 March 1985
    • Pakistan 9-176 (Javed Miandad
      Javed Miandad
      Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...

       48, Kapil Dev
      Kapil Dev
      Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj , better known as Kapil Dev, is a former Indian cricketer. He captained the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup...

       3-23, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
      Laxman Sivaramakrishnan
      Laxman Sivaramakrishnan , popularly known as Siva and LS, is a former Indian cricketer. He was a right arm leg-spinner. He is now a commentator.-Early days:...

       3-35)
    • India 2-177 (47.1 ov) (Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth
      Krishnamachari Srikkanth is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee...

       67, Ravi Shastri
      Ravi Shastri
      Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri is a former Indian cricketer and captain. He was an all–rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left arm spin. His international career started when he was 18 years old and lasted for 12 years...

       63*, Imran Khan
      Imran Khan
      Imran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...

      1-28)
      • India won by 8 wickets


This was the only instance of the World Championship of Cricket.

External links

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