World Cup archivePrudential World CupEngland
1983 Cricket World Cup
India, given almost no chance, beat the two-time champions twice and changed where cricket's money would come from.
India arrived in 1983 having won one World Cup match in two tournaments. They left as champions, having beaten West Indies in the first game and the last, and the consequences of that Saturday at Lord's are still being felt.
No hope at all
When the third World Cup began in June 1983, India's record in the tournament was one win in six matches, and that win had come against East Africa. They were not thought of as a one-day side. Their batting was built for five-day cricket, their bowling was gentle, and the bookmakers priced them at 66-1. West Indies, champions twice and unbeaten in World Cup cricket, were favourites again, with a fast-bowling attack of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall that nobody had found an answer to.
The tournament was still the Prudential Cup, still in England and Wales and still 60 overs a side. It was bigger, though. Each team now played the others in its group twice, so there were 27 matches instead of 15, and a fielding circle 30 yards from the bat was used for the first time, with four fielders required inside it. Zimbabwe, who had won the 1982 ICC Trophy, took the one place outside the Test nations; Sri Lanka had become a Test nation in the meantime.
The first shock, and the second
Both surprises came on the opening day, 9 June. At Trent Bridge, Zimbabwe beat Australia by 13 runs in their first one-day international. Their captain, Duncan Fletcher, made 69 not out and then took four wickets for 42, and Wisden called the result a bigger surprise than anything in the first two tournaments.
At Old Trafford, meanwhile, India beat West Indies by 34 runs. Yashpal Sharma made 89, and India's medium-pacers, bowling straight and slow on a damp pitch, gave the West Indian batters nothing to hit. It was the first time West Indies had lost a World Cup match, and it was widely treated as a fluke. When West Indies beat India comfortably in the return match at The Oval a week later, and Australia beat them by 162 runs at Trent Bridge, most people assumed the natural order had returned.
Seventeen for five
On 18 June India played Zimbabwe at the Nevill Ground in Tunbridge Wells, a small club ground in Kent, knowing that defeat would probably send them home. They chose to bat on a pitch with some early moisture, and within a few overs Sunil Gavaskar, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath and Sandeep Patil were gone. When Yashpal Sharma followed, India were 17 for five.
Kapil Dev, the 24-year-old captain, had been in the shower when the wickets started to fall. He walked out and played the innings that made India's tournament. He made 175 not out from 138 balls, with 16 fours and six sixes, the highest score in World Cup history at the time, and shared a ninth-wicket stand of 126 with the wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, who made 24. India reached 266 for eight and won by 31 runs. There was no television coverage, because BBC technicians were on strike that day, so one of the most famous innings in the history of the game exists only in the scorebook and in the memories of the few thousand people there.
Into the semi-finals
Two days later India beat Australia by 118 runs at Chelmsford, with Roger Binny and Madan Lal taking four wickets each, and they were through to the semi-finals behind West Indies. Australia went out. So did New Zealand in the other group, where England won five of six and Pakistan edged the second place on run rate. In the same group stage, Winston Davis took seven for 51 for West Indies against Australia at Headingley, the best figures in World Cup history until 2003.
The semi-finals were both one-sided. At Old Trafford, England were bowled out for 213 and India knocked the runs off with more than five overs to spare, Yashpal Sharma making 61 and Sandeep Patil 51 not out from 32 balls. Amarnath took two wickets and made 46, and was named player of the match. At The Oval, West Indies beat Pakistan by eight wickets, with Viv Richards making 80 not out. The final would be the champions against the side everyone had written off.
183, and a plan
On 25 June, Clive Lloyd won the toss at Lord's and put India in. Gavaskar was out for two. Srikkanth, the most attacking batter in the side, made 38 from 57 balls, the top score of the match, including a hook for six off Roberts and a drive down on one knee that is still replayed. After him, only Amarnath and Patil reached twenty. India were all out for 183 in the 55th over, and the West Indian batters, who had chased 184 against Pakistan in the semi-final with 68 balls to spare, were expected to be home by tea.
India's bowlers had a simple plan: bowl straight, bowl slow and let the conditions do the work. On a ground where the ball still moved, their medium pace was harder to hit than the fast bowling West Indies were used to facing. Balwinder Sandhu bowled Gordon Greenidge with a ball that swung in late and hit off stump, and the champions were five for one.
The catch
Viv Richards came in and began to hit. He made 33 from 28 balls, with seven fours, and for twenty minutes it looked as though the final would be over quickly in the way everyone had predicted. Then he pulled Madan Lal high towards midwicket. Kapil Dev turned and ran a long way back, with the ball dropping over his shoulder, and held it. West Indies were 57 for three.
The rest of the innings came apart. Madan Lal took three wickets, Amarnath three more with gentle medium pace, at a cost of 12 runs, and Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall added 43 in a stand that was the last real resistance. When Amarnath had Holding leg before, West Indies were all out for 140, beaten by 43 runs. Amarnath was player of the match in the final as well as the semi-final. Binny finished as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 18, and England's David Gower made the most runs, 384. It remains the lowest total ever defended in a World Cup final.
What changed
The effect in India was enormous. Television sets were still rare, but the result was followed on radio across the country, and the players came home as national figures. One-day cricket became the form of the game the Indian public cared about most. Within four years the World Cup had moved to the subcontinent, with India and Pakistan as joint hosts, and the commercial centre of the sport began its long move from London towards Mumbai that the IPL completed a quarter of a century later.
For West Indies, the defeat was the end of an aura in this tournament. They remained the best Test side in the world for another decade, but they have never reached another World Cup final. The full list of results below, each linked to its scorecard, shows how narrow India's path was and how completely it ended; the story continues with the 1987 World Cup in India and Pakistan.
Final result
India 183 v West Indies 140. India won by 43 runs. Played on 25 June 1983 at Lord's, London, with Kapil Dev captaining India and Clive Lloyd captaining West Indies. Player of the match: Mohinder Amarnath.
The road to the final
| Round | Date | Match | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final | 22 Jun | England 213 v India 217/4 | India won by 6 wickets (with 32 balls remaining) | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Semi-final | 22 Jun | Pakistan 184/8 v West Indies 188/2 | West Indies won by 8 wickets (with 68 balls remaining) | Kennington Oval, London |
Group tables
Group A
| Team | P | W | L | T | NR | Went on to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Semi-finals |
| New Zealand | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Group stage |
| Pakistan | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Semi-finals |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Group stage |
Group B
| Team | P | W | L | T | NR | Went on to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Runners-up |
| India | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Champions |
| Australia | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Group stage |
| Zimbabwe | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | Group stage |
Group-stage matches only, ordered by wins. The official tables awarded points and separated level teams on run rate, so a team's place here can differ from its official position.
Wins by team
- Wins
- Champions
Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers
| Batter | Team | Inns | Runs | HS | Avg | SR | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Gower | England | 7 | 384 | 130 | 76.80 | 85.0 | 1 |
| Viv Richards | West Indies | 7 | 367 | 119 | 73.40 | 81.2 | 1 |
| Graeme Fowler | England | 7 | 360 | 81* | 72.00 | 62.8 | 0 |
| Zaheer Abbas | Pakistan | 7 | 313 | 103* | 62.60 | 81.7 | 1 |
| Kapil Dev | India | 8 | 303 | 175* | 60.60 | 109.0 | 1 |
| Imran Khan | Pakistan | 7 | 283 | 102* | 70.75 | 76.5 | 1 |
| Allan Lamb | England | 6 | 278 | 102 | 69.50 | 80.1 | 1 |
| Larry Gomes | West Indies | 7 | 258 | 78 | 64.50 | 56.0 | 0 |
| Gordon Greenidge | West Indies | 7 | 250 | 105* | 41.67 | 60.5 | 1 |
| Yashpal Sharma | India | 8 | 240 | 89 | 34.29 | 64.0 | 0 |
| Bowler | Team | Overs | Wkts | Best | Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Binny | India | 88 | 18 | 4/29 | 18.67 | 3.82 |
| Ashantha de Mel | Sri Lanka | 66 | 17 | 5/32 | 15.59 | 4.02 |
| Madan Lal | India | 92 | 17 | 4/20 | 16.76 | 3.10 |
| Richard Hadlee | New Zealand | 66.4 | 14 | 5/25 | 12.86 | 2.70 |
| Vic Marks | England | 78 | 13 | 5/39 | 18.92 | 3.15 |
| Malcolm Marshall | West Indies | 70 | 12 | 3/28 | 14.58 | 2.50 |
| Michael Holding | West Indies | 82.2 | 12 | 3/40 | 19.58 | 2.85 |
| Kapil Dev | India | 84 | 12 | 5/43 | 20.42 | 2.92 |
| Abdul Qadir | Pakistan | 73.4 | 12 | 5/44 | 22.00 | 3.58 |
| Bob Willis | England | 79.4 | 11 | 4/42 | 18.73 | 2.59 |
Records of the tournament
Highest scores
- 175*
- 138 balls · Kapil Dev
- 130
- 120 balls · David Gower
- 119
- 146 balls · Viv Richards
- 110
- 131 balls · Trevor Chappell
- 105*
- 147 balls · Gordon Greenidge
Best bowling
- 7/51
- 10.30 overs · Winston Davis
- 6/39
- 11.50 overs · Ken MacLeay
- 5/25
- 10.10 overs · Richard Hadlee
- 5/32
- 12.00 overs · Ashantha de Mel
- 5/39
- 12.00 overs · Vic Marks
Team totals
- Highest
- 338/5
- Highest
- 333/9
- Highest
- 322/6
- Lowest
- 129
- Lowest
- 136
Every group stage result
| Date | Round | Match | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun | Group A | England 322/6 v New Zealand 216 | England won by 106 runs | Kennington Oval, London |
| 9 Jun | Group A | Pakistan 338/5 v Sri Lanka 288/9 | Pakistan won by 50 runs | St Helen's, Swansea |
| 9 Jun | Group B | Zimbabwe 239/6 v Australia 226/7 | Zimbabwe won by 13 runs | Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
| 9 Jun | Group B | India 262/8 v West Indies 228 | India won by 34 runs | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| 11 Jun | Group A | England 333/9 v Sri Lanka 286 | England won by 47 runs | County Ground, Taunton |
| 11 Jun | Group A | New Zealand 238/9 v Pakistan 186 | New Zealand won by 52 runs | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| 11 Jun | Group B | West Indies 252/9 v Australia 151/9 | West Indies won by 101 runs | Headingley, Leeds |
| 11 Jun | Group B | Zimbabwe 155 v India 157/5 | India won by 5 wickets (with 135 balls remaining) | Grace Road, Leicester |
| 13 Jun | Group A | Pakistan 193/8 v England 199/2 | England won by 8 wickets (with 56 balls remaining) | Lord's, London |
| 13 Jun | Group A | Sri Lanka 206 v New Zealand 209/5 | New Zealand won by 5 wickets (with 124 balls remaining) | Phoenix County Ground, Bristol |
| 13 Jun | Group B | Australia 320/9 v India 158 | Australia won by 162 runs | Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
| 13 Jun | Group B | Zimbabwe 217/7 v West Indies 218/2 | West Indies won by 8 wickets (with 69 balls remaining) | County Ground, Worcester |
| 15 Jun | Group A | England 234 v New Zealand 238/8 | New Zealand won by 2 wickets (with 1 ball remaining) | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
| 15 Jun | Group B | West Indies 282/9 v India 216/9 | West Indies won by 66 runs | Kennington Oval, London |
| 16 Jun | Group A | Pakistan 235/7 v Sri Lanka 224 | Pakistan won by 11 runs | Headingley, Leeds |
| 16 Jun | Group B | Australia 272/7 v Zimbabwe 240 | Australia won by 32 runs | County Ground, Southampton |
| 18 Jun | Group A | Pakistan 232/8 v England 233/3 | England won by 7 wickets (with 16 balls remaining) | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| 18 Jun | Group A | New Zealand 181 v Sri Lanka 184/7 | Sri Lanka won by 3 wickets (with 43 balls remaining) | County Ground, Derby |
| 18 Jun | Group B | Australia 273/6 v West Indies 276/3 | West Indies won by 7 wickets (with 13 balls remaining) | Lord's, London |
| 18 Jun | Group B | India 266/8 v Zimbabwe 235 | India won by 31 runs | Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells |
| 20 Jun | Group A | Sri Lanka 136 v England 137/1 | England won by 9 wickets (with 215 balls remaining) | Headingley, Leeds |
| 20 Jun | Group A | Pakistan 261/3 v New Zealand 250 | Pakistan won by 11 runs | Trent Bridge, Nottingham |
| 20 Jun | Group B | India 247 v Australia 129 | India won by 118 runs | County Ground, Chelmsford |
| 20 Jun | Group B | Zimbabwe 171 v West Indies 172/0 | West Indies won by 10 wickets (with 89 balls remaining) | Edgbaston, Birmingham |
Who played
Every player who appeared for each team at the tournament, with the number of matches played. Taken from the scorecards, so players who were in a squad but never played are not listed.
India · Champions
West Indies · Runners-up
England · Semi-finals
New Zealand · Group stage
Pakistan · Semi-finals
Australia · Group stage
Sri Lanka · Group stage
Sources
- Scorecards: CricArcade ODI match archive, linked from every result
- 1983 Cricket World Cup (Wikipedia): format, groups and unplayed matches
- ESPNcricinfo: Prudential World Cup 1983, results and scorecards
- Wisden Cricketers' Almanack: The Prudential World Cup 1983
- ESPNcricinfo: Cricket's turning points, the 1983 and 1987 World Cups