Cricket World Cup 1979: Viv Richards signing a bat for Geoffrey Boycott

World Cup 1979: Viv Richards signing a bat for Geoffrey Boycott

The 1979 World Cup saw West Indies continuing their dominance in the world of cricket, lifting the trophy for the second consecutive time.

In what was another empathic win, Viv Richard’s knock of unbeaten 138, followed by Joel Garner’s devastating bowling spell proved to be too hot for the English.

This photograph above shows the West Indies dressing room after their victory over England in the 1979 World Cup Final at Lord’s. Here, the golden moments are shared when man-of-the-match Richards signs a bat for England opener Geoffrey Boycott as Ian Botham looks on. Botham and Richards remain the best of friends even today and the former’s reaction completely sums up the mood.

In the finals, England winning the toss at Lord’s opted to field first and West Indies piled up 286 runs in 60 overs. While Richards anchored the innings beautifully, Collis King blazed away to a quick 86. England started off cautiously but were soon blown away by Garner, who finished with five for 38 in his 11 overs.