Watch the highlights of England vs West Indies Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1st Final 1979/80 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the first final played between West Indies and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 20th January 1980.
West Indies holds nerve as thrilling 2-run victory over England, despite a captain Mike Brearley's run-a-ball 25 and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3-finals of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
WEST INDIES scored 215/8 (50 Overs) overs with top scorer by Gordon Greenidge 80 (132) and Alvin Kallicharran 42 (61)
England best bowler by Ian Botham 3/33 (10) and Graham Dilley 2/39 (10)
ENGLAND scored 213/7 (50 Overs) overs with top scorer by Peter Willey 51 (91) and Geoff Boycott 35 (66)
West Indies best bowler by Andy Roberts 3/30 (10) and Michael Holding
1/43 (10)
This match reported by Brian Mossop (Third Party Reference from SMH)
There were ifs and buts galore as England went so close to snatching a thrilling win against the West Indies in the first of the three-match final to decide the $50,000 Benson and Hedges World Series Cup at the MCG.
All of the ifs belonged in the England camp. If Ian Botham had hung on to a sharp caught and bowled chance off Gordon Greenidge on 6; if Alvin Kallicharran had not been dropped at 25; if Collis King had not been dropped at 5; if Peter Willey and Wayne Larkins had not been run out.
But the errors occurred, and England go to Sydney for the second match, at the SCG tomorrow, lamenting the fact that it was the West Indies who got up to win a spine-tingling Melbourne game by two runs.
A boundary from captain Mike Brearley off the last ball was needed for an England win. But Brearley managed only to drive Michael Holding to mid-on for a single. Clive Lloyd fielded and returned to the bowler to run out David Bairstow as the batsmen scampered for an impossible second run.
The crowd of 30,196 erupted as England, 213-7 off 50 overs, just failed in their reply to the West Indies' 215-8
It was a win the West Indies needed desperately. The World Cup champions have yet to win a game under lights in Sydney this summer, having gone down three times to Australia and once to England in the four day-night matches at the SCG.
The second and, if necessary, third and deciding match will be day-night games. Having come so near yesterday, England can hardly be written off. But the West Indies have taken a mortgage on the Cup and the winners' $32,000. For that, they have Greenidge to thank. The hard-hitting opener, let off the hook with the West Indies 18-1 went on to hammer 80 before departing the scene in the 42nd over at 168-4 Stands of 49 with an off-the-boil Vivian'Richards (23) and 95 in 81 minutes with tiny left-hander Alvin Kallicharran (42) were the platform for a total that surprised in topping 200.
The normally aggressive West Indians were kept remarkably well in check by field placings that highlighted Brearley's knowledge of the one-day game and the ability of his men to bowl to a field.
At 178-5 after 45 overs the West Indies seemed likely to be confined to barely 200. But , Collis King, the dashing all-rounder, contributed an unbeaten 31 to help the cause and set England a challenging target. As with the West Indies,.
England appeared to be going too slowly, restricted by the tight bowling of Andy Roberts (3-30), Joel Garner (0-27) and Colin Croft (0-23).
Geoff Boycott (35) and Peter Willey (51) put on 61 for the second wicket and Willey figured in a 56-run fourth wicket stand with Larkins (34).
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