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4 underrated knocks in the history of World Cup finals

Gambhir was dismissed for 97 in the final of World Cup 2011
Gambhir was dismissed for 97 in the final of World Cup 2011

Cricket world cup appears once in every four years and is no short of a spectacle. Every cricketing nation wants to have as many World Cups in their trophy cabinet as they can. The first ever cricket World Cup was played back in 1975 and it launched a bandwagon!

Since then, the importance of the tournament has skyrocketed. For a new generation of players, it is all to play cricket for. Many legendary cricketers have ended their careers without once getting to lay their hands on the coveted trophy.

Over the course of 11 editions of this grand cricketing festival, there have been many great performances with the willow that has led a team to the ultimate glory. But as it always happens in a team sports, while some get noticed and receive all the accolades, the others go unnoticed.

Let us have a look at 4 great World Cup final knocks that went unnoticed amidst other great knocks.


4) Collis king in 1979

The 1970s was a time when the great West Indies team were ruling cricket. The West Indies won the inaugural World Cup in 1975 and came into the 1979 finals as the favourites. Many teams feared their menacing quartet of bowlers.

In the finals of the 1979 edition of the tournament, West Indies batted first but witnessed the rare failure of players like Greenidge, Haynes, Alwin Kalicharran and skipper Clive Lloyd.

At one point in the innings, they were tottering at 99-4. At this juncture, Sir Viv Richards came to their rescue and anchored the innings.

Sir Viv remained unbeaten till the end, finishing with astonishing 138*. The knock went on to become one of the all-time great innings in a World Cup final. But along with Sir Viv, there was another man who probably played in a more aggressive manner.

Collis King, whose career lasted for just 18 one-day matches, played an absolute blinder in the finals. He scored 86 runs off just 66 balls which included 10 fours and 3 sixes. He scored at a breathtaking strike rate of 130.30, which at that time, was unheard of. It was his career's only half-century.

But sadly due to his short-lived career, King never made it big on the international stage, and sadly, his great knock got overshadowed by the classy innings of Sir Vivian Richards.

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