10 unsung World Cup Heroes

#1 Collis King

King was brilliant during the 1979 World Cup final at Lord's

Collis King began the 1979 World Cup by taking a wicket in the tournament opener against India at Edgbaston. He then took a wicket and scored 12 with the bat against New Zealand at Trent Bridge. In the semi-final against Pakistan at The Oval, King scored a 25-ball 34 but went wicket-less with the ball.

However, King’s finest performance of the tournament came in the final against England at Lord’s. In the final, the Windies were struggling at 99/4 when King came in to join Viv Richards at the crease. While Richards was playing in a rather balanced manner, King was smashing the English bowlers all around the park. He added 139 for the 5th wicket with Richards to put West Indies in a strong position.

He scored 86 from 66 deliveries before being dismissed by Phil Edmonds. West Indies eventually posted 286/9 on the board. England were looking dangerous at 129/0 before King took a catch to dismiss skipper Mike Brearley. This triggered a downfall in the England batting and England were dismissed for 194. West Indies thus retained their World Cup title.

Viv Richards scored a magnificent 138 but Collis King’s 86 was equally magnificent and most importantly, it elevated Windies’ scoring rate. His solitary catch during the total defence was also priceless. Despite contributing so much to West Indies’ World Cup win, Collis King has always been a highly underappreciated cricketer.