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How the West Indies fared in the previous six cricket World Cup tournaments:

1975 in England:

Pre-tournament favourites principally on the experience and records in county cricket of all but two of their 15 (Maurice Foster and Collis King who did not get a game), the West Indies won five of their matches (60-overs) in the eight-team tournament on the way to the Cup.

But Pakistan gave them a mighty scare in their first round match.

Going after 266 for seven, they were tottering at 166 for eight before Deryck Murray shared stands of 36 with Vanburn Holder and 64 unbroken with Andy Roberts, keeping their heads while all around them lost theirs, to win by one wicket.

The highlights after that were Alvin Kallicharran’s manhandling of Dennis Lillee in the first round against Australia and a fantastic final on a perfect summer’s day in which captain Clive Lloyd’s 85-ball 102 and Viv Richards’ three run-outs, including the Chappell brothers, were decisive.

Caricom issued a special stamp to celebrate the triumph. But the West Indies Cricket Board of Control did nothing for the players apart from the agreed fee of £350 each.

It left “a somewhat bitter feeling” was Lloyd’s understated comment.

1979 in England:

No scares this time. Every match was a breeze, except when Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas were adding 166 for Pakistan’s second wicket in the semifinal at the Oval.

Once Colin Croft took care of them both and Javed Miandad as well for nought, it was as good as over.

Just as Lord’s was lit up by Lloyd’s hundred in final four years earlier, so it was again by Richards’ unbeaten 138 that was climaxed with a last-ball six over square-leg off Mike Hendrick and, even more so, by Collis King’s brutal 86 off 67 balls with three sixes and ten fours.

From the troubles of 99 for four (Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Kallicharran and Lloyd) they added 139 off 21 overs that realistically put the match out of the home team’s reach and the Cup firmly in Lloyd’s grasp again.

England captain Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott put on 129 for the first wicket but were so slow (38 overs) there was never a realistic challenge.

It was even hinted that Lloyd dropped a dolly at mid-on to keep Boycott in. “Big Bird” Garner mopped up five of the last seven wickets and the margin of victory was 92 runs.

1983 in England:

Oops! Extended to 27 matches, it was a tournament of shocks that ended with the biggest shock of all.

India, who had not got past the first round in the two previous tournaments, comfortably overthrew the West Indies from their throne in a low-scoring final.

The signs were there all along. India’s victory was not a fluke. They had beaten the West Indies by 34 runs and Australia by 118 in the first round and England by six wickets in the semifinal.

When India were bowled out for 183 in the final by an attack reading Roberts, Garner, Marshall and Holding, it was all over. Or so it seemed to West Indians in the middle and beyond the boundary.

Wrong. In what Lloyd described as “the performance of amateurs” the West Indies were rolled over for 140, still the lowest total in a World Cup final.

That morose night, Lloyd announced he was resigning before having second thoughts next morning.

He and his team avenged themselves later in the year in India, winning the Test series 3-0 and the One-Day series 6-1. But it was too late.

1987 in India and Pakistan:

For the first time, the West Indies failed to make the final – or even the semifinal.

They were hard hit by key absentees. Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Larry Gomes all retired from international cricket early in the year, Gordon Greenidge withdrew following a knee operation and Malcolm Marshall took a rest.

What affected the West Indies more were a few disastrous closing overs by Courtney Walsh in the first round matches against England and Pakistan.

In the former, he conceded 16 off his 48th over and 13 off four balls of the 50th as England won by two wickets. In the latter, he yielded 14 to Pakistan’s last pair, Abdul Qadir scoring two to third-man off the last ball to win.

He wouldn’t have had the chance but Walsh declined to run out non-striker, Salim Jaffer, backing up way out of his crease for the last ball. It was a noble gesture but cost the West Indies the match.

When they lost to England for a second time, they were gone. Australia, pre-tournament outsiders, beat England in the final.

Viv Richards’ 181 off 125 balls, with six sixes and 16 fours, against Sri Lanka was the highest World Cup innings at the time and still one of the most devastating.

1992 in Australia and New Zealand:

Once again missing key players, the West Indies fell at the first hurdle in the first tournament played with the white ball, coloured uniforms and under lights.

Viv Richards retired from Test cricket the previous summer in England and the selectors ignored his announced availability under a new captain, Richie Richardson.

They also omitted Jeff Dujon. Malcolm Marshall was dropped for the last two matches and, disenchanted, promptly announced his retirement.

Losses to England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia led to their elimination. The South African defeat was especially galling.

Pregnant with social and political overtones, it was the first official match between the teams since South Africa’s return to the International Cricket Conference and came 12 days prior to the referendum called by the all-white government to sanction the reformist policies that eventually led to majority government. The West Indies’ fielding was shocking, batting worse and they were beaten by 64 runs.

Richardson’s pre-match comment that it was “just another cricket match” brought the wrath of the Caribbean on his head.

His counterpart Imran Khan was crowned in glory as he led Pakistan (beaten by the West Indies, England and India in the first round) to the Cup in the final over England.

1996 in Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka:

In spite of a disastrous tournament, increased to 12 teams, the West Indies reached the semifinal where, according to Wisden, they “pulled off an extraordinary defeat” against Australia, losing their last eight wickets for 37.

It was an apt end to what had been a horrendous tournament for them.

First, like Australia, they forfeited their scheduled match in Sri Lanka for fears over security after a deadly bomb blast wrecked the capital, Colombo, only a few weeks earlier.

They were then humiliated by first-time amateurs Kenya, dismissed for 93 (17 extras) and beaten by 73 runs, leading to the announced retirement of captain Richie Richardson midway through the tournament and the dismissal of coach Andy Roberts.

Typically unpredictably, they followed with victories over Australia in the first round and fancied South Africa in the quarter-finals before their capitulation in the semis.

Brian Lara’s 111 off 94 balls was at the heart of the pay-back win over South Africa but he also got himself into trouble with the West Indies Cricket Board for comments made in the Kenya dressing room and taped, and used, by a snooping Indian journalist.

Rank outsiders Sri Lanka, brilliantly uninhibited throughout, played unbeaten and comfortably beat favourites Australia for the Cup.