11 players from the first World Cup in 1975 who are no more

Four decades have gone by since the inaugural edition of cricket’s quadrennial showpiece. And with passage of time, some of the stalwarts who played in the 1975 champions are no more.

The first edition of the World Cup  — then known as the Prudential World Cup — was played in 1975. Four decades have gone by since the inaugural edition of cricket’s quadrennial showpiece. And with passage of time, some of the stalwarts who played in the 1975 champions are no more.

H Natarajan lists 11 cricketers from the 1975 World Cup who are dead.

1: Don Pringle, Kenya

Died: November 4, 1975 near Kenya, aged 43 years and 176 days

His One-Day International (ODI) spanned two matches, both of which were in the 1975 World Cup. He did not take any wickets and scored five runs batting at No 11 both matches for East Africa

Less than four months after playing his last World Cup match, he was killed in a car accident after he was returning from a match in Nairobi in which he had taken 6 for 16. Don is best remembered now as the father of Derek Pringle, who played 30 Tests and 44 ODIs for England. Pringle junior also played the 1992 World Cup final against Pakistan where he finished with figures of 10-2-22-3 and scored an unbeaten 18. Derek Pringle is one of most respected cricket journalists in the world.

 

 

2: Ken Wadsworth, New Zealand

Died: August 19, 1976 at Nelson, aged 29 years and 263 days

A wicketkeeper-batsman, Wadsworth was valuable both in front and behind the wickets. Wadsworth has a ODI century to his credit. He was still active in his playing career when he died of skin cancer.

3: Keith Boyce, West Indies

Had he been playing today, he would have been one of the foremost choices for all-rounders around the world, bringing in worth as a useful lower-order batsman, a preserving medium-pacer and a worthy fielder.

Of the five wickets that fell to the bowlers in the 1975 final, four were captured by Boyce. The four wickets came after he had scored 34 batting lower down the order — the second highest score after Clive Lloyd’s iconic 102. Considering that West Indies won by just 17 runs, Boyce’s role in the win was immense. Sadly, people often forget that while singing hosannas about Lloyd’s hundred.

 
He also played a meaningful role in West Indies win over Australia earlier in the tournament when he got both Chappell brothers, Ian and Greg, to finish with figures of 11-0-38-2. In a strong West Indian line-up those were the only two matches in the World Cup. His personal life was in turmoil and he died young — of a suspected heart attack.

 

4: Anura Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka

Died: November 9, 1998, at Colombo, aged 42 years 27 days

He was still in his teens when he played for Sri Lanka in the inaugural World Cup. Though Ranasinghe did not do anything exceptional, he was earmarked as a prodigy. But his international career with the national team lasted just between 1975-1982. He was just 25 when he chose to go with the rebel Sri Lankan team to South Africa, which brought a premature end to his career —a decision which earned him a 25-year ban. He died in his sleep when still very, very young.

5: Roy Fredericks, West Indies.

The Guyanese left-handed opener could be devastating on his day as his 169 on pacy WACA track against the might of Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Max Walker in the 1975-76 series against Australia bear testimony.  One of the most unforgettable moments from the 1975 World Cup came in the final when Fredericks hooked Lillee for a six, but in the process hit his wicket.

Fredericks, who went into politics and was a minister in Guyanese Prime Minister Forbes Burnham government, died of cancer.

6: Eknath Solkar, India

Here was a bits-and-pieces player could score a hundred on his day, trouble the best of the batsman with his bowling — Geoff Boycott will vouch for that — and fielded at short-leg like no other in the history of the game. Solkar, however, had little opportunities to show his prowess in the inaugural World Cup.

Solkar died of heart attack.

7: Wasim Raja, Pakistan

He scored 31 against Australia, 58 against the West Indies — two of the most powerful sides in this edition that made it into the final. He did not score much in the third match against Sri Lanka, but showed his worth with the ball by finishing with figures of 7-4-7-1.

Raja collapsed and died while playing cricket for Surrey over-50s at High Wycombe.

8: Gary Gilmour, Australia

Gilmour was Australia’s hero with a brilliant all-round show in the 1975 World Cup semi-final against England. He finished with figures of 12-6-14-6 to destroy England for 93 with his left-arm swing. In reply, Australia were in danger of losing the game at 39 for six when Gilmour joined Doug Walters in the middle. He top-scored with 28 from 44 balls to steer Australia to a four-wicket victory. Gilmour was not finished yet. In the final, he took the wickets of Alvin Kallicharran, Clive Lloyd, Rohan Kanhai, Viv Richards and Deryck Murray to finish with five for 48.

Sixteen days before his 63rd birthday, Gilmour died in a Sydney hospital. He had long battled with health challenges and Ian Chappell, his captain in the 1975 World Cup, led a fund-raiser for an urgently needed liver transplant in 2005.

9: Harilal Shah, Kenya

Died: June 11, 2014 at Nairobi, aged 71 years and 58 days

A day after Gilmour died, the captain of the East African side also passed away. As a batsman in the 1975 World Cup, Shah did not have a good time in the tournament. Later, he went on to manage the 1999 Kenyan World Cup side and was also a national selector.
10: Tony Greig, England

Grieg did not have a great time with the bat in the inaugural World Cup, scoring 4, 9, 9, and 7. However, he took four for 45 with the ball against New Zealand and tight spell of 10-1-18-2 against East Africa.

Greig was one of the foremost television commentators in the world and was with Kerry Packer’s Channel Nine for more than three decades. In October 2012, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Two months later, he died of heart attack.

11: Mike Denness, England

Denness was the captain of the England side in the inaugural World Cup, where his best scores were 37 not out against India in the opening encounter and 37 in the following match against New Zealand. With an average of 56.50 from the four matches he played, Denness had a highly satisfactory World Cup.

 

Like Ken Wadsworth, Roy Fredericks and Tony Greig, Denness too died of cancer.

 

(H Natarajan is a journalistic schizophrenic who oscillates between two polar opposite forms of writing — analytical and insightful on the one hand, and rib-tickling humour on the other)

 

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