Alvin Kallicharran 78 v Australia, Group B match, 1975
West Indies v Australia at The Oval - One of the most anticipated matches of the inaugural world cup group stage turned out be a one sided affair as West Indies comfortably won it by 7 wickets with 14 overs to spare. The match however is still remembered for an interesting bat-ball clash between West Indian stylish batsman Alvin Kallicharran and Australian bowling legend Dennis Lillee.
Australia batted first and were bowled out for 192. Chasing a modest target, West Indies lost Gordon Greenidge early on and that brought Kallicharan to the middle. What happened next was a fine display of batting against quality fast bowling.
The pitch was hardly providing any help to seamers but Lillee was using his skills and experience that was troubling West Indian batsman. He was mixing speed, bounce and accuracy to extract the best from conditions. But Kallicharran was in a different mood as he decided to go after Australian bowling attack from the begining. And the real firework started when Lillee came back for his second spell. The fearless Kallicharran using his exquisite timing and footwork scored 35 runs from just 10 balls of Lillee. The details of those 10 balls are - 4,4,4,4,4,1,4,6,0,4. His inning finally came to an end for 78 when while attempting to pull he was cauught at midwicket on the bowling of Lillee.
It was a visual treat for spectators in otherwise a boring match. Kallicharran display wide variety of shots (Cut, Hook, Pull) all round the ground against one of the best bowlers of all time.
Sahir