The 1987 Cricket World Cup was hosted by India and Pakistan. It was also called as the Reliance World Cup. 8 teams took part in this championship. These were divided into 2 groups. Group B was comprised of Sri Lanka, West Indies, England and Pakistan. Each team played 2 group matches against each country. Thus, overall every team contested in 6 group matches. Depending on the outcome of these matches, the top two teams from each group qualified for the semi final. Eventually, Australia won this World Cup.
Group match against England
West Indies clashed against England in its first group match on 9th October 1987. The venue of this match was Municipal Stadium, Gujranwala. In the stipulated 50 overs, West Indies amassed 243 runs for 7 wickets. Richie Richardson faced 80 deliveries and scored 53 runs. Neil Foster bowled 10 overs, conceded 53 runs and took 3 wickets. England replied by scoring 246 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in 49.3 overs. The top scorer was Allan Lamb who remained unbeaten on 67 in 88 balls. Carl Hooper made 3 dismissals for 42 runs in 10 overs. England won this match by 2 wickets. Lamb was declared as the Man of the Match.
Group match against Sri Lanka
On 13th October 1987, West Indies contested against Sri Lanka at National Stadium, Karachi. West Indies batted first and in 50 overs accumulated 360 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Vivian Richards faced 125 balls and clobbered 181 runs. Ravi Ratnayeke took 2 wickets for 68 runs in 8 overs. The reply of Sri Lanka was a meek one. In 50 overs, it could manage to score only 169 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Arjuna Ranatunga managed 52 runs in 93 deliveries. Carl Hooper bowled 10 overs and made 2 dismissals for 39 runs. West Indies won this match by 191 runs. Richards was honored as the Man of the Match.
Group match against Pakistan
Pakistan and West Indies played a match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 16th October 1987. Again, West Indies batted first and scored only 216 runs in 50 overs. The top scorer was Phil Simmons who made 50 in 57 balls. Imran Khan picked up 4 wickets for 37 runs in 8.3 overs. Pakistan also batted for all 50 overs and lost 9 wickets while scoring 217 runs. Saleem Yousuf faced 49 deliveries and accrued 56 runs. Courtney Walsh bowled 10 overs, conceded 40 runs and took 4 wickets. Pakistan won this match by 1 wicket.
Thus, in the first 3 group matches in the 1987 Cricket World Cup, West Indies lost 2 matches and won 1 match. There was a need of a vastly improved performance to reach the semi-final.