A special date in cricket history took place 40 years ago, the opening match of the first-ever Cricket World Cup being recorded. Hosts England took on India at Lord’s, the game taking place in a slightly different format to the norm of modern times – 60 overs being the length of each innings.

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England set a fearsome benchmark, Dennis Amiss helping them to 334 for 4. India and legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar did not grasp the occasion. In 60 overs, he crawled to 36 not out off 174 balls. England won by a huge 202 runs after their opponents finished up on 132-3, the winning margin remaining the biggest in the one-day record books until 1984/85.

Other memorable events on this day

1952: India recorded the worst start to an innings in Test history, being 0 for 4 after 14 balls against England. Fred Trueman was the architect, taking three of the wickets.

1989: Ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky wins his ninth NHL Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) in 10 years.

1998: A spectacular first corner pile-up at the Canadian Grand Prix including four cars saw the race given the red flag.

2014: Maria Sharapova claims her fifth Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-7, 6-4 win against Simona Halep.