By Richard Edwards

So near, yet so far! England came closest to World Cup victory in 1979 when they were beaten by West Indies in the final at Lord’s
PICTURE: Getty Images

THE last World Cup to take place on these shores was, in some quarters, labelled as a last-ditch attempt to save the ailing English game.
A lot has happened in the intervening 19 years.
Back then, the talk was of dwindling membership numbers, falling one-day crowds and an England side that did little to inspire either confidence or the next generation of wannabe cricketers.
How times have changed.
When the World ...