In Group A, India and Australia were far superior to Zimbabwe and New Zealand, who, led by Jeff Crowe, put up the weakest performance of their world cup campaigns. In one game against Australia though, while chasing 180 in 30 overs, they needed 7 runs and Martin Crowe was on strike, batting at 50 plus. Ian Smith was on the non-striker end. 90 percent? No, it was 99 percent in New Zealand’s favor. From there though, a young 22-year-old Steve Waugh snatched the game for Australia.
India-Australia return game happened on Deepawali day – Indian festival equivalent to Christmas. India raked up a huge total of 289 in which four batsmen scored half centuries. In reply, Australia began steadily with the opening pair, David Boon, and Geoff Marsh (Father of Shaun and Mitchell) who were now gaining serious reputation but lost their way soon. Steve Waugh pretended to threaten – yes pretended is the right word- but India wrapped up a perfect match.
Zimbabwe were disappointing after their first match. So were New Zealand, except when they threatened Australia in the above-mentioned game. Semifinal line up was as expected, India and Australia from group A and from group B, Pakistan was joined by England, who had subdued West Indies twice to qualify. In a way, for all the test defeats England had received by the mighty West Indies, England really had a handle over them in ODIs, at one point of time during 1986-88, defeating them 10 matches in a row.
The dynamics of the world cricket have changed many times over. Teams like Sri Lanka, South Africa and New Zealand have surged and subsided, threatened and surrendered, transforming cricket forever.
Semifinals line up in 1987 World cup was a dream one with a high possibility that India and Pakistan might play the final scheduled in Calcutta. Australia looked bright but had shone mainly against weaker teams like New Zealand and Zimbabwe, except for the tight one run win against India. Pakistan, on their own turf would be a huge challenge for them. None of the players except Allan Border, their captain, had played in Pakistan, who were roaring in the league matches. They had defeated England twice and West Indies in one of the group games. Imran Khan was in total control,the batting was solid, and with a bowling armed with imperious Wasim Akram and magical Abdul Qadir, Pakistan looked unbeatable.
In the other semifinal, and India in England looked equal, though experts favored India. England, under Mike Gatting had been playing good limited-overs cricket for the past 15 months.They had won the Benson &Hedges world championship in Australia beating hosts Australia and the third team West Indies. They also had won a quadrangular series which involved Pakistan. Most importantly, against the West Indies, they had won ten of the last 11 limited overs matches.
It was early November, and I was having my half yearly examination. When I came back from the school, last five overs of Australian innings were in progress. After a bright start by David Boon, the Australian innings faltered and was meandering along until a relatively unknown player called Mike Velletta played an extraordinary innings. He scored 45 only but the bravery with which he handled Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Abdul Qadir was incredible. It was a miscalculation or Imran Khan didn't care, that the last over was to be bowled by inexperienced Saleem Jaffer, a left-handed bowler in Wasim Akram mould. The penultimate over was bowled by Imran Khan himself and it was a maiden over with just one leg bye. In the final over however, Steve Waugh carted Salim Jaffar for 18 runs, thereby taking the score from 249 to 267. Most of us believed that the match turned there. But a lot of drama remained.
Facing a competitive score, Pakistan soon lost 3 wickets against inspired fielding and some ingenious bowling by Craig McDermott and Simon O'Donnell. Responsibility of building the innings fell on the country's most experienced cricketers, Imran Khan, and Javed Miandad. They took as much time as they wanted. Both were steady but so slow that when the time for acceleration came Pakistan lost too many quick wickets and the expected burst of adrenaline from one of the cricketers didn't come. Pakistan had won employing similar tactics, especially against India, but Australia due to their superior mental strength aided by excellent fielding didn't allow them to dominate at any stage. Ironically, the margin of victory for Australia was 18 runs- the same as scored in the last over by Steve Waugh.
This was a significant victory by Australia. Unexpected and against a much stronger team. This win perhaps laid the foundations of what Australia were to achieve in the next 20 years as a dominant force in world cricket. Steve Waugh with his is ice-cool bowling,purposeful batting,and tremendous assessment of match situation, became a favorite for many fans across the world. He was still neither a batsman nor a bowler, and the transformation of becoming one of the best batsmen of the modern era had yet to come,but he had won hearts. McDermott was the man of the match in the semi-final for his five-wicket haul, but the impact of Waugh remained unscalable.
Imran Khan at the age of 35, announced his retirement from cricket. It all seemed too early as he looked fresh for a few more years.
For Indian fans,it was a dual cause of celebration. Not only Pakistan had lost but both the West Indies and Pakistan were out of equation- the two teams which could trouble India. Regardless of England and Australia’s quality, India was very much confident of winning against the two. As a fledgling cricket fan for about four years, I was too hoping that India would having a cakewalk in the semifinal against England. Indian batting looked too strong although Dilip Vengsarkar was ruled out of the semifinal due to food poisoning.
This match is remembered for Graham Gooch’s marvelous century which swept India aside. Indian spinners, who were quite effective so far in the tournament, were repeatedly swept by Gooch and then by everyone else who came out to bat. England posted a competitive total, yet India seemed on course to reach their second successive World Cup final.However, once Sunil Gavaskar, playing in what would turn out to be his last international match, got out early, rest of the batting subsided and finally what I recall of the match is that Ravi Shastri batting with the last man,with plenty of overs to get the runs. However, Shastri chose to go big and skied an easy catch inside the 30-yard circle.
India thus, lost a golden chance to lift the World Cup.
I don't remember why but as Indian cricket fans we were cheering for Australia in the final and once again Steve Waugh, with his composure under pressure, delivered for Australia. First, he clean-bowled Allan Lamb,who was taking the match away from Australia and then finally by getting Philip de Freitas out, who threatened to win on his own in the last overs. The final also had the dramatic moment when, England, cruising with no apparent worries, lost Captain Mike Gatting to his ill-judged reverse sweep off the bowling of Allan Border.
The Indian captain, Kapil Dev, was much maligned for his aggressive stroke against daddy looking off spinner Eddie Hemmings in the semifinal. He was caught at the square leg boundary by Mike Gatting, who had an expression of relief as well as belief. In the hindsight, it may look like that a more measured approach would have been useful for India, but we tend to forget that the same approach by Kapil Dev had brought so many victories over the years. Besides, there is no yardstick against which the applicability of the stroke can be compared. India needed runs, asking rate was climbing and someone had to go after the bowling.
It was certain however, that a change in the captaincy was to happen. Since Dilip Vengsarkar was the vice-captain and the most successful batsman in the past years, it was obvious that he would take over as India's captain. Sunil Gavaskar had retired so he didn't have to face the dilemma of playing under Vengsarkar's captaincy.
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