Advertisement

On a slightly overcast day in London’s Lord's Cricket Ground, a story was brewing in the middle. Clinical performances with the bat and ball had helped the Australian cricket team get past the Pakistanis and win their second World Cup title. Shane Warne was the star with the ball picking up four wickets, while Adam Gilchrist had scored a quickfire half-century to ensure his side got over the line with eight wickets in hand, in what is remembered as one of the most one-sided finals.

Most of the Pakistani stalwarts like Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq had no answers to the Australian bowling attack. Ahmed was the top-scorer for the Asian side with 22 runs, as they were bowled out for just 132 runs. Defending that meagre total, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar were clueless against the Gilchrist counter-attack which helped his side complete the chase in just 21 overs.

The win culminated a good tournament for the 1987 World Champions, as they beat the likes of India, West Indies, Bangladesh before winning the final against Pakistan. They even played out a very exciting semi-final against South Africa, where the game was tied but the Aussies got through because they lost fewer wickets.

The outcome of that resounding victory, though, resonated through the land Down Under, as it began a decade of Australian domination on the gentleman’s game. They went on to win two more World Cups on the trot with the core of that 1999 team becoming national heroes in Australia. The likes of Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Gilchrist and Warne were the superstars of the cricketing fraternity in the years that followed.

Feature image courtesy: AFP Photo/ Martin Hayhow

Advertisement