The 1987 World Cup final, in Calcutta, Australia made 253 for 5. England captain Mike Gatting was looking good on 41 when he attempted to reverse sweep Allan Border off his first ball in a moment that changed the course of the 1987 final.
GREATEST CWC MOMENT - 41 DAYS TO GO
Background
England and Australia were both surprise qualifiers for the 1987 World Cup final, the teams they beat in the semi-finals, India and Pakistan respectively, the favourites to play the big match in what was a home tournament for them.
In the final, Neil Foster, Eddie Hemmings and John Emburey combined to keep Australia down to 253 for 5 despite David Boon’s 75 and a late cameo from Mike Veletta, who scored 45 in 31 balls. The England reply was going along swimmingly, with Gooch and Athey providing a steady start after Tim Robinson’s dismissal, and Mike Gatting walking in to step up the scoring rate. Together, Athey and Gatting put together 69 runs before Gatting attempted the same stroke he had gotten out to in the semi-final – the exciting new innovation: the reverse sweep.
The Moment
In the semi-final against India, Gooch has scored a wonderful 115 to help England reach a match-winning 254/6. Gatting, in great form, had contributed 56 in 62 balls to the total before throwing his wicket away attempting a reverse sweep. Maninder Singh, the left-arm spinner, had pitched on leg-stump, and Gatting had reverse swept the ball on to his stumps.
In the final, Gatting wanted one more shot at getting it right – this time, with England on the verge of reaching a winning position, Gatting top-edged the delivery off Border, also a left-arm spinner, on to his shoulder and then to the waiting hands of Greg Dyer behind the stumps.
The captain, gone for 41 off 45 balls. A shot, as Wisden called it then, “too crass to contemplate”, and with Allan Lamb the only frontline batsman left, the initiative had been handed to Australia.
What happened next
Gatting fell with the total on 135, and Steve Waugh and Border got their teeth into the middle order –Lamb scored 45 – before England lost its way completely. It was game and set for Australia when Gatting fell, and then it was match over with the total somehow reaching 246 for 8 after 50 overs, the gap of seven runs good enough for Australia to win its first – of four – World Cups.
England and Australia were both surprise qualifiers for the 1987 World Cup final, the teams they beat in the semi-finals, India and Pakistan respectively, the favourites to play the big match in what was a home tournament for them.
In the final, Neil Foster, Eddie Hemmings and John Emburey combined to keep Australia down to 253 for 5 despite David Boon’s 75 and a late cameo from Mike Veletta, who scored 45 in 31 balls. The England reply was going along swimmingly, with Gooch and Athey providing a steady start after Tim Robinson’s dismissal, and Mike Gatting walking in to step up the scoring rate. Together, Athey and Gatting put together 69 runs before Gatting attempted the same stroke he had gotten out to in the semi-final – the exciting new innovation: the reverse sweep.
The Moment
In the semi-final against India, Gooch has scored a wonderful 115 to help England reach a match-winning 254/6. Gatting, in great form, had contributed 56 in 62 balls to the total before throwing his wicket away attempting a reverse sweep. Maninder Singh, the left-arm spinner, had pitched on leg-stump, and Gatting had reverse swept the ball on to his stumps.
In the final, Gatting wanted one more shot at getting it right – this time, with England on the verge of reaching a winning position, Gatting top-edged the delivery off Border, also a left-arm spinner, on to his shoulder and then to the waiting hands of Greg Dyer behind the stumps.
“England, 135 for two after 31 overs, and with Australia beginning to show signs of disarray in the field, were then almost on target. But in a moment too crass to contemplate, Gatting handed back the initiative. To Border's first ball, bowled on the line of his leg stump, the England captain attempted to play a reverse sweep. Having in the semi-final swept the ball on to his leg stump, he now contrived to hit it on to his shoulder, whence it looped into Dyer's gloves. The Australians' joy was unconcealed.”
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack.
The captain, gone for 41 off 45 balls. A shot, as Wisden called it then, “too crass to contemplate”, and with Allan Lamb the only frontline batsman left, the initiative had been handed to Australia.
What happened next
Gatting fell with the total on 135, and Steve Waugh and Border got their teeth into the middle order –Lamb scored 45 – before England lost its way completely. It was game and set for Australia when Gatting fell, and then it was match over with the total somehow reaching 246 for 8 after 50 overs, the gap of seven runs good enough for Australia to win its first – of four – World Cups.
http://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup/greatest-100-moments/101/gattings-infamous-reverse-sweep-costs-england-in-87“The 1987 final between old enemies England and Australia remains one of the most infamous in English cricket history, not least because of the misjudged reverse sweep shot played by Mike Gatting, which saw England’s captain caught and kick-started a batting collapse that ended the side’s hopes of attaining their 254-run target
No comments:
Post a Comment