Info Of 1992 Cricket World Cup
World Cup No. 5
Teams 9
Minnows Only Zimbabwe
Format This was the Cup that thought it was a league. All played all in a qualifying round that went on for ever. It was fair, but about as exciting as the Nullarbor Plain. The good news was that South Africa joined in for the first time, following the end of apartheid.
Innovations Four big ones ... 1) Coloured clothing, with names on the back. 2) Floodlights for most of the 36 games. 3) The white ball: in fact two of them, one at each end (so they didn't get too grubby), which meant they swung prodigiously. 4) The fielding circle rules were refined, allowing only two men outside the ring in the first 15 overs. After that, it was as before: a minimum of four inside the circle. Result: the birth of the pinch-hitter. Ian Botham did the job for England, with mixed results.
Early running Australia, the holders and hosts, were such hot favourites that the pressure got to them. They lost the opening game, in New Zealand (Martin Crowe 100*), and then faced England at Sydney. Botham sniffed the chance to trample the Aussies into the dirt for one last time, took 4 for 31 and then made 53 not out as England won by eight wickets. Pakistan started dreadfully, losing to West Indies by 10 wickets, and would have gone out if rain had not saved them at Adelaide after England bowled them out for 74. England and New Zealand were the best teams for a long time, but both had peaked too soon. Imran Khan famously told his team: "Listen, just be as if you were a cornered tiger," and they moved into top gear.
The semis What's the Afrikaans for "We wuz robbed"? South Africa, playing England, needed 22 off 13 balls when it rained. By the time it stopped, they needed 21 off one ball. However, Kepler Wessels had chosen to bat second, and South Africa had bowled terribly slowly. NZ's brave run came to an end as Pakistan successfully chased 262, with the unknown Inzamam-ul-Haq thumping 60 off 37 balls.
The final Pakistan were on fire, and England were not. Derek Pringle (3 for 22) removed the openers, but Imran Khan and Javed Miandad (44 and 57* in the semi) made 72 and 58 as Pakistan recovered to 249 for 6. England were soon 69 for 4 (Botham 0), and when Neil Fairbrother (62) and Allan Lamb (31) launched a recovery, Wasim Akram snuffed it out, bowling Lamb and Chris Lewis with consecutive beauties. Pakistan won by 22 runs.
Last hurrah A whole herd of giants headed into the sunset. Imran never played again, Botham managed one last injury-ravaged summer, and it was also the last World Cup for Gooch, Border, Lamb, Des Haynes ...
First hurrah Haynes's opening partner was a young thruster named Lara. Mushtaq Ahmed shone for Pakistan, and Jonty Rhodes became the first superstar fielder.
Not to be forgotten Crowe opened NZ's bowling with Dipak Patel's offspin. When England met India at Perth, Botham faced Sachin Tendulkar for the only time in an international: a fascinating little duel ended with Tendulkar caught behind for 35.
Info Of 1987 Cricket World Cup
World Cup No. 4
Teams 8
Minnows Zimbabwe
Format As in 1983 but, due to the shorter daylight hours on the subcontinent, games were 50 over's per innings, not 60. There was an attempt to cheer up disappointed crowds by staging a third-place play-off between Pakistan and India, but the star players demanded too much cash.
Innovations The first World Cup to be held away from England was also the first to feature neutral umpires.
Early running India beat Australia to the top of Group A on superior run-rate, despite losing to them by one run in the closest match of the tournament. Zimbabwe didn’t disgrace themselves, but still lost every match and gave New Zealand (without the unavailable Hadlee) their only victory. In Group B Pakistan Cruised through, but England (without the uninterested Gower and Botham) only qualified after a bit of scramble. West Indies failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time, despite their 191-run annihilation of Sri Lanka.
The Semis The hometown script started to go wrong. On a dodgy Bombay pitch, Gooch spent most of his time down on one knee as he and Getting swept up 117 in 19 over's. The resulting 254 was too much even for India’s talented batting line-up. Meanwhile Border’s bous, fired up by Zaheer Abbas calling them a bunch of club cricketers, outplayed glamorous Pakistan at Lahore. Despite a searching spell from Imran (3 for 36) , Australia eventually reached 267 as Steve Waugh hit 18 from the final over. In reply Pakistan were in the mire at 38 for 3. Imran and Miandad hinted at revival but but, after their departure, Pakistan just didn’t have the firepower. Australia did, and McDermott finished with 5 for 54, the best figure of the tournament.
The final We didn’t know it all the time, but this was the start of Australia’s march to world domination. They won the toss and, as most team had done throughout the tournament, chose to bat first. In the days before pinch-hitters, Marsh and Boon’s 52 in the first ten over's constituted a flyer, and the runs kept flowing as Boon top-scored with 75. But with Getting in command, their 253 seemed very gettable, until the captain felt the need to reverse-sweep Border’s first ball; it took the top edge, bounced of his shoulder, and was snapped up by Greg Dyer behind the stumps. England were struggling from then, and through Lamb shepherded the tail well and DeFreitas biffed the ball around, 17 from Craig McDrermott’s final over was practically impossible.
Last Hurrah Gavaskar, having hit his first and only ODI ton against NZ, and averaged 50 in the tournament, made his last International appearance. Fittingly, it was at Bombay, his home ground. Imran announced the first of his many retirements – but went on to win 1992. Viv Richards, playing in his fourth World Cup, bit an apt edieu with a tournament- record 181 against Sri Lanka.
First Hurrah Sidhu and Moody made their ODI debuts in the same match: Sidhu finished the tournament averaging 55, Moody just 5. Phill Simmons made a couple of fifties and a sparkling 89 against Sri Lanka.
Info Of 1983 Cricket World Cup
World Cup No. 3
Teams 8
Minnows Zimbabwe
Format two groups of four, as in 1979; though, each teab played the others in its group twice, not once, to determine the four semi-finalists. As a ploy to reduce the chance of elimination by the weayher, it was a good one, even if June was not wet and only three of the 27 games went into a reserve day anyway. For the first time, non-test ground were used.
Innovations umpires were told to apply a stricter interperation of wides and bouncers. The result? More than twice as many wides per match as in 1979 (9.59 to 4.64). A fielding circle (actually an oval) was introduced,30 yards away from the stumps. Four feildsmen needed to be inside it at all times.
Early Running England dominated Group A, beating Pakistn and Sri Lanka twice each. And New Zealand once. They were followed into the Semis by Pakistan, who squeezed through by scoring 0.08 more runs per over than the Kiwis. In Group B, West Indies and India disposed of a disappointing Australian side and newcomers Zimbabwe. The performance of the round came from Winston Davis of West Indies. Who demolished the Aussies at Headingley with a Cuo-record 7 for 51.
The Semis India’s dark horses had been creeping up on the rails all tournament, and now they cantered unfussily past a below –par England. Yashpal Sharma and Sandeep Patil made light of a pitgh which had undermined England’s baysmen, and hit crashing fifties in a six-wicket win. West Indies strutted on , brushing aside Pakistan by eight wickets with more than 11 overs to go. They were helped by a display of Test-match patience from Pakistan’s opener, Mohsin Khan, who scratched his way to an apologetic 70 off 176 balls. A lone boundary punctuated his 43 singles, and his team-mates succumbed to attempts to up the tempo at the other end.
The Final In Advance it looked like an Anticlimax. It would surely be another big day of West Indies cricket, and no more than a big day out for the Indians. When India were strangled for 183, and Richards led West Indies to 50 for 1 in reply, Caribbean celebrations began. But the Madan Lal and Mohinder Amarnath – who finished their carriers with a combine total of103 wickets from 108 tests – wobbled the ball around, and somehow took three wickets each to dismiss a disbelieving West Indies for 140. Upsets don’t come much bigger.
Last Hurrah It was an unhappy Farewell for Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Rodney Marsh. Finalists in 1975, but also rans in 83, They retired from international cricket a few months later. New Zealand’s batting bedrock, Glenn Turner, late his last game for his Country, and Bob Willi’s creaking Limbs didn’t hold out much longer. It was Clive Lloyd’s final World Cup too – There may never be a better chance to win three tournaments in a row.
First Hurrah NZ’s Martin Crowe, aged 20, announced himself on the World Cup with 97 in the tournament opener against England. There was a limited - overs debut for Abdul Qadir, in which the bamboozled NZ to the tone of 4 to 21, only to improve with 5 for 44 against Sri Lanka. For once he received a Pasting from England (0 for 104 in two games).
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