The format was different too. Nine teams, including Zimbabwe who had just played their first Test match, were clubbed in one group and played one another once in the league.

India’s Agonising Outing

India had a World Cup to forget. They went down to England in their first match, failing to reach the moderate 236-run target, which came thanks to a 91 from Robin Smith and 51 runs from Graham Gooch.
India’s reply began well with a 63-run opening stand between Ravi Shastri (57) and Krishnamachari Srikkanth (39) but then the wheel came off. Sachin Tendulkar scored 25 and Subroto Banerjee scored a valiant 25 not out off 16 deliveries but the lower-order just did not have enough steam to get through as India lost by nine runs.

Worse was to come as India lost to Australia by just one run in a tantalising rain-affected match.

After their second game was rained out, costing India a likely win against Sri Lanka, the next game saw them face Australia at Brisbane and it went down to the wire.

After Australia were restricted to 237/9 after some fine seam-up bowling from Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar, India fell short of the revised target by one run when Javagal Srinath’s long aerial shot was dropped by Steve Waugh at the fence but he recovered to throw the ball into fins last man Venkatapathy Raju short of his crease. India ended at 234 off 47 overs.

India beat Pakistan, defending a low score, and then went past Zimbabwe to keep their hopes alive, but went down to the West Indies, New Zealand, and then South Africa and their race was run.

Pakistan’s Roller Coaster Ride

Pakistan, at one stage, were almost out of the tournament. They lost three of their first five matches and only a rained-out contest against England gave them their third point, which would be crucial in the final summation.

Pakistan were 74 all out against England, who were 24/1 when the match stopped and never restarted.
Worst, Pakistan lost to India, which is always a big game. India scored only 216, thanks to a 54 not out from Tendulkar and 46 runs from Ajay Jadeja, and a late-order flurry from Kapil Dev who got 35 runs off 26 deliveries. Leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed claimed three wickets.

But Pakistan collapsed in a heap to end at 173. Only opener Aamer Sohail (62) and Javed Miandad 40 were in the race as the medium-pacers Kapil Dev, Prabhakar, and Srinath claimed two wickets apiece, while Tendulkar got the important wicket of Sohail.

Pakistan’s next match was a loss to South Africa and they were staring at elimination at this stage. But then things turned.

They beat Australia convincingly, then beat Sri Lanka and New Zealand to end up with nine points from the league, that one point in the rained-out match with England getting them ahead of Australia’s tally of eight.

They never looked back. Inzamam-ul Haq played a leading role as Pakistan beat New Zealand in the semi-final to set up a final clash with England.

Skipper Imran Khan scored 72 and Javed Miandad 58 as they scored 249/6. Contributions also came from Inzamam (42) and Wasim Akram (33).

Then the fiery display of fast bowling from Akram set the Melbourne Cricket Ground ablaze. He dismissed Ian Botham for a duck and then returned to remove Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis of successive deliveries, in one of the finest bowling displays of any final and England had no answers. Neil Fairbrother scored 62 and Lamb 31 but even though their tail wagged to some extent, Mushtaq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed also claimed wickets and Pakistan emerged winners by 22 runs.

The post World Cup 1992: Pakistan Rise From The Ashes To Claim Maiden Title appeared first on Cricket Country.

Akhtar asked, “In which year did Pakistan win the 1992 World Cup?”. Out of two one of the guests were clueless, while other one started giggling. Akhtar repeated the question and asked again but the guest still was confused and could not understand what the answer was.

She tried to take help of the other guess, who then told her the answer was 1992, Akhtar changed the question and asked, “In which year did Pakistan win the 2009 World Cup.” The guest immediately answered “1992” and took a few seconds before realizing the question had been changed.

Here is a short clip of the incident: 

pic.twitter.com/OXdAQTFDsH

— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) February 15, 2023

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— Ch Zaheer Ahmed Gondal (@chzaheerahmed) February 15, 2023

Shoaib Akhtar did this gently ??? pic.twitter.com/s7oW4dkcYJ

— Waqas J Butt ? (@WaqasJbutt) February 15, 2023

The Shoaib Akhtar Show Starting from 17th February 2023 only on @urduflix1@wbhemanipk

#ShoaibAkhtar #EmaxTv
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— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) February 11, 2023

Shoaib akhter destroyed Nida Yasir lol #shoaibakhtar #nidayasir #BabarAzam? #naseemshah pic.twitter.com/1VKAgYRTUC

— Diyya ? (@callmediyaa) February 15, 2023

Pakistan won the 2009 World T20 by defeating Sri Lanka in the final under Younis Khan’s captaincy.

The post Pakistan Ne 1992 Ka World Cup Kis Year Mein Jeeta Tha? Reply By Guest On Shoaib Akhtar’s Show Goes Viral appeared first on Cricket Country.

South Africa made their international comeback with a One-Day International (ODI) series consisting of three matches in 1991-92. They became a last-minute inclusion in World Cup cricket, but despite having played six World Cups together, they have faced each other only thrice. All three matches in World Cup cricket have been in the first round; India have batted first in all three; South Africa have won all three; and Sachin Tendulkar has played in all three.

Live Scorecard: India vs South Africa

Catch the Live Blog: India vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Live Streaming: India vs South Africa ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE

India and South Africa played their respective last league match of World Cup Cricket 1992 against each other. The match at Adelaide Oval was a rain-curtailed one in which India scored 180 for six from 30 overs thanks to some breathtaking strokeplay from Mohammad Azharuddin and Kapil Dev. For South Africa, Andrew Hudson and Peter Kirsten put up 128 for the opening stand, and South Africa won by six wickets with five balls to spare. Click Here for India vs South Africa, World Cup 1992

The teams met next in their opening match for both sides — at Hove. In a match remembered more for the earpieces used by Bob Woolmer and Hansie Cronje to communicate between themselves, India put up 253 for five, but a calm Jacques Kallis, a busy Jonty Rhodes, and a savage Lance Klusener saw South Africa home. They won by four wickets with 16 balls in hand. Click Here for India vs South Africa, World Cup 1999

At 267 for one in the 40th over at Nagpur in 2011 it seemed India would put up a gargantuan total. Virender Sehwag was outrageous and Gautam Gambhir smart, and Sachin Tendulkar essayed a masterpiece of a hundred. Unfortunately, it all went in vain due to some unimaginative batting and Dale Steyn’s fifer. The chase was a tense one, and despite fifties from Hashim Amla, Kallis, and AB de Villiers, South Africa needed 13 from Ashish Nehra’s last over. Robin Peterson then came to the party, finishing things off in four balls with two balls in hand. Click Here for India vs South Africa, World Cup 2011

The post India vs South Africa, ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Past matches — 1992, 1999, and 2011 appeared first on Cricket Country.

March 15, 1992. South Africa, making their first World Cup cricket appearance, requiring to beat India at Adelaide Oval in the last league match for both sides, won comfortably thanks to an emphatic opening stand between Andrew Hudson and Peter Kirsten. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at the first World Cup cricket between India and South Africa.

AFTER 23 YEARS IN THE CELLAR, IT’S BETTER THAN EVER. Thus ran a banner on the picturesque Adelaide Oval immediately after Hansie Cronje hit Manoj Prabhakar for four to put South Africa to the semi-final in Benson & Hedges World Cup cricket 1992. It was their first appearance in the cricket World Cup, and it had not been six months since their readmission to international cricket after two decades’ worth of exile.

With two wins (and a rain-washed match) from seven matches, India were ruled out of the tournament. A win at Adelaide Oval, on the other hand, would ensure South Africa a spot in the top four. India had nothing to play for but pride, and they did not exactly embarrass themselves on their final outing of the tournament. In other words, South Africa were charged up to go into the match; India, having played a full season in Australia (with 5 Tests and a triangular series), were probably more keen on returning home than anything else.

A run-a-ball target

Thanks to heavy rain, the match was reduced to 30 overs a side. India left out Subroto Banerjee and an injured Ajay Jadeja to bring in Vinod Kambli and Pravin Amre. When Kepler Wessels put India in, Sanjay Manjrekar walked out with Krishnamachari Srikkanth. While Srikkanth had opened in all eight matches India played in the tournament, Manjrekar was his fourth partner — after Ravi Shastri, Kapil Dev, and Jadeja.

It did not take Allan Donald long to strike: Srikkanth smashed the fifth ball he faced to cover; it seemed to be racing to the fence when Peter Kirsten put his left arm out and came up with an astonishing catch. It was Srikkanth’s third duck in a tournament he ended with 117 runs from 8 innings and a highest score of 40.

Out walked Mohammad Azharuddin, and immediately took to the bowling. Manjrekar, not the swiftest of runners, got bogged down at the other end (writing for The Indian Express, Suresh Menon called him “correct but unproductive”), but Azhar kept going. Adrian Kuiper came along to bowl both Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar, and India looked all at sea at 103 for 3.

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Though Kambli and Amre were both waiting at the pavilion, Azhar promoted Kapil to five. Between them they put up 71 from 48 balls in the unlikeliest orchestra possible: while Azhar’s steely wrists caressed the ball to every part of the ground with nonchalant ease, Kapil clobbered the bowlers brutally. “The Indians were committed to an orgy of hitting,” Menon later wrote.

Kapil was eventually bowled by Donald for a violent 29-ball 42, while Azhar, going for the big slogs in the final over, fell for a 77-ball 79. India finished on 180 for 6 from 30 overs — a competitive score given the era.

Hudson and Kirsten come to party

Unlike Azhar and Kapil, Andrew Hudson and Peter Kirsten relied mostly on sharp singles and twos. Boundaries came square of the wicket whenever anything was pitched short, but the firm pushes down the ground off Kapil and Prabhakar kept the scoreboard ticking.

While Javagal Srinath went for 19 off his first two overs, it was Tendulkar who stemmed the flow of runs somewhat. Hudson had a close call when on 34: Tendulkar, bowling to Hudson, dived to pick up the ball and threw down the stumps at the striker’s end; though Hudson’s bat was in air (replays showed he was out), Khizer Hayat thought otherwise.

The pair added 128 before Hudson moved outside leg, tried to play Srinath inside-out, and was bowled. Kuiper hit a four; Azhar threw the ball to Kapil for the 26th over, but following a long conference he decided to bring Srinath on. Srinath hit Kuiper’s pads shortly afterwards (once again replays showed it was out), but the batsman was saved. Fortunately for India, Kuiper attempted a run off the ball, and Srinath ran him out. South Africa still needed 32.

Wessels held himself back and promoted the belligerent Jonty Rhodes. Kirsten lashed out and Kapil and was bowled, but Wessels walked out, taking the target to 24 from 18 balls. As Prabhakar came on to bowl, Rhodes hoicked him out of the ground, but was caught by Venkatapathy Raju in the same over.

Kapil bowled the penultimate over, but could not stop Wessels or Cronje from scoring runs. He sent down a full-toss that Wessels hit for four, leaving South Africa to score 4 from the final over. Cronje finished things off with a four off Prabhakar’s first ball. It was a perfectly paced chase: the openers scored 53 (Hudson) and 84 (Kirsten), while the next four men played their shots, managing 31 from 21 balls to secure the victory.

A side issue

While the points suggested South Africa were through to the semi-final, there was a catch: the constitutional reform was to be passed shortly afterwards, and Geoff Dakin, President of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, said that they would be “obliged to withdraw if the all-white referendum two days later rejected constitutional reform”.

Thankfully, common sense prevailed, and both Pakistan and West Indies insisted South Africa remained. The “decisive vote for reform” made the matter academic, and South Africa went through to the semi-final.

What followed?

– Kapil never played another World Cup match.

– South Africa crashed out of the World Cup following a defeat against England in the semi-final.

Brief scores:

India 180 for 6 in 30 overs (Mohammad Azharuddin 79, Kapil Dev 42) lost to South Africa 181 for 4 in 29.1 overs (Andrew Hudson 53, Peter Kirsten 84) by 6 wickets with 5 balls to spare.

Man of the Match: Peter Kirsten.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

The post World Cup 1992: South Africa beat India to clinch semi-final berth appeared first on Cricket Country.

February 23, 1992. The fourth match of World Cup cricket 1992 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) had a bizarre outcome. Neither Pakistan nor West Indies seemed to be in a hurry, and the teams, between them, scored at a sluggish 4.55 runs an over. Abhishek Mukherjee looks back at an ODI that witnessed only two dismissals, but yet reached a result.

Of the three teams that had competed in the Benson & Hedges World Series Cup earlier that Australian summer, West Indies had come third — after Australia, and even India. West Indies were certainly not favourites going into World Cup 1992. Pakistan, on the other hand, won the Wills Trophy in Sharjah and the ODI series against Sri Lanka at home, but they lost the ODI series against West Indies, also at home.

Just before they match Pakistan received a major blow as Imran Khan, their captain, was ruled out of the contest with a shoulder injury. Iqbal Sikander, a leg-break bowler, and Wasim Haider, a fast-medium bowler, made their debuts in the match. In a month’s time they would write their names in the history of Pakistan cricket as their first world champions, but that is another story.

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Led by Javed Miandad, Pakistan still had a competent side. They two fine young fast bowlers in Wasim Akram and Aaqib Javed, maturing batsmen in Rameez Raja and Saleem Malik, and an exciting young batsman called Inzamam-ul-Haq in their line-up.

West Indies had an outstanding youngster as well — one that went by the name of Brian Lara. With Richie Richardson at the helm and Desmond Haynes at the top and with Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose to share the new ball, the Calypso Kings, despite their recent failure, were no pushovers.

Caribbean stranglehold

Marshall started proceedings, and there was not a lot of excitement as he and Ambrose bowled tightly, not letting Rameez or Aamer Sohail get away. Rameez flicked Marshall through mid-wicket for the first boundary of the match, but Pakistan reached a mere 27 from 11 overs: neither Rameez (14 from 39) nor Sohail (6 from 28) had done much beyond surviving.

A frustrated Sohail soon hit one back at Ambrose, who could not hold on to the catch with his right hand. However, it was hit so hard that by the time Richardson could retrieve it from the ropes, Sohail and Rameez had run a comfortable four. Energised, Sohail flashed hard at Marshall for another four.

The 15th over saw Sohail survive a tightly run two as he just beat the throw. He went after the next ball from Winston Benjamin, trying to loft it over cover; unfortunately, the ball gathered more altitude than distance, and Gus Logie, one of the finest fielders on the ground that day, took the easiest of catches.

Rameez ambled along with young Inzamam for company. With the score going nowhere, Inzamam, perhaps out of exasperation, hit a flat one from Roger Harper straight to Carl Hooper at mid-wicket. The score read 97 for 2 in the 30th over, and it was evident that it would need a special effort to get Pakistan to a respectable total.

But then, Javed Miandad was a special person. The very sight of the stand-in captain walking out with that trademark nothing-is-wrong-with-the-world smile lifted the spirit of many a Pakistan fan.

Rameez and Javed lift Pakistan

Scoring off Hooper and Harper was not easy. Richardson got them to bowl 13 overs in tandem, and they bowl so quickly that the 40-over mark approached before most realised. Pakistan reached 118 for 2 in 36 overs; Rameez slashed the first ball of Marshall’s next over and edged it for four; his fifty had taken him 116 balls.

Pakistan reached 139 for 2 in 40 overs; which was when Miandad decided to cut loose. West Indies did not field well, and Miandad was certainly not one to let go of such lapses. He ran like a maniac, cut and pulled with glee, and with no signs of pressure showing (as was typical with the legend) he went on scoring.

Rameez went after the balls as well, and the 46th over (bowled by Marshall) went for 15. Miandad took a special liking to Marshall, shuffling across the stumps and leg-glancing him for four in the 49th over. A single off the next ball brought up his fifty — from 56 balls. Rameez flicked Ambrose for two to bring up his hundred — off 157 balls, perhaps in about 20 balls more than what it should have been — in the final over.

Despite the sluggish start, Pakistan finished on 220 for 2. It was not a match-winning score, but certainly a competitive one. Rameez (102 from 158) and Miandad (57 from 61) added 123 for the unbroken third wicket, taking 81 from the last 10 overs.

A prince announces himself

The umpires — Steve Randell and Ian Robinson — were confused. Hooper and Harper had bowled their overs so quickly that despite having Marshall, Ambrose, and Benjamin in the line-up, West Indies had managed to bowl their 50 overs half an hour before the stipulated time. Of course, only 12 boundaries and 2 wickets contributed to the over rate as well.

Wasim began in style, running one through Haynes’ defence in the first over as the ball thudded into the big gloves of Moin Khan. Lara took charge at the other end, flicking Aaqib to the mid-wicket fence twice — once off the front foot, the other off the back — sending the ubiquitous seagulls helter-skelter.

Then Lara took wings: poor Haider was dismissed through cover with nonchalant ease; Miandad had a gully and a point, but Lara bisected them off Haider for four more; a short-arm pull beat mid-wicket. The high back-lift, the lithe footwork, the smooth caresses that sent the balls race to the fence at deceptively quick pace — they all indicated the arrival of a genius at the biggest stage of them all.

Miandad, veteran of many a battle, knew they had to go out flat out for a wicket, but he simply did not have the firepower. The exciting Waqar Younis had already been ruled out of the World Cup. With Imran also missing, the attack became too dependent on Wasim and Aaqib. The inexperience of Haider and Sikander showed, and as back-up bowlers, neither Sohail nor Ijaz Ahmed looked impressive.

Miandad later said in the post-match press conference: “We had two main bowlers [Wasim and Aaqib] and you can’t expect to win the game with bowling like that playing against the best team with the best batsmen.” While he was spot on, at least partially, he made a prediction: West Indies were certainly among the favourites to lift the World Cup.

Moin dropped Haynes off Sohail (the ball took the edge and bounced off Moin’s pad), and with it, Pakistan lost their only opportunity to come back into the match. Haynes leg-glanced the next ball for four; West Indies brought up their 100 in the 23rd over; and shortly afterwards Lara flicked Sikander to bring up his fifty.

The Sohail drop and the Wasim scorcher

If one creates a top-ten list of catches dropped, the one Sohail dropped to give Haynes a life would probably make it — at least in the post-1990 era. Sohail, bowling to a packed off-side field, sent down a long-hop outside off. Haynes, trying to flick it from outside off, top-edged; the ball ballooned in the air, soaring above Sohail’s head; Sohail had the ball in his grip, and then — by some inexplicable miracle — grassed it. It was a drop so ridiculous that Haynes drew an imaginary cross on his chest after it happened.

Lara, meanwhile, was in his zone. When Sikander tossed one up, he stepped out in the most charismatic of dance moves, the back-lift high; he converted the ball to a full-toss, went with the flow; there was not an iota of crudeness in the journey from the back-lift to the follow-through. The ball reached the MCG fence on the bounce.

Sohail tried to contain Lara using a leg-trap, but Lara kept on finding the gap. Miandad got back Wasim, but Lara came down hard, pulling him to the square-leg fence. Another disdainful cover-drive fetched an all-run four. West Indies were cruising.

But then — the bowler in question was Wasim Akram, no less: a brute of a yorker (was there a hint of very late swing?) crashed into Lara’s right boot. Wasim appealed, Robinson turned it down, but the damage had already been done: Lara was injured enough to not continue his 101-ball 88 any further, and had to walk off. The score read 175 in the 37th over.

Seniors finish it off

Haynes and Richardson were in no mood to give Pakistan a chance to get back into the match. Haynes opened up following Lara’s departure, playing a gorgeous cover-drive for four, and leg-glancing Wasim for four more. He brought up West Indies’ 200 in the 44th over with another booming cover-drive off Aaqib.

Richardson joined in the fun, driving Aaqib through wide long-on for four and unleashing the famous bottom-handed swipe past deep mid-wicket for three. Then, with 19 balls to go and two to make, Aaqib bowled two consecutive bouncers. Unfortunately, both were too high and were called no-balls, which sealed the match in West Indies’ favour.

What followed?

-Pakistan won the World Cup, while West Indies did not make it to the semi-final.

-Haider (economy rate 4.15) and Sikander (4.20) played 7 matches between them in the World Cup. They claimed only 5 wickets between them, but did excellent containing jobs whenever they got opportunities. Surprisingly, despite being World Champions and doing competent jobs, neither played any more international cricket.

-No subsequent ODI has come even remotely close to be decided for a loss of two wickets. The next best, for decided matches that lasted for 90 overs or more, is 6 wickets:

Brief scores:

Pakistan 220 for 2 in 50 overs (Rameez Raja 102*, Javed Miandad 57*) lost to West Indies 221 for no loss in 46.5 overs (Desmond Haynes 93*, Brian Lara 88 retired hurt) by 10 wickets with 19 balls to spare.

Man of the Match: Brian Lara.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

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March 2, 1992. The South African and the Sri Lankans both wanted the cricket world to accept them as a force to reckon with. And at Basin Reserve that ensured a cracker of a match. Arunabha Sengupta remembers the day the unfancied Sri Lankan batting stood up to the might of the South African bowlers.

A lot to play for

A nation back in the fold after 22 years, eager to prove that time and isolation had done nothing to douse the fire in their game. The other, slowly but surely finding their feet in the world scene, keen to shed their tag of minnows.

The two met under the picturesque Mount Victoria and Mount Cook, as relaxed spectators reclined on the grass banks on the eastern side. It was, however, not a game to be enjoyed while basking leisurely in the idyllic sun trap. It was to be lapped up while perched at the edge of the seat with knuckles cracked to the limit and nails gnawed to the quick.

South Africa exuded quiet confidence. They had started brilliantly by humiliating defending champions Australia by nine wickets. President FW de Klerk had rung up the Afrikaanse skipper Kepler Wessels to convey his congratulations. The fax number of the team hotel had been shared with the public and laudatory messages had poured in.

Following this, they had been unsettled by the slow New Zealand wickets and the path-breaking strategy of the Kiwis, and been defeated by seven wickets. The fax machine had spit out missives dripping with filthy abuse from back home.

The situation in the Rainbow Nation was in an upheaval. The referendum for ending apartheid was due to be held on March 17, in another 15 days. It was the time of a new dawn, a new era, and it was reflected in the team selection. That day in Wellington, Omar Henry became the first non-white cricketer to play international cricket for South Africa — barring the controversial caveat of Charlie Llewellyn during the turn of the twentieth century and Henry’s own appearances against the rebel teams in the mid-1980s.

Sri Lanka too had plenty of points to prove. Long treated as the also-rans of the cricket world, the side were taking the first steps of a journey that would end four years later with Arjuna Ranatunga lifting the trophy at Lahore. They were a team limited in their wares, especially the bowling department, but the spirit burned bright. And that early in the tournament they had not yet run out of steam as they would some days down the line.

The non-Test playing Zimbabwe had pummelled their attack to score 312 at New Plymouth, but the Sri Lankan batters had chased it down in the final over. The match with India had been severely curtailed and reduced to a 20-overs-a side encounter and then the elements had allowed only two balls to be bowled before the skies had opened again. The points had been shared but Sri Lanka, with several attractive strokeplayers in their ranks, had fancied their chances in the shortened game. With a decent start to the tournament, the team looked to continue riding the tide in their affairs.

Sluggish to the point of stagnant

It was captain Aravinda de Silva who won the toss and decided that if the wicket did anything it would be in the morning. The Zimbabwe match had shown that they excelled at chasing. So, South Africa batted.  Wessels walked out with Adrian Kuiper who had been pushed up the order at the expense of Andrew Hudson.

Progress was slow. The fluent Kuiper could not break away, and Wessels took more than his time. The Sri Lankan medium pacers came off the sluggish wicket at a dawdling, difficult clip. Kuiper hit across the line once too often and was castled by left-arm spinner Don Anurasiri. Peter Kirsten struck the ball well, and skipped down the track once to loft Anurasiri over long-off for six. But, de Silva cannily used his slow medium bowlers, including Asanka Gurusinha and Arjuna Ranatunga, and the fifty came up as late as the 19th over.

Kirsten did find the boundary on occasions, showing a wide range of strokes, and the rate improved to register the 100 in the 33rd over. However, Wessels had still not managed a boundary.

The bowling was disciplined, thoughtful and the ground fielding superb. Sanath Jayasuriya, his role in the side still undetermined, was a far cry from the explosive match-winner of the 1996 edition.  He did not bowl at all, and batted way down at number seven. But on the field he was a livewire, attacking the ball and bringing off impossible saves. The others, especially Roshan Mahanama, were not far behind.

The situation imploded for the Proteas at 114. It was the 36th over, and they desperately needed to get a move on. Kirsten came down the wicket to Ruwan Kalpage’s off-spin and his lofted drive sailed into the hands of long-off.

At the other end, Ranatunga was bowling a nagging spell of slow medium pace. With overs running out, Wessels tried to force the pace and ended up lobbing one straight back to the chubby bowler. It was just the start of the many contributions of Ranatunga in the match. The long 94-ball vigil of the Protean captain had amounted to a boundary-less 40.

Jonty Rhodes, in his characteristic busy manner, gathered some quick runs, but he was not helped at the other end. Debutant Mark Rushmere’s off-side push was incredibly held by a sprawling Jayasuriya at short cover. Hansie Cronje was stumped, falling over while attempting a slog sweep. The brief Rhodes cameo ended when he tried to lift Pramodya Wickramasinghe over cover and Jayasuriya leapt up at short cover, flung out his left hand and brought off his second spectacular catch. Richards Snell tried to improvise a bit too much and was bowled as he moved away to cut.

There was no final acceleration. The South African innings came to a stumbling end at a rather sedate 195, the last man Allan Donald run out off the final delivery.

The Donald strikes

The target was low, eminently gettable, but on those dicey surfaces dished out by Kiwiland, against a bowling attack brimming with class and quality, it could be a rather steep ask.

And as the Lankan innings began, it showed every indication of becoming an uphill struggle. Donald ran in with chapstick streaked across his face, fire burning in his eyes. Chandika Hathurusingha went neither back nor forward and managed to snick it to slip. Gurusinha was all at sea for three balls, and was struck plumb in front off the fourth. Skipper de Silva walked in at 12 for 2 and played a superb cover drive off Brian McMillan, but Donald yorked him with a deadly in-ducker. It was 35 for 3 in the 10th over, with a collapse looking very much on the cards.

At the other end Mahanama was looking composed, picking up a few boundaries fine on either side of the wicket. The man who joined him was Hashan Tillakaratne, born to repair the innings in such situations of crisis. The progress was slow, but further damage was averted. The dangerous Donald was seen off. For an hour and a quarter the two men batted with a lot of price on their wickets. The score inched along into the eighties. And then left-handed Tillakaratne tried to pull Henry with the spin over the deep midwicket. The ball did not go all the way, Rushmere threw up the catch.

The Roly-poly Rollicking Ranatunga

It was 87 for 4, in the 29th over, the match tantalisingly balanced, when Ranatunga’s stout form was seen walking towards the middle.

Mahanama was solid, safe, sometimes enjoying a stroke of luck. A slash over point went for four, a dab down to third man brought up his fifty. However, Ranatunga batted like a dream.

Donald charged in, determined to deliver the final blow. The ball was on the off-stump. And Ranatunga drove him square of the wicket for an impeccable boundary, stamping his authority on the proceedings. Another square drive rocketed away off Snell. The interim was spent in milking the bowling.

In the 42nd over the 150 was on the board. Ranatunga, his midsection starting to protrude visibly at this stage of his career, was into the 30s and starting to look dangerous. He celebrated the milestone by cutting Snell over gully for another boundary.

But, things changed again. McMillan cannily cramped Mahanama for room, and his compulsive dab went off a thin edge to Dave Richardson. A valuable contribution of 68 came to an end with the match still hanging by a thread.

Ranatunga countered by clipping Kuiper over square-leg for four and sweeping Kirsten fine for a couple. The Sri Lankans, with less than a run a ball required, astutely targeted the part-time bowlers for the bulk of their runs. However, in the process, Jayasuriya tried to sweep Kirsten from outside the off-stump, off a ball that could have been driven down the ground with ease. He missed, overbalanced, and Richardson whipped off the bails.

At 168 for six, Ranatunga was joined by Kalpage. And the stocky middle-order man knew what he needed to do. He punched to deep point, sprinted down the wicket, turned in a flash, took on the arm of Donald and scampered back. The rolls of adipose could be deceptive; Ranatunga could be quick when required.

A single to short fine leg brought up a gem of a half-century. But 22 were still required from 20 balls.

In the next over Donald charged in, and Ranatunga slashed hard. The ball went fine and thudded in to the third-man fence. Balance shifted a wee bit to the Lankan side.

At the other end, Kalpage was doing his best to rotate the strike. The runs required and balls remaining ran neck and neck till the very death. Finally Donald stood with the ball at 189 for 6 at the start of the last over. 7 runs were required off the 6 thunderbolts that were yet to come. Ranatunga eyed the field with his bat raised in his hand, keenly observing the position of the men.

The first ball was outside the off-stump, Ranatunga’s bat swished at it and missed. Richardson pouched the ball, took a couple of steps forward and his eyes fell upon Kalpage tearing down the wicket for some unknown reason. Ranatunga stood rooted to his crease, a look of disbelief on his face and turned his back on his partner. The wicketkeeper lobbed the throw and the bails were removed. Kalpage walked back, needlessly withdrawing the support he had so far rendered so admirably.

7 to win, 5 balls to go, Champaka Ramanayake trudged gingerly to the non-striker’s end. In ran Donald again, pitching it up on the middle-stump. Ranatunga stepped across with his front foot; his bat came down in a straight arc and hoisted the ball over mid-wicket where the boundary stood inviting and unguarded. The nearest man was behind square and the ball won the race uncontested. The balance was back with the batsmen.

3 to win from 4 balls. Wessels ran his hand through his hair, set the field meticulously. Donald kept it up, on the off-stump this time. Ranatunga steered straight to cover point. Rhodes stood there. It was suicide running to the man, but they did sprint. The throw came in with Ramanayake way out of ground, and whisked past the stumps, missing the woodwork by less than a foot. A run was notched, but Ranatunga lost the strike.

With 2 to score and 3 balls to go, tail-ender on strike, the field crept in. Ramanayake had bowled superbly, his measly 9 overs costing just 19 with a wicket to boot. Now he had to win the match with an unfamiliar weapon in the shape of a bat in his hand.

In ran Donald again, the ball was fired in, probably an attempted yorker that reached the batsman on the full and straight like an arrow out of the hand. Ramanayake brought his bat down in an attempted drive. The South African fielders converged on the ball as it trickled just as far as the mid-pitch. Ranatunga hastened back to his crease. It was a dot.

2 required off 2. Ramanayake waited. Donald turned and started his sprint. The ball was full, straight, on the off. The bat came down, the face opened. The ball was squirted between point and cover and ran away into the outfield. The batsmen sprinted as the white blob sped on the turf, the man at third-man trying desperately to get around the boundary. To be absolutely sure Ranatunga urged Ramanayake to turn and complete the second even as the ball rolled into the fence. And then the hero of the day threw his arms up, heavenward, ran towards his partner and engulfed him in a hug.

The crowd cheered loudly the Lankan duo all the way back, the expats in the mix were vociferous in their joy. Sri Lanka had won off the penultimate ball of the day. Ranatunga, a deserving man of the match, smiled from ear to ear as he returned tired and triumphant after the victorious chase.

Brief Scores:

South Africa 195 in 50 overs (Kepler Wessels 40, Peter Kirsten 47; Don Anurasiri 3 for 41, Arjuna Ranatunga 2 for 26) lost to Sri Lanka 198 for 7 in 49.5 overs (Roshan Mahanama 68, Arjuna Ranatunga 64*; Allan Donald 3 for 42) by three wickets.

Man of the Match: Arjuna Ranatunga.

(Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/senantix)

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Playing against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka pulled off the first ever ODI chase in excess of 300 on February 23, 1992. Abhishek Mukherjee looks at the day when New Plymouth witnessed history.

Clashes between lesser sides often do not draw attention, but more often than not they turn out to be enjoyable contests. When Sri Lanka, the latest side to be inducted to Test cricket, and Zimbabwe, yet to play a Test, clashed in World Cup 1992, the match was scheduled at the obscure but picturesque Pukekura Park in New Plymouth.

The match did not attract a big audience (the estimated turnaround was a mere 3,100). One of the sides — next to a street — was guarded by a long hedge. The boundaries were short. The pitch was absolutely flat, devoid of any grass. Banking on the strong, explosive Sri Lankan batting, Aravinda de Silva put Zimbabwe in.

A sedate start

Debutant openers Andy Flower and Wayne James got off to a solid start. James began fluently, pulling Kapila Wijegunawardene for four and following it with a lofted off-drive. De Silva brought on Pramodya Wickramasinghe, and met with success: James went for a flashing cut, only to edge it to the gloves of Hashan Tillakaratne. Flower cut Asanka Gurusinha to bring up the first boundary to his career, but Andy Pycroft struggled to score runs. He eventually holed out to Champaka Ramanayake at wide mid-on.

The big wicket followed soon: Dave Houghton tried to steer Gurusinha, but Tillakaratne moved quickly to his right and came up with a catch. Zimbabwe were 83 for 3 in the 20th over and were certainly not looking to put up a substantial score.

It was at this stage that Kevin Arnott walked out and took charge. Sanath Jayasuriya (with a substantial crop of hair on his head) was dismissed with ease by both men: a leg-glance from Flower (that went so fine that only a long-stop could have stopped it) stood out. Arnott accelerated further, cutting Ruwan Kalpage for four,

Flower, having changed to a sun-hat, duly brought up his fifty with a soft push to short cover. Arnott joined in the fun too, slogging Kalpage through mid-wicket to bring up his fifty, but fell shortly afterwards: he tried to steer Wickramasinghe, but Tillakaratne came up with a diving catch. The score read 167 for 4; it was the 37th over; let alone 300, even 250 looked tough.

Waller’s onslaught

A bareheaded Andy Waller walked out and immediately bludgeoned one through cover for four. Ramanayake bowled short, and Waller hooked and cut him brutally for fours. Meanwhile, Flower flicked Ramanayake from outside off to bring up a hundred on ODI debut. Flower was the third batsman (and the first in 14 years) to achieve this feat. He also remains the only batsman to score a hundred on ODI debut in a World Cup.

[Trivia: The other batsmen to score hundreds on ODI debuts are Dennis Amiss, Desmond Haynes, Saleem Elahi, Martin Guptill (14 years after Elahi), Colin Ingram, Rob Nicol, Phil Hughes, and Michael Lumb.]

Waller, meanwhile, brought up his fifty in 31 balls, and, to quote a few contemporary commentators, “threw the kitchen sink” when Gurusinha pitched one up to him. The ball soared over the stands and landed in the trees. De Silva got Wijegunawardene to bowl the last over; the first ball went over fine-leg — once again into the trees.

He was dropped at long-off; bowled off a no-ball; nearly took out umpire Steve Woodward with a straight drive; and Zimbabwe finished on a seemingly unassailable 312 for 4. Flower’s unbeaten 115 had taken him 152 balls, but Zimbabwe would certainly not have gone past the 300-mark, had Waller not scored a 45-ball unbeaten 83.

It was a daunting task. Less than two years back New Zealand had scored 298 for 6 to beat England at Headingley, but that was a 55-over match. The 50-over record, also held by New Zealand against England, was 297 for 6 at Adelaide Oval in 1982-83. The World Cup record, of course, was West Indies’ 276 for 3 against Australia at Lord’s in 1983. Sri Lanka would have to break multiple records to reach there. They also had to deal with Zimbabwe’s exceptional fielding.

Lankan openers make it big

The experienced Roshan Mahanama and the muscular Athula Samarasekera got the Lankans off to a fine start. Samarasekera biffed Eddo Brandes through square-leg and Malcolm Jarvis past mid-off, while Mahanama exhibited characteristic wristwork to keep the tempo going.

Houghton brought the debutant Kevin Duers on, but Samarasekera went after him immediately, taking him for three boundaries in his first over. Brandes was not spared either, and with 61 after 9 overs, Sri Lanka were well on track. Samarasekera had scored 45 out of these runs with the help of 9 boundaries.

His fifty came up the next over with two boundaries off Duers. Mahanama was happy to give him the strike, but did not spare the loose deliveries. Houghton eventually turned to John Traicos for the breakthrough: he obliged, having Samarasekera caught at long-off. He had scored 75 (50 of which had come in boundaries) from 61 balls; it was probably the innings of his life. The openers had put up 128 in a shade above 21 overs.

Brandes struck soon afterwards as Mahanama hit one hard to Arnott at short cover; Gurusinha edged one to the vacant gully and ran, only to be sent back by Aravinda and fall short; Aravinda himself was foxed by a slightly slower one, giving Houghton an easy catch at wide mid-on. Sri Lanka were 169 for 4 after 34 overs: they needed a further 144 from 96 balls.

Arjuna takes control

Arjuna Ranatunga had started off by sweeping Traicos for four. He was now joined by Jayasuriya, who responded with a short-arm jab over deep mid-wicket into the stands — an indication of what was to follow in the next World Cup. The next six flew over long-on.

A desperate Houghton brought himself on, and Jayasuriya, tried to go for the slog sweep, fell for the lack of pace. Flower ran for yards, coming up with the catch at square-leg. Ranatunga, however, was not to be contained: the batsmen had crossed, and he dispatched Houghton past square-leg, followed by a delicate sweep, for consecutive boundaries, and followed with another through point in the same over.

Tillakaratne rose to the challenge as well, lofting Jarvis into the stands over cover. Ranatunga responded with a six off Iain Butchart, clearing deep mid-wicket, but Jarvis had his revenge: he brought one slightly back to clean bowl Tillakaratne. They needed 40 from 5 overs, but Arjuna was running out of partners. Would Kalpage be able to hold up one end?

He did. Not only did he provide Arjuna with the strike, he also lofted Butchart over his head for four. Arjuna and Kalpage took the score to 298 at the end of 48 overs: they needed 15 from 12 as Brandes ran in.

The final stages

Ranatunga settled things very quickly. He shuffled across ever so slightly, leg-glancing to obtain a boundary off the first ball of Brandes’ over. The next ball was a tad outside off: this time Ranatunga brought out late-cut, wide enough to evade Flower’s diving effort. He would play an encore to finish off another World Cup in four years’ time.

When Sri Lanka required 4 from 7 balls, Kalpage probably wanted his share of glory, trying to clear the point boundary — but only found the waiting hands of Houghton. It had perhaps come too late in the day, but it was a wicket nevertheless. What if Jarvis could get Arjuna at the other end?

They could not. Arjuna flicked one past square-leg to bring up the winning run. As the neutral spectators flocked on to the ground, Arjuna and Ramanayake ran back to celebrate the historic win with their teammates. Record chases, after all, do not happen that often.

With a 61-ball unbeaten 88, Ranatunga was the undisputed choice for the Man of the Match award, but the adjudicators decided to give it to Flower.

What followed?

– The chase remained the highest in World Cups till 2011, when Kevin O’Brien saw Ireland reach 329 against England at Chinnaswamy with 5 balls to spare.

– Sri Lanka finished just above Zimbabwe in the tournament. Their match against India at Mackay was abandoned before they stunned South Africa at Wellington.

– Zimbabwe came last. They finished with a single victory that tournament, defending 134 — the lowest World Cup score defended successfully — in their last match against England at Albury.

– Zimbabwe gained Test status later that year.

– New Plymouth never hosted another international match.

Brief scores:

Zimbabwe 312 for 4 in 50 overs (Andy Flower 115*, Andy Waller 83*, Kevin Arnott 52) lost to Sri Lanka 313 for 7 in 49.2 overs (Arjuna Ranatunga 88*, Athula Samarasekera 75, Roshan Mahanama 59; Eddo Brandes 3 for 70) by 3 wickets.

Man of the Match: Andy Flower.

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

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