Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Road to the cricket World Cup 2019. Master class of Martin Crowe. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’

McLean Park, Napier  •  3 March 1992



The fifth World Cup played in Australia and New Zealand in 1992 had many firsts to its credit. It was the first time that coloured clothing was being worn, as also the white ball being used, and some of the matches played under lights. The teams were not divided into separate groups, but each played every other side. It was also marked by some innovative captaincy by Martin Crowe, aided no doubt by other members of the think-tank. He had off-spinner Dipak Patel open the bowling, and sent in Mark Greatbatch as opening batsman with instructions to hit the ball over the top in the first 15 overs when the field was up. Doubtlessly, the New Zealanders played inspired cricket for much of the tournament.

Their match against Zimbabwe was badly hit by rain, necessitating some quick scoring. In fact the innings was interrupted twice, and their cause was not helped by the loss of two early wickets. That was when Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe got together in a stand of 129 runs.

Crowe was brilliant. His smooth, majestic strokeplay brightened up a dull, damp day, and brought much-needed warmth and cheer to a crowd huddled under umbrellas and raincoats for long spells. Nothing that the Zimbabweans had to offer could unsettle him. The Kiwis were allowed just 20.5 overs of batting but that was enough for Crowe to equal the World Cup record for the fastest half-century, off a mere 30 deliveries. This had been achieved by Chris Old and Imran Khan earlier, though by 2007 Brendon McCullum brought the mark down to 20 balls.

Jones provided valuable support with a fifty of his own. When rain brought the innings to a close, Crowe had hit up an unbeaten 74 off just 44 balls, having cracked 2 sixes and 8 fours. It was one of the finest exhibitions of exquisite strokes. There were no violent hits or crude heaves, just shots of a master. Martin Crowe was indeed a cultured batsman, his head still, and right over the ball. There was class stamped all over when he was at the crease.

To overhaul a score of 162 was a mammoth task, as much in view of the small number of overs available as because of the dismal conditions. When the overs were curtailed further to 18, and the target score became 154 by taking into account the New Zealanders' lowest-scoring overs, the Zimbabweans were virtually out of the match even before their innings began. They lurched to 105 for seven when play ended mercifully.

The bleak and dreary end to the match contrasted sharply with the proceedings while Martin Crowe was in the middle. A charismatic batsman like him has the ability to put life into even the most boring of matches and to add a golden glow to the kind of bleak conditions that dogged the game the whole day.

As so often in his career and throughout this tournament, Crowe was a delight. In such a mood he had few peers and even they would have applauded him all the way back to the pavilion after his glorious innings.

New Zealand  : 162 for 3 wickets (20.5 overs)
Zimbabwe      : 105 for 7 wickets (18 overs)

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Follow his blogs:

Indra Vikram Singh’s books are available at attractive prices on Amazon:

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3








Crowning Glory
Published by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-6-7








Don’s Century
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-5-0








A Maharaja’s Turf
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-3-6







Indra Vikram Singh’s forthcoming books:

Indian Spring, on India’s triumph in the cricket World Cup 2011

Wonder Down Under, special souvenir on the cricket World Cup 2015

Friday, March 22, 2019

Road to the cricket World Cup 2019. Reigning champions crash to one-run defeat. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’

AUSTRALIA v INDIA    
CHIDAMBARAM STADIUM, CHEPAUK, MADRAS,
9 OCTOBER 1987

Ice Man Steve Waugh celebrating the nail-biting one-run win over India.

There was great excitement all around Chepauk as the reigning champions took on Australia on home turf. As many as six players had survived from Kapil Dev’s 1983 winning squad, while the solitary Aussie link to the previous World Cup was skipper Allan Border. In other words, here was a home team brimming with confidence, ready to take on a relatively inexperienced side which was not expected to give a very tough fight.

As the game got under way it gradually dawned upon the partisans that this was a very determined Australian team. David Boon and Geoff Marsh put on a century partnership for the first wicket. Then Marsh combined with the belligerent Dean Jones, and took the score to 174.

Marsh carried on calmly and notched up his third century in One-day Internationals. He took his side to a formidable position even though they lost a few wickets towards the end trying to accelerate the scoring. During the interval, adjudicator Hanif Mohammad converted a four into a six. This was to prove decisive. A total of 270 in 50 overs was a very large one by any standard and had the home supporters worried.

Sunil Gavaskar and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, however, gave a flying start. For once Gavaskar outscored his unorthodox big-hitting partner. The crowd went into raptures as the legendary Gavaskar and local boy Srikkanth treated the attack with disdain. When Gavaskar fell, 69 runs had been put up on the board. His place was taken by Navjot Singh Sidhu whose clean hitting had been a revelation in the run-up to the tournament. Soon he began carrying his new-found reputation forward. Srikkanth and Sidhu butchered the bowling and, suddenly, 271 did not seem an unattainable target.

Srikkanth was leg-before for 70, but that only let Sidhu loose. With the experienced Dilip Vengsarkar playing in mature fashion at the other end, Sidhu attacked with gusto. He hit five towering sixes which created a carnival atmosphere in the stadium. At 207 for two, victory seemed just a few big blows away.

That was when India began to mess it up. The Australians kept cool and bowled intelligently. Their fielding was outstanding. Wickets crashed at regular intervals. In the panic, there were two needless run outs at crucial stages. Soon the score was 265 for nine.

There were six runs left as Steve Waugh began the final over to last man Maninder Singh. Suddenly the tied Test played between the two teams at the same ground a year earlier flashed into everyone’s mind. In that Test too, Maninder had been the batsman in the firing line. He managed four runs off the first four balls. The excitement was unbelievable. Two runs were needed, and there were two balls left with one wicket in hand. But it was Waugh who kept his head and was bang on target.

Maninder was bowled off the fifth ball. Waugh was nonchalant: "It was just a confidence thing. Allan Border thought I could do it. I knew I could do it." India had lost by a solitary run. For the second time running the reigning champions had been beaten in their opening encounter.

Australia        : 270 for 6 wickets (50 overs)
India               : 269 all out (49.5 overs)

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Follow his blogs:

Indra Vikram Singh’s books are available at attractive prices on Amazon:

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3








Crowning Glory
Published by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-6-7








Don’s Century
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-5-0








A Maharaja’s Turf
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-3-6







Indra Vikram Singh’s forthcoming books:

Indian Spring, on India’s triumph in the cricket World Cup 2011

Wonder Down Under, special souvenir on the cricket World Cup 2015

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Road to the cricket World Cup 2019. A thrilling triumph for the underdogs. Excerpt from Indra Vikram Singh’s book ‘The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011’

INDIA v WEST INDIES (FINAL)  •  LORD’S, LONDON, 25 JUNE 1983

Mohinder Amarnath cuts on the way to his man-of-the-match performance.

Lord’s was bathed in bright sunshine and ready to crown the undisputed kings of cricket, the West Indies, with yet another title. The conquerors from the Caribbean marshalled by the elder statesman Clive Lloyd had won the first two World Cups, and were poised to make it a hat-trick on this beautiful day against surprise finalists, India. 

The Indian World Cup record had been dismal. In two tournaments they had won a total of one match, against lowly East Africa in 1975. In 1983, the Australian captain Kim Hughes had rated the Indians as “dark horses” to win the championship. They sprang a surprise in the opening encounter by inflicting upon the West Indies their first defeat in the World Cup. Then they nearly faltered against Zimbabwe before being bailed out by a Herculean effort from their captain, Kapil Dev. But now in the final they were not expected to take the title away from the reigning champions.

The match began true to form with Andy Roberts and Joel Garner bowling extremely accurately. Garner’s steeply rising deliveries bowled from his great height, were impossible to get away. Soon Sunil Gavaskar fished at one from Roberts and was easily snapped up at the wicket. Krishnamachari Srikkanth dazzled for a while in his customary fashion, and even delighted the crowd with a hooked six off Roberts. He and Mohinder Amarnath put on 57 for second wicket. Then Yashpal Sharma helped Amarnath in a useful stand, and at 90 for two the Indian score bore a healthy look.

Disaster was round the corner as Amarnath was comprehensively bowled by Michael Holding, and Yashpal fell to the gentle off-break of Larry Gomes. Though Sandeep Patil played a useful knock, the innings fell away in the face of some fine bowling by the West Indians. Had it not been for a fighting last-wicket stand between Syed Kirmani and Balwinder Sandhu, the Indian total would have looked even more pitiable than their 183 all out in 54.4 overs.

There was a sensational start to the West Indies innings as Gordon Greenidge shouldered arms to an incoming delivery from Sandhu and was bowled for 1. You could not blame Greenidge, for Sandhu himself thought he had bowled an out-swinger. Instead, the ball came in sharply after hitting the seam. That set the stage for a grand entry by the imperious Vivian Richards. And he batted like the monarch that he often was at the crease.

As he smashed the bowling to all the corners of the hallowed ground, an early West Indies victory looked most likely. Just then he skied Madan Lal high over mid-wicket. Kapil Dev turned and ran after the ball that was rapidly going away from him. After what seemed an eternity the Indian skipper clung on to the prize. The door seemed to have opened for the underdogs. They stuck to their task, bowled tightly, fielded brilliantly and were constantly egged on by their captain. Wickets started tumbling; soon it was 76 for six. Jeff Dujon and Malcolm Marshall hung on for a while, and when the day’s hero Amarnath trapped Holding plumb in front, the sensational upset left everyone dumbfounded. "Now Indian mystics walk through fire", screamed the headline of Tony Lewis' report in The Sunday Telegraph.

And even the diehard Indian fans were stunned by this memorable win.

India               : 183 all out (54.4 overs)
West Indies    : 140 all out (52 overs)

(Author Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).

Follow his blogs:

Indra Vikram Singh’s books are available at attractive prices on Amazon:

The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3








Crowning Glory
Published by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-6-7








Don’s Century
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-5-0








A Maharaja’s Turf
Published in India by Sporting Links
ISBN 978-81-901668-3-6







Indra Vikram Singh’s forthcoming books:

Indian Spring, on India’s triumph in the cricket World Cup 2011

Wonder Down Under, special souvenir on the cricket World Cup 2015