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My favourite World Cup cliffhangers: Part 5

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Expert
4th June, 2019
3

What a match on Monday night, as Pakistan defeated England by 14 runs, despite quick centuries by Joe Root and Josh Buttler.

Thrilling, but pales in comparison with matches featured today.

Botham stars in England’s last over win over India at Perth in 1992
The 1991-92 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand was the first to be played in coloured clothing and using white balls, with some matches played under lights.

In the opening match, England scored 9-236 after skipper Graham Gooch (51 runs) and Robin Smith (91) added 110 for the second wicket.

Then wickets tumbled to India’s medium-pacers, as England lost 6-27.

India’s contrasting openers, sedate Ravi Shastri (only two fours in his 51) and aggressive Kris Srikkanth (39 with seven fours), put on 63 runs. Shastri spooned a tall catch to Phil DeFreitas, who dropped it but ran him out.

Then the great all-rounder Ian Botham dismissed a well-set Sachin Tendulkar (35) and Vinod Kambli.

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India needed 36 from three overs, when last man Javagal Srinath joined Subroto Banerjee. The pair added 26 valiant runs, Banerjee hitting a four and a six.

But the march to an unexpected victory was ended by the long and accurate arm of Botham, who ran out Srinath, with India nine runs short and four balls remaining.

Captain Mohammad Azharuddin lamented 13 wides bowled by his bowlers.

Australia beat India by one run at Brisbane in 1992
Dean Jones started proceedings with a fluent 90 off 108 balls – his second scoring shot a six off fast-medium bowler Javagal Srinath. India’s opening bowlers, Kapil Dev and Manoj Prabhakar, had identical figures of 3-41.

Rain stopped play when India was 1-45 in the 17th over, cutting 15 minutes and three overs from the second innings, but the target was dropped by only two runs; 236 instead of 238.

Mohammad Azharuddin stroked 93 from 103 balls and Sanjay Manjrekar 47 from 42 before both were run out, the chasing team needing 13 from the last over, being fired down by Tom Moody.

Kiran More hit the first two balls for fours but was bowled off the fourth. Prabhakar took a single but was run out off the fifth delivery.

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Four runs needed off the last ball.

Javagal Srinath lifted the ball high in the sky, Steve Waugh dropped it just inside the boundary, but threw it accurately to acting wicketkeeper David Boon and last man Venkatapathy Raju was run out.

India was all out for 234 to lose by one run.

Thus India had scored three fewer runs in three fewer overs and lost. Illogical, don’t you think Roarers?

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