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(Part 41.) Deryck Murray, Andy Roberts save the day.
With 10 days to go to the 50th anniversary of the West Indies victory over Australia in the 1975 World Cup final at Lord’s, Tony Cozier reports on the Caribbean side’s second Group B match against Pakistan in Birmingham, which was carried originally in his celebratory brochure World Cup Champions ‘75.
Photo: CWI Media.
The West Indies are renowned for the nervous indignities to which they too often subject their supporters. But, in achieving an amazing last over victory by one wicket over Pakistan, they were even more unpredictable than usual.
Scores:
Pakistan 266 for 7 off 60 overs (Majid Khan 60, Wasim Raja 58, Mushtaq Mohammad 55; Vivian Richards 1-21, Clive Lloyd 1-31, Bernard Julien 1-41, Keith Boyce 1-44, Andy Roberts 1-47);
West Indies 267 for 9 off 59.4 overs (Deryck Murray 61 not out, Clive Lloyd 53, Andy Roberts 24 not out, Rohan Kanhai 24; Sarfraz Nawaz 4-44, Naseer Malik 2-42, Pervez Mir 1-42, Javed Miandad 1-46, Asif Masood 1-64).
Result: West Indies won by 1 wicket
Toss: Pakistan.
Throughout the eight hours of cricket, they sent their followers both at the ground and listening on their radios in the West Indies through the whole gamut of emotional involvement: from the depths of despair, to the encouragement of hope to, finally, almost hysterical joy at a win snatched out of nothing.
Faced with an imposing total of 266 for seven, which emphasised the quality of the pitch and of the Pakistani batting, the supposedly all-powerful West Indies batting order—bolstered by the substitution of Lance Gibbs for Gordon Greenidge—appeared to have thrown the match away at 166 for eight, with only Murray, Vanburn Holder and Roberts remaining.
(via Cricmash.)
Fortunately, it was at this stage that Murray, with wonderful support from the two fast bowlers, brought sanity back to the West Indian effort. And, gradually, the Pakistanis were the ones who began to suffer the effects of the tension that gripped the West Indies in mid-afternoon.
If there is a calmer head in the West Indian side than Murray’s, it would be Roberts’. It is not difficult to imagine what their reactions were to the early goings-on in the West Indies batting effort, as player after player tossed his wicket away for no apparent reason.
They set about their impossible mission with the West Indies almost hopelessly placed at 203 for nine. With the type of cool efficiency that was conspicuous by its absence from the previous batsmen who should have known better, they gradually inched the West Indies total towards the target.
Composite photo: Ken Kelly.
Impossibility turned to improbability to possibility. Over by over, run by run, the gleeful shouts of the many Pakistanis in the crowd became muted and the umpteen green-and-white flags, so much in evidence earlier in the day, disappeared.
It was the turn of the outnumbered West Indians to jump and sing at the unlikely happenings taking place before their unbelieving eyes.
Murray has never played a better or more crucial innings for the West Indies. Nor, for that matter, has Roberts. The former guided the two bowlers all the way through to victory even though, in the final over, the phlegmatic Roberts was the one to take strike and score the winning run with two balls remaining.
Photo: Rexscanpix/ Daily Mail.
Murray and Holder added a priceless 37 for the ninth wicket before Pervez at cover snatched a fine right-handed catch over his head to dispose of Holder.
By then, the task had been reduced to one which the optimists were calling quite possible. Yet for the realists, the leeway seemed too much.
Even allowing for the limitations of the Pakistani bowling, the speed of the outfield, the quality of the pitch and the long-established adage about the game’s glorious uncertainties, it just didn’t seem on.
Adjudicator Tom Graveney made his decision and left the Edgbaston venue before the end of the match, which the Caribbean side won by one wicket with two balls to spare.
(via ICC.)
Yet Murray, seldom engaging in an extravagance but simply playing the ball as best as he knows how, picked up his runs freely. His driving on both sides of the wicket was fluent, his timing sweet; and, if there was an edge or two which brought valuable runs, this is established practice in limited overs cricket.
It was, in short, Murray’s day. How Man of the Match adjudicator, Tom Graveney, handed the award to Sarfraz Nawaz at the end of it all was as mystifying as the early West Indies batting.
Murray, of course, could not have done it without the obdurate Roberts who never allowed himself to be shielded, faced 48 balls and struck the winning run with two balls remaining.
Photo: CWI.
From the time he joined Murray in the 46th over at Holder’s dismissal, Roberts gave the impression, as he shuffled in behind everything, that he would not be dislodged. Murray had presented the same front since his entry in the 32nd over at 145 for six.
By the time two overs remained, the West Indies needed 10 runs and it was only then that faint-hearted West Indians would concede that a cricketing miracle was now within reach.
In keeping with the bizarre pattern of the game, it was Roberts who now took it upon himself, in his cool, almost absent-minded way, to see his team through. He moved down to clout the gentle medium-pace of Pervez straight overhead for four and then took a single off the last ball of the 59th over.
(via Sportskeeda.)
Inexplicably, Majid Khan—leading the team in the absence of Asif Iqbal who must have been listening in disbelief from his hospital bed—handed the ball to Wasim Raja, who had not bowled a ball all day, to deliver the crucial 60th over with five runs required.
Off the second ball, the batsman scrambled a leg-bye and would surely have been run out had wicketkeeper Wasim Bari’s throw to the bowler’s end hit the stumps. Instead, it went for an overthrow.
Off the fourth ball, it looked to be all over as Roberts played into the onside—but there was a mis-field by Majid at midwicket and the batsmen sprinted joyously to victory.
Photo: Ken Kelly.
All’s well that end’s well, I suppose. But the victory could not camouflage what was, until the final 24 overs, an abysmal West Indian performance.
The Pakistan batting, everyone knew, was strong, even without Iqbal and the all-rounder Imran Khan, who had to return to Cambridge for exams. They won the toss, took advantage of the ideal conditions and really put the West Indies under pressure throughout.
Julien disposed of the left-handed Sadiq quite early to a first slip catch. But then the regal power of Majid—driving anything slightly overpitched with the ease of the greats—Zaheer and Mushtaq established the type of base on which Wasim Raja could accelerate with his free, graceful left-handed hitting towards the end.
It was felt that the absence of Gibbs would make little difference and, in fact, it didn’t. The men who filled the breach, Lloyd and Richards, claimed two important wickets—the former getting Majid when he was looking at his most dangerous; the latter Zaheer when seemingly well set.
The faster bowlers, especially the usually impeccable Holder, and the fielders did not come too well out of the final assault. Holder, off his short run, started as expected: six overs for 13. When he came back for his second spell, his last six overs cost 43. Nothing more need be said.
As for the fielding, there was a crucial and comfortable chance by Alvin Kallicharran at cover off Wasim Raja from Boyce’s bowling when the batsman was 29 and the score 201 for 3. In addition, there was much unusual fumbling and overthrowing in the vital stages at the end.
However, there was even worse to come from the batting. Sixty overs were available. The West Indies approached it as if there were 40.
Greenidge received a lifting away swinger which he touched to the ‘keeper. Roy Fredericks, nearly caught off a miscued hook earlier, was lbw on the back foot. Kallicharran followed a ball wide of the off-stump and Wasim Bari threw the catch into the air with understandable jubilation.
Had Kanhai, who began horridly, been caught off a lobbed hook by Majid at mid-on, the innings would really have been in ruins.
Mushtaq Mohammad is the enthusiastic appealer at first slip.
Photo: Ken Kelly.
As it was, he and Lloyd steadied things for a while. But when he played on and Richards top-edged a hook to long-leg, it seemed the West Indies’ only hope lay with Lloyd.
The captain clearly appreciated the gravity of the situation and repeatedly talked in mid-pitch with Julien. At tea, it was 114 for five and a time for a serious dressing-room appraisal.
Lloyd, batting extremely well, and Julien carried it up to 145 before Julien hit Asif Masood off his toes to be caught at forward square-leg. When in the next over, the 33rd, Lloyd played inside a googly from Javed and was given out caught behind to his obvious surprise, the West Indies were out of it.
Boyce’s wild and hapless swing which ended with his middle stump at an angle merely confirmed this position.
However, the name of the game was cricket—and we should have known better.
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Fazeer Mohammed is a journalist/broadcaster with almost 40 years’ experience across a range of media.
His interest in cricket, and particularly its history, started at home via his father’s small collection of autobiographies and magazines, offering perspectives and context which have informed his commentary and analysis on contemporary issues in the game.
