Down Memory Lane: The 1992 Cricket World Cup

After its inception in 1975, the World Cup had slowly developed as the biggest spectacle of the cricketing calendar. The first four editions of this quadrennial event had been hugely successful and it was definitely helping the objective of bringing people closer to the game. The fifth edition in1991-92, sponsored by Benson and Hedges and jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand, continued that trend. A number of changes were introduced this time around. The return of South Africa to international cricket meant that there were nine teams in contention now instead of the usual eight. For the first time, the players would be seen in coloured clothing. It was also the first time that floodlights were going to be used in World Cup matches and so the red ball was to be replaced by a white one to provide better visibility under lights. The format was also changed and now a team had to play each of the other eight teams once in the round-robin stage with the top four teams making it to the semi finals. Defending champions Australia were hot favourites as they would be playing in their home turf. However, a few other sides like England, Pakistan, India and West Indies also looked good on paper. The tournament threw up quite a few surprises and there was no shortage of drama. In the end it was Pakistan who walked away with their first ever World Cup title.

Martin Crowe's form with the bat and innovative captaincy helped New Zealand top the league stage

In the league stage, it was New Zealand who set the pace early on. Skipper Martin Crowe led from the front with the bat as the Kiwis kept on winning match after match. Crowe’s strategy to open the bowling with a spinner, Dipak Patel, worked wonderfully as the offie managed to tie down the batsmen when the fielding restrictions were on. Crowe also used Mark Greatbach as a pinch-hitter at the top of the order to play the aerial shots so as to take advantage of the fielding restrictions. The Kiwis went on to win seven of their eight league matches, losing only the last one to Pakistan. They went into the semi-finals as the topper of the league stage. However, co-hosts Australia didn’t get off to a great start. Losses against the Kiwis and South African weren’t the best results. They did manage to sneak past India by a solitary run, but England put them back on the losing side. The Aussies went on to win three of their remaining four matches, but that wasn’t good enough to secure a semi-final berth. Their main problem was the lack of consistent performances in the batting department, something that also led to the downfall of the West Indies. They too ended with a record similar to that of Australia, four victories and four losses, and therefore failed to make it to the semis.

South Africa's performance in the 1992 World Cup raised quite a few eyebrows

South Africa made a fairy tale debut in the World Cup stage, crushing co-hosts and defending champions Australia by 9 wickets. Kepler Wessels marshalled his troops well and led by example, chipping in handsomely with the bat. The Proteas had a good run in the league stages and they managed to make it to the semis. Like South Africa, two-time runners-up England too had a good run in the league stage. They lost the last two matches to New Zealand and Zimbabwe, but that couldn’t stop them from making it to the semis. The champions of 1983, India didn’t have a great campaign. Just two wins out of eight against Pakistan and Zimbabwe was a big disappointment for the players and the fans back home. The situation was similar for India’s island neighbours Sri Lanka also. They too managed to win only two matches in the entire league stage. As a result, both India and Sri Lanka had to take the early flight back after the league stage.

Jonty runs out Inzamam in the group match between Pakistan and South Africa

However, things were different for the third Asian country in contention, Pakistan. Three defeats, a win and a no result in the first five matches was not the perfect start. But skipper Imran Khan did an excellent job in getting his troops to believe in themselves. He led with confidence, something that reflected on the rest of the team and Pakistan went on to win the three remaining matches to make it to the semis finals. They had a bit of luck too on their side. In the match against England, Pakistan were bowled out for just 74. Nothing short of a miracle could stop them from losing. Their prayers didn’t go in vain as the rain came down when England were 24 for 1. The match was washed off and both teams got a point each. This was a decisive point because had Pakistan lost the match, they wouldn’t have qualified for the semis. The Zimbabweans were undoubtedly the minnows of the World Cup and not many great things were expected from them. However, they managed to put up a decent fight at times and an upset victory over England was much more than what they might have expected. It was no surprise that they ended the league stage at the bottom of the table.

Inzamam turns one to the on-side during his match winning knock in the semi-final

The first semi-final was played between New Zealand and Pakistan at Auckland. Crowe’s (91) good form with the bat continued and he combined well with Ken Rutherford (58) to take New Zealand to a respectable total of 262. Pakistan’s reply was a bit slow to start with and New Zealand seemed to have the situation well under control. But just when a spot in the final was in sight, a young Inzamam-ul Haq played a breezy cameo that changed the entire match scenario. His 37-ball 60 took Pakistan to the doorstep of victory. Moin Khan and Javed Miandad completed the job to take Pakistan to their first ever World Cup final. The second semi-final between England and South Africa at Sydney was a highly controversial one. Graeme Hick anchored England’s innings with a steady 83 to set South Africa a target of 253 to win. South Africa’s chase was fuelled by tidy cameos and small partnerships throughout the top and middle order. The equation was down to 22 runs off 13 deliveries with Brian McMillan and Dave Richardson at the crease when the rain Gods decided to intervene. The twelve minutes of rain that followed spilled water on South Africa’s World Cup dream. After the stoppage, the scoreboard suddenly read 22 required to win off just one delivery. McMillan could only manage a single of the final delivery and England were through to their third World Cup final.

Wasim Akram celebrates that wicket of Allan Lamb that turned the match in Paksitan's favour

The World Cup final at Melbourne was a match that lived up the high expectations of the people. Each team had its moments and the momentum kept swinging from one side to the other. England got on top initially, dismissing the openers and giving away just 24 runs in the first nine overs. However, A 139-run third wicket partnership between Imran (72) and Miandad (58) set up a wonderful platform for the batsmen to follow. Inzamam and Wasim Akram made full use of it in the slog overs. The former chipped in with 42 off 35 deliveries while Akram contributed 33 off just 18. England lost wickets quite regularly until Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb got together to steady the ship. The duo seemed were going on quite well before Akram struck twice in consecutive deliveries. He bowled a two unplayable deliveries that accounted for Lamb (31) and Chris Lewis. Fairbrother hung around for a while before perishing for 63. That was the last nail in the coffin for England. The tailenders threw their bat around for a while, but it wasn’t enough and England eventually fell short by 22 runs.

Imran Khan with the World Cup trophy

The success of the fifth cricket World Cup was unprecedented. More than 87000 people watched the final even though neither of the host nations had reached it. It was also claimed that the global television audience exceeded 1 billion in as many as 29 countries. Pakistan did well to pick themselves up after the initial setbacks to defy all odds and win the title. Wasim Akram was awarded the man-of-the-match in the final. He was also the highest wicket taker of the tournament. Martin Crowe, the highest run-getter, was declared the player of the series. The World Cup saw the emergence of a number of promising youngsters like Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul Haq and Allan Donald, all of whom went on to become greats of the game. It was also the last World Cup for some legends like Ian Botham, Vivian Richards, Allan Border and the winning skipper, Imran Khan. Some incidents like Jonty Rhodes running in from point and diving to hit the stumps and run out Inzamam, Javen Miandad jumping so as to imitate Kiran More and More running out Crowe with a neat back-flick are still fresh in the minds of people who witnessed the incidents. The World Cup also exposed the flaws of the method used to deal with rain affected matches. The tournament not only generated huge profits, it also touched countless hearts across the world.