Imran Khan took his talented and temperamental Pakistan team on a roller-coaster ride to the top of the world. In two weeks, Imran’s hand picked heros went from being 25-1 outsiders to World Cup champions with a 22 run victory against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 25, It was England’s third defeat in a World Cup final. Pakistan lifted the trophy a fortnight after they appeared destined for a quick flight home. The Pakistanis lost three of their first five games and were bowled out for74 by England, but saved by the rain. They won their remaining three matches in the qualifying stage and watched Australia, the favoured co-hosts, and West Indies crack under pressure.
But it still looked like being England’s tournament after the round-robin series. They had swept aside New Zealand on their winter tour and retained their winneing streak. Then Graham Gooch’s team ran aground. They were beated by New Zealand and Zimnanwe and were plagued by injuries. England reached the final by beating South Africa, whose return to international cricket was marked by a controversy over the rules. Kepler Wessels showed that the South Africans were certainly not naïve when he slowed down the over rate while England were in full flow. The South Africans were presented with a simpler target, but their attempts backfired when the ridiculous rain rule made sure of England’s victory.
In the final, England were in command as Pakistan struggled to 34 for 2 off 16 overs. Then Imran and Javed Miandad, the only men to have played in all five World Cup’s, used their experience to build a patient partnership of 139. Imzamam-Ul-Haq and Wasim Akram’s blazing bats lifted Pakistan’s total to 249 for six. England faltered when Ian Botham was dismissed for a duck in his World Cup swansong. The leg spinner Mustaq Ahmed bamboozled the middle order with his googly and when Akram added the fire England were all out for 227. The financial benefits of a tournament ruled by Australian television helped Imran realise his dream of building Pakistan’s first cancer hospital in memory of his mother, who died of the disease.
Contributor: ronnie (worldcup1999.webjump.com)