1987- [Bhooli Bhisri Yaadain] Pakistan v Australia, WC Semi Final

[GoldenAsif]

Re: 1987- [Bhooli Bhisri Yaadain] Pakistan v Australia, WC Semi Final

@DaPakiGuy

Huge Disappointment. The following were talking points for quite sometime:

1. Mansoor Akhtar is useless
2. Imran Khan was not out.
3. Salim Jaffar is the worst bowler in the whole world. (If you think about it now, it wasnt really that big a deal that a bowler got hit for 18 runs in the last over of an innings)
4. Only if Salim Yousaf had been fit
5. Why was Mudassar Nazar not playing the match.
6. Were all the bowlers except for Qadir and Imran drinking the previous night, and were tired the day of the match?

Nearly all of these were just comments, which had no bearing on anything. Over a period of time, one has come to realize that such musings are part of any Pakistan defeat in a World Cup. However, this World Cup Semi Final was a huge disappointment because Pakistan was playing in a Semi Final for the first time at home ground and were expected to easily wipe away the second place team from the other group (the now unbeatable, Autralia).

I remember that Zia ul Haq has to request Imran to keep on playing cricket for the nation. Imran accepted the request, and managed to lead the team to victory in the next edition.

I remember it to be a reasonably big event that Imran had accepted the Zia ul Haq request to start playing cricket again. Dont know if it was the talk of the town. Somehow people were expecting Imran to come back and resume playing.

Yeah remember that game very well. That was perhaps the best outfit ever to represent Pakistan in a world cup with Immi, Miandad, Akram, Malik and Qadir all in their prime. Javed Miandad and Imran Khan took the fight to the Australians with a brave partnership of 112 after Pakistan slumped (and not for the first time) to 38-3. Then Imran was wrongly given out caught behind by Dickie Bird and although there was still hope while Miandad was at the crease that quickly disappeared when he was bowled by Reid for 70.

Interestingly the same two stalwarts were again involved in a similar ‘rescue’ act five years later in the 1992 WC Final and it was their 139-run 3rd- wicket partnership from a precarious position of 25-2 that laid the platform for onslaught by Akram and Inzi in the last five overs or so.

Scorecard:
http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/WORLD_CUPS/WC87/AUS_PAK_WC87_ODI-SEMI1_04NOV1987.html