World Cup final heroes: 1987

Tags: World Cup - 1987, David Clarence Boon, Mike Veletta, Bill Athey, Australia, England

Published on: Jan 13, 2015

The final of the World Cup is the biggest stage for any cricketer to leave his mark on the game.

The final of the World Cup is the biggest stage for any cricketer to leave his mark on the game. And as the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup is all set to get underway, we look back at star performers in World Cup finals over the years. In this piece, we revisit the Reliance World Cup final in 1987, in which Australia beat England by seven runs.

David Boon: Australia batted first in the final held at the famed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Right through the tournament, Boon had been the team's best batsmen. It would have been a massive anti-climax had he failed in the final. Thankfully for Australia and the team's fans, he did not disappoint. The burly Aussie was in his elements in the final as well cracking a quite magnificent 75 from 125 balls with aid of seven fours. His knock at the top was indeed a massive boon for the Aussies as they finished with a strong 253 for 5.

Mike Veletta: Ajay Jadeja's 45 from 25 balls in the 1996 quarter-finals against Pakistan is widely considered among the best World Cup cameos. But, when it comes to the final nothing beats little-known Veletta's effort in the 1987 edition. Australia seemed to be slightly losing their way after a great start, and were desperate for that much-needed final flourish. Veletta provided the same. He smacked an unbeaten 46 from 31 balls to ensure Australia finished well. Veletta hit six crucial fours during his knock, which made a massive difference to the end result of the final.

Bill Athey: In reply to Australia's challenging target, England were very much in the hunt, thanks mainly to a patient half-century by Athey, who contributed 58 from 103 balls. Athey hit only two fours but did well to hold one end up. However, his run-out, the fourth wicket to fall with the score at 170, triggered a collapse, which culminated in England losing their second final in four editions. This was of course preceded by the Mike Gatting sweep, which continues to haunt the English.

The supporting acts: There were many of them in this final. Dean Jones made 33 and Allan Border 31 to help Australia along. Extras themselves contributed a whopping 26. With the ball Steve Waugh and Border got two wickets each, the latter accounting for Gatting. Speaking of England, their batting was a mixed bag. Gatting was out reverse-sweeping for 41, Allan Lamb chipped in with 45 while Graham Gooch made 35 at the top of the order. England needed someone to carry on though.

--By A Cricket Analyst

Related News