Watch the highlights of Australia vs India Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 2nd Final 1986 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the second final played between India and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 09th February 1986.
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| Allan Border and Dean Jones celebrates after winning the title © Cricket Australia / Channel 9 |
A economical bowling figures from Simon Davis, Bruce Reid and Greg Matthews before David Boon, Dirk Wellham's forties and Allan Border's unbeaten half-century helped to Australia convincing seven-wicket victory over India and took an unassailable 2-0 lead to clinch the title in a low-scoring best-of-three finals game of the second final of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
India scored 187 for all-out in exact 50 overs with top scorer by Ravi Shastri hit 49 off 52-balls - who fell one-run short of his half-century - without a boundary.
Dilip Vengsarkar struck 41 off 66-balls including 4-fours, Kris Srikkanth scored 37 off consuming 71-balls included two boundaries and Mohinder Amarnath 15.
Australia best bowler by Greg Matthews, Bruce Reid each shared 2-wickets for 37-runs and Simon Davis took one-wicket.
Australia chased 188-3 in 47.2 overs with top scorer by Allan Border cracked a unbeaten 65 off 67-balls including 5-fours.
David Boon struck 44 off 78-balls including 4-fours, Dirk Wellham scored 43 off 97-balls included a boundary and Dean Jones 19 not out.
India best bowler by Kapil Dev took 2-wickets for 26-runs in 9-overs including a maiden with economy rate of 2.88
Greg Matthews named Player of the match for his brilliant spin bowling performance to took 2-wickets for 37-runs in 10-overs including a maiden.
This match reported by Mike Coward (Third Party Reference from SMH)
Australia's new and vigorous cricket team. condemned by so many for so much of this season, was feted by a crowd of 72,192 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The throng, deliriously happy that the Australians had ended their triumphal march through the limited-over series by winning the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup against India, demanded that Allan Border and his men complete a lap of honour of the Australian sporting shrine.
The wave of emotion which swept the ground touched the Australians. particularly Border, who was in deep depression after the empty Test series against New Zealand and India. The boys are talking about how good it felt to do a lap of honour," Border said. "It gives the people who support us a feeling of what it is like to win the Cup."
In essence, the cricket lovers of Australia, who have shared so much of Border's pain and anguish through these turbulent past 18 months or so, publicly embraced the skipper and his team-mates. In just shy of 96 hours this transformed Australian team accomplished something that has been beyond all international teams in the past three years. success against India in a significant limited-over contest.
The Australians won impressively by seven wickets yesterday with 16 balls in hand to perfectly complement their stirring fighting victory by 11 runs in Sydney in the first final last Wednesday night. While an elated Border fought manfully to place the victory in its correct perspective he is convinced that many of the recent gains can be translated to the conventional game on the 47-day tour of New Zealand which begins on Thursday.
"To me. winning Test match cricket is what it is all about and 1 would like to see us go from what we've done in one-day cricket this season and carry it on to the Test match arena," he said.
"I see that as the most important step for us to make now. I don't see as productive going to New Zealand and having an ordinary Test series and maybe win the one-dayers.
"I'd like us to win the Test matches and then play well in the one-dayers. We need a roll-over effect.
"I think the New Zealanders will see a new Australian side." Not even this triumph - which looked so improbable on January 6 after the appalling conclusion to the third Test with India in Sydney has led him to think more kindly about the amount of limited-over cricket being programmed.
He reiterated that for the sake of the players' welfare he would like to see the qualifying matches reduced from 15 to eight. Border conceded that the universal popularity of the condensed game compelled the programmers to give it prominence, if not priority, on the calendar, however.
"I've been amazed at the crowds," he said. "It's been a sell-out at nearly every game. "You can't knock that. It's obviously very popular and we probably owe it to the public to keep playing the amount of games we are playing."
The heady development of new-ball bowlers
Bruce Reid - considered by Richie Benaud to be the most exciting Australian left-arm pacemen since Alan Davidson - and Simon Davis, together with the continued improvement of all-rounder Greg Matthews, have been the principal reasons for the dramatic rise in Australia's stocks.
Matthews was at it again, taking a breathtaking return catch to dislodge Krish Srikkanth and bowling Dilip Vengsarkar at a critical point in the proceedings, and it came as no surprise when he was named the player of the finals. Matthews and fellow members of the slow bowling fraternity were at a distinct advantage yesterday on a pitch which was unsatisfactory for a one-day match of such importance.
The condition of the pitch drew criticism from both Border and his counterpart, Kapil Dev, who will take no fond memories of Melbourne back to India tomorrow. The pitch changed in character from Saturday when it was kept under hessian and plastic for most of the hot, windy day.
Allan Border admitted that he was uncertain how to react when he won the toss in the end he compelled India to set the tempo - and said crowds were entitled to see limited-over matches in which scores of 230 were attainable.
Such a mark was not achievable on this pitch, which obviously had been watered and/or wet-rolled late on Saturday. It was soft, turned considerably from the outset and the bounce, particularly during India's innings, was quite variable.
Kapil Dev said the toss had not decided the match he paid a glowing tribute to the Australian bowlers and fieldsmen - but admitted that India were disadvantaged by having to bat first. For Dev the defeat was very hard to accept.
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