Pakistan’s maiden World Cup final entry was a tale of a battered and bruised team that hit the straps just when it seemed like they would embrace the elimination route. And there was one man – Wasim Akram - who could do little wrong against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 25, 1992.
Akram’s first major contribution came with the bat after Imran Khan called correctly and opted to bat first – knowing fully well that no team until then had won a World Cup game chasing. He strode out with his team needing a move-on if they were to set England a challenging target. There was an air of aggressive intent as Akram took guard. He greeted the illustrious Ian Botham with disdain, thumping him through the covers before swatting another to the mid-wicket boundary.
But the six he clobbered off Chris Lewis drew loud cheers from the Pakistan supporters – a placard screamed ‘Marvellous’ best summing up the shot.
It was such a day that there was no way Akram could have been kept out of action – he provided Pakistan a much-needed early breakthrough defending a score of 249, enticing Ian Botham to feel for one that moved away after pitching. It was a dismissal about which Botham is still adamant that he didn’t nick the ball. “He still doesn’t admit he edged it. He is a very good friend of mine now, and he still says he didn’t nick it,” Akram once said about Botham in lighter vein.
And it was Akram whom Pakistan captain Imran Khan turned to in the 35th over after England had initiated a rearguard action through Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother.
The quickie comes up with a peach of a delivery that shapes in and moves away, crashing Lamb’s defense and the 90,000 MCG crowd was got a real kick with a ripper of a ball that followed next - one that was pitched on off-stump but jagged back sinisterly late to disturb Lewis’ off-stump.
“It was one of the brightest moments of my cricketing career. I was over the moon after bowling Chris Lewis and I was a little nervous about the hat-trick. You know it is a dream come true for any player to perform in the finals of a World Cup,” Akram said about his stellar bowling show.
Akram’s twin strikes knocked the stuffing out of England as it smoothened Pakistan’s World Cup winning march.
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