KOLKATA: It wouldn't be wrong to say that Australia's ODI World Cup dominance has its roots in Kolkata, India. Exactly 36 years ago (in order to be more precise, add a few days as the final was held on November 8, 1987) it was here at the Eden Gardens that they won their first World Cup beating favourites England by seven runs in the final.
As their legendary all-rounder and former skipper Steve Waugh, who was part of that campaign, once famously said later, Aussies were rank outsiders in the tournament and the triumph turned out to be a turning point in the country's cricketing history.
Chasing 254, Bill Athey and captain Mike Gatting added 69 for the third wicket with England cruising at 135/2 in the 32nd over. Looking for a breakthrough, Australian skipper Allan Border brought himself in the next over. What transpired the next ball is now part of cricket's folklore. Gatting, who was batting on 41 off 44, decided to reverse sweep a Border's delivery wide outside the leg stump, which anyway could have been adjudged wide and earned an extra run for England.
The shot selection meant the ball chipped Gatting's bat before hitting his shoulder and then flying into the air which was safely pouched by Aussie wicketkeeper Greg Dyer. The wicket turned the momentum in Australia's favour as they went on to win the final. In the next two decades, they won three more titles in a row —1999, 2003 and 2007 — emerging as the most dominant team.
Dyer, who incidentally is related to both the most famous and infamous catch in Australian history, vividly remembers the wicket that started it all for the team from Down Under. "The catch I took of Mike Gatting was probably the easiest catch I'd take in international cricket, but also arguably the most important. It was a turning point in the game and our strong belief in the destiny of our victory became more tangible and certain," the 64-year-old Dyer, who is now the chair of the Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA), told this daily through an email.
Even as the reverse sweep is considered a go-to shot for batters like Glenn Maxwell nowadays, it was not well accepted those days. "These days the reverse sweep is played regularly and without criticism, but in 1987 it was not an accepted shot. Mike took some heat for having played it to his and his team's detriment. I'd argue that the pressure we'd exerted in the field was part of his decision to try the unorthodox shot."
Border and Co were the crowd favourites in the final and the way Kolkata fans cheered for his team is still fresh in Dyer's memories. "The final in Calcutta (now Kolkata) was something I'll remember for the rest of my life. A massive crowd, as noisy as I had ever experienced. We were playing England who had just beaten India. We had beaten Pakistan in Lahore. We were the obvious favourites of the crowd and the support was palpable and very loud," he said.
Former Australia captain Bob Simpson was the coach of the team and he made players work hard on their fielding apart from focussing on batting and bowling. In the end, it turned out to be a difference between Australia and other teams. "We worked hard in practice and we had good experience in Indian conditions having toured there the year before. Unlike the game today, our batting game was built on running more singles than our opponents. If we took more ones, we rotated strike and built a score we knew we could defend. We also believed we were the best fielding team in the tournament and that fielding would be our other tactical advantage - I was proud to be the wicketkeeper in that set up — a critical part of the fielding effort which was of the highest standard throughout."
While the critics and pundits were not giving them a chance, the team started to believe that they could win once they managed to pocket a few close games. "We went to the tournament no higher in ranking than 6 or 7, but we gathered momentum from the beginning — winning some close matches — including one against India in Chennai (Madras as it was then) — and the group started to believe we could win. By the time the final came around, there was incredible confidence within the team and we all believed we had the players and the plan to win the tournament."
Unlike the past, the current side captained by Pat Cummins was one of the tournament favourites but they started on a disastrous note losing first two games against India and South Africa. They then won seven matches on a trot to storm into the semifinal. Dyer believes the team will continue the winning streak in the second semifinal against South Africa on November 16. "Australia will go to the semifinal in Kolkata as favourites. Their game is in good order now, they've built momentum following a bit of a slow start to the tournament. I'm sure they're looking forward to the event. It's a knowledgeable crowd who will most likely support the Aussies again in 2023 - partly the result of our great victory there in 1987."
The controversial catch of Kiwi batter Andrew Jones during the Boxing Day Test, a month after the World Cup final, meant Dyer's cricketing career ended with only six Tests and 23 ODIs. However, his corporate star shone as he earned a degree of Chartered Accountant and went on to hold top positions in big sectors across Asia and America.
He returned to cricket when he became president of the ACA in 2011 and later assumed the post of chair in the same organisation. "These days I'm proud to be the Chair of the Australian Cricketers Association. We provide great service to our members - past and present players — male and female — and we play an important role in the game in Australia," he signed off.