Celebrating the victory.
In cricket they say that a match is not over till the last ball has been bowled. This is so true if you recall the Australasia Cup final that Pakistan won on the last ball. Javed Miandad, the batsman who played that ball remembers it well, as do his millions of fans, most of them becoming ardent admirers of the player’s skill after his unbelievable last ball sixer.
Twenty-five years on he shares that experience with Dawn.
“A match with traditional rivals India is always looked forward to with much anticipation by the Pakistani nation. The same feeling, with opposite results of course, is shared by our Indian neighbours. It was in such charged atmosphere that Pakistan clashed with India in the final of the Australasia Cup on April 18, 1986,” says Miandad about the first edition of the Australasia Cup featuring Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka besides the finalists Pakistan and India.
The event’s first round saw India beating New Zealand and Pakistan doing the same to Australia to move into the semi-finals where India did away with Sri Lanka while Pakistan crushed New Zealand by bowling them out for 64 runs. Pakistan’s googly expert Abdul Qadir took four wickets while giving away only nine runs in the 10 overs that he bowled. But that achievement was soon overshadowed by Miandad after he managed to do what superheroes do in comic books or movies.
“I really felt like the chosen one after hitting that six,” says Miandad, the legendary hero of that game. “It’s the wish of every living person to be able to achieve something big in life. I, too, often prayed to God to help me achieve something so big in my career that my name be immortalised by the deed. And my God made my wish come true,” he adds.
“Today if we look back to analyse that match, it doesn’t seem like a regular encounter. It really wasn’t. For starters, batting first, India managed to put on a massive 245 runs on the board. It was the highest score in Sharjah then and we were already under psychological pressure. The pressure increased as Pakistan’s top order returned to the pavilion one by one. That’s when I realised the responsibility on my shoulders,” Miandad recalls.
“At that point, I didn’t think we could chase the target to win the match but what I aimed for was not to lose too badly and for Pakistan to look respectable at least. I wanted to stay at the wicket till the end and I did while also making a century as I kept my nerves in check despite running out of partners,” he continues.
“The last 20 overs were very different from the rest of the match. They can serve as a lesson for students on how you bounce back from hopelessness to claim a match; if you are determined the sky is the limit for you. Some quick mathematics will tell you that it is possible to score 36 runs in an over. But that’s wishful thinking, while batting in the last over I had to remain practical. The man at the crease was not a batsman but a specialist bowler, Tauseef Ahmed. I told him to take a run to give me the strike. Much excitement and drama followed when Mohammad Azharuddin, otherwise an excellent fielder, missed running out Tauseef who took a run to let me face the last ball. And then the last ball was going to be bowled. I had already got my wish of batting till the end and making my team look respectable, now I wanted us to win the match,” says Miandad.
“We needed four runs to win. Over there was India’s Chetan Sharma with the ball. I knew he wouldn’t give me a chance. But I was willing to make a mile out of an inch. I expected him to bowl in the block hole to make it impossible for me to dig out the ball and make it go far. I decided to come out of my crease to meet the delivery halfway to turn it into a boundary. This was the last ball; I had already made 110 runs, what had I got to lose?
“God helps those who help themselves. Even though Chetan did attempt for a yorker, the ball somehow slipped out of his hand turning it into a full toss delivery, which I hit with all my might, and … lo and behold … it was a six! Pakistan had won!” Miandad’s eyes sparkle as he relives the glory.
“Today everyone gives the example of that six when seeing some team in trouble in the last overs. It can happen like Miandad made it happen, they say trying to pull up saging spirits. The Indians have never been able to forget the incident and have even reenacted parts of it in movie screenplays, Lagaan being the most notable,” Miandad laughs.
“But I really feel for poor Chetan Sharma, whose career was as good as over after that. It shouldn’t happen that way. You cannot be exceptional all the time. One day you play well, another day you don’t. It’s all a part of the game,” the great batsman sums up.
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I remember that six and it was a big pshychological blow to India for years to come.
And poor Chetan Sharma, its good to read Miandad’s comment “Even though Chetan did attempt for a yorker, the ball somehow slipped out of his hand turning it into a full toss delivery”, this absolves Chetan a little bit for committing that huge blunder. And takes nothing away from Miandad’s gutsy innings.
JOGINDER SHARMA TOOK A SWEET REVENGE OF THAT SIX IN 20-20 WORLD CUP FINAL.ONE SHARMA LOST BUT BUT ANOTHER SHARMA WON FOR INDIA
MISHBAH ALSO HIT A SIX IN 20-20 FINAL
Miandaad wrote a new history in World of Cricket that day. In short Pakistani Cricket history is incomplete without Miandaad.
Green Shirts Rock . . .. .
Indeed it was a memorable victory for the ‘green-shirts’ in which the great Miandad played a major and important role. I had the honor of watching that historic match from the famous West stand of the Sharjah cricket stadium where the overall atmosphere was highly charged, explosive, noisy, partisan and emotional, to say the least.
There is no denying the fact that Miandad was in essence, instrumental in single-handedly enabling his team and the country to defeat their arch rivals at a neutral off-shore venue which eventually wrote history books by becoming what we know today as the historic Sharjah cricket stadium.
Beside many other plus points, that victory against India in the 1986 Australasia cup final enabled the Pakistani team to firmly gain tremendous confidence and mental toughness as a fighting unit. As a result, historical data provides testimony to the fact that India lost most of its subsequent matches at the same venue against Pakistan. In the end, the Indians were so disillusioned, frustrated and disenchanted that in the year 2000 and beyond, they refused to play at the Sharjah cricket stadium anymore in the guise of unjustified and unsubstantiated allegations of match-fixing and betting.
However, it was a continued series of perpetual and persistent defeats that the Pakistani cricket team inflicted upon India after April 18, 1986 that in essence forced them to stop playing in Sharjah although they don’t carry the necessary guts or the grit to admit the real truth. I have also heard some of my Indian friends saying that the Pakistanis have ‘buried’ something in the Sharjah cricket stadium wicket that enable them to always win against the Indians, especially in the grand final matches against the Indian team at the same venue. Were they right? I leave the answer to the enlightened, educated, excelling and intelligent readers and writers of this great ‘Dawn’ forum.
Minadad the great, Miandad the great were the chants I remember after that match. That is probably the most watched inning of any batsman!
Miandad the great!
Hats off – Salute to Javed Miandad to his excellent performance for Pakistan Cricket. Although he has not been given chance to complete his 10,000 runs in test cricket by …… – As they kicked him out from cricket by saying he is not giving chance to youngsters. NOW no body is saying why OLDERS playing in present cricket team, why not kicking them out and not giving chance to Youngsters ????? WHY, only Polictics or What ?????????
Hats off – Salute to Javed Miandad for his excellent performance in Pakistan Cricket. Although he has not been given chance to complete his 10,000 runs by …..
Its Simply a great, the players like Miandad calibre with his sincerity with country and love with thier professions i sure do this miracle again and again.
Miandad a genius of cricket and their guidence of their team mates is simply remarkable
That six kept India in depression for decades. I was fortunate enough to watch this spectacular loft live. Well done Miandad.
perhaps thats why we had the urged to do better and got the world cup, No1 status in Test/ODIs and MOST of all UNDEFEATED against you guys in all WORLD CUPs(which i think matters most).
The last ball coming up, four runs required. A SIX. Pakistan have won. Unbelievable victory by Pakistan and Javed Minadad is the hero of the moment. Miandad is simply a hero of the momment. No doubt he is a real hero,his role as a cricketer and a fighter has to be highlighted more. Ask Ravi Shastri how smart Miandad was?
Same way Harbajan did to Md.Amir. One can see the crying faces of Pakistanis especially shoiab akthars
Many after Javed’s memorable six, did hit last ball sixes, but none can even come close to the drama of cricket, as on that day in April of 1986. Javed was a true genius, a brilliant cricketting mind and a very foxy leader. In all those Imran Khan’s famous wins, his contributions were immence. One of the true legend of cricket, like Sachin and Wasim. We should be proud of our sub continent cricket legends, whether, they are from Pakistan, India or Sri Lanka. Aqil Siddiqi(BC, Canada)
of course, it was a match…i was allowed to cherish!
and cherish I did….
it aint over till its over, chetan realized it, and india did too after that it was Pakistan all over India….Javed is one of the greatest, street smart cricketers to have graced the world of cricket.
after sharjah, Pakistan was always on top, and soon after the Indians never played esp on Fridays:)
kyun kay “fighter” hamaisha jeeta hai;)
what is a block hole?
I will never forget that day Javed Miandad was the “MAN” the true hero, he made us all so proud of being Pakistanis. Fell bad for poor Tousfee got hit by the Shurta as he was running away from the crowd. 50/50 made a lot of fun of him but he was equally responsible for the victory over India. Miss those days, fine memories from the past.
What an inning and memory to always cheris on.. Miandad is Great
Great article.Ilove Miandad.However we do not let any chance go by with out preaching these days.God helps them who help themselves, Please let cricket be cricket.As if indians were not trying hard to help themseleves that day.
it took me back 25year what a day and i could still recall that last ball from poor chetan sharma and the Almighty drive from Miandad and I could only remember that Pakistan won the match AND REST GOES DOWN THE HISTORY.