Fire in Babylon by Simon Lister

Author:Simon Lister [Simon Lister]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2015-08-12T16:00:00+00:00

7

They all really could bowl with their eyes shut

A MONTH AFTER the first renegade side left for South Africa, the Test team were playing again, this time at home to India. It was a sign of the West Indies’ strength that, despite the fracture caused by the apartheid tours, only Gus Logie in the first Test and Winston Davis in the fifth made their debuts. The team could prosper without the rebels. They would not be missed.

Since the surprising defeat to New Zealand at the beginning of 1980 Clive Lloyd’s side had won three Test series as well as retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy in Australia. By the time the rebel players were counting their final krugerrands, the Test side had won two more. Five series victories. Undefeated against Pakistan, Australia and India, and the first side since Donald Bradman’s Australians in 1948 not to lose a first-class game on tour in England. The West Indies were now unchallenged as the best side in cricket. What better way to confirm it than by winning the World Cup for the third time?

The 1983 competition was held in England. The West Indies had a little shock when they were beaten by India at Old Trafford in their first group game. Still, there was nothing much to worry about. India were seen as a poor side whose only other victory in three World Cups had been against the amateurs and club players of East Africa in 1975. They had a new captain, Kapil Dev, who was quarrelling with Sunil Gavaskar, his predecessor and the team’s star batsman. Gavaskar was out of form and was dropped for one of the games. India seemed underprepared. After all, they hadn’t even played a one-day international game in their own country until 1981.

So there was some surprise when India also beat Australia and England to get to the final at Lord’s. There they would play Clive Lloyd’s team again. The West Indies hadn’t lost since that first game in Manchester. Their semi-final win against Pakistan at the Oval was an easy one; even the leg spin and googlies of Abdul Qadir, which had tormented Desmond Haynes and Vivian Richards, couldn’t throw them off course.

‘I don’t see us slipping up again,’ said Lloyd the day before the final when asked if India could repeat the success of their group game. ‘We’re more relaxed now and playing well.’ Richards was scoring runs, and the four fast bowlers – Garner, Marshall, Roberts and Holding – were either quicker or cannier than ever. Marshall even had the confidence to order a new BMW sports car, which he would pay for from his winnings after the final. Relaxed and playing very well indeed.

India batted and still had more than five overs left of their allowance of 60 when they were bowled out. They made 183, at least 40 runs short of a decent score. The young Barbadian bowler had taken two wickets; he was almost running his finger along his new walnut dashboard.

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