Read the article of Australia vs England 7th Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1987 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 7th ODI match played between England and Australia at Adelaide Oval in 26th January 1987.
Captain Allan Border's classy 91, All-rounder Steve Waugh's unbeaten 80 with two wickets and Peter Taylor's three-wicket haul helped to Australia comprehensive 33-run victory over England in the seventh match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
Australia scored 225-6 in 50 overs with top scorer by Allan Border struck 91 off 122-balls - who fell nine-run short of his century - including five boundaries.
Steve Waugh cracked a unbeaten 83 off 120-balls including 8-fours and Dirk Wellham 9.
England best bowler by Phil DeFreitas claimed a career-best 4-wickets for 35-runs in 10-overs including a maiden and Graham Dilley took one-wicket.
England scored 192 for all-out in 48.1 overs with top scorer by Mike Gatting struck 46 off 54-balls including 3-fours,
Chris Broad scored 46 off 95-balls including 2-fours. David Gower hit 21 off 25-balls included 3-fours, Ian Botham and John Emburey 17.
Australia best bowler by Peter Taylor picked up 3-wickets for 29-runs in 7.1-overs, Steve Waugh strikes two-wickets, Simon Davis, Ken MacLeay and Simon O'Donnell each took one-wickets.
This match reported by Trevor Grant (Third Party Reference from The Age)
Less than an hour into today's Benson and Hedges World Series Cup match, England was openly mocking the Australian challenge.
With Australia 3/37 in the 12th over of the morning and its best bowler, Bruce Reid, declared unfit because of a groin strain, the all-conquering Englishmen, fresh from their third consecutive defeat of the West Indies, probably had good reason to make fun of their opponents.
But it was one of two crucial mistakes they made during today's match, which Australia won by 33 runs with 11 balls to spare.
Their laughter carried to the ears of Australian captain Allan Border while he was at the crease, and after they had raised his ire to a dangerous level, one of their number, fast bowler Graham Dilley, dropped a simple offering from him in the outfield when he was 29. He went on to make 91.
Just after Australia had won its second game from five starts in the WSC Cup series and kept alive its hopes of getting through to the finals, Border reflected on these two events.
"The Englishmen were obviously quite happy to have (Bruce) Reid out. They were laughing and joking, especially when we were three for bugger-all. I could hear it when I was out there batting." Border said.
"I knew they had it in their
minds we had a pop-gun attack. They were saying that our opening bowlers wouldn't make the same impression as their two did this morning. They thought they would wrap it up in no time."
This cockiness was the product of a searing opening spell from Phillip DeFreitas, England's latest acquisition from the ever-increasing pool of West Indian-born county cricketers.
Approaching the wicket with more vigor than he has displayed all summer, DeFreitas whipped out the top three Australian batsmen, Geoff Marsh, Dirk Wellham and Dean Jones, before any of them had reached double figures.
In his opening seven-over spell he took those three wickets for 10 runs off 21 balls.
It was exactly the kind of start England had wanted to confirm its ascendancy over this hapless Australian team. But rather than inspire them to greater deeds, it was the point at which the tourists began to lose their way.
Dilley, who in keeping with the English trend this season had caught so reliably on Saturday against the West Indies, sat at mid-on under Border's skied drive off lan Botham in the 23rd over with his usual surety. When it popped out, the crowd roared in shock as much as relief.
Border, whose 91 came from 122 balls, and Waugh, 83 not out from 120 balls, batted from the 12th to the 46th over, putting together a WSC record fourth-wicket partnership of 164. (Waugh's added contribution of 2/30 from 10 overs gave him the player-of-the-match award ahead of his captain).
The much-anticipated wild flurry in the final overs did not eventuate, as the England bowlers and fielders did their usual professional job of restricting the new batsmen. But the Australian total of 6/225 was sufficient to prompt concern in the minds of the England batsmen.
With a required rate of 4.6 an over, the early England batsmen needed to maintain a steady flow of runs to make sure the load was not too heavy on the middle and late order.
They looked to have built the necessary platform against a disciplined but hardly lethal Australian attack when the irrepressible Chris Broad and captain Mike Gatting steered them to 2/125 In the 32nd over.
Between the 32nd and 45th overs, Australia had the unusual experience of dismissing five top England batsmen - Broad, Gatting, Allan Lamb (8), Jack Richards (2) and Ian Botham (18) for 43 runs. Again it was off-spinner Peter Taylor who dealt the important blows, knocking over Gatting's stumps as he drew away to cut and having Botham stumped as he, too, attempted to force the pace.
Once that had been done, all hope was gone and the Australians, who had experienced two amazing last-ditch comebacks from Pakistan and England in one-day games this month, could at last breathe easily.
The victory puts Australia level with the West Indies on four points on the WSC table and two points behind the leader, England. But the West Indies has four games left in the preliminary matches while Australia and Eng land have three. To maintain its chance of playing in the final, Australia has to beat the West Indies in Sydney tomorrow night.
Border described yesterday's victory as absolutely fantastic, an understandable reaction from a captain who has become so used to defeat.
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