Watch the highlights of England vs West Indies 9th Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1987 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 9th ODI match played between West Indies and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 30th January 1987.
Pace bowling attack from Michael Holding, Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner before A masterful Innings from captain Viv Richards helped to West Indies hard-fought six-wicket victory over England in a low-scoring game of the ninth match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
England scored 147 for all-out in 48.2 overs with top scorer by John Emburey scored 34 off 53-balls including a boundary.
Chris Broad scored 33 off consuming 95-balls including 2-fours and Ian Botham 15.
West Indies best bowler by Malcolm Marshall picked up 3-wickets for 30-runs in 9.2-overs including two maidens.
Joel Garner captured three-wickets for 37-runs in 9-overs including a maiden, Michael Holding took 2-wickets and one for Roger Harper.
West Indies chased 148-4 in 48.3 overs with top scorer by Viv Richards cracked a 58 off 84-balls, Larry Gomes scored 36 off consuming 96-balls including two boundaries and Gus Logie 19 not out.
England best bowler by Neil Foster took 2-wickets and one for Phil DeFreitas.
Viv Richards named Player of the match for his match-winning masterful 58 off facing 84-balls including 5-fours and 2-sixes.
This match reported by Peter West (Third Party Reference from The Daily Telegraph)
A MASTERFUL innings by Viv Richards, for whom a difficult pitch posed few problems, guided West Indies to victory over England by Six wickets in a low-scoring match.
Richards was out for 58 (84 balls, two sixes, five fours) when his side needed only two more runs. They reached 148 for four, to win with nine balls to spare.
It is a result which leaves all three countries level on points, each with two preliminary games to play in the Benson and Hedges World Series cup.
England meet Australia here on Sunday-when this vast Melbourne stadium will no doubt be packed to the rafters- and the West Indies in Devonport, Tasmania, on Tuesday.
Athletic pursuit
It could be that the run rate will eventually determine which two countries contest the best-of-three-games final. Australia, with 4.38 lead England narrowly in this respect.
The day was clouded by an unhappy injury to Michael Holding, who suffered a severely-torn hamstring which must surely mark the end of his participation in this tournament, and may also spell the end of his distinguished career.
A ball he bowled at Botham lifted from barely short of a length to the shoulder of the bat and lobbed gently out on the offside. In athletic pursuit of his prize, he all but collapsed in the penultimate stride but bravely kept going to hold a marvellous low, one-handed catch before sprawling on the ground in obvious distress.
Botham helped carry him off the field before a stretcher arrived. Holding, 32, said, the injury would put him out of action for the tour of New Zealand which starts next month.
It was poor surface for a one-day match: uneven bounce and lateral movement consistently encouraged the quick bowlers and at times there was sharpish turn for the spinners, although that was not too apparent while Richards was assaulting Emburey.
There can be no doubt that England missed the injured Dilley, or that their total of 147 was not quite enough to put West Indies under sufficient pressure. Another 25 to 50 might well have done the trick.
As it was, they very grateful to have Embery in that calm and knowing way of his making top score of 34 and doing his best to ensure that they used up their full allotment of overs.
England got the early wicket they needed. DeFreitas, in his third over, had Richardson caught behind off a thin deflezxion. Small was just as accurate as DeFreitas in a splemdid opening spell but Haynes and Gomes somehow survived it.
Haynes was leg before to Foster in the 22nd over with the score 49 for two. Had Richards played on, as very nearly did, to the first ball bowled by Emburey, which turned sharply, it might have been a different story.
Botham was now in the middle of a tidy but unpenetrative spell so Richards aimed his sights at Emburey. A thrilling straight drive for four was followed in the next over by two sixes over long-on and long-off, respectively.
The second stroke made him the first batsman to have passed the 5,000 run mark in one day internationals.
Gomes had played some facile leg-side shots and done a valuable anchoring job for two hours, when he was sent back by his captain and the quick reaction and throw of England's Richards, to Emburey's end, ran the West Indian lefthander out.
By then-98 for three in the 34th over-Gatting had so few runs to play with that he brought back DeFreitas, hoping for another breakthrough. It was not to be, though DeFreitas bowled quite admirably without any luck, to finish with one for 15 off his 10 overs. After Gatting had won the toss, England's batsmen had a struggle from the outset.
No help
It was no holp to the cause, after Athey had fallen leg before to Garner, and Gower had dragged on a ball from Marshall from someway outside the off stump, to have Lamb run out.
Nor was it when Gatting, after a promising start, was bowled in Harper's first over from a shot the captain will not recall with any satisfaction.
In spite of some twitchy calling-and enjoying the luck which most batsmen needed on this pitch-Broad held the fort for two hours before being caught at slip for 33, and Emburey kept things going with a little help from DeFreitas.
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