Read the article of India vs England 1st Match Sharjah Cup 1987 - Sharjah Cup four-nation one-day international tournament of the 1st ODI match played between New Zealand and India at Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, Sharjah in 02nd April 1987.
All-rounder Ravi Shastri's 3-wickets before Half-centuries from Opener Kris Srikkanth and Captain Kapil Dev helped to India tense three-wicket victory over England in the opening match of a Sharjah Cup.
England scored 211-7 in 50 overs with top scorer by Chris Broad struck 57 off 94-balls including 3-fours.
Tim Robinson scored 34 off 45-balls without a boundary, Graham Gooch hit 31 off 53-balls included 5-fours, John Emburey 25 and Phil DeFreitas 18 not out.
India best bowler by Ravi Shastri picked up 3-wickets, Kapil Dev, Gopal Sharma and Maninder Singh each took one-wickets.
India chased 214-7 in 48.5 overs with top scorer by Kapil Dev hammered a 64 off 54-balls, Kris Srikkanth struck 56 off 73-balls including 5-fours & a six.
Dilip Vengsarkar scored 40 off 66-balls including two boundaries and Mohammad Azharuddin 24 not out.
England best bowler by John Emburey picked up 3-wickets for 38-runs in 9.5-overs, Phil Edmonds took 2-wickets and one for David Capel - Neil Foster.
Kapil Dev named Player of the match for his match-winning superb unbeaten 64 off 54-balls included 5-fours and a six with strike rate of 118.51.
This match reported by Tony Lewis (Third Party Reference from The Daily Telegraph)
INDIA beat England with seven balls to spare in the first match of the four-tournament in
nation Sharjah. England's play was not tight enough-they dropped catches when India panicked near the end, and that proved fatal in this 50-over game.
Kapil Dev won the toss and put England in to bat. The pitch and outfield were slow but Gooch and Broad stroked the ball about as if the Indians were net bowlers hired for the day. Kapil, cowed after his 5-1 defeat by Pakistan in the recent one-day series, quickly dropped back his slip to cover, then his cover to deep point.
It took India's captain 14 overs to realise that the slower you bowl on a sluggish pitch the harder it is to hit the ball any distance. Enter Maninder Singh and Ravi Shastri, left-arm spin, and Ghopal Sharma, off-spin. They took six of the seven wickets to fall, but not one of them turned the ball an inch.
The game was all about timing and mis-timing. Gooch lifted his railway-sleeper of a bat and was yorked. He had put on 60 with Broad, who played the fast men well but the slow men a little stiffly. Robinson prospered but indulged in odd moments of badly timed brutality and then the trouble began.
Fairbrother, Whitaker and Capel failed but only by inexperience and this is why this particular tournament should be an essential part of England's team-building. Whitaker played inside a straight one, Fair-brother was brilliantly caught at mid-off, and Capel ran himself out.
India's best bowling was by Shastri, who floated the ball gently on off-stump or outside... and waited. He let the batsman manufacture his own demise.
Srikkanth is an exciting, extravagant player who wins a game if he stays at the wicket long enough. He has devised a new stance, legs wide apart, crouching, gloves low and well forward.
Even in Sharjah the name of Hampshire Henry Horton was recalled-and Srikkanth was as successful as Henry had been and a good bit faster. Henry's stance, I am sure, came from the school of life rather than by any special tuition: Srikkanth's comes from his last innings when he suffered a blow to the head and 12 stitches. He adopts the ready-to-duck position from the start. He scored 56.
In the face of these three, England struggled. Emburey got to know more of the cares of captaincy. He had to remove Edmonds and Capel from the attack to save them from further punishment though both were unlucky.
Eventually it was catching that let England down. Emburey dropped an uncomplicated chance given by Azharuddin at mid-off and Richards missed a snick behind the stumps.
Today, in the second match of the tournament, Australia play Pakistan. It is worked on a league basis with two points for a win. Should any sides tie in the end, the winner will be the one with the highest run rate. Thus the slow conditions of the day will not favour England.
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