DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A cracker in the 1987 World Cup came down to Pakistan needing 14 off the last over with one wicket left vs the Windies.

BACKGROUND:
Pakistan was one of the co-hosts for the 1987 World Cup and had won their opening two matches, against Sri Lanka and England, by 15 and 18 runs respectively.
West Indies were very narrowly beaten by England, by two wickets, in their opening encounter. But their thumping 191-run win against Sri Lanka in the next match meant that both teams headed into the game with confidence high.
Viv Richards had chosen to bat on winning the toss, but Imran Khan combined with Jaffar and Wasim Akram to bowl the West Indies out for 216. Walsh’s four wickets then derailed the chase until it all came down to the final over with 14 runs needed and nine wickets down.

THE MOMENT
Pakistan collected four runs off the first three balls, before Qadir swung the match on its head, carting Walsh for a straight six. He then gathered another couple to bring the equation down to two runs off one ball. Walsh came running in to bowl the final ball but stopped just before delivering it, as he found Jaffar backing up too far.
Walsh, who eventually ended with figures of 4 for 40 ran in to bowl the last ball, off which two were required, with Abdul Qadir on strike, but stopped before delivering the ball due to Saleem Jaffar backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. However, he chose not to run Jaffar out and headed back to his mark.
Had Walsh gone ahead and run Jaffar out, it would have sealed a dramatic win for the West Indies. Instead, in a remarkable display of sportsman spirit, he headed back to his bowling mark after deciding against it and leaving the batsman with just a warning.
“I was let off with the warning by the bowler. We went on to win the match while the defeat cost the West Indies a place in the semi-final. But that was the true spirit of the game.” Wasim Jaffar

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
Qadir scored the required two runs needed off the last ball as Pakistan ended up victors. They continued their good run in the tournament, topping Group B to progress to the semi-finals, while the West Indies failed to qualify for the first time in the history of the World Cup, having won the title in 1975 and 1979 and ended up runners-up in 1983.
“The Pakistan government had given him (Walsh) an award in the form of a medal for showing this gesture.” Wasin Jaffar
Had the West Indies won this match, they would have qualified alongside Pakistan, pipping England.