Today in History
The trophy West Indies let slip into South Africa's hands
Before the Champions Trophy became a crowded calendar obligation, it was a brisk little idea with sharp edges. The Wills International Cup brought together the nine Test nations in a straight knockout competition. Lose once and go home.
The tournament was staged partly to raise funds for cricket development outside the Test countries, and Bangladesh filled the Bangabandhu National Stadium despite not having a team in the event.
West Indies arrived as a declining power and played like contenders. They beat Pakistan by 30 runs in the quarter-final, then chased 243 against India with six wickets and three overs to spare. Shivnarine Chanderpaul top-scored with 74 in the semi-final to put Brian Lara's side into the championship game. Philo Wallace then gave them visions of the winner's platform.
A century, followed by an opening
South Africa chose to field on 1 November, and Wallace attacked from the start. He made 103 from 102 balls, hitting eleven fours and five sixes. He and Chanderpaul added 76 for the second wicket. Carl Hooper contributed 49. At 180 for three, West Indies were positioned for a total well above 270. They collapsed to 245 all out.
Kallis took five for 30 in 7.3 overs as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 65 runs. The total was competitive, but the opportunity for more had slipped.
Mike Rindel scored 49, and Kallis, having done the principal damage with the ball, made 37. South Africa's chase wobbled at 137 for five, but captain Hansie Cronje steadied the ship with an unbeaten 61.
South Africa reached 248 for six with three overs remaining to win by four wickets. The player of the match, Kallis, was also the player of the tournament. More importantly, the victory gave South Africa their first global limited-overs trophy. West Indies, on the other hand, were left with another almost moment.
The last calm before Heathrow
The final sits in West Indies history partly because of what followed immediately. From Dhaka, the squad was supposed to continue to South Africa for the first full West Indian tour of the country. Instead, a dispute over pay and conditions saw players refusing to make the trip, instead choosing to stop at the Heathrow hotel in London. Lara and Hooper were sacked, their teammates refused to travel without them, and the tour nearly collapsed before it began.
That chaos can make the cricket in Dhaka look like a prologue. West Indies had eliminated Pakistan and India and reached a major final. Wallace, a powerful Barbadian opener whose international career would last only seven Tests and 33 ODIs, made the only century of the match. A side short of collective confidence stood 180 for three with a trophy in view.
Yet they were not robbed by fate. Kallis produced an outstanding all-round performance, and Cronje managed the chase. The loss hurts because South Africa were excellent and West Indies had still created the better opening.
Six years later, West Indies won the same competition at The Oval through a ninth-wicket partnership nobody expected. Dhaka was the mirror image. The recognised batsmen built the platform that the lower order could not preserve.
The first ICC KnockOut trophy was there to be won. West Indies got one hand on it, then lost seven wickets.
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