06 March,2019 02:55 PM IST | | A Correspondent
Aussie pacer Andy Bichel on fire against England at Port Elizabeth in World Cup 2003. Pic/AFP
Fast bowler Andy Bichel was told about his inclusion in place of the injured Jason Gillespie only the night before Australia's clash with England in the 2003 World Cup at Port Elizabeth. And the Queenslander couldn't wait to set foot on St George's Park.
Australia did not have the best of starts as they could only claim the first wicket of the game after England progressed to 66. That first wicket was that of southpaw Nick Knight, who spooned one to Damien Martyn at widish first slip. Six runs later, Adam Gilchrist didn't have to move to accept Michael Vaughan's snick behind the wicket.
And when England skipper Nasser Hussain was cleaned up with the scoreboard reading 74, a decent start turned into a mini crisis. Alec Stewart, Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff contributed to Bichel taking his wicket tally to six before Ashley Giles became his seventh victim.
Rarely did Glenn McGrath claim only a solitary wicket in an innings but that day he did and Bichell deserved all kudos for restricting England to 204-8 in 50 overs. What followed was probably more amazing with Australia making a big deal about chasing the small target. They lost eight wickets in the process and guess who stayed not out when the winning runs were scored by Michael Bevan (74)? Andrew John Bichel - 34 off 36 balls.
Figured out
Syed Kirmani was adjudged the best wicketkeeper of the 1983 World Cup for 12 catches and two stumpings in eigth games. His unbeaten 24 against Zimbabwe in Tunbridge Wells was invaluable as well while his skipper Kapil Dev was flaying the opposition for an epic 175 at Nevill Ground.
Did you know?
His elder brothers Ian and Greg did not have the distinction of scoring a hundred at the World Cup, but Trevor Chappell scored one - a match-winning 110 as opener against India at Trent Bridge in the 1983 edition.
Man to watch
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler knows a thing or two about handling pressure. Last summer, his selection in the England Test squad against India was criticised since the selectors picked him on the basis of his IPL form. He hit back at his critics by scoring a hundred in the Trent Bridge Test match and followed it up with two meaty half-centuries. In the one-day format, Buttler has been a key player while attacking the bowling and lending solidity to the England team. In the last series against West Indies he scored 211 runs which is not impressive by his standards, but he carved a match-winning 150 in England's massive 418-run total which WI failed to chase down in Grenada.
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