OTD England clinched thrilling victory over West Indies in Jaipur to reach 1987 World Cup semifinal

England defeated the two-time champions West Indies by 34 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on this day in 1987 sealing their place in the World Cup semifinals. The victory marked the end of the West Indies’ dominance in World Cup cricket, as the team was knocked out before the knockout stage for the first time.

Winning the toss, West Indies skipper Viv Richards opted to field first. However, England’s top order got the team to a solid start, thanks to Graham Gooch’s 92 off 137 balls. Gooch’s innings helped England post a total of 269/5. He was well supported by contributions from Allan Lamb (40 off 52), skipper Mike Gatting (25 off 24). Late cameos from John Emburey (24* off 16) and Phil DeFreitas (16* off 9) gave the Three Lions a required push. The Windies bowlers were not at their usual best as they conceded as many as 22 wides and 38 extras overall. Patrick Patterson was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 3 wickets for 56 runs.

Chasing 270, the West Indies lost Desmond Haynes for 9 before Richie Richardson and Viv Richards stabilized the innings with an 82-run stand. Richardson played a knock of 93 from 130 balls, while Richards smashed 51 off 51 deliveries with four fours and three sixes. Their partnership had England on the back foot until Eddie Hemmings removed Richards, a breakthrough the team desperately needed.

From that point, despite needing just 65 runs off the last ten overs with six wickets in hand, they suffered a shocking collapse, losing their remaining wickets for only 30 runs. Hemmings and Emburey, the two spinners England had, bowled well on the seam-friendly pitch. Meanwhile, DeFreitas finished with figures of 3 for 28, while Hemmings and Emburey chipped in with two wickets each.

Furthermore, Paul Downton took two sharp catches behind the stumps, and Hemmings himself executed a brilliant run-out to dismiss Roger Harper as the West Indies were bundled for 235 in 48.1 overs. Graham Gooch was named Player of the Match for his knock.

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