It has happened on umpteen occasions in a cricket field that an opposition chase to a formidable target is propelled by a solid opening stand - one that loses way once the openers are separated. The game appears heavily tilted in favour of the batting side and the bowling side is made to look innocuous. These are the times when a bowler chips in with a crucial second spell that shuts the door on the opposition.
Joel Garner turned out something similar at the 1979 World Cup final game against England at Lord’s. The 6 feet 8 inches giant from Barbados returned for his second spell in the 48th over from the Nursery End, after which what one witnessed was a period of sustained hostility.
Mind you, England openers Mike Brearley and Geoff Boycott made their pavilion exits having raised a century opening stand, without really cutting the West Indies bowling to ribbons (129 stand came in 39 overs) chasing a formidable target of 287 when Garner came in to bowl.
He steamed in and bowled a succession of lethal yorkers, first cleaning up Graham Gooch to make sure England didn’t get any momentum going in their innings before breaching the defense of David Gower when the latter gave himself room to attempt a forceful shot for a duck, three balls later. Of course, the dark clouds that loomed large over Lord’s didn’t make the task of English batsmen any easier as facing a bowler, whose arm was coming out of the tress above the stands, was quite an ask.
Suddenly, it looked like the slow pace of scoring of Brearley and Boycott was hitting England hard as the latter batsmen found things too hot to handle. A healthy looking 183 for 2 soon became 186 for 6 as Garner inflicted further damage, castling Wayne Larkins for a first-ball duck.
The devastation Garner wrecked from one end completely pulverised England as they were more or less resigned to their fate by now. He rattled the furniture for the fourth time, while accounting for Chris Old as West Indies inched closer to performing the final rites.
The behemoth registered the first five-for in a World Cup final when he snapped up Bob Taylor to hasten the World Cup winning path for West Indies.
England were all out for 194 in 51 overs giving West Indies a comprehensive 92 run victory.
It was quite a decimation job from the Garner – he took 5 for 4 in 11 balls as England’s last eight wickets folded for just 11 runs. And nobody was surprised to see him get the Man of the Match award
Garner once recalled how the England batsmen played into their hands by their tardy scoring rate. “We were grateful to England for their tactics. By the time the England openers were gone it would have taken a superhuman effort to retrieve the situation.”
The big man celebrated the win by taking off his 15 size boots and flung them from the dressing room balcony into the sea of fans in front of the pavilion.
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