- ONE–DAY INTERNATIONALS
- AT HEADINGLEY
- 1979-2016
Although Pakistan first played in an ODI at Headingley in 1975 that game was against Australia in the very first World Cup. Their first such game against England at the Leeds venue came four years later, also in the same tournament. Paul Dyson looks back at this match, the first of only four between the two countries at Headingley. The contemporary photo of the ground comes courtesy of Mick Pope.
June 16, 1979 at Headingley: England 165-9 in 60 overs; Pakistan 151 in 60 overs (Asif Iqbal 51, M Hendrick 4-15). England won by 14 runs.
By the time this game took place both England and Pakistan were assured of a semil-final place in the eight-team competition. They each had two wins under their belts – both against Australia and Canada. Nevertheless they served up a compelling game.
On a cloudy and breezy morning Asif Iqbal won the toss for Pakistan and asked England to bat. With Mike Brearley being dismissed second ball and Derek Randall soon following to make the score four for two it looked like a good decision. Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch repaired the damage with a stand of 47 but this remained the highest of the innings. Gooch’s 33 from 90 balls also stayed as the top score. He was brilliantly caught by Sadiq Mohammad in the gully. David Gower and Ian Botham also made good starts, although the runs were coming slowly. Both fell to Majid Khan’s off-spin, as had Boycott, and a further three wickets for three runs reduced the score to an inconvincing 118 for eight. Wicket-keeper Bob Taylor and Bob Willis rescued the innings with a stand of 43 but after the latter had become Sikander Bakht’s third victim the end soon followed and England had made a mere 166 for nine in its 60 overs.
Pakistan started its innings with an opening stand of 27 but a wonderful spell of medium-fast swing bowling from Mike Hendrick reduced the score to 34 for six as he took four wickets for three runs in eight balls. Only Sadiq of the top six got into double figures. Hendrick moved the ball both ways and bowled a perfect length. A half-century from Asif Iqbal restored some stability; he made 51 from 104 balls and received contrasting support from Wasim Raja (21 from 25 balls) and Imran Khan. Eventually only 20 were required from the last two wickets with plonty of overs remaining. However two wickets from Geoff Boycott’s medium pace, the second courtesy of a tremendous, leaping catch by Hendrick, saw England home by 14 runs. Imran batted responsibly for 21 not out from 82 balls but Hendrick’s four for 15 from 12 overs, including six maidens, was a real match-winning performance.
Pakistan lost to West Indies in their semi-final and England beat New Zealand. The final was very one-sided with West Indies triumphing by 92 runs, Viv Richards scoring 138 not out and Joel Garner taking five for 38. It meant that West Indies had emerged victorious from each of the first two World Cups.
