A blast from the past! …Rewind to 1999 and the last time Australia played an ODI in Guyana

Jun 02, 2016 Sports

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By Sean Devers

When Australia team bus arrives at the GCC ground today for the team’s first practice session in Guyana ahead of the tri nation series which starts tomorrow, the players might not be aware that on the very ground, 17 years ago an ugly crowd invasion resulted in a controversial end to an exciting contest which was to be Australia’s last ODI on Guyana’s soil.

I watched that game as Journalist and could not believe what unfolded before my eyes. It was a shocking spectacle and ended an era when spectators were allowed to run onto the ground in celebration when their team registered victory.
That incident played a pivotal role in the implementation of stringent security measures being put in place to prevent fans getting too close to the modern day players.
Head Coach Phill Simmons and Stuart Williams are a part of the think tank of West Indies team which participates in the tri-nation series, which also involves South Africa and number one ranked ODI side Australia.
Both former West Indian players participated in the match the last time Australia played an ODI in Guyana. The contest was adjudged a tie after a second crowd invasion in seven balls with Australian Skipper Steve Waugh unbeaten on 72 from 95 balls with five fours and three sixes at the crease. Shane Warne, on 19, was the other batsman in the middle when pandemonium broke out.
Carl Hooper, Shiv Chanderpaul and Umpire Eddy Nicholls were the Guyanese involved in that unforgettable contest.
The capacity crowd of over 10,000 had patiently waited for three hours and 25 minutes for the game to finally commence. Rain and a wet ground caused a delay until 13:00hrs and the 50-over game was reduced to 30 overs per side.
Ridley Jacobs (33) and Sherwin Campbell (41) put on 83 for the first wicket before Bret Lee removed them both in the 14th over in the space of a run. Warne then got rid of Skipper Jimmy Adams (7) and Hopper (8) before Lee dismissed Chanderpaul (27) in the 29th over.
Simmons joined Williams and they added 20 runs from the last 11 balls with Simmons clobbering two massive sixes in 15 from just five balls and Williams making 30 with two fours and a six to take the West Indies to 173-5.
Australia, who won the toss, were set 174 to win and Adam Gilchrist smashed seven boundaries which included a couple of sixes before he was run out for 44 to delight of the screaming partisan crowd.
Simmons took two crucial wickets and when Mervin Dillon, who had dismissed opener Mark Waugh returned to send back Tom Moody (2) at 119-7, the mood was electric with the fans dancing in the Clive Lloyd, Lance Gibbs, Kenny Wishart and Rohan Kanhai double Decker stands.
But with 55 to get in seven overs and the Aussie Captain was batting brilliantly and tearing Hooper’s off spin to shreds, the game was not over yet.
A section of the crowd which was behind the scoreboard to Eastern side of the ground started the drama. When Waugh stroked Courtney Walsh to long-on for one and the delirious crowd stormed the field and ecstatically pulled out the stumps under the assumption that it was the last over and West Indies had won.
As thousands of people began pouring onto the ground from all directions, the bewildered Australian batsmen and the 11 West Indians watched as Police officers and Umpires Nicholls and Billy Doctrove tried desperately to disperse the multitude of spectators off the sward.
After 15 minutes the game resumed with six required to win from the last over bowled by left-arm spinner Keith Arthurton.
The first ball produced a couple to Williams at long-on leaving four to get from five balls. The two deliveries were hit back to Arthurton while the fourth was a swish and a miss by Waugh and successive dots were recorded in the scorebook.
With four to win from two balls, Waugh could only manage an under edge onto his pad and the Australians needed four from the last ball and raucous crowd were rocking the fence in the ‘sun bun’ uncovered stand.
Waugh pulled a short ball to Williams at long-on and scampered two by which time the crowd again swarmed the ground even as Waugh attempted a third run as the fans again disturbed the stumps and to be forced away from the players by a sea of police officers which included those from the mounted branch on horses and helmeted ranks from the riot squad.
It was alleged that Waugh’s gold chain was snatched from his neck in the confusion and the game deemed as a tie.
On Sunday Australia, who have never played in any of the 14 ODIs at Providence, oppose the West Indies for the first in an ODI since that day at Bourda on April 21, 1999.

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