england tour pakistan 1987

England tour of Pakistan (1987)

RESULT . England tour of Pakistan . ODI

ENGLAND WON BY 2 WICKETS

PAKISTAN WON BY 18 RUNS

ENGLAND WON BY 108 RUNS (REVISED TARGET)

PAKISTAN WON BY 7 WICKETS

ENGLAND WON BY 23 RUNS

ENGLAND WON BY 98 RUNS

RESULT . England tour of Pakistan . TEST

PAKISTAN WON BY AN INNINGS AND 87 RUNS

MATCH DRAWN

England tour of Pakistan 1987 Squad List

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Pakistan's summer of 1987: When Imran Khan's team inspired the nation with victory in England

SM HUSSAIN: For the generation which had experienced the British rule, it was something more than just a triumph on a cricket field. For the rest of us, it was the end of Pakistan’s most memorable English summer

The spring of 1987 brought a scent of success for Pakistan cricket.

Under the leadership of charismatic Imran Khan, the team won the fifth and final Test match by 16 runs in a nailbiter against India at Bangalore to claim a historic Test series on Indian soil for the first time. But it was just the beginning of a successful season which brought more laurels in the English summer.  

After the long, grueling but successful Indian tour, Pakistan embarked on their trip to England in May. The selection committee (for which, read Imran Khan) made a few changes; one of the ‘dropped’ men – Qasim Umar, perhaps frustrated by his exclusion leveled some serious drug allegations on his captain and teammates which resulted in a ‘hostile’ reception at the Heathrow. Sniffer dogs welcomed the Pakistan team and, back home in Pakistan, the international career of Qasim Umar came to an abrupt end.  

After battling a hard-fought three-match Texaco Trophy ODI series, which England managed to win by one wicket in the decider at Edgbaston, both teams headed to Manchester for the first Test.

Both teams came to the contest with Test series victories against their respective arch-rivals – Australia and India - in their opponents' own backyards. England, with an Ashes away win in their bag, were clear favorites. But Imran, who ‘conquered’ India in March 1987 had other plans and he showed some of the ‘blueprints’ in the previous tour to England in 1982, which England won 2-1.    

On an overcast and damp Manchester day, Imran Khan elected to bowl. The Test series had a wet start, as bad weather ruined most of the sessions, not to mention the fifth and final day was completely rained off. But Tim Robinson wasn’t too flustered, as he mustered 166 runs and became the only silver lining to the otherwise ‘dark and cloudy’ situation of the Test match.

Neil Fairbrother made his debut so the Test became memorable for him, but otherwise it was nothing more than a forgettable spectacle. In the second Test at Lord’s only 112.5 were bowled in the match. It was a five-game series, but the dominance of inclement weather turned it into a three-match shootout.

And so, on to Headingley.

Until the mid-80s the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club had a reputation as an unwelcoming host for Asian teams. Pakistan, with their strong bowling line-up, had the ability to prove that notion wrong but it was imperative for their batting to put up a decent score on the board.

Imran Khan and Graham Dilley in 1987

The tourists did just that. Saleem Malik's 99 helped his team post a formidable score of 353. At the time, Malik, 24 years of age, was blossoming into an accomplished batsman. In his playing career spanning almost two decades, he played numerous outstanding knocks, but he has always regarded his innings in Headingley Test as the best ever.

Imran was devastating, to say the least; he wasn’t the same youngster of yesteryear, but his wobbling deliveries remained in his armory. His 10-wicket haul allowed the visitors to bundle out the home team under the score of 200 in both innings and defeat them by an innings and 18 runs. When Ijaz Ahmed caught Jack Richards at short leg, Imran became the first Pakistan bowler to reach 300 wickets.             

Chris Broad’s dismissal became a controversial moment of the match. When the England opener tried to leave Imran’s short-pitched delivery, the ball touched his left hand (which was not in contact with the bat handle) and went straight into the safe hands of wicketkeeper Saleem Yousuf. According to the law, it was not out, but umpire David Shepherd raised his finger. No wonder Broad stood at the wicket in utter disbelief.   

Lady luck smiled on Mike Gatting as far as the toss of the coin was concerned, but he wasn’t was too lucky in getting a performance out of his players to back his decisions. In the fourth Test at Edgbaston, Gatting opted to bowl first, but like his batsmen in the previous Test, his bowlers let him down this time around. Pakistan made 439 runs in the first innings. In response, England scored 521 with the significant share of runs coming from their captain Gatting, who made 124. At the end of fourth day’s play, a draw seemed a foregone conclusion, but a flurry of wickets on the final day made it a fascinating viewing as seventeen wickets fell in a single day. Chasing a target of 124 England managed to reach 109 for 7 at the close of play. 

Ever since their 24-run victory at the Oval in 1954, Pakistan batsmen have had always felt comfortable playing at this venue; perhaps the true bounce of pitch suited their flamboyance. It was a run feast in the final Test at the Oval. Pakistan made a mammoth 708 which remained their best ever score in an innings until 2009 (when they made 765 for 6 against Sri Lanka at the National Stadium Karachi).

Saleem Malik and Imran Khan made centuries. Javed Miandad who had a poor series by his standards till the fourth Test was due for a big score. Gatting was nervy of that and before the start of the fifth Test, he openly shared his fear. Miandad made Gatting’s worse fear come true and scored a big double hundred, he made 260 runs. 

At the end of day four, England were three wickets down for 95 runs and struggling to save themselves from another innings defeat. One team’s loss is another team’s gain. When England reached the ground for the fifth day’s play they were welcomed with some good news.

Wasim Akram who felt lethargic and had severe abdominal pain after the fourth day’s play was rushed to hospital by the player-cum-manager – Iqbal Qasim. Doctors diagnosed appendicitis and went for the operation immediately. Interestingly, later it was reported in Pakistani media that Akram had asked the doctor to delay the operation for a day or two due to the ongoing Test match; obviously, the request was declined by the doctor.

On the fifth and final day of the series, England just lost one wicket to reach 315 for 4. Gatting played another captain’s knock and remained not out on 150, but it was Botham’s patient batting which played a crucial role in the match-saving partnership. Defying his extravagant nature, Botham made 51 not out off 209 balls.  Akram’s absence combined with the resilience of England batsmen and Pakistan’s appalling fielding became major factors in drawing the final Test.

On 11th August 1987 just two days before their country’s 40th independence day Imran’s men gave their countrymen a prized gift – Pakistan beat England in England. It was at The Oval in 1954 when a young cricketing nation got a self-belief after a maiden Test victory over England and it was only fitting that they raised the Cornhill Insurance trophy after winning their first ever Test series in England at the same venue.

For the generation which had experienced the British rule, it was something more than just a triumph on a cricket field. For the rest of us, it was the end of Pakistan’s most memorable English summer.  

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Mike Gatting umpire row threatens England tour of Pakistan - archive, 1987

10 December 1987: The British Ambassador to Pakistan has been briefed following an incident in the second test that led to tension on and off the field

England’s turbulent cricket tour of Pakistan will be called off today unless the dispute between England captain Mike Gatting and umpire Shakoor Rana , which led to the abandonment of yesterday’s play in the second Test at Faisalabad, is resolved.

The Test and County Cricket Board meets at Lord’s today but the differences appear to be irreconcilable.

Umpire Rana, who exchanged words with Gatting toward the end of Tuesday’s play, refused to take the field yesterday. Gatting was prepared to offer Rana an apology but in turn demanded a retraction of the ‘cheat’ allegation which the Pakistani refused to give.

General Safdar Butt, president of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who later had further talks in Lahore with board secretary Ejaz Butt, said that he would inform England tour manager Peter Lush that Gatting “has to apologise for the filthy language used on the umpire. I am willing to accept that perhaps he is not the best but no-one has the right to abuse him like that.”

Lush, who followed Butt to Lahore only to find the general had gone to dinner, maintained that Rana had used the word “cheat, and very strongly, in front of a number of witnesses.” He said: “I have made the captain’s position clear and the team is totally behind Gatting. The solution is in the umpire’s hands and that’s where it rests.”

Raman Subba Row, chairman of the TCCB, admitted that Alan Smith, the board’s chief executive, had been in contact with Lush and manager Micky Stewart.

The third and final Test is due to start in Karachi on Tuesday. So far, the British Ambassador to Pakistan, Mr Nicholas Barrington, has restricted his involvement to a telephone call to Lush. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “It is not for the Government to intervene.”

In 1958 the then President Iskander Mirza ordered the England party out of the country after an incident involving another umpire, Idrees Beg, in a Peshawar hotel, but the cricket authorities prevailed.

The current problems stem from the Pakistanis’ visit here in the summer when their objection to umpire David Constant - on personality grounds, not competence - were overruled by the TCCB.

Rana is no stranger to controversy. Nine years ago he gave six leg-before decisions against England. In 1982 Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson kicked down the stumps after being repeatedly no-balled and two winters ago New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney led his team from the field when Rana turned down an appeal for a catch.

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England in Pakistan Test Series, 1987

RR chose to field.

Canada chose to bat.

SA Women chose to field.

Day 3 - Jamaica need 296 runs.

Day 3 - Comb C&C need 382 runs.

Day 3 - Leeward Is trail by 156 runs.

Windward Is won by 158 runs

Day 2 - Kent trail by 380 runs.

Day 2 - Lancashire trail by 234 runs.

Day 2 - WORCS trail by 304 runs.

Day 2 - Surrey lead by 6 runs.

Day 2 - Durham trail by 583 runs.

Day 2 - Glamorgan lead by 56 runs.

Day 2 - Gloucs trail by 93 runs.

Day 2 - Sussex trail by 122 runs.

Day 2 - Middlesex trail by 503 runs.

Kuwait won by 8 wickets (with 52 balls remaining)

U.A.E. won by 37 runs

Nepal won by 32 runs

Malaysia won by 12 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders

Lucknow Super Giants

Match yet to begin

Mumbai Indians

Chennai Super Kings

England vs Pakistan , 5th Test at London , , Aug 06 1987 - Full Scorecard

Match drawn

• Pak 1st innings
• 4th Wicket Partnership record for Pakistan: Miandad/Malik, 234.
• 7th Wicket Record for Pakistan against Eng.: Ijaz/Yousuf, 89.
• Highest Pak Team Total, 708, Surpassed 674-6 agst India (1984/85) 6th highest score in any test, 2nd highest total conceded by Eng.
• Most runs conceded by an English Bowler: IT Botham, 217

ENGLAND v PAKISTAN 1987

Toss: Pakistan