After the first three editions of the ODI World Cup, the fourth edition of the marquee event took place in 1987. It was co-hosted by India and Pakistan. West Indies won the first two editions, while India won the 1983 ODI World Cup under Kapil Dev and entered the 1987 World Cup as defending champions.
Just like the previous three tournaments, it had eight teams competing for the championship: Australia, England, India (hosts), New Zealand, Pakistan (hosts), Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe. The tournament had a total of 27 games, including the semifinals and final. All eight teams were divided into two groups of four.
Group A : India, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
Group B: Pakistan, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka
Australia’s journey in 1987 ODI World Cup
The first match of the tournament was played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on October 8 at the Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad, which Pakistan won by 15 runs. However, Australia played their tournament opener against the defending champions, India, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 9. It was a nail-bitter and Australia pulled off a miraclous win by just 1 run. Australi made 270/6 with the help of Geoff Marsh (110). Then, they dismissed India for 269 in 49.5 overs.
The next game against Zimbabwe was easy for Australia, as they won it by 96 runs. However, the third game for them was another thriller against New Zealand. Australia won that game by just three runs. However, Australia faced their first and only defeat of that tournament against India on October 22. India scored 289/6 in 50 overs, while Australia got dismissed for just 233 runs in 49 overs, losing the game by 56 runs.
In their next game, Geoff Marsh scored another century (126 not out) to help Australia register a 17-run win over New Zealand. In their last group match, Australia beat Zimbabwe by 70 runs to finish the group in second place after India. Australia faced Pakistan on November 4 at the Gaddafi Stadium in the semi-final, Lahore. Batting first, Australia scored 267/8 and dismissed Pakistan for 249 to win the game by 18 runs and advance to the final.
It was the second time after 1975 that Australia was in the final. They face archrivals England in the final, which took place on November 8 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Australia won the toss and decided to bat first. They scored 253/5 in their first inning. David Boon was the top-scorer with 75 runs. Chasing the target, England looked good at 170/3, but they lost the momentum and could only manage 246/8, losing the final by 7 runs. With this win, Australia won their maiden World title in 1987.
Australia Squad for the 1987 ODI World Cup
Allan Border (c), David Boon, Greg Dyer (wk), Dean Jones, Geoff Marsh, Tim May, Craig McDermott, Tom Moody, Simon O’Donnell, Bruce Reid, Peter Taylor, Mike Veletta, Steve Waugh, Andrew Zesers
Australia Roadmap to 1987 World Cup Final
| Match | Against | Venue | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group | India | Chennai | Oct 09, Friday | won by 1 run |
| Group | Zimbabwe | Chennai | Oct 13, Tuesday | won by 96 runs |
| Group | New Zealand | Indore | Oct 18, Sunday | won by 3 runs |
| Group | India | Delhi | Oct 22, Thu | lost by 56 runs |
| Group | New Zealand | Chandigarh | Oct 27, Tuesday | won by 17 runs |
| Group | Zimbabwe | Cuttack | Oct 30, Friday | won by 70 runs |
| Semi-final | Pakisan | Lahore | Nov 04, Wednesday | won by 18 runs |
| Final | England | Kolkata | Nov 08, Sunday | won by 7 runs |
AUS Most Runs in 1987 World Cup
| Batter | Mts | Runs | HS | Avg | 50/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Boon | 8 | 441 | 93 | 55.87 | 5/0 |
| Geoff Marsh | 8 | 428 | 126* | 61.14 | 1/2 |
| Dean Jones | 8 | 314 | 58* | 44.85 | 3/0 |
| Allan Border | 8 | 183 | 67 | 22.87 | 1/0 |
| Steve Waugh | 8 | 167 | 45 | 55.66 | 0/0 |
AUS Most Wickets in 1987 World Cup
| Bowler | Mts | Wkts | BBI | Econ | 4/5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig McDermott | 8 | 18 | 5/44 | 4.67 | 1/1 |
| Steve Waugh | 8 | 12 | 2/36 | 4.53 | 0/0 |
| Simon O’Donnell | 7 | 9 | 4/39 | 4.30 | 1/0 |
| Alan Border | 8 | 6 | 2/27 | 5.18 | 0/0 |
| Bruce Reid | 8 | 6 | 2/38 | 4.45 | 0/0 |