Throwback 1996: When Vizag hosted a prestigious World Cup match

How many ever bilateral series or IPL matches a city hosts, the honour of hosting a World Cup match is unparalleled. The most coveted tournament in the history of the sport, the ICC Cricket Cricket World Cup is a feather every team dreams for years to have on their hats. Being such a grand and prestigious event, the ICC puts religious efforts into deciding the venues and making preparations. Despite playing host to a handful of matches and maintaining high standards, the governing body has consistently turned a blind eye to Visakhapatnam, not having allotted any big-ticket fixtures except for an ODI or a T20 a year. But how many of you know that Vizag did get the rare opportunity to host a world cup match 27 years ago in 1996?

Once a well-furbished ground and now in a sorry state, the Indira Priyadarshini Stadium, located in the one-town area, played host to five international matches, out of which India played three, winning two. But the one that stands out and is etched in the history of Vizag is the Wills World Cup match in 1996. Surprisingly, it was not the home team that played it but the Australians and Kenyans.

It was 23 February 1996, and the city’s cricket fanatics hoarded the stadium, reaching there with fervour on busy buses, cycles, and some by foot. A wave of excitement and cheer made a resounding in the lanes as the swashbuckling Aussie stars Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Micheal Bevan, and the remaining entourage from Down Under walked out onto the pitch. Batting first, the men in yellow gave away a glimmer of hope to the Kenyans, with Taylor and Ponting walking back to the pavilion early.

Also read: All you need to know about the cricket stadium in Vizag

But the Waugh brothers had different plans and displayed what makes an Aussie an Aussie. Striking at 101.56, Mark amassed 130 runs in 128 balls, hitting the ball 14 times past the boundary and once over it. The other brother fell short of a century by 18 runs, giving away his wicket to Martin Suji at 82 after a 207-run partnership with Mark.

Rajab Ali picked three wickets, and Suji two, leaving the batters a target of 305 runs. While it was always a mountain too high to climb for Kenya, opener Kennedy Otieno managed a fighting 85 runs in 135 balls. Skipper Maurice Odumbe aided with a 53-ball half-century but soon fell to Bevan while no other name surpassed the 15-run mark. Aussie pacer Paul Reiffel bowled an impressive and economical spell of seven overs, giving away only 18 runs and picking a wicket. As predicted by every spectator, Australia won the match by a massive 97-run margin. Mark Waugh was adjudged the Man of the Match for his result-defining century.

It has been 27 years since that day, and Vizag did not get the opportunity to host another World Cup match. The 2023 WC schedule was released recently, giving no respite to the fans here, continuing the long wait.

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