When it comes to One Day cricket, there are two matters on which the cricketing world is now at a consensus. Namely, that the ODI rules are in serious need of a revamp, and that England are bad at One Day cricket. With the early exit from the 2015 Cricket World Cup having brought in an all-new nadir to England’s fortunes, it can be said that the time is ripe for a complete re-think on their approach to the game. This is not an unfamiliar situation to English cricket. Over their long and rocky ride in the ODI waters, England have been rigid and largely steered clear of the unconventional. Except for one memorable time in the winter of 1997, when England enjoyed One Day cricket, an uncharacteristic punt came off, far away from England, in the sands of Sharjah.
Michael Atherton, having presided as captain over a clean 3-0 sweep of Australia in the 1997 Texaco Trophy, opted out of England’s next ODI assignment: a quadrangular in Sharjah with India, Pakistan and the West Indies. In Atherton’s absence, the England selectors named the five-ODI-old Adam Hollioake as the captain for the tournament.
Perhaps they were impressed with his cool head and two vital knocks under pressure in the preceding ODI series, or they simply believed in omens (Adam had scored the winning runs in each of the chases against Australia), but it was what ultimately turned out to be a brilliant decision.
Expectations for this experimental England team were near zero. After all, it was Sharjah, and there were India and Pakistan playing in the tournament. England were there to make up the numbers and could return home fairly contended after putting up a decent fight, before, inevitably, going down to the other teams. But then, this Hollioake-led team had a plan, had the players to execute the plan and had the will to back them right through the tournament. Alistair Brown, who had scored a quick century against the visiting Indians the previous summer, had been recalled. Dougie Brown and Matthew Fleming, who could bowl and also shore up the batting down the order, were handed debuts. There was also experience and stability in the form of Alec Stewart, Graeme Hick and Graham Thorpe.
In the first match, against India, Alec Stewart led England to a very competitive 250 with a brisk hundred. Tendulkar looked set to see India home but at 232-8, Fleming saw Tendulkar advancing down the track and craftily had him stumped by Stewart. Tendulkar departed for 91 and England won by seven runs. Fleming, a debutant, finished with figures of 4 for 45. England’s bowlers restricted West Indies to 197 in their next match and when Thorpe fell after a solid 57, Mark Ealham and Dougie Brown saw them home to win by four wickets.
England scored 215 when they took on Pakistan next, with not a single half-century. Dougie Brown sent the explosive Afridi back bowled for a first-ball duck, Ealham, Robert Croft and Hollioake strangled the Pakistan batting in the middle overs and England prevailed by eight runs. Two less-fancied teams in England and West Indies had made it to the final over India and Pakistan. In the final, after West Indies posted a healthy 235, Stewart’s and Thorpe’s steady half-centuries and Fleming’s 26-ball 33 took England to a thrilling three wicket victory.
In pitches generally thought to be more suitable to their opponents than them, England had coursed through the tournament unbeaten, with the same eleven playing in every match, despite having the likes of Ben Hollioake and Ashley Giles in the reserves. Every single victory was by a close margin, testimony to the fact that this team had handled pressure well. This was a remarkable win, against all expectations and with no conceivable parallel in the history of English cricket. It was the near-perfect platform for England’s build up to the 1999 World Cup.
Sadly, the England management did not back this squad as it could and should have, and after a defeat in the subsequent series in the Caribbean, the squad was diluted. By the time England lost to South Africa in the inaugural ICC knockout tournament, Adam Hollioake’s captaincy dream was over. The 1999 World Cup was an eminently forgettable one for England, like many others have been since then. But, the triumph in Sharjah under Adam Hollioake, a fleeting moment in England’s cricketing timescape, will always be looked back upon fondly. And perhaps, wistfully too.
