OTD: When Javed Miandad's historic last-ball six off Chetan Sharma left India shell-shocked

It's 18th April 1986, Sharjah Cricket Stadium is jam-packed as arch-rivals India and Pakistan are taking on each other in the iconic final of the Austral-Asia Cup 1986, with Pakistan needing 4 runs off the last ball and the great Javed Miandad is set to face star India pacer Chetan Sharma. No, it’s not a shot of any movie, it’s a scene from that unforgettable final between India and Pakistan 39 years ago, that completely changed the dynamics of Pakistan cricket in the coming few years.

Javed Miandad stood strong for Pakistan amidst a fall of wickets at regular intervals in the run chase of a 246-run target. He took the match to the last ball, from a situation when his team struggled in the game. Now, it was a do-or-die situation for both Miandad and Sharma to emerge as heroes for their respective teams, as only 4 runs were left on the last ball.

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The six that changed the cricket paradigm in Pakistan

Chetan Sharma attempted what every bowler does on the last ball to avoid a boundary, an unplayable yorker, but the execution didn’t go well, and it happened to be a low full-toss in Javed Miandad’s hitting zone. The Pakistan batting great made no mistake and smashed it over the midwicket region for a six.

Miandad knew the impact of his shot, and he started celebrating before the ball cleared the boundary, raising his arms and running off the pitch in an ecstatic celebration. The history was created with this last-ball six as it was Pakistan’s first-ever title win in any major multi-team tournament.

Besides that, this win was also an ignition in the approach of the Pakistan cricket team against India, while facing them in the coming decade and dominating in a convincing style. 

The ‘Miandad’ obstacle for India in the Austral-Asia Cup Final

Speaking of the action of the game, the then Pakistan skipper Imran Khan won the toss and asked India to bat first. Batting first, Kapil Dev’s men posted 245 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 50 overs. The former legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar played a brilliant knock of 92 runs off 134 balls, with six fours, alongside his opening partner Kris Srikkanth’s 75 runs off 80 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. Following them, Dilip Vengsarkar also scored 50 runs off 64 balls, with a six.

Wasim Akram scalped 3 wickets for Pakistan in the first innings, alongside 2 wickets picked by skipper Khan. Besides these two, Abdul Qadir also picked up 1 wicket in his 10-over stint.

While chasing the target, Pakistan were struggling from the beginning as they lost their 3 wickets at a score of just 61 runs, but it was Javed Miandad who firmly showed resilience and stood between India and a win. He played an unbeaten and match-winning knock of 116 runs off just 114 balls, with three fours and three sixes, taking Pakistan across the line on the very last ball of the game with a historic six. 

This historic Austral-Asia Cup win of Pakistan had a long-lasting impact on cricket in Pakistan, India and across the world. It marked the emergence of Pakistan as a new cricketing powerhouse, which encouraged them to lift their first-ever ODI World Cup title in 1992. Besides that, it was also the start of Pakistan's dominance against India in the 90s era, which too lasted for a long time. 

Besides that, it was also a message from Javed Miandad to the world cricket that Pakistan can't be treated as underdogs anymore. 

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