ICC Recalls Courtney Walsh's Gesture Of Not Mankading Saleem Jaffar, The Bowler Explains Why

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Courtney Walsh did not Mankad Saleem Jaffar on the final ball of a crucial 1987 Men's World Cup match in Lahore.

It was the ninth match of the tournament and while Pakistan had won both their games thus far, West Indies had won one and lost the other. It was the halfway mark for both teams and the West Indies were desperate for a win. It is in this context that Walsh's refusal to run Jaffar out with Pakistan needing two runs to win off the last ball is relevant.

As Walsh ran in to bowl the final ball, Abdul Qadir, who had hit a six only two balls ago, needed to get two runs to win. Jaffar backed up too far trying to gain a head start and Walsh observed this in his run-up and stopped upon reaching his delivery stride. But instead of running Jaffar out and ending the match, he simply warned the batsman to stay in the crease and walked back to the top of his mark.

The batsmen ran two off the final ball and won Pakistan the game.

Helped by Vivian Richard's 51 and debutant Phil Simmons' 50 the West Indies put up 216 on the board, and with Pakistan needing 14 to win off the final over captain Richards gave the ball to Walsh.

It eventually came down to 10 off 3 and that's when Qadir hit a six over long-off and ran two off the next to reduce the equation to 2 off 1. Walsh's gesture then meant his team lost the game and a place in the semi-finals for first time ever.

Walsh finished that match with figures of 4/40 and finished his career with 227 ODI wickets to go along with 519 in Tests - the most by a West Indies bowler.

Since the 1987 edition, the West Indies have made the final four of a World Cup only one more time in 1996.