What’s the story?
The World Cup winning Australian side of 1987 will receive their medals on Sunday, 30 years after their triumph at the Eden Gardens.
"I'm so proud that the players and support staff of our 1987 win have been recognised in this way. We never thought about medals or anything like that at the time - it was just about winning the tournament - but to get this acknowledgement now is a recognition of what we achieved during that month in India and Pakistan and we're grateful to Cricket Australia and the ICC for this being done,” Allan Border who captained the side then was quoted by One India.
"It's terrific to get together again as a group, relive those days and have a laugh but also realise what it was we achieved in becoming the first Australia side to win the World Cup.”
Also Read: Glenn McGrath reveals Sachin Tendulkar sledged him during his career
In case you missed it..
Although they were presented with the World Cup trophy after the win, Border and his side never received the winning medals. They will now be receiving the medals during the innings break of Sunday’s ODI match between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
In June 2016 it was decided in a meeting that the International Cricket Council will hand over the medals to sides who did not receive it after their World Cup triumphs. On Sunday, ICC will present the medals while Cricket Australia - would organise the commemorative ceremony.
The heart of the matter
Allan Border’s World Cup winning side from the 1987 World Cup will be awarded their medals for the triumph 30 years later at the SCG on Sunday.
In 1987, they were only awarded the trophy as then host members were responsible for organising the quadrennial event and the ICC wasn’t directly involved.
Border said they are grateful to CA and ICC for the initiative. In the final at the Eden Gardens in 1987, Australia had defeated England by only a margin of 7 runs.
What’s next?
It will be a proud moment indeed for the 17-member squad who will be given the glittering medals for their achievement. It will be interesting to see what the team has to say about receiving them after so many years. The ceremony at the SCG is set to be a star-studded affair tomorrow.
Sportskeeda’s take
It is great to see this initiative from ICC and CA. After all these are lifelong memories to cherish and showcase. The team which changed Australian cricket for the better deserves such a reward.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
