Australia in the 1983 Cricket World Cup (Part 1)

The Prudential Cup 1983 or the 1983 Cricket World Cup was played from 9th June 1983 to 25th June 1983. This was the third occasion when the Cricket World Cup was organized. A maximum of 60 overs were allocated for each inning. Red balls were used and the players wore traditional white clothing. This Cup was won by India. Group B consisted of 4 teams – India, Zimbabwe, Australia and West Indies.

Group match against Zimbabwe

Australia and Zimbabwe played a group match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on 9th June 1983. In 60 overs, 239 runs were piled up by Zimbabwe for the loss of 6 wickets. Duncan Fletcher faced 84 balls and hit unbeaten 69 runs. Graham Yallop bowled 9 overs, conceded 28 runs and took 2 wickets. During the chase, Australia managed to reach 226 runs for 7 wickets in the stipulated 60 overs. Kepler Wessels scored 76 runs in 130 deliveries. Duncan Fletcher made 4 dismissals in 11 overs while conceding 42 runs. He was honored as the Man of the Match. Zimbabwe won this match by 13 runs.

Group match against West Indies

The second group match of Australia was played on 11th June 1983 at Headingly, Leeds and the opponent was West Indies. West Indies batted first and accrued 252 runs for 9 wickets in 60 overs. The top scorer was Larry Gomes who made 78 in 153 balls. Geoff Lawson bowled 12 overs and took 3 wickets while giving away 29 runs. Australia succumbed to 151 in 30.3 overs. Some resistance was shown by David Hookes who faced 45 deliveries and scored 45 runs. The main damage was inflicted by Winston Davis who made 7 dismissals while conceding 51 runs in 10.3 overs. He was awarded the Man of the Match accolade. West Indies won this match by 101 runs.

Group match against India

On 13th June 1983 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Australia played its third group match against India. Trevor Chappell made a stylish century and hit 110 runs in 131 balls. Australia piled up 320 runs in 60 overs for the loss of 9 wickets. Kapil Dev took 5 wickets for 43 runs in 12 overs. In 37.5 overs, India was bowled out for 158. Kapil Dev scored 40 quick runs in 27 balls. Ken MacLeay bowled 11.5 overs and made 6 dismissals for 39 runs. The Man of the Match award went to Trevor Chappell. Australia won this match by 162 runs.

In the first three group matches, Australia lost the initial two matches and won the third match.