Zimbabwe in the 1983 Cricket World Cup (Part 1)

8 countries participated in the 1983 Cricket World Cup. These were divided into 2 groups. Group A was made up of England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Pakistan. Zimbabwe was present in Group B along with Australia, India and West Indies. Every team in the group played 2 matches against each team in its group. Thus, every country played overall 6 group matches.

Group match against Australia

The first group match of Zimbabwe was against Australia. This was played on 9th June 1983 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Zimbabwe batted first and collected 239 runs in 60 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. The top scorer was Duncan Fletcher who was unbeaten on 69 in 84 deliveries. Graham Yallop bowled 9 overs, conceded 28 runs and took 2 wickets. In spite of Kepler Wessels knock of 76 in 130 balls, Australia could reach only 226 for 7 wickets in 60 overs. Duncan Fletcher made 4 dismissals for 42 runs in 11 overs and was awarded the Man of the Match prize. This match was won by Zimbabwe by 13 runs.

Group match against India

On 11th June 1983, Zimbabwe played its second group match and the opponent was India. The venue for this match was Grace Road, Leicester. Zimbabwe batted first and was all out for 155 in 51.4 overs. Iain Butchart remained unbeaten on 22 after facing 35 balls. Madan Lal took 3 wickets while giving away 27 runs in 10.4 overs. In reply, India recorded 157 runs for 5 wickets in 37.3 overs. The top scorer was Sandeep Patil who smashed 50 runs in 54 deliveries. Peter Rawson made 2 dismissals in 5.1 overs while giving away 11 runs. The Man of the Match accolade was given to Madan Lal. India won this match by 5 wickets.

Group match against West Indies

Zimbabwe played its third group match on 13th June 1983 at New Road, Worcester against West Indies. In 60 overs, 217 runs were posted by Zimbabwe for the loss of 7 wickets. Duncan Fletcher scored the maximum runs from the Zimbabwe team. He remained not out on 71 after facing 88 balls. Andy Roberts conceded 36 runs and made 3 dismissals in 12 overs. West Indies replied by scoring 218 runs in 48.3 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Peter Rawson bowled 12 overs, gave away 39 runs and made 2 dismissals. Gordon Greenidge was in excellent form as he remained unbeaten on 105 off 147 deliveries. He was selected as the Man of the Match. West Indies won this match by 8 wickets.

Out of the first three group matches, Zimbabwe won one match and lost two matches.