West Indies team has not been the same that won the first two editions of the World Cup and reached the final of the third. The decline since the mid-nineties has been steady and quite palpable.
However, on this day in 2004, the Windies beat England by two wickets at the Oval to lift the Champions Trophy for the very first time.
Having reached the final after upsetting South Africa in the Group stage and beating Pakistan in the semifinal, West Indies took on an England side in the final also buoyed by getting the better of Word Champions Australia in the other semi.
Batting first England were 217 all out batting first against the men from the Caribbean and it could have been a lot worse had it not been for Marcus Trescothick’s brilliant 104. Part-timer Wavell Hinds was West Indies’ best bowler, picking up 3/24 in his 10 overs.
Chase of 218 in 50 overs should have been simple enough but the brittle nature of the batting line-up meant none of the West Indies supporters could take anything for granted. Andrew Flintoff, Darren Gough and Paul Collingwood ripped through the top order and what should have been a routine chase was in tatters. With Windies teetering at 147/8 in the 34th over not many, if any would have given the team any chance of a win.
Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne though had other plans, the two put on 71 runs for the ninth wicket in the London gloom to guide their team to victory and win the trophy for the very first time and leave the hosts empty-handed.
{{/usCountry}}Ian Bradshaw and Courtney Browne though had other plans, the two put on 71 runs for the ninth wicket in the London gloom to guide their team to victory and win the trophy for the very first time and leave the hosts empty-handed.
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