Benson & Hedges Challenge

The Benson and Hedges Challenge (also known as The Perth Challenge by non-commercial broadcasters such as ABC Local Radio) was a one-off one-day international cricket tournament played at the WACA Ground in Perth, Western Australia from 30 December 1986 to 7 January 1987 as part of the 1987 America's Cup Festival of Sport.

Benson & Hedges Challenge
AdministratorAustralian Cricket Board
FormatOne Day International
Tournament formatquadrangular round robin followed by a final
Number of teams Australia
 England
 Pakistan
 West Indies
Current champion England
Most runsAustralia Dean Jones (227)
Most wicketsPakistan Wasim Akram (8)

The tournament was won by England who defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets in the final. West Indies and host nation Australia also took part.

The Tournament and the America's Cup

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This tournament saw the first matches played under floodlights at the WACA Ground with four of the seven matches being day/night games. In addition, the pitch square had been relaid prior to the 1985–86 season and had a full year to settle. The seating areas had been redeveloped with concourse seating installed and a new two-tier grandstand was under construction at the Swan River end of the ground.

The team uniforms for the tournament were based on the official shirts for the 1986-87 America's Cup being held concurrently in Fremantle. Each team's main colour made up the bottom half of the shirt, their secondary colour made up the top half and a white stripe surrounded the shirt over the chest. The official logo of the tournament was based on a 12-metre class yacht with a white cricket ball half doubling as the spinnaker.

Prize money for the tournament was $3,000 for winning and $1,500 for losing in the group stage, $10,000 for finishing runners-up and $20,000 for winning the tournament, making a total of $61,000.

Television coverage was provided by the Nine Network, while commercial free radio broadcasts were provided by ABC Local Radio.

Uniforms

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Australia
 
 
 
 
 

Australia Kit

England
 
 
 
 
 

England Kit

Pakistan
 
 
 
 
 

Pakistan Kit

West Indies
 
 
 
 
 

West Indies Kit

Playing Squads

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Australia

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Allan Border (captain), Glenn Bishop, David Boon, Simon Davis, Dean Jones, Craig McDermott, Ken MacLeay, Geoff Marsh, Greg Matthews, Simon O'Donnell, Bruce Reid, Steve Waugh, Mike Whitney, Tim Zoehrer

England

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Mike Gatting (captain), Bill Athey, Ian Botham, Chris Broad, Phillip DeFreitas, Graham Dilley, Phil Edmonds, John Emburey, Neil Foster, David Gower, Allan Lamb, Jack Richards, Gladstone Small

Pakistan

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Imran Khan (captain), Asif Mujtaba, Ijaz Ahmed, Javed Miandad, Manzoor Elahi, Mudassar Nazar, Qasim Omar, Rameez Raja, Saleem Jaffar, Saleem Yousuf, Shoaib Mohammad, Wasim Akram

West Indies

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Viv Richards (captain), Winston Benjamin, Jeff Dujon, Joel Garner, Larry Gomes, Tony Gray, Gordon Greenidge, Roger Harper, Desmond Haynes, Michael Holding, Gus Logie, Malcolm Marshall, Richie Richardson, Courtney Walsh

Match results

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All matches played at WACA Ground, Perth. For full scorecards, follow this link [1]

1st match

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30 December 1986 (D/N)
Scorecard
Pakistan  
199/8 (50 overs)
v
  West Indies
165 (46.2 overs)
Javed Miandad 53 (69)
AH Gray 4/45 (10 overs)
RB Richardson 38 (48)
Mudassar Nazar 3/36 (10 overs)
Pakistan won by 34 runs
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: PJ McConnell and SG Randell
Player of the match: Mudassar Nazar (PAK)
  • West Indies won the toss and elected to field.
  • Attendance: 11,900.[1]

2nd match

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1 January 1987 (D/N)
Scorecard
England  
272/6 (49 overs)
v
  Australia
235 (48.2 overs)
BC Broad 76 (113)
BA Reid 2/46 (10 overs)
DM Jones 104 (125)
PAJ DeFreitas 3/42 (9.2 overs)
England won by 37 runs
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: RA French and PJ McConnell
Player of the match: IT Botham (ENG)
  • England won the toss and elected to bat.
  • The match was reduced to 49 overs per side.
  • BC Broad, PAJ DeFreitas and GC Small (all ENG) made their ODI debuts.
  • Attendance: 27,125.[2]

3rd match

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2 January 1987 (D/N)
Scorecard
Australia  
273/6 (50 overs)
v
  Pakistan
274/9 (49.5 overs)
DM Jones 121 (113)
Imran Khan 2/43 (10 overs)
Qasim Umar 67 (80)
SR Waugh 4/48 (9.5 overs)
Pakistan won by 1 wicket
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: AR Crafter and SG Randell
Player of the match: DM Jones (AUS)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
  • GA Bishop (AUS) made his ODI debut.
  • Attendance: 17,144.[3]

4th match

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3 January 1987
Scorecard
England  
228/9 (50 overs)
v
  West Indies
209 (48.2 overs)
AJ Lamb 71 (108)
J Garner 5/47 (10 overs)
AL Logie 51 (86)
GR Dilley 4/46 (10 overs)
England won by 19 runs
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: RA French and PJ McConnell
Player of the match: GR Dilley (ENG)
  • West Indies won the toss and elected to field.
  • Attendance: 12,000.[4]

5th match

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4 January 1987
Scorecard
West Indies  
255/8 (50 overs)
v
  Australia
91 (35.4 overs)
CG Greenidge 100 (119)
SP O'Donnell 4/65 (10 overs)
SR Waugh 29 (47)
AH Gray 3/9 (7.4 overs)
West Indies won by 164 runs
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: AR Crafter and SG Randell
Player of the match: CG Greenidge (WIN)
  • Australia won the toss and elected to field.
  • Attendance: 22,335.[5]

6th match

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5 January 1987 (D/N)
Scorecard
Pakistan  
229/5 (50 overs)
v
  England
232/7 (49.4 overs)
Shoaib Mohammad 66 (117)
JE Emburey 2/65 (10 overs)
BC Broad 97 (130)
Manzoor Elahi 1/24 (3 overs)
Shoaib Mohammad 1/24 (5 overs)
England won by 3 wickets
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: AR Crafter and RA French
Player of the match: BC Broad (ENG)
  • Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat.
  • Attendance: 9,304.[6]

Final

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7 January 1987
Scorecard
Pakistan  
166/9 (50 overs)
v
  England
167/5 (40.1 overs)
Javed Miandad 77* (127)
GC Small 3/28 (10 overs)
MW Gatting 49 (72)
Wasim Akram 3/27 (10 overs)
England won by 5 wickets
WACA Ground, Perth, Western Australia
Umpires: AR Crafter and RA French
Player of the match: Javed Miandad (PAK)
  • England won the toss and elected to field.
  • Attendance: 16,600.[7]

Javed Miandad was named by Rod Marsh as the Benson and Hedges Challenge Champion (the name given to the Player of the Match in the Final) and was awarded an 18ct gold Longines Conquest watch, then valued at $15 000.

Tournament Highlights

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The Challenge was England's second tournament victory of the 1986-87 Australian summer. They had retained The Ashes at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 28 December 1986 and would go on to win the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup against Australia and West Indies.

References

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  1. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "Pakistan v West Indies 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  2. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "Australia v England 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  3. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "Australia v Pakistan 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  4. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "England v West Indies 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  5. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "Australia v West Indies 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  6. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "England v Pakistan 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  7. ^ Wright, Graeme, ed. (1988). "England v Pakistan 1986-87". Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1988. John Wisden & Co. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
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