February 24- March 1, 1990: Sabina Park. England beat West Indies by nine wickets.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/1661 ... es-1989-90Nobody knows anything. From 1987-1989, England spent three years at the absolute nadir of their deepest slump. Their worst days since the Sporting Times announced the death of the old national game and a bail was burned. Then came England's greatest ever Test win. It took time for the Miracle of Sabina Park to gather the prestige that it carries now, standing among their most stirring achievements: the Headingley Test, the Edgbaston Test and those occasions when England beat Bradman or the time Laker beat Australia. It took a decade for the shock and the disbelief to wear away. England went to the West Indies in 1990 with no chance. The gulf in class between the two sides can reasonably likened to the loneliness of the universe.
I've always said that if there was a Test match time machine I'd go back to Bodyline. But if Australia in 1932-3 turns out to be booked up by fellow travellers, I'd go to Kingston in 1990. I usually liken the England team of 1990 to the Dirty Dozen (with one short), and there is something of that in the side, with the return of old lags Wayne Larkins and David Capel. If not quite sprung from a military prison for an impossible mission, they were at least elevated from England's least glamorous county. But the Dirty Dozen (minus one) doesn't capture how inexperienced this side was. Only Graham Gooch and Alan Lamb, captain and vice, had won any more than David Capel's 11 caps. Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart were winning their debut caps (how unforgettable for them).
History makes the side look stronger than it was. Gooch may be recalled as the best opener of the nineties, and only the emergence of Brian Lara later the same year makes ridiculous his claim to be the best batter in the world from 1990-95. But before this tour his career average in Tests was 36.9. Alan Lamb is remembered as a man who only made runs against the West Indies, but his overall Test average was 34. Future stalwarts Robin Smith and Angus Fraser had made eight and three appearances respectively.
England hadn't beaten West Indies for 17 years, and that was on a dustbowl in Port of Spain. They had only won in Kingston once, in 1954. Curtly Ambrose was injured for this Test, but replaced by Patrick Patterson, the world's fastest bowler. He joined Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh and the utterly terrifying Ian Bishop. Famous footage of Ian Bishop working over Smith on the St. John's featherbed gives a good impression of how lethal they were at Sabina Park. Alan Lamb batted for six hours at Sabina to make the 132 that won England the game. Amazingly he made another ton in Bridgetown. Angus Fraser in particular was magnificent as the key member of a four man pace attack.
The heartbreaking way they lost the series is another story, just as emotionally rousing. Anyone who had drunk enough to place money on England to do anything other than lose in the West Indies in 1990 surely put their ticket in the draw where they kept loose screws and utility bills and forgot about it. That they won in Jamaica, and damn near did the same in Trinidad, is their Cool Runnings story. Hardly believable. Yet it's true.
I always say that everybody's right.