As 1985 wound towards its reluctant close, Pakistan cricket stood at a crossroads. The year had been a carousel of captains, a blur of instability, and a bruising reminder of what inconsistency could do to a gifted side. Then the selectors did something rare—they chose conviction over confusion. They handed the reins back to Imran Khan. And, almost instantly, the winds shifted.
Imran’s second era as captain began with catharsis: breaking the jinx against India at Sharjah and matching the mighty West Indies blow for blow in the same desert arena. The ghosts of the WCC and Rothman’s Trophy were buried; Pakistan now turned to a fresh frontier—a home 5-match ODI series against the greatest cricketing machine the sport had ever seen.
The Juggernauts Arrive
If Imran embodied Pakistan’s renaissance, Viv Richards embodied West Indian supremacy. Newly anointed captain, Richards inherited a dynasty forged by Clive Lloyd and powered by four of the most fearsome fast bowlers ever assembled: Marshall, Holding, Garner, Walsh.
Gujranwala was about to witness something more than a cricket match. It was a collision of temperaments—Pakistan’s rising self-belief versus the Caribbean empire at its imperial peak.
The first ODI was a 40-over shootout. Richards won the toss and unleashed his pace cartel on a moist morning pitch. If there was ever a moment for Pakistan to wilt, this was it.
Instead, they punched first.
Pakistan’s Counterpunch: Fire Against Fire
Mudassar Nazar and Mohsin Khan emerged with surprising aggression. Mohsin, elegant yet murderous, carved Marshall and Holding with audacity, sprinting to 22 of the opening 29 runs. Walsh finally broke the stand, but Pakistan had announced their intent: they were not going to be bullied.
Mudassar played the long game. Ramiz Raja guided the innings with calm control. And then came Javed Miandad—cricket’s eternal street fighter—whose brief stay was a burst of sharp cuts, pulls, and drives at a run-a-ball tempo.
But the real theatre began when Imran Khan walked in.
Imran didn’t bat—he detonated. With a strike rate of 145.6, a rarity in the mid-1980s, he dismantled Holding, Garner, and Marshall with strokes that belonged to a future era. Six boundaries, one soaring six, and a spellbinding 45 off 31 sent the Gujranwala crowd into a frenzy.
When the dust finally settled, Mudassar held the Pakistan innings together with a monk-like 77.
Pakistan finished at 218 for 5—scoring at over 5.4 an over. In 1985, this wasn’t just competitive; it was revolutionary.
Then Came the Storm From Antigua
Pakistan struck early—Mohsin Kamal removing Richie Richardson cheaply. Desmond Haynes and Gus Logie attempted to rebuild, but Wasim Akram’s youthful burst dismissed Haynes and summoned the inevitable.
Viv Richards walked in.
If Pakistan had played the morning in technicolour, Richards brought the night in blazing neon. Pressure? For Richards, pressure was oxygen. As the run rate climbed, so did his brutality.
Wasim tried the yorker. Mudassar tried the wobble seam. Tauseef looped it wide. Qadir—Pakistan’s ace—was greeted with the kind of disdain only Richards could muster. Twenty-four runs in one over turned the leg-spinner into a spectator of his own spell.
Only Imran Khan, chest out and eyes narrowed, appeared momentarily capable of holding back the avalanche.
But even he could not rewrite destiny.
Viv Richards finished with an astonishing 80 off 39 balls—10 fours, 4 sixes—and a strike rate that belonged to T20, not 1985. The West Indies roared to victory in 38.3 overs, scoring at six an over, as if to remind the world: we are still the rulers of this game.
A Day When Legends Crossed Paths
Gujranwala 1985 was not merely a match—it was a drama of shifting powers and unshakeable greatness. Pakistan showcased its rebirth under Imran Khan: brave, modern, willing to challenge the unbeatable. Yet the West Indies, led by Richards in full imperial swagger, answered with a reminder of their unmatched dominance.
On that day, the world witnessed two truths:
- West Indies were still the best in the World.
- And cricket still had only one King!
Viv Richards left Gujranwala like a King. Imran left with something more enduring—a team beginning to believe in itself again.
Both would shape history in their own ways.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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