Javed Miandad was famous for getting under the skin of the opposition and pushing the frontiers of bravery by standing up to mighty fast bowlers of the 1980s. He was also a thorn in the flesh for arch-rivals, India. However, one diminutive wicket-keeper from India managed to reverse the tables on Miandad and successfully irritate the Pakistan batsman, albeit unintentionally.
During the 1992 World Cup game between India and Pakistan at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Kiran More, with his vociferous appeals, got under the skin of the great man. What then unravelled left tens of thousands of amused fans watching in disbelief as Miandad jumped up and down several times, in an obvious attempt to mimic Kiran More, and his excessive appealing.
India had earlier won the toss and chose to bat. A dash of adventurism from Sachin Tendulkar and some lusty blows by Kapil Dev took India to a competitive target of 216 for 7 in their allotted 50 overs. Having lost two early wickets, Aamer Sohail and Miandad looked to resurrect Pakistan's fortunes and the score had meandered to around the 80-run mark by the 25th over of the game. It felt as if Miandad was getting restless with runs drying up and to make it more intriguing, More, with his loud appeals, was needling Miandad.
During the 25th over of the game, Tendulkar then lost his line and bowled one down the leg-side. In no time, More was shouting long and hard as he believed there was an edge. On expected lines, the umpire wasn't interested. As Tendulkar ran into bowl his dibbly dobblers again, Miandad backed away and started to have an animated discussion with More. The little wicket-keeper stood his ground. Miandad wasn't amused and even complained to David Shepherd, the umpire. Shepherd, known for his calmness in a crisis situation, just asked both the cricketers to get on with the game. The next delivery Miandad looked to steal a single, but some sharp fielding forced him to get back into the crease. More, though, proceeded to whip the bails in a flash despite Miandad having comfortably made his ground.
Now, a furious Miandad lost his cool and the world witnessed, stunned, as Miandad started making bizarre leaps to mimic More's constant appealing. With both ends of the bat grasped tightly in his hand, the legendary batsmen leapt off the ground thrice as More walked past him. Even the usually eloquent Ian Chappell on commentary was lost for words. The usually calm and collected captain of the Indian unit, Mohammad Azharuddin seemed to be raging with anger because of Miandad's rude behaviour.
The moment went down in history as one of the most comical ever. It gave a clear indication of why India-Pakistan matches are to-die-for affairs and also how much even the greatest of players go through when they are up against their fierce rivals.
Kiran More went on to have the last laugh, however, as India claimed the win and bragging rights over their neighbours.
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