As England clinched an unlikely win in the second one day international of their recent series against Australia, an interesting opinion was expressed by a number of experts: Should Eoin Morgan have been handed the man of the match award due to his superb captaincy skills displayed at the back end of the Australian innings?
Sometimes a captain leads by example - Gerrard at Istanbul, Beckham against Greece in 2001, Atherton at Johannesburg in 1995 - yet in the case of Morgan at Old Trafford, it was his ability as a tactician that attracted praise. The idea of a captain earning the player of the match due to their leadership display is an interesting concept.
Inevitably perhaps, the name of John Abrahams cropped up as soon as this subject arose. In fairness to Morgan, he had top scored in England's innings. But this certainly did not apply in the curious case involving Lancashire skipper Abrahams in the 1984 Benson and Hedges Cup final. Even now, it is a decision that leaves you scratching your head.
Abrahams had previously captained Lancashire before the 1984 season commenced. With regular skipper Clive Lloyd otherwise engaged at the 1983 World Cup, the experienced Abrahams stepped into the role, leading his team to the semi-final of the Benson and Hedges Cup. Lloyd's absence due to the West Indies tour of England in 1984 saw Abrahams handed the reins again, as the county searched for their first major trophy since 1975.
"John did a really good job last year when he stood in for Clive," Lancashire manager Jack Bond declared as the announcement was made. For Abrahams, the appointment continued his change of fortunes in the sport. Three years before he had been on the verge of quitting cricket, and it took him ten years to gain his county cap. Yet the early 1980s had seen Abrahams flourish.
In both 1982 and 1983 he scored over 1,000 runs in the County Championship, and he was on his way to doing the same in his first permanent captaincy season. In just his third match Abrahams hit an unbeaten 201 against Warwickshire at Nuneaton, his highest first-class score. But with just one win all season in the three-day format, Lancashire hopes for glory turned to the one-day tournaments.
After getting through the group stage of the Benson and Hedges Cup, a fine 53 saw Abrahams claim the Gold Award as Lancashire defeated Essex by four wickets in a low scoring quarter final. A comfortable win over Nottinghamshire in the next round put Lancashire into their first major one-day final since 1976.
Waiting for them on Saturday July 21 would be Bob Willis' Warwickshire. Both teams contained experience - Willis (35) was joined in the Warwickshire XI by Dennis Amiss (41), Norman Gifford (44) and Chris Old (35), with Lancashire containing Alan Ormrod (41), David Hughes (37) and Jack Simmons (43) - yet the relative youth of Lancashire's Neil Fairbrother (20), Steve O'Shaughnessy (22) and Mike Watkinson (22) would play an important role at Lord's.
Despite the hot and dry summer of 1984, both captains would be met by a damp wicket as they made their way to the middle for what would turn out to be a crucial toss. "When three-quarters of the country is banned from using hose pipes, it's very disappointing to come here and find you have to play on a damp pitch," Willis would later complain. Batting first would not be easy.
When Abrahams won the toss, he had no hesitation in inserting Warwickshire. Although Paul Allott removed Paul Smith for a duck, and Watkinson took the wicket of Robin Dyer, at 102/2 and with Alvin Kallicharran batting superbly plus Amiss adding solid support, it looked as if Warwickshire would at least post a competitive total.
But it would be Watkinson's dismissal of Amiss that started the demise. Losing eight wickets for 37 runs, Warwickshire failed to bat out their 55 overs, dismissed for just 139 as the wheels well and truly fell off.
Abrahams took a comfortable catch for the vital wicket of Kallicharran (70), and throughout the innings the fielding of Lancashire's skipper and his team was excellent. Allott took 3/15 in his 8.4 overs, with Stephen Jeffries returning figures of 3/28. Watkinson and O'Shaughnessy took two wickets apiece.
Willis did remove Graeme Fowler cheaply, but Ormrod and O'Shaughnessy steadied the innings, and when Abrahams walked to the crease at 70/3, his team were halfway there. Yet eight minutes later, Lancashire's skipper was heading back to the pavilion after registering a three-ball duck. Hardly the ideal 32nd birthday present, but soon Abrahams would be receiving an unexpected gift.
The combination of Hughes and Fairbrother crushed any slim hopes that Warwickshire clung on to at 71/4. In time, we would all become aware of Fairbrother's undoubted class in the one-day format of the sport. Here was a glimpse of what the future held.
As the match drew to a close, the behaviour of the crowd zoomed into focus. Throughout the day, football chants filled the air as the fans enjoyed themselves in the glorious sunshine that filled Lord's. With Lancashire edging closer to victory, some supporters spilled beyond the boundary rope. Fielding in the deep was no fun.
When Hughes hit the winning run, it was a free-for-all. The traditional dash to the sanctuary of the pavilion saw players trying desperately to evade the exuberant supporters. The Telegraph labelled the scenes "disturbing", the Mail "disgraceful" and "a shambles of cricket mismanagement", with Scyld Berry in the Observer bemoaning the wearisome nature of the chants throughout the match.
Willis seemed more concerned with the nature of the pitch produced for the showpiece final. "I am very pleased for John and his side," he commented. "But it was not really the kind of game you want in a one-day final." However, the crowd and pitch were not the only talking points raised after the final.
Photograph: YouTube
When England's Chairman of Selectors Peter May announced that the Gold Award would be handed to Abrahams, the look on the face of Lancashire's captain said it all. May reasoned that Abrahams deserved the award "for his overall control of the team." There could be no disputing that Abrahams had led his troops effectively. But it was hard to work out how a batsman not troubling the scorers could win the award, especially as Abrahams had also not bowled any of his off-spin.
"John got man of the match obviously for winning the toss," Willis told the BBC's Peter West after the presentation, a wry grin spreading across his face. Some felt Kallicharran should have won the award, even though he was on the losing side. Others felt that Simmons 11 over allocation that yielded only 18 runs - including just nine runs off the bat of Kallicharran in the 37 balls he bowled to him - merited the £500 Gold Award.
"The choice of Man of the Match was unusual to say the least," the Guardian's Paul Fitzpatrick wrote. "But it could not have gone to a nicer cricketer and it was no bad thing to see an adjudicator coming up with something original." Abrahams may have looked perplexed as May made the call; but try wiping the smile off his face as he lifted Lancashire's first trophy in nine years.
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