Back in 1987, England took on Australia for the right to be called world champions. Bill Athey and Philip DeFreitas remember what happened next
By Richard Edwards

I’ve only been close to tears on a cricket pitch twice. Once when a ball from Wayne Daniel hit me between my legs – and on that day in Kolkata.”
Billy Athey is recalling two painful moments in his career and you can tell that even now, 36 years after the event, England’s World Cup final defeat to Australia in November 1987 hurts. A lot. The main reason, of course, is that it’s a final that England should have won. A match that wa...