Classic World Cup Moments

Wasim Akram knocks over Lamb and Lewis in two balls

Akram's performance in the 1992 final is all the more astonishing when viewed in light of the circumstances

The 1992 World Cup final was a contest between the best team on paper (England) and the most improved side (Pakistan). Fortunes swung through the game. After a circumspect start, Pakistan mustered 249 for 6 thanks to a late flurry from Wasim Akram.
It wasn't the last England saw of him either. Akram sent Ian Botham packing early with a brute of a delivery, and soon after, England found themselves in a hole at 69 for 4, but Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother kept the score ticking at a rate of knots, adding 72 in just 14 overs, and Pakistan's hopes diminished with every passing run. Something had to give.
Moment
The ball was already 34 overs old when Imran Khan tossed it back to Akram, a bowler virtually unplayable under lights, and one who had the pace to complement his vicious swing. Lamb, batting on 31, took strike to face his first ball from Akram.
Bowling round the wicket, Akram thudded it in just short of a length, swinging it in at searing pace, leaving Lamb in a dilemma of whether to go back or forward. He put his foot forward to play through the line but was squared up as the ball held its line after pitching. He had barely a fraction of a second to adjust his stroke, played inside the line, and the ball crashed into the off stump. He looked back at the stumps, and then at the pitch, seemingly in disbelief.
Chris Lewis was up next. Akram this time pitched it fuller, curving the ball beautifully through the air. Lewis thrust his left leg forward with a big stride across the stumps, in two minds whether to play or leave it. He chose the former and brought his bat down, but wasn't quite quick enough as the ball caught the inside edge and hit the top of middle stump. With two absolute peaches, Akram was on a hat-trick and the crowd of over 87,000 had just witnessed a work of art.
Player view
Aaqib Javed: "Those two deliveries were unplayable. It was perfect reverse swing. Wasim will remember that unique spell all his life."
What happened next
Dermot Reeve played out the hat-trick ball but the scars were already inflicted. With few wickets in hand, Neil Fairbrother did his best, pushing the score to 180. But his dismissal took the fight out of England's chase. Pakistan wrapped up the innings for 227 and took the silverware home for the first time. Akram was deservedly named the Man of the Match - one of only four bowlers in the 1992 tournament.