My selection for the 1992 World Cup caused a bit of an uproar. Better batsmen than me could have been picked, such as Jimmy Cook and Clive Rice. My form prior to the competition had not been sparkling, but skipper Kepler Wessels wanted some younger legs in the team, particularly on the big Australian fields.
I didn’t feel under any pressure. To be honest I thought I’d be 12th man, field a bit and get some World Cup exposure. I’d been playing provincial hockey so two areas where I could contribute were fitness and fielding! I loved to field and throw myself around. I was a good stopper and catcher.
The Inzamam ul-Haq run-out came at a good time in the game against Pakistan (in Brisbane on March 8). We’d scored 211 which wasn’t very competitive and Inzi and Imran Khan had put on 80-odd for the third wicket and were taking their team to victory.
I was fielding at cover and Brian McMillan rapped Inzi on the pad. The outfield was wet and I ran in, picked up the ball about halfway between the 30-metre circle and the stumps. What I did next, as I ran in, dived and took out the stumps, was pure instinct. In fact, I never did it again. In retrospect it was a case of backing my pace rather than my arm because my throwing was never my strongest point. It was a brave decision by umpire Steve Bucknor because although it was out, it was so close he could have given the batsman the benefit of the doubt.
It’s tempting to think that the runout changed the culture of fielding, but that wasn’t the case, particularly with teams on the subcontinent. It really took another 10 years, and the start of T20 cricket, for all international teams to recognise its importance.