Allan Border arrived at the 1987 World Cup tournament in the sub-continent as a beaten man, but returned as a successful captain who had transformed an unfancied side into world-beaters.

He had courted more failure than success before the mega one-day event. He figured in Australia's two unsuccessful World Cup campaigns in 1979 and 1983 and was twice a losing Ashes skipper against England.

Border's and Australia's fairytale rise was about to begin.

He had three excellent top-order batsmen in David Boon, Geoff Marsh and Dean Jones who rarely let their team down in the month-long tournament which called for courage, consistency and concentration.

There was a talented all-rounder in Steve Waugh, whose deceptive seam bowling in death overs was as effective as his contributions with the bat. His slower ball was then considered as one of the best in one-dayers.

Yet, not many were willing to put their money on inexperienced, but multi-talented, Australian side.

"The time leading to the World Cup was a great one for us," Border said.

"We unearthed players like Steve Waugh, Dean Jones, Simon O'Donnell, Geoff Marsh and Bruce Reid, who all blossomed over the next few years."

A new era began in Australian cricket when Border's side defeated England by seven runs in a close final in Calcutta. It was a tribute to his leadership that his team continued to grow in strength till he quit the game.

"The 1987 victory will always have a special place in my heart because of where Australia went after it," said Border.

"It was very important for the well-being of the game in Australia, and it had a knock-on effect in the years that followed. It helped to make us into a very good side. It cultivated self-belief and habit of winning regularly.

"What made our win at Calcutta extra special for me was because it came right out of the blue. Between 1984 and 1987, especially, we had gone through a really tough run, but winning the World Cup turned us around."

Australia's secret of success was in winning close matches, starting with a one-run victory over India in the opening match of the tournament at Madras.

They won five of their seven games by fewer than 20-run margin, including a seven-run win over Mike Gatting's Englishmen in the final at the Eden Gardens in front of nearly 70,000 spectators.

Border himself played a vital role in his team's success. A part-time left-arm spinner, he dismissed Gatting in the final at a crucial stage to pave the way for his team's dream victory.

England were 135-2 chasing a 254-run target when Gatting's mistimed reverse-sweep was held by wicket-keeper Greg Dyer to open the gates for Australia's victory.

Border was not all glamour, but achieved glory through grit. There were more attractive batsmen than him in that era, but he proved that greatness could be gained through simplicity and sincerity.

He was always known for his mental toughness till he quit international cricket in 1994 with 11,174 runs in 156 Tests.

"My main memory of that whole World Cup has to be the party we had after the opening victory over India. It was in our hotel in Madras, and after a magnificent game we partied like we had won the tournament," said Border.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)