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On This Day In 1986: Mike Gatting, wearing a helmet without a visor, took a short delivery from Malcolm Marshall on the nose while trying to play. The ball hit the stumps, and he was bowled for 10 runs.
Mike Gatting was hit on the nose during the first ODI of England’s Tour of the West Indies in 1986. (Image: @windiescricket/X, formerly Twitter)
On This Day In 1986: Exactly 39 years ago, a brutal encounter between Mike Gatting and Malcolm Marshall stunned the cricket world. The day was etched in cricket folklore, not for its thrilling innings but for a scary accident that left the England batter bloodied on the pitch. The incident occurred during the first ODI of England’s Tour of the West Indies in 1986.
The star-studded squads locked horns at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 18. During the match, Gatting faced the full wrath of Marshall who was widely recognised as one of the world’s most fearsome fast bowlers at the time. The Englishman got hit on the nose by a bouncer from the West Indies pacer while his team lost the game by six wickets.
The fixture began with England batting first in the series opener. They had a huge challenge ahead of them because the West Indies were feared for their bowling attack back then.
Bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Courtney Walsh, Joel Garner and Pat Patterson formed a deadly combination that dominated every team. The visiting side’s opening order started crumbling with the dismissals of Tim Robinson and David Gower for ducks.
England were already in choppy waters when Mike Gatting arrived at the crease. The England batter attempted to build a steady partnership with his teammate Graham Gooch to anchor the visiting side’s innings.
West Indies captain Vivian Richards sensed the threat from the budding partnership and instructed Malcolm Marshall to bowl a “perfume ball”. It refers to the delivery that passes so close to a batter’s face.
Mike Gatting was sporting a helmet with no visor when Malcolm Marshall let his delivery loose. He took a short one right on the bridge of the nose while attempting to play the ball. The ball trickled onto the stumps and he was bowled for 10 runs.
Seeing Mike Gatting depart with an injury, England lost their morale and finished the innings at 145/8. The target was nowhere near enough as the West Indies easily chased down the total with six wickets and 13 balls to spare. Malcolm Marshall was awarded the Player of the Match for his 4/23 spell.
