England don't reach many finals in any sport, especially not cricket, but with this year's NatWest Trophy final looming, Alec Stewart, Graham Thorpe and Nick Knight will be casting their minds back to December 1997, and a rare England victory in a one-day tournament. England's new-look team, led by Adam Hollioake, had surprised everyone by going through to the final of the Champions Trophy in Sharjah. The team seemed top-heavy with allrounders but had so far balanced itself out into a winning formula. The final, against the West Indies, was arguably the clash of the minnows, but it was certainly a thrilling finale to the tournament.

The Windies made an electric start, crashing Dean Headley and Dougie Brown all over the Sharjah stadium. But Kent pair Mark Ealham and Matthew Fleming recovered England's hopes with contrasting bowling spells: Ealham typically immaculate - 26 runs from his 10 overs, including the prize wicket of Brian Lara - and Fleming mixing it up to claim three vital middle-order wickets which restricted the Windies to 235 for 7.

Fleming went on to shine with the bat too … and how England needed him to. He entered the fray with England on a dismal 165 for 6 with just nine overs and two balls to go and looking down and out. The one positive was Graham Thorpe, who was still there busily working the bowlers in his trademark fashion, but knocking off 71 runs with only four wickets in hand looked like a boundary or two too far.

However with a combination of enterprising batting and shaky fielding, Thorpe and Fleming kept up with the required 10 runs per over. Fleming was eventually run out for 33 off 26 balls, which left Dougie Brown the luxury of 12 balls to nick the remaining run, and nick it he did - to the third-man boundary to give England a three-wicket win.

This triumphant desert campaign warmed the hearts of all England fans back home, who could suddenly picture Hollioake lifting the World Cup on the Lord's balcony … dream on.

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Freddie Auld is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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