OZs lifted the world cup, yet again, as expected. Sadly, there were no dramatic twists and turns. They stood tall like men among boys. They hit the highest point of cricket without much trouble. The only positive thing in the final contest was the fight showed by Sri Lanka, rather than bowing out like India and Pakistan in the previous finals.
I was all keyed up to see the final battle on sat morning and soon my excitation was subdued by the news of showers hitting over Barbados. After some on and off sessions, finally the show had begun. OZs won the toss and elected to bat first. Hayden was much expected to start off the proceedings. But, surprisingly Gilchrist stole the show with his naturally blistering innings, which gave Hayden a chance to relieve and enjoy the show closely. Gilchrist had gone berserk from ball after ball. He was smacking the ball hard and also his timing was as good as it gets. He hit ball the ferociously, mercilessly all around the park. And sometimes, he was, brutal and sometimes, vicious. He got OZs off to a flier and continued the mayhem even after powerplays. This kind of innings was a much needed one from Gilchrist. Gilly proved his vital role in the final battle yet again. In all three world cup finals, since 1999, he scored more than fifty runs. His score is the highest score in the finals of world cup. This kind of start put ‘some’ pressure on the SL bowlers and they didn’t hit the ball at right areas, as they did through out the tournament. The much expected Murali and Vaas failed utterly in bringing their magic to work. As expected, OZs middle order finished off their batting with a colossal total that put SL on back foot.
Scoring more than a run ball, right from the first delivery, against a quality attack like Aus is a huge ask for any team. Bracken drew the first blood by nailing Tharanga, who was fiddling out side the off stump. Then Jayasurya and Sangakkara played cautiously for another 30 mins, as if they were playing for pride. But, right then, from no where, these two left hander’s changed the mood with some atrocious shots, bringing some panic in Ponting’s camp. But, weather played the spoilsport and rain Gods showed up again. With the required run rate creeping up and the increasing hostile (unplayable) conditions (bad light and slippery surface and crumbled pitch) left SL team in disarray, and causing them to embrace the defeat with much aggravation and disappointment.
Even though, the result was anybody’s guess, the fight put on by SL was a treat to watch. They tried and tried till they exhausted thoroughly. I feel sorry for SL as they had to play in those unfriendly circumstances. The organizers should have taken a better care atleast for the final match. If only, conditions were better the result might have been different (I know I am being over optimistic here). The way organizers conducted the final match turned the bad impression into a irreparable indentation on the minds of cricket lovers.
Anyway, world cup is over now. Australia won the cup quiet comfortably. All those expectations by cricket experts by writing their chances off, in the beginning of the tournament, were answered loud and clearly. I guess OZs are the only team who won the world cup three consecutive times in any type of sports.
Congrats Australia, you are the best.
I was all keyed up to see the final battle on sat morning and soon my excitation was subdued by the news of showers hitting over Barbados. After some on and off sessions, finally the show had begun. OZs won the toss and elected to bat first. Hayden was much expected to start off the proceedings. But, surprisingly Gilchrist stole the show with his naturally blistering innings, which gave Hayden a chance to relieve and enjoy the show closely. Gilchrist had gone berserk from ball after ball. He was smacking the ball hard and also his timing was as good as it gets. He hit ball the ferociously, mercilessly all around the park. And sometimes, he was, brutal and sometimes, vicious. He got OZs off to a flier and continued the mayhem even after powerplays. This kind of innings was a much needed one from Gilchrist. Gilly proved his vital role in the final battle yet again. In all three world cup finals, since 1999, he scored more than fifty runs. His score is the highest score in the finals of world cup. This kind of start put ‘some’ pressure on the SL bowlers and they didn’t hit the ball at right areas, as they did through out the tournament. The much expected Murali and Vaas failed utterly in bringing their magic to work. As expected, OZs middle order finished off their batting with a colossal total that put SL on back foot.
Scoring more than a run ball, right from the first delivery, against a quality attack like Aus is a huge ask for any team. Bracken drew the first blood by nailing Tharanga, who was fiddling out side the off stump. Then Jayasurya and Sangakkara played cautiously for another 30 mins, as if they were playing for pride. But, right then, from no where, these two left hander’s changed the mood with some atrocious shots, bringing some panic in Ponting’s camp. But, weather played the spoilsport and rain Gods showed up again. With the required run rate creeping up and the increasing hostile (unplayable) conditions (bad light and slippery surface and crumbled pitch) left SL team in disarray, and causing them to embrace the defeat with much aggravation and disappointment.
Even though, the result was anybody’s guess, the fight put on by SL was a treat to watch. They tried and tried till they exhausted thoroughly. I feel sorry for SL as they had to play in those unfriendly circumstances. The organizers should have taken a better care atleast for the final match. If only, conditions were better the result might have been different (I know I am being over optimistic here). The way organizers conducted the final match turned the bad impression into a irreparable indentation on the minds of cricket lovers.
Anyway, world cup is over now. Australia won the cup quiet comfortably. All those expectations by cricket experts by writing their chances off, in the beginning of the tournament, were answered loud and clearly. I guess OZs are the only team who won the world cup three consecutive times in any type of sports.
Congrats Australia, you are the best.
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