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MARCUS HOOK'S WORLD CUP DIARY 2003 (PART EIGHT)

                   
Saturday 15 March: Zimbabwe v Sri Lanka and Australia v Kenya
When Zimbabwe set off like a train in reply to Sri Lanka’s 256 for five, I thought the Kiwis were going to sneak through to the semi-finals after all. After the eleventh over the Zimbas were 59 for one. With Andy Flower plus their big-hitters Blignaut and Streak to come I thought, wrongly, they would canter home. Instead, Sri Lanka relied on spin to do the damage. Not the spin of Muralitharan, though, but the spin of Sanath Jayasuriya – who took three for 30 – and Aravinda De Silva. Earlier, Marvan Atapattu again batted brilliantly to reach his tenth ODI hundred. Although his innings was not in the same class his one against South Africa, it ensured wickets were kept back for a late charge, which saw 73 come off the closing eight overs. In today’s other, and final, Super Six game, Australia won with nearly nineteen overs to spare – though not before Aasif Karim put the cat amongst the pigeons. Karim, who’s other claim to fame was as a Davis Cup tennis player, took the wickets of Ponting, Lehmann and Hogg without conceding a run. His figures of three for seven probably represent the performance of the World Cup by a bowler against Australia. Had Adam Gilchrist not already blasted 67 off 43 balls, the left-arm spinner’s spell could have had more significance. Off the field there were conflicting stories regarding Shaun Pollock’s departure as South Africa’s captain. Initially, it was reported that Pollock had tendered his resignation, but it had been refused. Then came the news that the UCBSA had relieved him of it with immediate effect. It all sounded a bit like the time when Ian Botham resigned as England captain in 1981 and Alec Bedser, the then Chairman of Selectors, told the press he was going to sack him anyway.

 


Kenya's Aasif Karim, who amazingly
took three Australian wickets without conceding a run.


Adam Gilchrist, walking off against Sri Lanka!		 Tuesday 18 March: Australia v Sri Lanka (1st semi-final)
I’d given up hope a long time ago of seeing a batsman walk in this World Cup. Imagine my astonishment, then, at seeing an Aussie of all people setting a precedent. It’s typical that the player in question, Adam Gilchrist, happens to be in my fantasy side. I am just 50 points behind my brother, and if he finishes above me he won’t let me forget it. Man of the match, not for the first time in this tournament, was Andy Symonds, who batted with composure and, when required, brutality, to push his side’s total past 200. Yet again at Port Elizabeth that proved too high a mountain for Australia’s opponents to climb. Having just three specialist bowlers did not seem to make any difference to Sri Lanka in the field, which either tells you something about the bowling of Jayasuriya and De Silva or the dearth of new talent coming through. Pulasthi Gunaratne, one of three players not in the side for his batting, had 60 runs taken off his eight overs. Sri Lanka, in reply, batted irresponsibly except, perhaps, Marvan Atapattu who needed a 99.48 mph thunderbolt from Brett Lee to penetrate his defences and Aravinda De Silva who was run out by yet another superb piece of fielding. Is it me, or do the Aussies always produce a direct hit when it matters? It’s frightening to think they barely missed Damien Martyn today, not to mention Gillespie, Warne and Steve Waugh, who has somewhat surprisingly been confirmed as Australia’s captain for the forthcoming Test series in the Caribbean. The other piece of off the field news was Shaun Pollock claiming he would never have walked away from the South Africa job. He added, however, that following what happened with Hansie Cronje – the man who loved the Caymen Islands for more than just its long sandy beaches – the power of the South African captaincy had diminished to such an extent that he often felt undermined.

 
Thursday 20 March: India v Kenya (2nd semi-final)
A match to live long in the memory – I’m kidding, of course! As soon as Sourav Ganguly won the toss, it was obvious what the outcome of today’s second semi-final would be, even more so when India racked up a total of 270 for four. As when India played England, the Kenyan batsmen simply had no answers under the Kingsmead lights to the swing and seam of Zaheer Khan, Srinath and Nehra – increasingly so when the left-armers went around the wicket, which might be something they were working on for the final. Strangely enough, the season Brendon Julian was at Surrey, I always thought he looked more dangerous bowling around the stumps than over them. One thing that will live a bit longer in the memory will be Ganguly’s five sixes – the last of which took him to his third hundred of the tournament in 108 balls. Tendulkar should also have had a hundred, though he made up for it by taking two for 28 with his leg-breaks, which he seemed to be deploying primarily to spare Rahul Dravid taking the ball in his left hand. Dravid’s sore finger won’t be the only thing India will be worrying about going into Sunday’s final. The key battle will be between their top order and the Aussies’ attack. But, whichever way I play the game in my mind, I can only envisage one outcome and, in a sense, it would be unjust if Australia didn’t carry off the title.

 


Sourav Ganguly goes arial again
during his match-winning hundred against Kenya.

 

I want to be like you, Ricky!		 Sunday 23 March: Australia v India (final)
People say you never remember who comes second. But you do if the losing finalists fail entirely to give a good account of themselves. Let’s not beat about the bush, India were humiliated today. They say, at least the Italians I know say, Italian football was hit hard by the 4-1 defeat to Brazil in the 1970 World Cup final. No matter that many regard that Brazilian side as one of the finest in history. At Lord’s four years ago Pakistan failed to come to the party and have been destabilised by in-fighting ever since. Likewise, for India, who found to their cost that the big occasion simply makes the Aussies even more fearsome, the next few years will be ones of decline or, possibly, just possibly, they will come through it a hardened and more rounded side. But they need to find some bowlers from somewhere and hope the likes of Sachin Tendulkar choose to play on into their mid-thirties. The pre-match analysis reckoned the key battle would be between Tendulkar and Brett Lee. As it turned out Lee didn’t even get to bowl to the little master, who top edged the fifth ball of his side’s reply back to Glenn McGrath. Virender Sehwag survived being caught off a no-ball on four to make 82. Apart from him, though, the rest of the Indian batsmen went on a work to rule in protest at their bowlers’ ineptitude. Seventeen overs into their chase rain forced the players from the field. Had the teams not got back on, the farcical ruling that the game should be replayed – something else to look before the next World Cup – would have been put into operation tomorrow. Thankfully, cricket’s credibility stayed intact and Australia’s record total of 359 for two remained the target to beat. The Indians just about managed to muster 234. It is hard to imagine England playing as badly. Let’s not forget that the only teams they lost to in this World Cup were the eventual finalists. Nasser Hussain’s men can be proud that they lived with the incomparable Aussies for ninety-eight of the 99.4 overs bowled in Port Elizabeth three weeks ago. For the Indian seamers, daytime in Johannesburg proved to be a far cry from operating under the lights at Durban. The way the ball veered in the first couple of overs appeared to justify Sourav Ganguly’s decision to bowl first. But with his bowlers allowing over-eagerness to creep into their game, the Indians were soon leaking runs like a collander with a whole in the bottom. By the end of the eleventh over it wasn’t the fifth bowler Ganguly was worrying about, but who was his first choice. Ashish Nehra later claimed that dubious honour, simply because he gave away less than six an over. If I could choose what sort of player to be like, call me a heathen, it wouldn’t be Sachin Tendulkar, it would have to be Ricky Ponting. His 140 from only 121 deliveries ended up being the sort of innings one only expects to see when Alistair Brown gets going. Ponting’s second fifty took just 29 balls, the next forty 18 deliveries and all of his record eight sixes came after he had passed the half-century mark. He led Australia, the back-to-back World Cup winners, unbeaten through the whole tournament. Like the 1970 Brazilians they are recognised as being the best in the world. Today they enjoyed their 17th consecutive win in one-day cricket. Now they move on to the Caribbean where they are 2/7 favourites to win the Test series against the West Indies. If there’s such a thing as a sure bet, they’re it.
                   

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