FOR AUSTRALIA
Chutney music could not lift the Men in Blue.
Both India’s first defeat, and Pakistan’s elimination interestingly, came on the same day, March 17, 2007.
Now faced with the challenge of beating a higherranked Sri Lanka, a dispirited India were not up to the task, losing the crunch game by a whopping 63 runs despite Dravid’s halfcentury and Virender Sehwag’s brisk 48.
The defeat also served to rub salt into the wounds of the loss to Australia in the 2003 finals.
LARA’S FAREWELL With their key challengers headed home, Australia went from strength to strength despite a misfiring top order. They were joined in the Super Eights by England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa, the West Indies and Ireland and it was quickly evident there was no real challenge facing Ricky Sydney, Jan 26: Australian skipper Michael Clarke, who is nursing a hamstring injury, has hinted that himself and the inform Steven Smith could both feature in the World Cup scheme of thing despite having similar roles in the team.
“It’s about trying to pick the best 11 players. I don’t think it’s about any individual. There’s roles to play for every player. You know your strengths,” Clarke was quoted as saying by news.com.au on Monday.
Clarke’s comeback has been hampered by his prolonged fitness problems that forced him to Ponting’s men.
The Aussies blazed trail around the Caribbean, and with the home side losing their opening two matches, interest in a tournament already robbed of local colour thanks to the ICC’s ridiculous restrictions on food and musical instruments, interest ebbed away.
Australia beat the Windies by a hundred-plus runs, thrashed Bangladesh and England by seven and 10 wickets respectively. Ponting’s army then rounded off the Super Eights by whipping Sri Lanka and New Zealand handsomely, but even as they went about bundling over the opposition, Sri Lanka were quietly racking up the numbers.
In all of this, a glittering West Indian career came to an end on April 21, 2007 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, as Brian Lara bid farewell after leading the West Indies to yet another defeat. With his daughter for company, Lara told a packed and sweating interview room that he could do no more for West Indian cricket than he had done, and that he was calling it a day.
GILLY COMES GOOD In the semis, Australia carried on, caning a resurgent South Africa by seven wickets in St Lucia while Sri Lanka came through with some comfort against New Zealand to set up a replay of the 1996 title clash that the Islanders had won at Lahore thanks to an Aravinda de Silva.
It was the first repeat final — in this, the eighth edition — of the World Cup and many quietly fancied Sri Lanka, who had looked better and better as the tournament progressed. Unfortunately, an out of sorts Adam Gilchrist chose that day, April 28, 2007, and the venue, the Kensington Oval in Barbados, to finally come good.
Having fumbled his way till then, the explosive lefthander blazed his way to a 104-ball 149 and the charged up Aussies simply could not be contained. partially miss the IndiaAustralia Test series recently. Smith has led the side admirably and has been the mainstay of Australia’s batting unit.
Clarke, however, said his only concern right now was to get fit as quickly as possible and get on the field of play.
“Right now, for me it’s about getting fit, about getting back on the park. Once I’ve done that, the selectors will work out what’s the best XI and we’ll go with that,” he added. Clarke has been given a February 21 deadline by CA to get himself fit for the WC.
— Agencies
PLAYER
Matthew Hayden
M. Jayawardene
Ricky Ponting
PLAYER
MOST RUNS