Psychology? Sri Lanka lose it
Barbados - We came to watch the ultimate slugfest between two heavyweights.
In the Sri Lanka corner we had arguably the best bowling attack and in the Australia corner the best batting line-up, but after all the hype and seemingly endless soundbites about the World Cup final, like 1999 and 2003, we were left watching a mis-match.
When I went down for breakfast at my hotel this morning I was asked by a group of Sri Lanka fans about their chances of upsetting the odds.
“With bowlers like Chaminda Vaas, Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan there’s always hope,” I assured them.
The looks they gave back betrayed no sense of expectation and they were right to err on the side of pessimism.
It was as if the rain showers had dampened the fire in the much-vaunted Sri Lanka bowlers when play eventually began two hours and 45 minutes late. Even the experienced Vaas appeared nervy and overawed by the occasion.
Normally reliable, his control unravelled once he began straying down the leg-side in his second over and Adam Gilchrist dispatched him for 10 off two balls.
I had asked captain Mahela Jayawardene the previous day about Dilhara Fernando’s mental strength after his nightmare in the semi-final win over New Zealand.
Who knows what would have happened had he taken a difficult caught and bowled chance when Gilchrist had made 31 of his blistering 149.
Gilchrist smashed the next three balls for four, four and six and – even at that early stage – the metaphorical referee was getting ready to step in.
Fernando and Vaas pitched the ball up repeatedly in an attempt to extract swing and saw it repeatedly hammered away with interest.
Malinga kept things tight early on and the roar that greeted his first delivery was quite something.
He had the support of the neutrals. England’s Barmy Army – did they really expect their team to be playing at the Kensington Oval? – quickly showed their admiration by chanting “Mu-lin-ger, Mu-lin-ger, Mu-lin-ger”
But there was none of the zip he demonstrated against the Kiwis. Why was he boxing southpaw?
Even master off-spinner Muralitharan failed to weave his magic, and missed his chance to slilence the moronic chants of “no-ball” from Australia fans which accompanied his every delivery.
Fernando and Malinga will have other days in the sun but for Muralitharan and Vaas this was a sad way to end their World Cup careers.
When Sri Lanka rested their star bowlers for the Super 8s game against the Aussies in Grenada they were accused of playing mind games.
This time they just lost them.
I know the final world cup game is in progress. This match should have been postponed due to bad weather.
It is not fair for either teams to play partial game.
Complain about this postCall me a rationalizer but SL didn't really lose this game. The rules and the rain have handed this final to Australia.
Ponting had the luck of the toss and the rain played spoiler. The SL top order fought valiantly. In the end it all got a bit much to overcome.
A final should be played over 50 overs!
Complain about this postIt does seem to make an absolute mockery of the entire tournament that a few patches of rain can have such a dramatic effect on the outcome of this match. Take nothing away from the Aussies, who were superb with the bat, but this has been the anticlimax to a tournament of anticlimaxes.
Complain about this postSurely it's time to re-design cricket grounds so that they have Wembly style closable roofs for bad weather? I know it would be a big job, but surely it's worth it to avoid all this foolishness we have today when it rains. Australia would have won the match anyway, I guess, but there's no doubt that the rain breaks and light are distracting Sri Lanka and disrupting the flow of their game. Something should be done.
Complain about this postsiiiigh.
if wimbledon is rained off they continue play, or postpone it too the next day. I know D/L is the way it's always done but would that have been impossible?
crappy end. admittedly had it been the Aussies facing these obstacles I might have felt a bit different but when the rules conspire against the under-dog it just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Complain about this postThis is sheer madness!
Complain about this postSurely australia cannot think of themselves as legitimate winners on this day.
If they have any nerve! they should invite SL to replay this match.
After all this time, the least they could do is have a best-of-three final series. And how about the same fo the semis too?
Complain about this postwhy were the chants of no ball moronic.
Complain about this postthey have paid their money and are entitled to their opinion.or are they moronic because their views differ from yours
Well, so much for fair play. What kind of a tournament ends this way?!?! Very disappointing!
Complain about this postTotal FARCE, as has been the entire cup. The game should have been postponed, had the aussies been on the receiving end they would have thrown the book, the wicket and everything at the umpires and the ICC.
Complain about this postI hope that the ICC takes heed of the ridiculous tournament. The football world cup has has 2 1/4 finals played on a day, they have 32 teams that play in 32 days, lets hope the next one is not so long and boring.
One more note do not let the aussies play the next one (HAHAHAHAHA)
If Sri Lanka batted first, would the decision to attenuate the match have been the same?
Complain about this postThis is all so ridiculous. Can someone understand that as the chasing side, Srilanka were subject to unacceptable conditions under internatinal cricket standards. When Jayawardene's wicket fell, unjustly, the light situation was already unacceptable. This has been a farce. And, one should always realise that if any team,under normal conditions, is capable of scoring 10 an over and winning, it is Srilanka. A very hollow victory for the Aussies.
Complain about this postI am extremely upset with this world cup. First of all they charge ridiculously high prices for tickets (alienating the locals). Then it rains all the time. West Indian grounds have no lights or proper facilities etc. THE WORLD CUP SHOULD NEVER EVER BE PLAYED IN THE CARIBBEAN AGAIN!!!!! What an ugly way to end the world cup!
Complain about this postAnyway Gilchrist surprised everyone! When is this Aussie applecart going to derail?? They will end up winning every single world cup for the next 500 years at this rate. Nobody really seems to be able to trouble them.
Has this been the worst world cup competition ever? Judging the whole competition on the final would say yes. It was completely shambolic and the format & layout of the tournament, i believe was absolutley awful!
Complain about this postThis was not the competitive tournament we had all hope for before it started and this was not helped by the fact that everybody in the semi finals would have played each other twice already! At times, dull to watch, 2 months long. I love watching and playing cricket but 46 days is too long. By the middle of the super 8's, I knew that I had lost interest and couldn't wait for it all to end! To end in the matter it did just helps prove that the format of the next cricket world cup has to be re-thought!
This was the final that the tournament deserved.
Dull, farcical, and predictable.
Play the final of the world cup at the end of April, and poor weather and light are bound to pay a part. Along with poor umpiring decisions and the shadow cast by the murder of Bob Woolmer, the ICC has got it's work cut out to regain the loss of trust and credibility in the game.
Complain about this postMmmm. Interesting insights by the obviously disappointed Sri lankan supporters. All through the tournament we've heard how sporting and shiny bright the Sri Lankans are compared to the dark and evil Aussies. The tone of the responses here suggests a little the other way. Poor sportsmanship can be found in the four corners of the world. The overwhelming fact is Australia played far superior cricket and deservedly won the world cup. The final was played within the rules and laws of the game. Both teams new the rules and there was nothing going on that was vastly different to any other one day international. Now the Sri Lankan supporters (not necessarily Sri Lankans themsleves)want things changed to give Sri Lanka another go at the final because they claim the laws of the game stopped them from winning. Show a bit of grace and applaud what is and has been a fantastic effort by a fantastic cricket team. Well done Australia. You were classes above any of the other opposition teams. Well done Sri Lanka, a brave and thorough effort throuout the tournament. In the end, the best team won!
Complain about this postwhat a bunch of losers! Poor sports the lot of you! You, the fans. How sad you are. Virtually none of you have the grace to even congrat Oz on being the superlative team of the tournament, despite the rubbish served up by most your own teams.
NO doubt if Sri lanka had won today, not matter what the circumstaces, you'd all of sung their praises about how deservign they were and it was all fair after all. And you compain about us as poor losers!!!! Sri lanka played their best, better than any body else facing Oz, but their best wasn't good enough. There's nothing wrong with that, but you undermine their efforts with your derision.
The best team won. Its as simple as that.
Complain about this postBlogs on previous days have had a common theme of Australia being bad winners, arrogant sportsman.
The recurring theme in all of the previous blogs today have shown similar bad grace in accepting Australia were too good today.
Sri Lanka were lost once the first three wickets fell. Jayawardne's bad LBW call did not affect the game. There were two other LBW appeals that 'hawkeye' showed were going to hit the stumps but were knocked back. That is cricket. The players and the umpires don't have the luxury of replays, just real time image!
Don't moan about the weather and the interuptions, if Sri Lanka were any good, and they are, they would have chased down the duckworth Lewis total and been ahead when play was stopped. They would then have been able to take a bad light decision knowing they would win. It works both ways. They were in the game until Jayasuriya fell as the third wicket, after that Aus were always going to win.
Congratulations to a determined and professional team. The two best teams in the world played the final. The best team on the day won. The best team in the world is Australia.
Complain about this postIn reply to #5...
Mate, I'm an Aussie, and I'm disappointed in the way the final played out too.
Never mind the underdog, on an occasion as big as the WC final, the match should be played out.
Obviously, I wanted the Aussies to win, but I wanted them to win a complete match. I think in what is essentially the "knock-out" stage of the tournament (i.e. the semis and the final), more should be done to ensure a completed game.
There's nothing the organizers can do about bad weather, and D/L is a big improvement on what was in place previously, but it would be great to see such big matches run their course.
Complain about this postIn reply to #5...
Mate, I'm an Aussie, and I'm disappointed in the way the final played out too.
Never mind the underdog, on an occasion as big as the WC final, the match should be played out.
Obviously, I wanted the Aussies to win, but I wanted them to win a complete match. I think in what is essentially the "knock-out" stage of the tournament (i.e. the semis and the final), more should be done to ensure a completed game.
There's nothing the organizers can do about bad weather, and D/L is a big improvement on what was in place previously, but it would be great to see such big matches run their course.
Complain about this postPeople cannot be hypercriticial of the Australians in this situation. They did the best they could in the situation they found themselves in. They looked a class above the Sri Lankan side, who fought valiantly, but just weren't as classy as this amazing Australian side.
Gilchrist played one of the great all-time Australian innings, and even Muralitharan couldn't perturb the Australian batsmen. Sri Lanka were never going to be able to maintain the chase against the Australian bowling attack once Jayasuria went down.
Was the final a farce? Absolutely. Did the best team win? Absolutely.
Complain about this postit is tremendous and full response to those
critics who wrote oz off before the world cup
during the world cup and even in final
job well done lads
gily u were just amazing
no words to describe ur batting
Complain about this postVery disappointing for such an important game to end in such a farcical fashion,
but Sri Lanka never looked like beating Australia.
There's enough sour grapes in this forum to make a whole barrel of sour grape whine.
;-)
Complain about this postI am sorry but what a disgraceful end to the World Cup, the whole tournament was a shambles and the upper hiarchary ought to be ashamed of the whole tournament, the end to the final was a complete anti-climax and total farce and the tournament was far too long with the tickets being way too expensive for the locals, no wonder the members of the ICC were booed.
Complain about this postit is tremendous and full response to those
critics who wrote oz off before the world cup
during the world cup and even in final
job well done lads
gily u were just amazing
no words to describe ur batting
and someone call australia lucky to win the toss and rain as a factor
well
2003 world cup final these same people were praying for rain
and
india had won the toss where is ur luck then
Complain about this postpeeps
Amazing. Being the first World Cup series I have watched and new to the sport, I am completely surprised that this game was not played another day and played for the complete 50 overs.
What a shame to watch these two great teams have to play in such terrible conditions and to have no support from the officals running it.
However, I do have to say that Sri Lanka is a better team for smiling in the end, not giving up and putting up with this disgraceful situation. It is final and the team I wanted to win did not but another day will come and they will have the chance to do it all over again with the right ending. So, we wait for 2011, GO SRI LANKA!
Complain about this postRE: Post#15 aintgoingtogoa wrote:
"This was the final that the tournament deserved.
Dull, farcical, and predictable."
Farcical, certainly. Predictable - certainly not.
:-)
Complain about this postI am proud of the way Sri Lankans palyed this game, If the conditions were good we would have beaten Australia today. But I would really agree with Jonathan Agnew who stated that the way the final was played was horrible and they should have gone unto the reserve day, and the officials made a mess of it. Australians are lucky and probably this is the last world cup they will ever win with a majority of their seniors bowing out. Hats off Sri Lanka you were the Heroes of the day for me amidst the enemies of Weather , Officials and Umpires.
Complain about this postWhat's with all you English and your constant anti-Aussie attitudes? Are you just bitter that your team doesn't have any talent?
Complain about this postTake nothing away from Australia and Gilchrist especially who was amazing but that final was totally ourageous. For the benefit of cricket it should be replayed. There should be a law saying that finals and semis finals should be 50/50 over mathces not reduced. It just ruins the spectacle and the game. And Sri Lanka having to bat at the end under that dark light with no floodlights? That was just disgraceful. Had this been a test match the match would have been stopped around 100 - 1 and not made to go on. It was clear some of the Sri Lanka wickets were due to the batsman not being able to pick up the ball such as Jayawardene, Arnolds etc. Total farce and I feel deeply sorry for Sri Lanka. On another day perhaps with good conditions winning the toss and batting first Sri Lanka would have won that game but the conditions and Gilchrist conspired against them.
Complain about this postThere are lessons from eight years since '99 that not many have noticed or learnt. How many teams have chopped and changed their personnel before reverting back to tried personnel or coming with very new sides over these years? Almost all of them bar Australia. Very few personnel were changed or tried in the intervening period. Why?
It is possible that they didn't have players who came up to their expected standards of readiness despite their immense promise - they didn't rush them in like many teams did with their youngsters - but allowed them to mature and push one of the established players out of the line-up. Meanwhile they stuck with the established and allowed them to play their game in relative peace and grow from there further.
That is the biggest lesson of the Australian way; that is the way bench strength is built up, and not by trying out all and sundry at the senior level. That is the biggest lesson of the Australian way which nearly every team has been trying to emulate.
It wasn't just Sri Lanka that lost "it" today....nearly every team lost it against the Australians over these years except for brief flourishes and flashes. Why?
For that we have to go back to my earlier point - by allowing their main players to develop with the promise that they'd be pushed out only if a better candidate emerges, the "senior" players were able to focus their energies on polishing and perfecting the various nuances of the game. Not that they didn't have any pressure, they did from new players, but they also knew that the value of experience they bring to the team would not be sold cheaply by Cricket Australia. They went ahead with all the methods offered to them and challenges put to them with gusto.
The world needs to learn from this Australian way...not blindly ape misinterpreted themes of Cricket Australia.
Sri Lanka were by far the more consistent of all other teams in their personnel as well over the years....they did bring in new players but only when they were assured of their quality and contribution to the game - they too progressed to the finals.
India and Pakistan went the extreme ways, ringing in changes like circuses - they paid for their mis-interpretation and improper understanding. Same with West Indies and England and South Africa. The other more-or-less stabilized team, New Zealand did well to reach the semis.
Did Lanka lose "it" today? Maybe they were unsettled by the late start and over reduction...maybe they lost their spirit in the middle innings when their bowlers were going for runs, but most teams lost it long ago when they didn't plan a selected players career span like the Oz did.
The Dad's Army prevailed over every challenge over the years for reasons other than mere talent and skill. Most teams paid little heed to the value growing experience and did enough to unsettle what there was.
It is essential not only to learn the lessons but the right lessons.
Complain about this postCongratulations Australia! You were the best team of the tournament by far and the best team on the day, you deserved to win.
Sri Lanka were never going to win once Jayasuriya was out, and there were no stoppages at that point.
SL knew how many runs they had to get and how quickly. They knew rain or bad light might come into play and that they would need to be ahead of D/L at any given time. But they didn't do this. They dawdled when they shouldn't have. If the situation was reversed I have no doubt that the Australians would have known how many they needed at each stage and gotten the runs.
Anyone complaining that SL didn't get a fair whack at the title is just displaying sour grapes. The best team won.
I'm a Kiwi and have no love or the Aussies, but they were the best team on the day. Just like SL were the best team on the day in the semi-final against us. Show some dignity and acknowledge when you're beaten by a better side.
Complain about this postWell done Gillie et al. The better team won on the day. The best team in the tournament prevailed.
The ICC set up a tournament designed to make the most cash possible at the expense of everything else. No doubt the ICC is delighted. They probably achieved that objective. Oh, and in so doing, the game of cricket lost its soul, its sense of fun, and goodwill. At the end of this marathon of a tournament, who loves the sport more today than they did at the beginning of March? .......... Exactly. Will the real people responsible stand up? 'Course not. Only real crisis brings about change and the administrators of this lovely sport are too intransigent, too much in denial, too blinded by commercialism to see the real crisis facing the sport - a crisis exemplified by this shambles of a tournament.
Complain about this postThere has been a lot wrong with this world cup.
The final was not an even playing field. If the Australians could complete their innings, so should Sri Lanka have been allowed to.
The rules are wrong, the Aussies were lucky. After the final was so damaged by weather. A 'void' should have been called, and a rematch organised.
However as usual money won the day!
So much for sport!
Big changes need to be made, such as everyone should use the same Bats! etc, etc. Third umpire should be called in whenever there is a doubt. If rain/weather/light interferes, rerun the game.
Best regards
Complain about this postWell done Australia. That was awesome. Have to admit that this world cup was not exiting (probably a score of 2-3 out of max 10) as the previous ones due to its predictability. Australia was the number one team before the world cup began and the funny thing is we had to wait for nearly two months and 47 matches to confirm that!
The real question for cricket is "from here to where to ??" Zimbabwe and the West Indies in shambles with England, Pakistan & India close behind, South Africa, New Zealand & Sri Lanka some where up there but miles and miles behind Australia. Well we hopeful that the next world cup in 2011 will be exiting although all the indications (best on where rest world is at now) it seems doubtful.
But lets hope and hope...
Complain about this postIf not for the rain, Australia would have one by a much bigger margin. They lost all their wickets when the twenty20 stage set in. In 50 overs at the rate they were going, they would have scored 400+, and Sri Lanka would definitely have been bowled out in 50 overs, just like every other team that Australia played against.
Complain about this postWhat a lot of sore losers you all are.
Do you hate Australia so much that you can't bring yourselves to acknowledge the true genius of this great team?
Regardless of the rain or the light or the umpires we beat every team we played and beat them decisively.
How petty are the knockers that the very word Australia fills you with loathing.
By now I would have thought you would have gotten use to be second best to us.
Have a good day. I will
Complain about this post
Complain about this postI'm glad this world cup is over. It has to be ranked the worst ever. The final was a befitting anti climax with a lot of farce.
Wow some sore losers on this blog, you guys are a national shame.
Australia were the best team by a country mile both today and overall.
Show some respect and stand up and salute the worthy world champs who havent lost a wc game in 29 starts.
Complain about this postDuncan
"What's with all you English and your constant anti-Aussie attitudes? Are you just bitter that your team doesn't have any talent?"
When are successful supporters gonna learn that losing teams aren't bitter, or jealous or any other adjective. Just supporters of teams that didn't win
Complain about this post! Everyone whos a cricket fan knows the the Aussies are the best team- don't be so defensive!
Well done you Aussies! Be gracial winners!
Adam Gilchris won the match for Australia after the rain dampen the spirit of almost everyone.If the game had been Like a normal 50 over match,the result would be the same. But much closer.
Complain about this postIT'S JUST NOT CRICKET!
I love watching the cricket & have done so from when I was young, over 40 years ago. I was introduced to it by my father, who stressed integrity fairness & justice.
I'm Australian & I feel ripped off by this Cricket World Cup 2007! How are other nations supposed to feel if they watch this debacle of injustice & virtually saw it concluded, in DARKNESS! Should anyone of fringe nations (like Canada, Ireland among others), have been inclined to shift from ice hockey or hurling etc? Surely, they would have been shaking their heads at the incredulous finale, on top of the preceding farce that saw quality teams like India & Pakistan eliminated in trivial games, before a ridiculous top 8 round robin that seemed to last forever! (Of course, that isn't necessarily injustice in itself).
Then we cop a one-off semi final for teams to qualify for a LUDICROUS final, that was turned into an advertisement for global weather instability! And of course, a three-quarter final! That would NOT happen in almost any other sport, or, IN LIFE GENERALLY! It wouldn't be tolerated in rugby league or union or soccer, or golf or the 100m in athletics! (How many people would like to have the 3/4 mark of their life as their finale, I wonder.)
Should 3/4s of a day's work mean that the day's work is done??? A lot of workers would like that one. That's what 38 overs a side, out of 50 virtually means!
A SOLUTION TOWARDS JUSTICE & FAIRNESS & INTEGRITY THE CRICKET WORLD CUP 2007 LACKED:
Something like this:
-Let all the international teams who want to play, & maybe 4-8 other nations, be invited to play in the 3 rounds of the initial playoffs. So 16 are left after this.
-Based on previous 3 round averages among them, give priority to the strongest performing, who play the reciprocals of worst playing teams. 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15 etc.
-Then similarly reduced to quarter finals, as in tennis.
-Then to 4, THEN a round robin between 4 QUALITY IN-FORM TEAMS forms! Even 2 round robins between them, of QUALITY, that would be possible under this system. And worldwide audiences would be entralled by such a contest surley.
-Then the top 2 play a series of 5 or even 7 games of EXCELLENCE & DRAMA, as per the World Series in baseball in the USA!
It could be your lifeblood in favour of cricket & JUSTICE & FAIRNESS & INTEGRITY that is currently LACKING under the current chaos! Considering the FUMBLINGS in the DARKNESS in the closing stages of the World Cricket Cup final 2007, I doubt the hierarchies of contemporary "authority" will find value in my suggestions.
But you can't blame anyone but these hierarchies & their management, for snugly tucked away in members' stand, if this is what elitists regard as the best they can do!
Remember, cricket has dared to move on to greater levels of evolutions some sports have failed to do. Consider league & union vs soccer's pathetic penalty shootout & feeble off-side marginal calls. Initially, it was dismissed as "pyjama" cricket! Now it's a worldwide phenomena!
Hopefully, it will dare to question its current obstacles that have reduced this World Cup 2007, into a farce!
Complain about this postThe England Barmy Army yelled "moronic chants of “no-ball"" to Brett Lee during the Ashes down under, so lets not start the name calling now...
...and as to calls for the Aussies to play a rematch because "Surely Australia cannot think of themselves as legitimate winners" I'd like to remind everybody that the Aussie are the only team to be undefeated throughout the entire tournament...in the Premier League that makes them the trophy holders.
No one can surely believe that the trophy hasn't gone to the right team...the Aussies are deserving World Champions, and just because everyone supports their own team and whomever plays Australia it doesn't change the fact that the Aussies are the best team in the world RIGHT NOW...
Complain about this postWhat a disgrace! Australia are a great cricket team, no argument. But, for the love of truth, this was a total travesty. Sri Lanka came out at the wrong end of a farcical scenario.
There can be no genuine satisfaction for the Aussies to win like this. This was not a fairly played final. Everything, elements included, conspired againt a fair match.
The Cricket Authorities need to have a long hard look at itself and the structure and format of this wrold cup, especially the final.
No doubt the Aussie players and supporters will take the win regardless of merit. That is their way and their right. Sri Lanka have been seriously short-changed. Nothing to be proud of. Nothing to be arrogant about! It just wasn't cricket!
Complain about this postWow, the bitterness being displayed here is overwhelming. To be honest, I'm thinking I may stop reading these blogs because they can become a bit depressing, knowing how many petty, hypocritical and bitter individuals there are out there. I actually question why I should also be restrained and humble in responding to some of these absurd comments.
I'm an Aussie and yes, I would agree that the 38 over format wasn't ideal. Having said that, to suggest that Australia were anything less than the best team on the day and throughout the whole tournament is ridiculous. Lucky ... come on, you have got to be kidding.
A couple of comments to posters:
Ag, yes Sri Lanka really did lose the game ... check it out, its in all the papers. Rules are rules and with the attitude you display its obvious if you had won the match, you would be happy with the rules and procedures. Would you replay the match if you had won? I think not.
Bonita, how is not fair play? The bizarre bowling out of the last few overs where Symonds and Clarke bowled ridiculously slowly showed a slavish dedication to following the rules, hence FAIR PLAY!
Actually, I'm sick of wasting time on all the other petty, shallow sad bitter complainers out there. As the unquestionably best team of the tournament I find nothing hollow about being the reigning world champions. Four times, yippee!
Complain about this postY.Raj 9post 35.) you ask a good question..."where to from here?"
I know a lot of cricket fans will be dismayed by this win by Australia because it strengthens further the gap between Aussie and the rest. Personally I don't think the gap is so great for SL, NZ and SA although it would be dangerous for those teams to be satisfied with their result. Sure Aussie is all dominant at the moment but so was the West Indies. Don't whinge about it, do something about it.
Start at your grass roots and work up. Look to your under 15's age group because in 4 years time they will deliver your next batch of first class players. How robust is your national system? How robust and honest is your selection system (what the hell is going on in India?)? On paper India and Pakistan should be producing world leading teams but they are not. Why?
I'm a big anglophile but England is perhaps the most deluded of all national teams. Sort out your county system so that it supports the national team for goodness sake. And get rid of all the foreign players. Every time an ashes series comes around the Aussies know all about your players in detail because we are infiltrated into your first class system. Ever ask yourself why Aussie don't allow international players in our system? How do you encourage home grown youth if your teams are full of foreigners? Crazy.
The worst thing other national teams can do now is to walk away making loads of excuses as to why they didn't do well at this WC. Know this: Aussie won and they will still hold a post-mortem to identify improvement. Good enough is never good enough!
Birdie
Complain about this postThanks to ICC and bizarre Duckworth Lewis…………………….SL has to bat not looking at the pitch but looking at the cloud & impending rain………. congratulations to Australians for taking the best advantage of the situation, as always and becoming the Duckworth Lewis champion of the world!
Complain about this postOf course we are not saying that australia didnt deserve to win. However, how boring would sport be if the best team always won? the whole point of sport is that no matter how poor a team is, or how unlikely a team is to win at a given point in a game, they should still have the chance to do just that.
If there was an equivilent d/l method in football, then during the 2005 champions league final liverpool would have lost heavily at half time. however, they played completely differently after this. They scored one goal and from then on put ac milan under so much pressure that they eventually won the game.
This is the kind of situation that d/l just couldnt work for. no matter how statistical you get with a game of cricket, you cannot atone for a sudden stream of sixes or an inexplicable batting collapse. this is why, in the final of a world cup, the game has to be played over 50 overs.
Complain about this postgood job sri lanka! you have played well! even though you lost by 53 runs you still payed well!
Complain about this postComment 34 Neil Hewitt,
Complain about this postYou are kidding. The aussies got to face 38 overs as well. Admittedly they had better conditions, but that is the luck of the toss. Sri Lanka were never on target to reach that total. Thanks to a great batting performance, the run rate was always going to be near impossible to keep up with. Particulary as Sri Lanka only have one big hitter in Jayasuria. Australia was the only side to go through undefeated. Beat Sri Lanka twice. Nobody got close to them. Somehow even though the final ended in farce, clearlly the best team one.
This final was poor both teams should have had their 50 overs, why was there not a reserve day and why was WC placed in the middle of the rainy season in the C'bean....I am disappointed. Umpiring decision was poor, ICC needs to revamp their rules...congrats to Aussies but honestly it was not a magnificent victory, Sri Lanka was disadvantaged severely. Ah well so it goes!
Complain about this postWell done Sri Lankan team, you’ll have made our country proud. It was so unlucky to end world cup this way. But I think it was totally organizes fault. But you’ll can be proud of your selves as you guys were played a gentlemen game through out the tournament. And you’ll were not arrogant, offensive, or aggressive (like most of other team players). We all love to watch you guys play. Not only Sri Lankan people, whole world ‘except Aussies’ were on your side, that’s just because of your high class quality behaviors, and courageousness. So we’re proud of you’ll and it doesn’t matter losing the cup, but you’ll have won whole world “Love” which most of the other teams couldn’t
Complain about this postAs bad as it was, the best side in the tournament won the game, no denying - yet I see many people are (now that's farcical).
I'm an Aussie, yet I would have preferred the match
be played the next day so they could get all 100 overs in. But, the Umpires have that power to
make that happen and decided not to, so all you
people saying the Aussies would of this, the Aussies would of that, don't be childish, Sri Lanka could have done the same but chose not to, afterall, this was a final, anybody would listen, no matter what the team.
In the end, Sri Lanka's major Stars didn't fire,
Complain about this postMurali wasn't good, Malinga was mediocre and
Jayasuriya didn't do enough, Sri Lanka's middle order
was weak (as expected) and because of that,
the result is as it is...
Australia won every, let me repeat that, EVERY match in this World Cup. That means it has beaten SL a number of times coming to the final. So, why the surprise and hurt and vilification of possibly the greatest team in recent years.When we are hurt, we still lash out.
No wonder the world will never have peace when people cannot gracefully accept their own inadequacies but instead constantly blame 'luck' 'weather' , each other, and moving along, 'religion' politics,etc etc etc.
Oh Lord when will we mere mortals stop puffing ourselves up and grow up??!!!!
Complain about this postcant believe the comments and the sour grapes of the cricketing public we all know the term whinging poms i think a lot of you take it to the next level.
australia were just the better side on the day,i wonder how much empathy there would be for the auussie if they lost the toss and had won the game from there what would the people from mother england complain about then.
cricket emulates life!!! its a great day here in oz and its raining!!!
Complain about this postAs a great man once said,
"Suffer in your jocks!"
Complain about this postIn future World Cup should not be held in country with Unstable weather and lack of security arrangement which were rock bottom.Even pitches were not upto standard and World Cup final looked like different batting conditions for team batting second under clouds and darkness around.I don't think World Cup should ever be held in conditions like in West Indies in future.Organisers should take weather conditions into consideration before organising such massive event.Even pitches were substandard.I hope West Indies shouldn't be hosting World Cup in future.
Complain about this postWhat amazes me is that Sri Lanka
knew they had to stay in front of the D/L
score all along as it was clearly displayed on
the scoreboard
But they just were not good enough to do it?
Also normally batting second in a rain affected match at least gives you total to chase down
but as the pressure rose to stay close to that score the wickets tumbled ?
If Sri Lanka had bowled better they may of given themselves a chance !
The best team clearly won the WC
Once Sri Lanka accepted bad light the game was over (as 20 overs had been faced)
The decision to play the final 3 overs was an error by the umpires
Complain about this postOf course Australia are the legitimate winners of this world cup. They were easily the best side all tornament and eventually got the win they deserved.
Complain about this postAustralians have often been accused of being poor winners, but never as poor losers. Today I see a lot of posts from very poor losers.
Both teams played under the same rules and the same conditions. If the situation had been reversed would SL supporters have accepted the result? Yes. Would Aussie supporters also have accepted the result? Yes. Did Australia win a best of 3? Yes - they beat SL 2 out of 2 (super 8 win and final). Was this match farcical? Yes. Did the best team in the tournament win? YES YES YES!!!
If Australia had batted second they would have been conscious of the DL total and probably still been ahead of the game. If the match had been played out over 50 overs Australia would have posted a total exceeding 400 which SL were unlikely to match. SL didn't win the match, they were never going to win this match and ifs and buts are pointless.
I understand that there are disappointed people out there. Unfortunately there are also some very bitter ones. Have a cry, get over it and learn to lose with dignity.
Complain about this postFlashback 1996 World Cup Final. Australia bat first. Sri Lanka bat nder the Karachi lights amid a heavy nightime dew, significantly disadvantaging the Australian bowling attack. Australia took it on the chin. Sri Lanka declared itself world champs (deservedly).
Complain about this post2007....revenge is a dish best served cold....and in this case, in the dark.
Australia comprehensively hammered the Sri Lankan bowlers, and then had them needing 10 runs per over with Jayawardene the only good batsman left. All this occured before the disruptive rain delay and before the light got bad. The game was 90% won already.
Also, given this Australian side's record of bowling out the opposition well within 50 overs, a shortened match must surely have been an advantage to Sri Lanka.
Complain about this postTo all the Sri lankans saying Australia would not have won if it was a fifty over game; Australia scored 281 off 38 overs. With teir usual scoring rate make that another hundred off the last twelve.... make that around 380 for fifty overs. Dont think the Lankans would have chased that score down ;-)
Complain about this postsl had'nt to lose the game because:
1-the weather was unsettled & wet and cloudy
Complain about this post2-the game should have been postponed to the next day
3-the top Muralidaran did not APPEAR in bowling
Playing out the last few overs of the World Cup Final in darkness (probably - to his credit - with the support of the Sri Lankan captain rather than having to conclude the match on the reserve day) was a fitting end to this particular tournament. The whole tournament has been a sad advert for cricket from start to finish. Only a couple of games were competitive, ticket prices were too high, attendances were low, the tournament went on for too long and we still don't know what happened to Bob Woolmer.
However, despite the unfortunate intervention of rain and the farcical finish to the final, it is difficult to argue against the proposition that the four best teams in the tournament did reach the semi-finals, that the two best teams did reach the final and that the best team won the final.
Before the semi-finals had started it was clear that if any team other than Australia had won the World Cup it would have been an upset. It is disappointing for cricket that the show-piece match had to end as it did. A 50 over-a-side game between Australia and Sri Lanka would have been exciting. But it is still difficult to mount an argument that, on the balance of probabilities, Sri Lanka would have won had the weather not intervend.
Let's just congratulate the Australian team and be grateful we at least got that fantastic innings from Adam Gilchrist to light up an otherwise disappointing tournament.
Complain about this postRe: Neil Hewitt #34
How can you possibly say the "The final was not an even playing field" and "The rules are wrong, the Aussies were lucky"? The rules are the same for both teams out there and the fact they are 'wrong' is totally irrelevant. When the captains walked out onto the pitch for the toss of the coin this morning, they knew what those rules were. Are you suggesting that once Jayasuria got out the umpires should have said "hang on a minute, we've decided to change the rules because we want Sri Lanka to have every opportunity to beat these arrogant Aussies"?
I believe the umpires did everything that they could to give us a game but they came up against a formidable opponent in The Weather.
Well played Sri Lanka for today and the rest of the tournament. Well played to all of the teams who took part in this tournament. Well played Australia.
There is no point moaning about the tournament now. Let's just hope the ICC learns from the mistakes that were made here and get it right for the next WC.
Complain about this postIf Gilchrist's chance was not spilled and if Glen Magrath had retired before world cup, if Symonds decided to play for England (instead of Australia) and the game was not affected by the rain not to mention Sri Lanka lost the toss, Sri Lanka would have won the match!!
Complain about this postI'm a Pom who has lived in Oz for 37 years now.
Believe me, it is an attitudinal thing. Aussies bow down to nobody, and it naturally reflected in the way they play sport and indeed, how they fought in wars. (Go ask your Granddads).
But trust me on this one: What happened to Sri Lanka in the final regarding the weather could have happened to any team.
Wake up the lot of you ... One Day Cricket is made for TV, not for a method of deciding a superior team. 50 overs on a pitch that favours batsmen over bowlers is no way to decide anything.
So what is the world's answer ...20/twenty cricket!!
Can't wait to hear the bile that gets spewed out when we get to the International Series of that farce!!
Complain about this postWell it was always to be a one sided World cup. but Srilanka tried their level best and I think so Srilanka deserved to be the Runner's up.
Complain about this postAussie! Aussie! Aussie!
Oi!
Complain about this postOi!
Oi!
Autralia destroyed the tests of cricket. Boring! Win! Win!! Win!!! No competition.
Australia may be exluded from the cricket for a considerable time so that others may reach that level.
Last night I watch 1 hr of cricket and stopped understanding the outcome of the game.
Complain about this post'ag' at 10:12 is kidding himself.......Australia would have scored 400 if they got to bat for a full 50 overs! The second rain delay saw their target go from 283 in 38 overs, to 269 in 36 overs......their rpo requirment went from 12.5 to 13 runs.....either way they werne't going to get within a bull roar of this mighty Aussie team!
Complain about this postI won't call you a 'rationalizer', but rather a short sighted fan who refuses to acknowledge the greatest ODI team in history! They never lost more than 6 wickets in the entire tournament, yet you seem blind to this fact....
What's most alarming/hilarious in some of these emails is the implication that naughty Australia were somehow responsible for the weather, and that it altered the outcome of the match.
Have you lost your marbles?
By the time the rain/light started messing with Sri Lanka's innings, the horse had bolted. The out-of-form Gilchrist ended the match as a contest with an audacious display of one-day hitting. An amazing performance given he'd spent over two hours sitting in the dressing room with his pads on.
Australia had no idea what a good total would look like off 38 overs. They also had the D/L method in the backs of their minds and knew losing wickets would hand the advantage to Sri Lanka.
Get a grip, hotheads, your bickering does nothing for the game of cricket.
Complain about this postIt does beg a question, with all the money that was spent on stadiums in The Caribbean for the world cup, why was there no provision made for floodlights, especially in the major grounds, ie Barbados, Sabina Park, Savanaah Park.
Complain about this postThen the issue of bad light wouldn't have come in to the game. And brings in day / nighters in these countries.
But when they showed the stump cam shot when the the Lankans came back out to bat, it was pretty ridiculous.
Crikey! Do you guys watch much live cricket or just the sanitised tv edited repeats.
Bishnujee (post 57.) I believe that out of a 7 week world cup only 3 games were effected by rain. We were actually pretty lucky. There is no country in the world that can guarantee stable weather.
Stephanie (post 51.) There was a nominated reserve day however the weather forecast apparently was for more of the same. Taking into consideration the cost of putting this thing together, with no guarantee the reserve day will be any less disrupted then they didn't really have many options. DL is not perfect but no body has yet come up with a better alternative.
Stop looking for excuses. I commend everyone to read the comments by the Sri Lankan players (on all major sports papers and websites). They are all saying they were beaten by a better team ON THE DAY. Magnamity in defeat is making the SL team look like real champions. Shame their supporters are not made of the same stuff.
Birdie.
Complain about this postAny person with common sense would understand that S.L would have won definitely if not for the miserable condtions they were forced to play in. e.g rain, twilight zone batting conditons( what we see in the t.v screen is not what it is out there) and the ever changing D/L target. what not?
Complain about this postHi All
Stop being whingeing sour grapes!
I am an Asian studying in Melbourne - definitely not an Aussie - ( dreaming of great Asian curry! )
Australia is a fantastic nation - always enjoy my time there and the people have been generous and friendly - with a great sporting and cricketing culture.
There is nothing wrong with the way they take pride in their sport, nation and the achievements of their fellow sports team members. At least they are proud to be Aussies and to wear their national colours with pride. What's wrong with that?
They played within the parameters of the game. Gilchrist was awesome. If it was a full 50 over game, they may have amassed close to 400 (or 350, as a conservative estimate?). That is still a pretty decent score that takes some efficient batting to come close to.
Give credit where credit is due.
Australia 2007 is a great team and they do deserve to win.
If anything, they have the right to feel short changed that they didn't get an "honourable" win, if they think the way that most on this blog think. (Remember a Tennis final where Amelie Mauresmo won b/c Justin Henin Hardenne was sick and people were saying that JHH should have played it out to give Amelie the satisfaction of winning?) Haven't heard that coming out of the Aussie mouths.
Complain about this postAustralia won because it had the better team on the day, and the best team throughout the World Cup. That takes nothing away from Sri Lanka, who are, IMHO, in a class ahead of every other side.
The end of the match was unfortunate and farcical, but it was not grossly unfair or unreasonable. Australia won fair and square, and would have done so in a 50 overs match, I believe, given the relative performances.
As to why Australia keep winning, there have been a couple of suggestions, but two I wish to add are as follows. First, the Cricket Academy gives the development of young players stability and a path to follow. This leads to the solid development of players who seem to be advanced for their years of experience when they get to the big games.
The second point is that this and the state and lower competitions in Australia lend themselves to the development of quality international players. The Australian team has a number of veteran players who will probably not be there in 2011, but there are new players continually coming up. How ever could Australia win a World Cup without Shane Warne, Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Simon O'Donnell, Dean Jones, Alan Border, David Boon, Terry Alderman..... need I go on? When these players left the team, they left a sizeable hole, but there was usually a means to fill the gap and reorganize the team to work well with the new members. Plus, as was pointed out already, the changes are gradual and not rushed.
In the 2003 World Cup, Australia had five matches on a seriously indifferent pitch, which was the only time Australia looked threatened. On almost every occasion, a significant part of the top order failed, but there was always one or two who made a big innings and the team kept winning. In this World Cup, there have been solid performances by everyone; I don't think you can point to anyone and say that they let the Australian team or themselves down.
Many teams have individual players who may be better than almost any one of the Australians, but Australia has the most coherent and most focused team. That is why it keeps winning. It's no secret, and no-one else is prevented from developing a team that can do the same. But it takes a lot of hard work, especially to make that success last for more than a single season, as poor old England have found out.
It would be far better to have a better organized tournament. Fine, but put pressure on the ICC to change this, through your country's cricket board. It would have been far more interesting if there were a couple of other teams on a par with Australia. Fine, but put the pressure on your country's team to lift themselves to the Australian standard, rather than nobble the Australian effort.
There are 20 million people in Australia as a base from which to develop the team, but you only need 11 people in the final. A number of the other nations competing have similar or larger populations, so they should have proportionally more talent. But it is so much more than numbers. It is about the determination to succeed. At present, Australia has an approach that works very well, and is not against trying to spread this to other nations (witness the number of Australian coaches).
Don't complain. Try to improve the standard to this level everywhere.
Congratulations Australia and Sri Lanka. You played up and played the game. Well done, every team. True cricket lovers enjoyed your efforts and look forward to 2011.
Complain about this postSure, the final wasn't ideal - but the first innings were the key, with the "best" bowling attack in Sri Lanka facing the "best" batting side in Australia. There's no question which team won this battle, and there can be no arguments about the fairness at this time.
One could argue the importance of winning the toss (as it is for all cricket matches), but recall that Jayawardene indicated after the toss that he wasn't sure whether he would have chosen to bat or bowl. "It was a good toss to lose"
Complain about this postThanks for the entertainment. It's been amusing to read all these hypotheticals.
Here's one. If Sunil 'big chip on tiny shoulder' Gavaskar hadn't blurted his bitter, personal hatred and jealousy of the Australian team to the world a month before the start of the Cup, the Aussies wouldn't have been so hell bent on exacting such cruel and brutal revenge on innocent cricketers of the world.
The rain had no bearing.
Sunny Little Master and his ego must accept full responsibility for this 8 week massacre ;)
Complain about this postCongratulations Australia. You were the better team today. No doubt about that. Well Done Sri Lanka. You played to the spirit of the game, amid the adverse conditions. The real losers today were the cricket lovers. (Thanks to ICC). This world cup was one of the most boring tournaments I have ever seen or read about.
I agree with a lot of people here that World cup Semi finals and Finals should be played over the full quota of overs. If the full quota of the match was played today, the final results may have still been the same. However it would not take the gloss out of the Australian victory as it did today for no fault of Australians. (They were just lucky to win the toss). It was not just right to give such a bad farewell to Cricketers like McGrath, Haden, Jayasuriya, Attapattu, Murali, Russell who, have done wonders to the game of cricket.
I guess before you try to correct others, ICC should have a better look at its own house. .The success is not simply judged by the money factor. To me success of the ICC is the approval of it is policies and practices by the ordinary citizens of the world who love the game of Cricket.
Complain about this postI believe only Indian subcontinent is fit enough to host the World Cup especially during Winter which is completely dry weather and I bet you won't be having any rain during that time in India,Pakistan,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka during that time.Especially with huge turnout and interest in Asian subcontinent you won't find empty stands like in West Indies.Off course Australia would struggle on Indian spinning pitches and they won't be helped by Toss at which Ponting is master ,so that second team should be batting in darkness and under threat of rain which he needs for winning World Cup.Last of all you won't find Woolmer type incident in India ;)
Complain about this postThe best team won they were always going to once they won the toss if they had lost the toss the result may have been different who knows probably not but surely the final atleast and maybe the semis too should be played over more than one game or atleast to a full compliment of overs, then at least the Aussies could be justifiably smug and the rest of us would be starved of ammunition to attack them.
Complain about this posti just hope the ICC listen and make the next world cup more enjoyable and fairer
Dear Mr Soni
You have fallen victim to the hype and soudbites surrounding the so-called invincible Aussies. This was not a mis-match but a botched final that only the ICC could have organised.
If they had given the Sri Lankans a proper 50 over match to play against Australia, you wouldn´t be talking about a mis-match.
Regards
BB
Complain about this postIndeed many Australian fans have consistently shown they have no class. Their shouts of "no ball" every time Murali ran up to bowl was a disgrace. Murali has been cleared by the governing authorities of the sport and for the Aussie fans to try and destabilize him in a crucial match was certainly lacking in sportsmanship.
Contrast the behavior of the Sri Lankan fans and their players. Sangakara told the umpire who couldnt see what happened that the catch he took was not out since the ball dropped out of his glove as he rolled over. Now thats a sportsman for you.
When the Sri Lankans came out to gamely and sincerely congratulate the Aussies it drove home the point in telling fashion.
And they didnt get the breaks at all because of farcical rules where a match which is supposed to be 50 overs is reduced twice. Besides, the rain, the bad light and the confusion even among the umpires ruined whatever chances the Sri Lankans had. And the LBW of Jayawardene,. If that was out then I am French!
Despite all this, congratulations to Australia and to Gilchrist for an amazing knock. One wonders what may have happened if Fernando took that catch off his own bowling. But that's cricket.
Sri Lanka have nothing to be ashamed off. Their spectactors were sportsmen - their cricketers both sportsmen and gentlemen. Hopefully its not too late in the day for the Aussies to learn.
God Bless Sri Lanka, its people and its cricketers. In the end they proved that BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL! AND DECENT!!
Complain about this postYes to be fair to SL, even in perfect conditions a with them winning the toss, Australia should have played in handcuffs and be made to wear flippers. This way it could have been a bit closer game. You never know, SL might have just gotten there run rate up to 4 and over for the innings.
To cry unfair, is to show you are not better than your opponent.
Complain about this postI have read the blogs and the unfortunate thing that most have missed is that cricket was the eventual loser- not SL.
Complain about this postI think both Oz and SL deserved to be in the final but that final must be as close to an even match as possible and unfortunately this final was not a good advertisement for cricket or the cricket world cup and I think that one way and another this world cup will have turned more people off of cricket than it did win new audiences.
The whole format was wrong with just one match a day through the tournament when it would have been easier to have two or even four games played on the same day at grounds all around the WI.
The weather did its best to spoil the final and a few of the other more important games in the previous rounds but like so many of your bloggers' have said the final should possibly be the best of three games and hopefully that will get a more even competition or the other alternative is to make all of the games 20/20 format where a result is possible almost irrespective of teh weather.
I think some of your Aussie bloggers should think back to the last rugby world cup and and the bad losers that the majority of them were all through that world cup, including their prime minister.
Regards
Australia were always going to win the final no matter what the weather conditions, they have played better cricket than any other team right through this tournament. However I’m very disappointed with the ending here.
With the final there was no way Sri Lanka would have beaten Australia with the runs needed and balls left to bowl. The Aussies start celebrating, the screen says congratulations Australia. Glen McGrath takes a stump then the umpires say the games not over and they come back on in near dark conditions. This was pathetic. What an anti climax for all concerned. Sri Lanka played well and congrats to them but the Aussies have played the best from the start. Id like to say how impressive both sides were and how sporting they both were, unlike some of the sour grapes on these forums who refuse to see the fact that Australia IS the best cricket team in the world.
Complain about this postAm I the only one to find watching Austalia play a tad boring? They appear so superior I sometimes wonder why they make them play at all but just give them the prize instead! I've watched all the matches in the World Cup and the only ones which got even close to exciting were Ireland v Pakistan, England V SL and England V WI. So at least England despite being crap overall providing me with some entertainment. Unfortunately Australia just make me want to switch off since I already know the outcome. I suppose I should admire them for their skill but unfortunately I can't get pass their arrogance, a skill they've always been good at!!
Complain about this postSri Lanka had the opportunity to play Australia with a full-strength team and so get valuable match practice against the best team in the world. They didn't take it and look what happened to Murali today.
Australia for the most part kept a settled team and I don't think anyone batted for 50 overs against them.
As for the toss, Steve Waugh always said it wasn't important - I'm sure the Aussies today were ready for anything.
It would have been a travesty if Australia hadn't won this tournament, and so got recognition for being by far the best team in the world. regardless of how crazy this world cup has been.
Complain about this postIt was an uneven contest. Aussies were far superior in every department. Some other teams have equally good players too. But none of them are as properly knitted as the Aussies. They play like a machine programmed to function the way it is needed. Things may change when this generation retires. It includes Glenn, Ricky, Gillie, Mathew and Symonds with Shane already gone. It calls to mind the great WI team of Lloyd who were simply invincible. WI became a team of the earth after their departure. No choice but to wait again for those five kangaroos to depart.
Complain about this postAustralia were always going to win the final no matter what the weather conditions, they have played better cricket than any other team right through this tournament. However I’m very disappointed with the ending here.
With the final there was no way Sri Lanka would have beaten Australia with the runs needed and balls left to bowl. The Aussies start celebrating, the screen says congratulations Australia. Glen McGrath takes a stump then the umpires say the games not over and they come back on in near dark conditions. This was pathetic. What an anti climax for all concerned. Sri Lanka played well and congrats to them but the Aussies have played the best from the start. Id like to say how impressive both sides were and how sporting they both were, unlike some of the sour grapes on these forums who refuse to see the fact that Australia IS the best cricket team in the world.
Complain about this postSo Bishnujee (post 82) your answer is that all world cups are only held in the sub-continent where you can guarantee 100% that it will never rain.
Do your parents know you are still up?
The Aussies and everyone else will happily attend world cups in the sub-continent as and when they are rostered. They will not complain when the gods of weather disrupt a game that still includes marked degrees of chance. To be honest I don't think it matters where Aussie plays right now. They are just a quality team who consitently win the big comps.
Birdie
Complain about this postJulie (post 85.) Tell us about Australia's arrogance please? How are they arrogant? Examples please?
Complain about this postPoor planning and organising from the cricket authorities in BARBADOS, why does the ICC allow counties to host a word cup when they cannot provide basic logistics and infrastructure for the game. What was the ICC doing for 4 years, don’t they audit host nations and give guidelines for standards, and this should be looked into if the sport is to move forward.
Complain about this postafter a long, long, series, there should have been a three game decider to get a better account of the relative strength of both sides. i would have been for that. it would also make rain affected outcomes like this less of a decider. i think it could be easily done as well - just play a couple few less super 8s/preliminaries (there are far too many).
but if there was anything untowards in this final, it was in no way perpetrated by the aussies - who even agreed to bowl their part time spinners in the last three overs. they went into the finals having not lost a game, and having effectively thrashed everyone. they deserve their accolades, despite the dissapointing and, yes, unfairness of the ending.
Complain about this postThis final Game is not convincing finish. At one stage Jayasuria & Sangakara were batting superbly , but rain spoiled the game. They had to bat in showers & bad light .
WHAT WOULD HAD HAPPENED IF SRILANKA BATTED FIRST WITH 280 RUNS, AND AUSTRALIA CHASING IN SAME WEATHER CONDITION ? MAY BE THE OUTCOME RULES WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT.
Australia is the best Cricket Team on Earth,they are the favorites to win this WC Finals on any playing condition. CONGRATS TO OZ TEAM.
WELL DONE SRILANKA, BAD LUCK .
THE ICC COULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN FAIR CHANCE TO BOTH THE TEAMS TO PLAY FULL MATCH. THIS FINAL GAME IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE TOURNAMENT , IT FINISHED INCOMPLETE.
Complain about this post"Aussies simply got lucky" This is the worst world cup EVER...
First they won the crucial toss and elected to bat first knowing they could not have coped with the D/L rule under bad lights when heavy showers were expected.
And a 38-over WC final? I think the match would have called off and played as a new 50 over game on the 29th.. ICC is the dumbest sports governing body in the whole world. There are only three formats in the game of cricket. 50 overs/test and 20/20. If they want to restrict over s in a WC final to somehow hold the match, they are nothing but a bunch of money grabbing freaks. They should create another format or several formats like 45 overs, 40 overs, 35 overs ( i know some people would take this as a serious suggestion no wonder if ICC considered doing so :-))
Australia's plan was to hit as hard as possible to every ball as the overs were restricted and the concern was on putting a high pressure on Sri Lanka. However, Adam Gilchrist's come-or-go-chicago hitting style/approach really worked as he got lucky yesterday (his previous best in the tournament was 56*) and this laid the foundation. Hayden looked to struggle, Ponting scored slow, Watson played a pathetic shot and if Gillie didn't lay the foundation, the Aussies would have struggled big time. Sri Lanka had to play under bad lights and under terrible conditions but they still did their best.
However, this is another illegitimate poor win for the Aussies and they somehow won the WC finally. Had this been a 50 overs game, the result would have been totally different. Australia will go down to history as the team to win the WC four times but the future kids will never know "how" they won this WC.. This is bad for the game of cricket and really degrading the quality of the WC. If the Aussies won this the normal way (by playing a 50 overs game) i would admit that they played good cricket to deserve the title "World Cup Winners". I'd rather play cricket 2007 video game than watching these dull, biased real games.
Congratz to the Aussies they are anyway the World Cup winners 2007 legitimate or otherwise :-/
Complain about this postLook no one ones sayng Australia should not have won it. They were the better team in the tournament and on the day. They took advantage of the situation and did nothing wrong today (well apart from run down the pitch a couple of times) and so credit to them. Especially Adam Gilchrist who was the difference between the two teams today.
It's not sour grapes or being a bad loser to possibly suggest that the World Cup Final was ruined by reducing the quota of overs. The ICC instead of perhaps using both days to get a 50/50 over match, which should be the case for any major final, decided it would be better to try and and reduce the overs to appease the sponsers and the TV Companies instead of doing what was right and playing a proper 50/50 over game.
Complain about this postIt's not sour grapes or being a bad loser to say it was unfair for the Sri Lankan cricketers to bat under pitch black light (remember what you see on the TV is not what it's like out there), especially when you have people like Tait and Bracken bowling at you who are hard enough to pick up normally. Had this been a test match we would have gone off around 100 - 1 or something instead of carrying on. I'm not saying Sri Lanka would have won or deserved to win because they didn't morally as Australia were simply better but they should have been given a fair oppurtunity to try as I honestly did think given the right Cirumstances SL were the only that could beat Australia.
No one's blaming Australia but instead the ICC instead for firstly reducing the game and letting the farce at the end go on. They've just ruined the game of cricket. They should take a look at what happened yesterday and see that finals and semi finals should be made 50/50 regardless of the weather or trying to cram it into a day and thereby forcing teams to bat under no light.
Hats off to the Aussies they played really well.. Being a Sri Lankan, i enjoyed Gillie's innings but i'm not completely happy about the outcome of this match... Sri Lankans were so unfortunate to have had to bat under these difficult conditions but anyway, the better team won in the end.... Next time, ICC should seriously consider how to hold cricket matches in a way that doesn't favor one side. Would have been a close game but Aussies deserved it in the end... Sri Lanka displayed their quality throughout the tournament and i'm proud of it...
Complain about this postI have seen a lot of matches in my life, but this will rate as the most unorganised match in history. Maybe the organising committee should practise organising Sunday school party or something, and I should start following a sport that is better organised. Come on guys this was a WC final.
Complain about this postI have nothing against Australia but Sri lanka was refused a fair chance to win by the organisers, and the spectators a decent fair match
Australia won fairly sour grapes again Sri lanka didnt worry the aussies one bit. Get over it, if Sri lanka had one the game it would have been a different story.
Complain about this postAustralia won it on there batting merrits the best batting performance Ive seen in a long time.
In saying all this I wish the game was played for fifty overs and no rain delays. And yes the light was bad at the end ,and if a replay was to happen Australia would clean Sri lanka up again.
Well done Australia.
Farcial final, but to suggest and assert that Sri Lanka would have won that game under ideal conditions is ludicrous. Sri Lanka made 289 in 50 overs against a poor New Zealand attack in the semi-final. Australia made 281 in 38. It was always a big ask for the Sri Lankans against a very good Australian attack an attack that has taken 10 opposition wickets in every game apart from the one against Bangladesh, which was a game reduced to 22 overs.
Even Jayawardene admitted they were always chasing the game, when Jayasuriya fell the required run rate was 8.8. The blogs here reek of hypocrisy. If Sri Lanka were ahead of the D/L required score when conditions worsened, the batsmen would have surely taken the light and accepted the world cup and most posts here would have been of jubilation. It disgusts me to be honest.
The best team in the tournament won, period. They have been unbeaten for 29 games, lets applaud them. They absolutely dominated this world cup, were not run close by any team. It might be getting boring but is it their fault that they have more desire, motivation, hunger and more testicular fortitude than any team playing in this tournament. Gilchrist in another team wouldn't be allowed to play like the way he did owing to fear of him loosing his wicket. Is it their fault they have no fear? Some of these blogs cause revulsion.
Ferrari were too good, so they changed rules so that teams could catch up, they should do the same in tennis so that Federer can come down a level, they can give the rest of the swimmers a head start to help them compete with Micheal Phelps, it's ridiculous.
Everytime people complain about someone being too good for the rest, they want rules changed, why does no one wish for other teams to improve and bridge the gap themselves?
Complain about this postI think Psychology is important because teams never seem to play their best against Australia. Whether this is because they aren't psyched up for it in the right way or because there is something shady going on I don't know, but something should be done about it.
Complain about this postfull credit to the aussie cricket team who has yet again prove that they are the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be in the world of cricket. you can say all you want about todays final but "THE BEST TEAM IS THE TEAM THAT PLAYS THE CONDITIONS". nevermind what should have happended, but the facted that it has happended leaves you no choice but to adapt to whatever is right infront of you so you cant take anything from the australians despite all the fuss about the weather. i take my hat off for every one of those aussie cricketers for thier class and professionalism.
Complain about this postWell Sri Lanka failed to create their luck. They lost the toss and catches were missed. Dilhara dropped Gilchbut leaving that aside their fielding was poor. They dropped cathces. Dilhara dropped Gilchrist when the latter was only 31. Then Sangakkara dropped so many cathches including Gilchrist. Mahela was given out by Bucknor for LBW which was a wrong decision. One man stole the swhole how - Gilchrist. Mahela should have changed his bowlers frequently. He should have taken Vaas off after the 2nd over and should not have given so many spells to him and Dilhara. Malinga should have been used more in the beginning (more than 4 overs). Mahela should have given more bowling to the spinners like Dilshan, Jayasuriya and Arnold. Sri Lanka will not get a chance like this for a long time. It was a sad day for Sri Lanka cricket. All the credit to the veteran Jayasuriya who played another master innings.
Complain about this postSuch a high number of unsporting emails! I wonder if the writers would have thought it unfair if Australia had lost in the same circumstances (I very much doubt it).
You should all take a leaf out of the Aussies book and learn to lose sportingly (as Mark Taylor's Australians did in '96).
No doubt that the best team won the tournament - they are absolutely outstanding, and are raising the game to levels never seen before.
Complain about this postI don't think anyone can honestly say the Ausssies don't deserve the World Cup overall -- throughout the tournament, they have looked invincible, which you can't say for any other team -- BUT they did not win this match yesterday, because it wasn't even a match.
I always expected the Aussies to win the cup, but I expected to see them do it fair and square in a 50-over-a-side game where BOTH teams would get to play in the legally mandated amount of light and without water falling on them from the sky throughout their innings.
This wasn't just any game, it was a World Cup final and a bit more effort needs to be made -- for the sake of both the players and the fans -- to ensure that such matches are played at full length and in technically playable conditions. When it became clear that there wasn't time to play 100 overs of cricket, the whole match should have been postponed. Failing that, when the conditions closed in, the players should have been brought off and the match conclusded on the following day.
I'm sure Australia are excited to have won and they know in their hearts that they deserve the trophy -- amazing team. BUT I'm sure they also would much much rather have won it under conditions that didn't cast such a shadow on their accomplishments as a team. Gilchrist's amazing century will be remembered for years to come, but so will the spectacle of SL's batsmen groping for the ball in the arkness and pouring rain as spectators waited in disbelief for the umpires to put a stop to the farce.
Complain about this postI'm increasingly enjoying this victory when I read some of the sour comments posted on here. I'm surprised that so many people are complaining about the conditions of the match as it gives them an excuse and further reason to blame Australia for the weather, the ICC, the umpiring decisions etc. Honestly, its amazing how many people are dumping their resentment and jealousy on the Australian team. So many chips on so many shoulders.
A few comments in particular I would like to highlight:
ya, you wrote that "the top Muralidaran did not APPEAR in bowling", maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but on behalf of the Australian team and the Australian nation I apologise for us playing him well, I am very sorry for that and I will try and ensure it NEVER happens again.
Anders, I was thinking the same thing myself, the Aussie team is good, but I don’t know if Ponting can whip out a good rain dance to win matches.
Nitya, judging by your post you seem to be in NO position to comment on ‘common sense’.
Bishnujee Singh, you wrote "they won't be helped by Toss at which Ponting is master", so now Ponting controls the weather and the laws of gravity as well? The toss is statistically a 50/50 chance, stop looking for excuses and get on with it.
Ronnie Nathanielsz at 7.13am, are you suggesting that if Sri Lanka had won, the Aussies wouldn’t have “came out to gamely and sincerely congratulate” the Sri Lankans …. Ridiculous. In fact you have so many obscene comments in your post that I’ve not got time to mention them all, but none more reprehensible or vile than your last line, change one word in that line to ‘white’ and we would be deluged with calls of racism. It also suggests the opposite, bringing colour into it is disgraceful.
Complain about this postAll you sad, sad people are really missing the point. 29 consecutive World Cup games without a defeat? To say that it is a remarkable feat is a massive understatement. This Australian team is absolutely outstanding.
What really stands out is that, no matter what the conditions or which one of the players has a bad day, there is always someone to stand up to be the match winner. Yesterday, it was Gilchrist, before that it was Hayden, or McGrath, or Ponting, or Tait....
Also, the Aussies don't allow negative thinking to get in the way of what needs to be done. If they had batted second, they would have made every effort to stay ahead of the DL run requirement (it was on the scoreboard).
And if luck does fall the wrong way (e.g. '96, bowling with ball wet from dew - thus slippery and no swing), they take it on the chin as the gracious Australians, lead by Mark Taylor showed on that great night for Sri Lanka.
I'm happy to say that the Sri Lankan cricketers themselves did take it on the chin, and fair play to them. They are clearly Australia's closest rivals to the title of No. 1.
Complain about this postI belive that, this is unliky time to Sri Lanka. but we make good attack to Australian. wether make to unconditional factor.
bad wether wish to Australian team.
I think if there is rain final world cup match shoud be postpond next day. caz every one wish to see real world cup match....
Sri Lankans naver loss the cup.......
we can take it 2011...!!!!
we wish to Sri Lanka team......!!!!!!
GO LANKA GO......!!!!!!
Complain about this postAll gone wrong when the match was delayed due to rain........Mental temprament costs here.....
Complain about this postAll over now............
Complain about this postIt was reall a tournament that was really boring............................
Aussies once again had it...........
I will say that it was not for S.Lanka,,,,,,,the luck was against them....
Anyhow now four years to go for a big tournament................And lets hope for a colourful one......
What admires me is the ICC's decision to continue to play the final on the same day. After such a gruellingly long world cup, and I write intentionally in small letters, one would expect that the finals could be played on another day. And well before the world cup, it was publicised that extra days were available, and in fact, one such extra day was used (albeit to the discomfort of West Indies team). Not that I think the results would have differed. But one could argue, if there was any team that COULD defeat Australia, it was Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, world cricket has come to such a pass that its almost always Australia vs. the rest of the world. I wonder, why cricket is such a selfish game, and why it does not follow the soccer way of playing in clubs. Otherwise, Australia's methods and thinking will never be proliferated, and cricket will remain the same boring game it is. 20-20 is a smart way to evolve. Let's just hope it catches on. Also, instead of giving teams like Bermuda a chance to play in the world cup, is it not inEVItable to make them play some one dayers beforehand? There is only space for criticism in this world cup. World cricket is really set to doom.
Complain about this postthis w.cup was a rubbish and that all
Complain about this postOne day cricket is primarily played for the TV audiences /sponsors so those with a short concentration span (not that of a test much duration of 3,4 or even 5 days) can get a result and move on.
Complain about this postThis seems to work fine unless your team is defeated in a final batting 2nd with the result determined by D/L. Thw call is for it to run into the 2nd day. What if the second day is washed out ? We can play it on the third.
This cant be right.
Maybe if your team playing and batting 2nd and is ahead on the D/L at any stage in the match , we will stop the match and declare them the winners.
But for the weather, we would have had a rivetting contest. But for Gilchrist, Australia's batting may have struggled to reach the score it reached.
This proved to be a critical toss to win.
Both sides bowling attacks struggled. The batting dominated the game with Sri Lanka , however, always having to worry about the weather and Duckworth Lewis.
In the end, the best side in the tournament and in the world won, the second best side camee second not far behind and with honour..
Australia - yes they are the best but Sri Lanka have nothing to be ashamed of and will deserve the heroes welcome which awaits them when they return home.
Complain about this postIn terms of Umpires its time to
Complain about this postBRING BACK DARYLL HAIR the only umpire with BALLS
I can't believe what I am reading from some of you. "this is another illegitimate poor win for the Aussies and they somehow won the WC finally. Had this been a 50 overs game, the result would have been totally different" (post 98). Were you watching the WC final? Were you watching the WC at all? Australia's performance throughout the entire tournament was outstanding I’m from England and I have no doubt which team out-played every other team - Australia. If anything the only problem was that Australia is so good it is a bit boring at times. All this talk about the ICC making Sri Lanka play in unfair conditions and that is the only reason Australia won is absolute nonsense. I'm sorry to say but Sri Lanka was behind the eight ball long before playing conditions can be blamed for Sri Lanka’s lose. Furthermore the umpires approached the batsman on numerous occasions about the light to which the batsman declined to leave the field until there was only 3 overs remaining, and then the umpires were going to make everyone come back the following day to play the final 3 overs to make sure that each team had an equal playing field. Should the batsman have taken the light earlier? Yes, I think they should have - it was a poor decision from Sri Lanka but Australia's batting (mostly Gilchrist) and aggressive bowling had sealed Sri Lanka’s fate long ago. These are the same rules for every team and every game. Being from England I have seen many rain affected matches and the better team still wins on the day. Yes it would have been nice to have a 50/50 match however the outcome dare I say it would have been the same, as the Australian team was far stronger than the Sri Lankan side yesterday – and ALL TOURNAMENT.
Overall, yes it was absurd in my opinion to have Sri Lanka play the last 3 overs in poor light; however the game was pretty much out of reach for Sri Lanka by the 15 over as Gilchrist's innings and Australia's bowling were far superior. I know it’s hard to see the Aussies win yet another WC and to see your team lose – think about how I feel. But the better side did win on the day and all this talk about the weather and ICC being the cause is ridiculous. Don't worry though it will be an England victory next WC final.
Complain about this postIt seems to me that all the anti Australian supporters and cricket "experts" who are crawling out of the woodwork to detract from what was a very professional performance by the best cricketing side in the world (By a country mile) are way off the right track by whinging about how Sri lanka were cheated by the Aussies and the rules.
Although Sri lanka are a fantastic team and that the weather played a big part in the outcome of the final, it doesn't mean that the Aussies won by any devious plot or circumstance.
I agree that the showpiece of the game should be played over 50 overs per team, but as it stands, the decision was made by the powers that be that it would go ahead under the D/L system.
In fact, maybe the final would have been more one sided if the Aussies had batted for another 12 overs, so instead of moaning about how Ponting and his mob are so Lucky / Mean/ boring etc!, try a bit of sportsmanship and congratulate them for being the best and most consistent team at the sport.
Complain about this postActually, Kan at 11:12 makes a good point, but it only proves how the DL system tends to favour the team batting second.
In the final, the only reason the umpires stayed out for so long in the rain and in the dark was because the batting team is the one with the option of asking for, or accepting, a call for bad light - the bowling team has no say in it.
Therefore, if Sril Lanka had been ahead of the DL rate, you could be sure that the batsmen would have appealed against, and probably got, a ruling to halt play based on the very poor conditions, and so would have won. Of course, with them being behind, it was in their interests to keep going, no matter how bad the conditions were.
Theoretically then, they could have had a good few overs (i.e. bashed 40+ runs in about 3 overs), which would have got them ahead of the DL, then promptly appeal against the light and win.
Very odd that one team has the power to stop the game at the time of their choosing, while the other team doesn't.
Thanks Kan for showing us how the Australians overcame the odds stacked against them and still won.
Complain about this postClowns of the ICC board should be blamed for a disastorous world cup.Most of the matches was played with empty stadiums.
Complain about this postAny time lost in the final of the world cup, should be compensated by playing under floodlights.
Complain about this postI dont understand why if the ground had floodlights they could not continue under that. This would have allowed both sides play the full quota of 50 overs and avoided this sorry joke of a final.
It was totally unfair to Sri Lanka & to a lesser degree to Australia.
If there are no floodlights they should have continued the game the following day as is done in other sports like golf.
Reducing the overs as was proven is not the way to go especially for the final of the Cricket World Cup.
What a joke !!!!
We all know the Aussies were favourites... then why even play this joke of a Final.. just give them the cup and call it OVER AND DONE.
In fairness, Sri Lanka were never given a fair chance, they had the rug pulled from under thier feet in what was a UTTER FIASCO !!!
Please Carribean....anybody heard of FLOODLIGHTS... they play day-night games all over the world, how come not at least in YOUR WC Final
YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME ?
Complain about this postTalk about poor losers. Sure ill admit that it was a dissapointing final and the order of events didnt help SL but thats the way sport goes sometimes....bet you wouldnt be complaining if SL was in Oz's position with the toss, weather etc and won. Some of the arguements here are priceless!
1) If SL had the full 50 overs....last time i checked Australia only got 38 overs..SL had 2 overs left and lost by 53 runs...26.5 an over...unlikely
2) The toss/weather suited Oz...in that case lets replay EVERY single match with a rain delay..hey lest replay the 2nd comm bank series final eh english fans :). and as for the toss if you can think of a better, fairer way to decide who bats/bowls first then please enlighten me. Also dont forget it rained for 2 1/2 hrs between when Oz won the toss and when they actually began their innings
3) Batting in darkness....yes it was farcical but the match was over LONG before then. also the rules state that once both teams have faced 20 overs the match is official so it should have been called off and the match STILL awarded to oz. Regardless the umpires gave BOTH captains the option of contnuing in farcial light or playing the remaining pointless overs tomorrow. Im sure that if SL believed they were ANY chance of winning they would have elected to return tomorrow and not continue
Congratulations to SL for a fantastic tournament and they were worthy finalists
Complain about this postIf only some of the posters on this blog could be as graceful as the SL players in defeat......
Umpire Steve Bucknor... 5TH WC FINAL
Umpire Aleem Dar......... FIRST WC FINAL.
PLEASE TELL ME WHO WAS THE SENIOR UMPIRE ON THIS DAY?....Why was Mr Dar making all those crucial decisions and calls in this FINAL.
HMMMMMMM!!
Complain about this postJust think about this please.........
Plenty of Aussie haters on this site.
Complain about this postAt the end of the day a great Sri lanka got beaten by a far superior side.Australia were never beaten throughout the tournament, I guess that was because of the weather to heh? Wow! Well done Australia on three straight victories. looking forward to 4 straight!
I demand a re-match ! A real world cup final match. Had Aussies been at the other end of the equation...the match would have certainly been called off.
Complain about this postI don't think anyone is denying the better team won. The far-and-away most dominant team were on form the whole tournament and the ICC must be thanking their lucky stars that no one can claim beyond doubt the way this final was played changed the outcome.
Imagine, however, had South Africa been in the final with Sri Lanka. Given how close their super 8 match was and that since then both teams had gathered a lot of momentum no one would have been able to pick a clear favourite. Had SA then won in these circumstances it would be outrageous as no one could be sure they really deserved it.
Australia were worthy winners of the cup, no doubt about that, and Gilchrist certainly played a match winning innings, however, when a team has to go out and try and beat superior opposition it helps if the rules don't conspire against them.
Australia deserved to win, but in sport the means justify the ends, not the other way around.
Complain about this post# At 10:51 PM on 28 Apr 2007, ag wrote:
This is sheer madness!
Surely australia cannot think of themselves as legitimate winners on this day.
If they have any nerve! they should invite SL to replay this match.
Your kidding right? Australia showed that it was going to win that game from start to finish. Had it gone the full 50 overs SL would have been bowled out.
Complain about this postSL had a good tournament but the Aussies were unbeaten and deserved the win. Justice was served.
Full credit to the Sri Lankans for putting up a brave fight! It was unfortunate to see such a bad ending to a interesting tournament. The organising committee has done a lousy job! The full match should have been played for the final, on the following day. Afterall, the umpires wanted to come the next day to play the final 3 overs!!!! It was a big joke. Very sad & dissapointing to all cricket lovers around the world. Hope this wont repeat in 2011.
Complain about this postAt the end of the tournament, the best team won. That's the point isn't it?
Complain about this postWith everything going against them including the elements, the Sri Lankans decided to play in-spite of the umpires offer to continue the last three overs of the match on the next day. If not it would have certainly spoiled the spirit of the game and disappointed millions of spectators and reduced the glitz of the final ceremony of the world cup. Finally even with official blundering causing a farcical scenario the conduct of the Sri Lankans ensured that cricket was the final winner. They may have lost the game but they won our hearts.
Complain about this postWoah! Loads of chips on shoulders out there!
Remember guys, at the end of the day, it's just a game. You play - you win, you lose, ...and then you go home.
Have a nice life.
Complain about this postSmacca?
I read your comment and I couldn't help but strongly disagree.
"Blogs on previous days have had a common theme of Australia being bad winners, arrogant sportsman."
Actually, I do think that they were quite arrogant, as I witnessed their attitude to the gentleman who presented their medallions.
Not one of them took their hat off to him, which was incredibly rude. Look at the Sri Lankan team, and notice that all of them showed great respect.
Sorry, but that's good sportsmanship.
"Don't moan about the weather and the interuptions, if Sri Lanka were any good, and they are, they would have chased down the duckworth Lewis total and been ahead when play was stopped. They would then have been able to take a bad light decision knowing they would win."
Did you actually see how bad the lighting was? I think Australia would have performed sub-par in such conditions, too.
Later in your comment, you say that Australia were determined; but there's only one issue with that statement which I'd like to rectify:
Sri Lanka were also extremely determined, and in certain aspects, far more professional than the Aussies.
For one, Sri Lanka are definitely far less egotistical, as displayed in the interview with Ricky Ponting at the end.
Regardless of the conditions, they continued with the match to the best of their ability. And when the lighting got too low, the captain had the decency to offer the match to the opposition.
Again, this reflects the better sportsmanship of the Sri Lankan team.
Both teams were exceptional, but Sri Lanka will always be the best team in the world to me, and to others who also appreciate the true meaning of cricket.
xxxx
Complain about this postThats why Aussies always struggle on Indian picthes and Greg Chappel never toured Indian subcontinent fear of facing Asian spinners.How many tests and One days have Aussies have won on Indian pictches,do let me know? ;).Ha ha ha
Complain about this postWHAT A GREAT FINAL! Brilliant innings by Gilchrist. Probably one of the best ones I've seen my life. He made it seem so easy, I couldn't believe my eyes. Poor Dilhara Fernando, but he did spill Gilchrist's catch. So I find it difficult to sypathize any further for him. However Malinga as usual bowled well. That guy is a real impact player.
It was a one man show however. It was the Adam Gilchrist show. Gilchrist should have received the trophy instead of Ponting - yes I'm a bit biased towards Gilchrist. All the other Australian batsmen were very very mediocre. And I noticed that none of the other hyped Australian batsmen like Hayden and Ponting actually scored well. Hayden, Ponting, Clarke, and Symonds couldn't reach the boundary unless they got nicks.
The Australian bowling in my opinion would have gotten massacred if they had bowled first. Seriously, the Australian bowling was pretty weak. The Sri Lankans never look worried against them. If the target had been below 240, I reckon they would have reached it.
Well I think that Australia deserved to win. They overall played better. AND they were LUCKY too, no doubt. The weather, the toss, luck, and the general flow of the day were against the Sri Lankans. But the Sri Lankans have nothing to be ashamed of. They made it a great match to watch with a few of their batsmen going down in blazes of glory. If Jayasuriya and/or Sangakara had been their till the end, they would have won it most likely.
Anyway MATT - [125] ("bet you wouldnt be complaining if SL was in Oz's position with the toss, weather etc and won. Some of the arguements here are priceless!")
Trust me MATT, if Sri Lanka had won, we'd hear a lot of Aussies moaning about Murali's action, how the weather was bad, how things went wrong for the Aussies and how they should replay the match. So you guys are in no position to gloat. It was a closer match than the final outcome suggests.
Long live Gilchrist.
Complain about this postFor those of you who are interested, I am a few miles from Kensington Oval now (12.30pm local time) and it is still raining today.
Both teams had 38 overs to bat. Australia scored more in that time than Sri Lanka pretty much had in 50 overs all tournament. Sri Lanka knew what the equivalent DL score was and knew that this may come into play, however they were not able to be ahead of it. Yes, they had two overs taken off, but the DL score was then revised to reflect this.
It was an ugly (and farcical) end to the tournament but both teams played by the same set of rules. If it had worked out the other way people would have been happy to accept a Sri Lankan victory - why the hypocrisy about Australia winning now.
I agree that a best of three might be better in the future - and surely television would like that.
Separately, there are two comments I would like to make:
1. The outrageous statement about black being best. If that had been made by a white person there would be howls of righteous indignation. What absolutely appalling behavioiur
2. The bit about the Australian team not taking their hats off when receiving the medal. Might be done in Sri Lanka but in Australia (as I understand it) that is not etiquette and is a sign of weakness. Why would they do that then?
Australia were deserved winners both yesterday and for the entire tournament. The Sri Lankan team played well and displayed great grace on their loss. It is a pity that all the people on here who hate Australia can't do the same.
Complain about this postThere is no doubt the final ended in farce ... blame the umpires who presided over it & the ICC for being so out of touch with the game for making the entire world cup, the showcase event for cricket, a terrible bore.
Surely changes need to be made at the ICC level, for a start having the headquarters of cricket in Dubai has to be examined, is it no wonder they have lost touch with the game when they base themselves in a place as far removed from cricket as you could possibly get !!!
Its sad the final was affected by bad weather, however D/L method of deciding matches affected by weather has been around for a long time ... if Sri Lanka had of prepared properly for a possible D/L ending for the match they could of won it ... but they didn't. The scoreboard clearly showed the required runs needed at the end of each over under the D/L method and they failed to keep up to that.
I am sure if Sri Lanka had of won this match via the D/L method nobody would be saying the final should be replayed.
Congrats to Australia, they showed thru out the worldcup that they were clearly the best team on show. Congrats to Sri Lanka on having a fine worldcup.
Here's hoping the next worldcup is organized with the cricket as the priority and not the corporate sponsors needs being more important to the ICC ... however one has low expectations that will happen.
Complain about this postTwo things to correct the woefully faulty logic on display on this blog:
1. The rules and conditions favoured Sri Lanka more than Australia in the final
Firstly, the Duckworth-Lewis target was on display on the scoreboard. Sri Lanka knew (except for 2 balls after the rain delay) what score they had to have to be ahead of Australia at any stage of their innings. The DL system itself is widely accepted in cricket as the fairest method of calculating reduced targets. Sri Lanka were behind Australia on this method of calculation all through their innings, meaning that Australia was ahead purely on the merits of its batting.
Secondly, when the light became poor, only one team, Sri Lanka, as the batting team, had the option of calling a halt to play for bad light. This is a very important point, and to explain why, here’s a hypothetical run chase. Say that anywhere in their innings between the 20 and 30 over mark, Sri Lanka had had a real burst of scoring, say 30 plus runs in two overs. This would have put them ahead of Australia on the DL method, and they could have suddenly turned around to the umpires and appealed against the bad light. This appeal would have been upheld, and they could have ended the game as winners, right at the point where it suited them, even if Australia were ahead on the DL calculation for every other part of the innings.
By contrast, the fielding team has no right of appeal against the light, and so all Australia could do was to keep it tight and not let this situation occur. Once again, they handled the pressure brilliantly. However, does it not seem unfair to anyone else that while Australia could be ahead on DL for long periods of time, they couldn’t end the match, while Sri Lanka could if the score at any point suited them?
In addition, the umpires kept playing the match even when rain and bad light should have been enough to stop it. Why? Well, to give Sri Lanka the chance to snatch victory in the way I’ve explained. Seems a bit one-sided? Of course!
It’s clear that Sri Lanka, far from being robbed, were in fact well-treated by the rules and the umpiring, and so blew their chance to grab victory after being behind for pretty much all of the match.
2. The irony of a bunch of bad losers accusing others of bad sportsmanship.
Yes, the final 3 overs were farcical, but the match was settled by then. And up to that point, it had been a fairly standard, rain-reduced match. Sri Lanka lost because they weren’t good enough to win. Simple as that. To those accusing Australia of bad sportsmanship while whining about the result, you are hysterically funny in your unknowing hypocrisy!
Complain about this postOh dear. If the anti-aussie posters on here reflect their nations cricketing managers then the Aussies will walk a fourth successive WC. To think it "lucky" that the Aussies won is naive in the extreme.
Perfect preparations, perfect execution. A full set of convincing wins.
It seems obvious that many "fans" along with many other nations don't understand how to win consistently. Losers will keep on losing until they learn how to win. The best way to do that is to analyse why winners win. A team with 29 undefeated WC matches seems worth looking at I'd have thought.
What a lot of bad losers there are out there.
You've just watched a truly exceptional team deservedly win the tournement - if you don't like it then stop this ridiculous nonsense about the rules etc being stacked against SL and work to improve your systems to produce challenging teams. Contrary to your prejudiced views the Aussie public and players would welcome it.
Complain about this postNo disputing that the Aussies have the best batting line up in the world, but where did this idea that Sri Lanka had the best bowling attack in the tournament come from?
The WC performance stats clearly show the respective final positions of each side’s top four (despite the Aussies’ best bowler – Lee - not even taking part):
Aussie bowlers ranked 1, 3, 4 & 6
Sri Lanka bowlers ranked 2, 5, 13 & 21
No wonder they hid for the super 8 match; the Sri Lankan bowlers got absolutely spanked in the final.
The Aussies were, and are, the best in EVERY department. They dominated EVERY game. And so they won.
It’s true, however, that every other team had a more difficult path. The Aussies are the only team which didn’t have to play against the world’s best, by far, batting and bowling attacks.
Instead of trying to run them down, try living up to the standards they set.
Complain about this postRegarding the allegations of sour grapes, directed at the English.
Its not just the English who dislike the Australians. nobody likes arrogance, in which the Australians abound. it is worth noting on the subject of sportsmanship, that no other captain was warned by the umpire for deliberately running on the pitch with the intention of damaging the surface to give his bowlers an unfair advantage. when he was justly reprimanded he responded with classical Australians arrogance. immediately after his departure the next player followed his captains example and all credit to the umpires was penilised. however i think it would be too much to hope that Australia would realize that there "victory" is Hollow. would they be prepared to invite sri lanka to a rematch to decide the matter. I think not!, like any good sheep thief they will cut and run.
P.S: I don't support the English team!
Complain about this postAustralia were the better side over the world cup, but this didn't mean that Sri Lanka couln't win the final. However, everything played into Ponting's hands, from winning the toss, to lucky breaks in the field, and the Sri Lankans having to bat in worse conditions.
Complain about this postHad Sri Lanka batted first I think the final would have been significantly closer. I don't agree that Sri Lanka played badly and their players let them down. Had Malinga, Vaas and Fernado got some of the swing the Aussies found I think Gilchrist would have struggled. He was lucky to not be out on 31 and did well to make SL pay, but apart from him, none of the other Aussies looked in brilliant touch, with many edges landing safe. Despite losing the early wicket, SL took up the baton and fought until it was a lost cause, something I would like to see England do more often.
It was a slightly disappointing end to a world cup, but the cup as a whole did offer many hilights amongst the darker moments. At one point I was left wishing I was Irish because at least they were playing the game with a bit of passion, unlike some of the more major nations. That's what I believe the cup was lacking, a bit of passion from everyone, hopefully in 4 years when it returns in a shorter format it will have a bit more vigour.
Yesterday,s world cup ended very sad manner. Shame on the ICC, the way they organised the final and the way they conducted the final. Its really favoured the Australian to take the world cup. The match was delayed three hours, they should have postponed this final to next day. To have a 50 overs full match, they knew the rain was not going to stop, its very easy to see, they just want to finish the match. Its not fair to Sri Lanka. As I am a Sri Lankan I feel ICC which is diminted by Englishmen, Australian, they have favoured Australia under this condition to take the world cup. We had very much hope this world cup would be free and fair. I have all means to beleive that most of the sports now commercilised and corrupted. Wealthy nations play their part grab the financial gain.
Complain about this postJust a couple of things Blerrick,
1. Jayawardane said he would have put the Aussies into bat first anyway.
2. So, the Sri Lankan bowlers couldn't get swing, but the Aussies could. Maybe we should congratulate the Aussie bowlers for being skillful as opposed to dwelling on negatives?
Complain about this postIt's funny how after the Commonwealth Bank series no one was complaining about the Duckworth/Lewis method whereas it is now seen as being patently flawed. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the nationality of the victorious team. Had Sri Lanka won by being ahead of the Duckworth/Lewis target then all and sundry would agree it was a just result.
The Duckworth/Lewis method showed that the Aussies were comfortably ahead in the match. Given this and the fact that no one had come close to Australia all tournament, there was only one fitting winner. It's a pity that all the bitterness is preventing non-Australians from admiring the accomplishments of this team. To go through two world cups without loss really is remarkable and it's a shame that there are so many trying to qualify their achievement.
Complain about this postI just wanted to comment on this:
"In the Sri Lanka corner we had arguably the best bowling attack"
The Australian team bowled out every side except Bangladesh (20 over game) and Sri Lanka in the final (36 over game). Had either of these been 50 overs long, it is almost certain that they each would have been bowled out.
Sri Lanka couldn't bowl out Australia in either match, New Zealand in the S8 match, England or South Africa.
Sri Lanka were NEVER the best bowling side. Australia was far ahead there, but it was a nice media ploy to try and build some excitement into what was clearly a world cup where only one side was competing.
Complain about this postFunny how the WC was made so long to make sure there was a back-up day for every game in case of rain, yet it was never used for the final!
Had Sri Lanka batted first and still lost, the talk would be that they were shortchanged by not having enough time to post a score and had to rush their innings blah blah... no matter what the circumstances people would have come out and bagged australia for winning a rain-shortened game... Australia would have won batting 3rd let alone 2nd and thats the long and short of it... best team in the world.
If Sri Lanka had a chance to beat Australia they would have done it before instead of resting their players for the 'psychological' edge.
Complain about this post#28 - Yarthav Mathiaparanam
You sound one of the most bitter cricket supporters in the world. Australia has won 3 world cups in a row (inc 29 consecutive wins) and had the match gone 50 overs they would've made 400+ (a world cup final record) For you to claim Sri Lanka would've won a non-interupted match and Australia will never will another world cup makes a losing Australian fan look gracious in defeat.
Have a good hard look at yourself.
Complain about this postWell......after the 3rd consecutive victory i would like to give a few suggestions to the "ICC"........
1-There should be two world cups,one in which Austrailian team included and the 2nd in which rest of the world should play.......
2-If the above suggestion doesn't suits then in the next w.cup when there will be the opening ceremony the w.cup trophy should be handed over to the Aussies without any hesitatiion...
3-if still icc complaints about my 2nd suggestion then there is one more here...in the next w.cup Aussies should be called only for playng the FINAL match......
anyhow w.cup was very boring there was nothing so much interesting,,
and also i think that S.lanka lost the match when their Captain had to leave on a WRONG decision,,,,
Complain about this post...it was a final and it should have been a complete 50 over match
thats all.............
w.cup is over..
the arguments are over..
one thing is still there always and that is the COUNTDOWN for the next w.cup...
have a nice day all of you...
What a magnificent innings by Adam Gilchrist although he was go lucky on 31 and also had good fortunes from 100 onto his eventual dismissal. Had Sangakkara been able to hold onto the brilliant effort he made the Aussie total would have been around 250 as Blerrick says they were struggling and edging rather than bludgeoning. Anyway congrats to Australia. They made the best out of the situation that was tailor made for the Aussies by ladyluck (the toss) and the weather gods (before the match began and then when the Sri Lankans were blasting away to some 125 odd for 1 with Jayasuriya and Sangakkara).
Australia were the hot favourites, but that does not mean they can have the trophy w/o a final. Some Aussie biased bloggers and experts seem to suggest this. True they played the best cricket of the lot to get into the final but they cannot be called champions until the final is over. That is the case in any sport which has a tournament called the "world cup" or championship.
If that wasn't the case the Hungarian and Dutch football teams should have been crowned world champions in 1954 and 1974 - both these teams were so much better than any other team in those tournaments. Yet they both lost in the finals. That is the nature of finals. The very best can be challenged by others because everybody wants to play their best in the finals - so with the Sri Lankans.
But what really broke the Sri Lankans was that all the luck, at the crucial stages, went in favour of the Aussies. In spite of some uneducated comments only a fool of a captain would elect to bat second in a world cup final unless the pitch was deemed to be a green top - well at the Kensington Oval it wasn't although it was supposed to have early movement. The crux of the matter was that
* The Aussies won the all important toss letting them bat first (only Sri Lanka in 1996 has chased down a score of 200 and above and won. Incidentally Ranatunge in 1996 had no inkling of the dew that came at later stages of the Sri Lankan innings that day. Mark Taylor would have asked the Sri Lankans to bat second anyway whether there was a dew or deluge - in fact no other captain would elected to chase considering the pressure when batting second).
* Rain shortened the match to 38 overs favouring a side batting first anyway - SL bowlers such as Murali (spin), Malinga and Dilhara(late reverse swing) had no chance of settling in. The Aussies batting line-up of 5-6 big hitters had the opportunity if hitting out from the start itself ie. they had only to do it for 38 overs not 50. Some unthinking nut has suggested that SL were lucky that this was a 38 over affair cos' had it been 50 overs then the score would have been close to 400. How stupid can one get - the Aussies only went bashing away from the start only because it was a 38 over inning not 50.
* The "swing master" Chamida Vaas and Malinga did not find even an inch of movement negated either by the conditions or by the nature of the ball(according to Ian Bishop). When SL batted both Bracken (only 3 years of repute) and Tait both found movement. If Paresh Soni is trying to suggest that pressure got to Vaas and Malinga he better think again. Vaas is not known to crack under pressure. Besides Malinga bowled beautifully and not even Gilchrist could get to him in that early spell - he conceded just 8 runs or so in his 4 overs. Everybody knows that Vaas without movement on a good pitch is easy meat to any batsman. In fact when the great McGrath came on to bowl, when the swing had gone out, he too got clobbered and was luckily taken off by Ponting before his swansong match could have been ruined.
As Bough here has suggested had the Aussies bowled first they would have been hammered just as bad as Vaas and Dilhara were and then maybe we would have been marveling at a Jayasuriya masterclass, though we might have still had one had not the weather gods decided to help out the Aussies.
* When the Sri Lankans batted even with the early swing they managed to be close to the reqd. rate with just one wicket down when the next piece of misfortune 'rained' on them.
At about 125 odd for JUST one down and with Jayasuriya and Sangakkara bludgeoning the Aussie bowlers the much feared D/L scenario made its unwanted appearance. This prompted Jayawardene to ask the batsman to try to get to the D/L target - something not that easy without losing wickets against a good attack on any day. So Sangakkara got out trying to hit out when batting superbly.
Some incredibly stupid comments say that if so the Sri Lankans they should planned to be ahead of the D/L score from the outset itself. Well they just did not know it was going to rain at that particular time. And then when the rain started falling Jayasuriya had to hit out, before the rain stopped play, which prompted Ponting to bring on Clarke. With the pitch damp and the ball not coming on and keeping low Ponting knew the Sri Lankan would find it difficult and so it proved. When Jayasuriya went down the pitch to have a go at Clarke the ball pitching midway barely rose more than 6 - 8 inches. Jayasuriya swung over it and was bowled. Ponting rather arrogantly stated later that "he was thrilled that Australia had won without any team giving them trouble" but the sheer relief on his face and on the other Aussies most certainly told that they had been been mighty worried when Sangakkara and Jayasuriya were going. Trust the Aussies to admit as much. In fact even after that had Jayawardene and Chamara Silva not been interrupted by rain the Sri Lankans would yet have threatened the Aussies target. The rain before the match commenced and when Sri Lanka were in a very good position in their innings, the damp pitch, the bad lbw against Jayawardene and the loss of innings momentum ensured that Buchanan and Ponting would later be able say that "Australia was not challenged during the world cup".
So the Aussies win another world cup - deservedly if their performance in the tournament in its entirety is concerned but surely they were lucky in the finals.
Complain about this postOne thing that Roshan Fernando and I probably agree on is that the match should not have been played in the rain and the poor light.
What we disagree on is the outcome.
If the umpires had ordered play to be stopped when they should have, i.e. when it started raining, Australia would have won under the DL calculation, which had their batting rate clearly ahead of Sri Lanka's at that point (and we're not talking about just a few runs - the Aussies batting run rate was well above their opponents).
However, the umpires ruled to play on...first in rainy conditions that would never usually be accepted, and then in light conditions that were nothing more than ludicrous. This was for the benefit of one team only - Sri Lanka, as stopping play would hand victory to Australia.
So Sri Lanka had nothing to lose and everything to gain by playing on. If they had slogged for a few overs and got lucky, they might have even stolen the World Cup.
On the other hand, Australia had everything to lose. At the point when the game SHOULD have been stopped, they were in the winning position, and then they were told to play on in conditions that were not reasonable for cricket - wet and slippery , with a wet slippery ball, in very poor light (Bracken barely saw the ball for that return catch). And why were they asked to play on in unplayable conditions? To give Sri Lanka the chance of a lucky win, which given the play of the two teams, they simply didn't deserve.
Now Sri Lankans are using the fact that they were given this chance as some kind of proof that they were robbed of an opportunity to win. What narrow-minded nonsense!
Can you imagine the reaction if Australia were in Sri Lanka's position and complained about it? Believe me, they wouldn't, but if they did, you would never hear the end of the talk of 'bad sportsmanship'. All the moaning on this blog is simply sour grapes and bad losers, who seem to barely understand anything about the game at all except that they lost.
In the end, I don't mind if people carry on so. There may be a chance of complacency in the Australian team, but if people say they didn't deserve to win this one, that will give them 'something to prove' come next World Cup.
Thanks for the motivation!
As with Jayawardene's rudeness in showing up late to the captain's joint press conference, it all helps gee the lads up.
Complain about this postFrancesca.
You think because the aussies did not take their hats off during the presentation that they were rude, perhaps, but why should they, was this bloke royalty?
I seriously doubt the aussies would have taken their hats off to the Queen of England. I did not watch the closing ceremony, I was out celebrating.
If the gentleman you were talking about was Sir Garfield Sobers then you can bet the team would have taken their hats off to him, HE would have commanded their respect.
Sri Lanka did play with heart and they were in the fight until both Jayasuriya and Sangakara were out. After that they had no chance, no matter what the conditions. If those two stayed in they would have chased the runs down no worries there.
We Australians will always seem ungracious if you believe we should win with 'cap in hand and all humble pie'. It wont happen. We revel in our victories because they will not last forever. Someone will knock us off, not sure when but it will happen. Then we will have to endure the arrogant winners when they crow about how they beat the unbeatable. (And rightly so)
Complain about this postthe sri lanka players especially the captain mahela, was gracious in defeat and held themselves with dignity, congratulated the Aussies,
SHAME about their fans though, sour little poor losers, who expect trophy's and wins to be handed to them on a silver platter.
It's not the Aussie's fault they win a toss,
It's not the aussie's fault about the weather.
it could have been easily the other way around, and would you therefore offer commiserations to the Aussies, I think not!!!! you would be too busy boasting how good the lankans were and how you demolished our batsmen etc etc.
you don't take a top team out of competition so the rest can have a chance, its up to the rest to pit themselves against the best and raise the bar for their sides,
how else do you get to the top other competing against the best.
sri lanka and Australia played under trying conditions and both played with poise and dignity and fairness, so why can't the lankan supporters emulate their team's behaviour.
those fair minded supporters got to enjoy the two best teams in the competition it was a delight to watch.
Complain about this postIt certainly wasn't a mis-match. Sri Lanka got a bad deal... the weather D/L and the orgnising played havoc.
Complain about this postRegarding someone's comment-
I know im too late to comment and i am over the game already but just thought of writing...
Mahela said he anyway would have let the Aussies bat first had he won the toss because he wanted the rest of the team to be motivated. Once Ganguly, when he was the Indian captain, did the same thing when they lost a "crutial" toss.
And yes, Sri Lanka did not stop the play under bad lights because they did not want to go down to history as a team that gave up too quickly. They don't quit unless they are made to quit.
Anyway, the Aussies posted yet another illegitimate poor win (as someone stated earlier) thanks to Gillie, in the worst world cup ever. These things should never happen in the world cricket again.
Complain about this postFantastic performance by Australia in an obviously weather-affected match. Adam Gilchrist was clearly the greatest contributor in completely pulverizing the Sri Lankan bowling attack and thereby completely destroying their morale.
However, it is utterly disappointing and shameful to hear Gilchrists revelation that a springy squash ball hidden inside his bottom hand glove was primarily responsible for his onslaught!!!
Clealy a "spring" in the bottom hand would absolutely propel the ball off the bat with great momentum. No wonder he had so many fours and sixes in his innings in comparison to all the other batsmen (both Australian & Sri Lankan) in the game!
Is this sportsmanship? Is this legal?
Complain about this postI watch every game first what i have to say sorry for ICC rules for world cup that not coz of finals. I saw same thing happen to Bangladesh Vs Aussi they play only 20/20 overs in this match what Glen McGrath said we all out every team we couldnt do that bangladesh coz we play 20 overs. Aussi is always complain what is not happening for them if anything happens for them they never complain.
Very sorry to to end a worl cup cricket match like this. If SL won the toss i have to ask these questions from ponting and from all
Will you bat on that conditions at the end?
Will you stay without complain all?
Lot of people saying best team won???????
Aussi batting is superb but bowling was not good much. SL was going very well with Sanga & Jayasuriya then suddenly rain come on umpires offer for batsman but they didnt went coz they was short some runs for D/L they try to get that then already wicket didnt play the way they want bowl was getting slow and slow and they couldnt get that rethem. Other wise if anybody watch they got ther 50 runs from 23 balls they was going really well. in other hand if SL got Gilli when he was 31 then aussi in real trouble coz all other players couldnt got a run a ball. but this all happen all over by now. i am very appriciate SL team coz they come to middle and they finish the game if this was Aussi they will never come to play they would complain. even i know very well pontings past he always goes arguing with umpires even one umpire have told how can i say anything when some people say we know the rules. If you know the rules this is all i have to say tell your Aussi people that Murali is not a Chacker he is bowling for ICC 15 degrees limits not like McGrath even he has bowl 11,12 degrees no body new this untill ICC champion ship play in england 2004. that time ICC didnt had anything to say. So i am telling all this who saying and shouting murali saying no bal no ball remember even though Glen McGrath action was supperb but he also have bowl no balls in his past. murali is a finest bowler (best offspiner) also shane warne best leg spiner in the world these two diferent bowler. i know this as well one day murali will break shane warne record but people will say no ball but that will be in IIC records acording to ICC rules.
ICC have to train some umpires as well also take some young umpires to do well and well
SL may loose the game but they should play 50/50 over match in finals lot off people around the world was waited for this game but ICC end the game with dark for another 4 years. Every body planing for this moment but ICC also have to think little bit more about this. some people complain too long. i like the way teams play each other in supper 8 but they should do 2 games for day day game other start at day night. also finals play 3 games like aussi doing in there CB series if they need money.
Anyway at the end all the rules and everything in big hands where is the money and where is the power thats all i can say...... sorry to say that but thats all.....................
wish all the very best for every team and do it well
Complain about this postThank God its over .. Congrats to Gilchrist, I mean Australia .. lol .. yeah yeah all the credit should goto the Aussies ..
But yeah, Congrats to Sri-Lanka as well .. they didnt really lose this match .. they should be happy that they came this far, but definitely they could have done better, but they didnt. However, I think they did well (not at their best) under those circumstances. I mean, what a world cup ? Tickets, umpiring, weather, playing in bad light, (hilarious) decisions .. everything @*#$ed to the bone. First of all, they should have postponed it .. but they didnt .. and then finally, they played a 38 over match at a WC Final .. its unbelievable .. and nevertheless, they decided to play final 3 overs the following day .. this WC should goto history as the JOKE of the decade. It was a total MOCKERY.
I mean it was the WORST WOLD CUP I HAVE EVER SEEN and WC should never be played again in the Carribeans.
Anyway, I hope things would get better for cricket in the future.
God Bless Cricket !!
Complain about this postGILLIE HAD A SQUASH BALL HIDDEN IN HIS GLOVE?
People, is this true sportsmanship that we are talking about? Hiding a "spring" inside a glove gives additional power to hit the ball hard and no wonder that he played like his last game. What would have happened if Gillie got out earlier? No other Aussie batsmen could score run-a-ball. If Gillie played the normal way, i think the Aussies could have scored about 220 or less and SL could have easily chased that. Anyway, now it's all over. Shame on the ICC. They do something really silly and later apologizes. How dumb is that... I think the ICC needs new brains. The current decision makers are the worst people on this earth. Let's not let them kill the spirit of the great game of cricket.
Complain about this postI think the World final was a easy game for Australia because srilankans are not too strong and Australians are pitty strong players Ac gilchris,Hayden,Ponting,Mcgrath and you can say Michael clarke or Bradhogg.So if there wasn't any rain than i think Australia could make 400 runs and it is impossible for Srilanka.
Complain about this post