Your World Cup final verdict
During the World Cup, we invited users of our site to contribute comments to text commentaries on the various matches produced by my colleagues Tom Fordyce, Ben Dirs, Mark Mitchener and others.
Huge numbers of you did so, so many thanks for that - unfortunately, only a fraction of the messages we received could be used or the pages would have rivalled War and Peace in terms of length.
Here are a few comments sent during the final between Australia v Sri Lanka, which serve as a verdict on the end of the tournament.
from swf05u
"It was sadly an inevitability that something would go wrong with this final. A very poor end to a very poor World Cup. The best two teams reached the final, and I suspect Australia would have gotten the better of Sri Lanka whatever happened, but would have been nice to have found out on a level playing field. It might not be the Aussie's fault, but one innings in the light on a dry pitch and one in the dark on a wet pitch is hardly fair - if only DL took that into account too."
from Rachel Gamble
"What a joke, Sri Lanka didn't deserve to lose in such a farcical manner as that. Even England could have done pretty well in the cup if their opponents were made to bat in darkness....!
from Nancy in Virginia, US
"This reminded me of the 2000 US Presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore... Thank God this match didn't take that long to decide, though. Chaos."
from Mark Russell
"This is so sad, for another world cup final to end in farce, especially after the criticism that has been dished out all the way through the tournament. Malcolm Speed is going to have some explaining to do."
from Bill Hazelton
"A solid performance by Australia to win the World Cup again, but all credit to Sri Lanka. They put up a solid fight, and they neither choked nor folded. They fought on with courage and skill, and if they are the second-best team in the world, they are clearly better than 3rd and 4th. NZ and RSA did fold against Australia: Sri Lanka are clearly in a different class."
from Azhar Abbas
"What a joke, a complete waste of time the poorest World Cup of Cricket that I can remember...why couldn't they come back tomorrow and play the full 50 over game, instead of making a real poor final. Disgusting, very very poor, ICC should really look at itself instead of counting the money."
from Adrian Bailey
"Six weeks of top-class cricket ends like this? it's an utter disgrace to the sport, and the ICC should be ashamed."
from Andrew Pritchard
"The ICC and WC organizers really need to be taken to task over all of this. The mismanagement has been an embarrassment to the game. For an organization claiming to be trying to grow the game, to restrict coverage and charge obscene ticket prices is complete joke. I’d love to see some resignations at the end of all this. Fat chance though!"
from Matt Dawson
"One word: Farce. Seems like an appropiate end to this World Cup for some reason. What a mess. What a Shame."
from Charles Matthews
"Boy am I glad that, at the very least, England weren't responsible for organising this debacle of a World Cup! Apart from the ridiculous Super Eight Series; how can you have a major venue without lighting? For Glenn McGrath to leave the stage in such a game is sad in a way. However; congratulations to the Oz. Three successive wins in the Cricket World Cup is an achievement that will very likely never be matched. The greatest cricketing national team in history."
from Andy Dugan
"What a ridiculous mess! How fitting for a pathetic world cup! How much time I have dedicated to following this ridiculous mess over the last 2 months, out of my love for the game! What a waste. It is not about the weather. It has been as shambles from the start. Poor planning and organisation, poor format, poor contingencies. OK, Aus are a great team, but how good? Surely there must be some issue with the pitches in this world cup? To have so many one-sided matches that must have something to do with the surface? Anyway, it has been very, very disappointing and a cruise for Aus. Good luck to them, but hey…surely, it should not be that easy? Some answers please…"
The world cup was too long. Poorly planned, over priced. The organising committee aimed the WC to tourists pricing the games out of the reach for locals, leaving half empty stadiums for much of the tournament. Transport was poor. And common sense failed to prevail. All in all Australia were clearly the best side of the tournament. 5 300+ run innings. In terms of the pitches they were better than SA because the dew didn't effect the game. I'd would have preferred to have played the final a day later and for the full 50 overs but that's the ICC for you. In the end Glen McGrath got a fitting farewell to his sublime career.
Complain about this postI agree with Andy Dugan.
It should not have been so easy for the Australians. However, it would be a massive mistake to lay the blame at the feet of the ICC or the umpires.
Instead, the fault lies with all of the other teams in the competition for being inferior. Blame them, rather than the Aussies or the ICC.
I mean, come on - 12 or so matches, and no-one gives them a decent challenge? The other teams should be disgusted with themselves and their spineless performances.
Complain about this postWell Although The Final Was Ruined By The Weather , And Ended Up Being A Farcical, I Still Think That The Best Side Without A Shadow Of A Doubt Won The Competition.
Australia Are The Best Cricket Side In The World And Again Proved It In This World Cup.
So Hats Off To Them, They Never Seemed In Any Danger Of Losing This World Cup From Day One.
And At A Tasty 9-4 Looked Great Value.
Well Done To The Aussies
Complain about this postWell played australia. They were deserving winners but they are far from unbeatable. Sri Lanka lost this game due to tactical blunders. Firstly, Dilhara Fernando should not have been playing this game. The 30-40 extra runs he conceded cost Sri Lanka the game. Secondly, Jayasuriya and Muralitharan should have been brought into the attack a lot earlier. When the aussies bowled, the Sri Lankans showed how the aussie bowling could be taken apart. In fact it has been taken apart by South Africa and England as well.
Complain about this postBut no one can take credit away from Gilchrist and Hayden. They won the world cup for Australia.
The ICC needs to rethink its strategy for marketing the game. Its greedy policies made this the least memorable world cup ever. As if reducing the all important final to 38 overs wasnt enough, they couldn't even get it right towards the end.
All credits to Srilanka for putting up a fighting performance. I would also like to point out that "Rain,No Rain" Australia deserved to win.
I think the worldcup should be scrapped till, the world has quality teams to face Aussies. ICC should seriously consider creating two divisions at the top level. Teams like India,Pakistan,West Indies, and England should be relegated to second division.
To sum up this worldcup, I think Cricket is dying..If this rampage continues, it would not be too long for Indian fans to look for other avenue of entertainment. And if that happens, it will be the final Nail in the coffin for the Game.
A Very Passionate Indian Cricket Fan..
Complain about this postI was astonish by the way ICC operat during the final, !!!!
they shoud have play the finals on sunday insted 38 -36overs silly match, we have 20/20 world cup anyway, so this is one of the greates blunder in the cricket history, making Sri Lankas to bat in the heavy rain and darkness,
If we have the match on sunday result could have been vary!!!perhaps, but I strongly condemnd the way ICC trated Sri lankans, There is no doubt that Auzzis are the best, but under the circumstances, poor Sri Lankans had to face several challenges such as terrible weather, Poor Decisions, ICC cruelty, and finally Aussis onslaughter!!!!!!!!!
Complain about this postUnless other teams match Australia's batting prowess, they are not ever going to be winners.
Australia is so strong in batting, that by the time it is half way, Australia is way ahead on something like 270/280,and even when spinners return,they are also ready for them with solid middle order.who can hit 100 or 150 runs.So all in all Australia is great, and truly deserves to be world champions.
All the teams should emulate Australia's junior batting/ bowling planning strategies, so there is never a dearth of batsman or bowlers.
I am only happy that Matthew Hayden could not surpass Sachin Tendulkar's run aggregate of 2003 which still stands as a record.
Complain about this postThe comical ending to the world cup was just what Sri Lanka needed. Without it, they would have been beaten by around 150 runs and we would all be talking about the "death of cricket" rather than bad umpiring decisions.
Complain about this postAll credits to Srilanka for putting up a fighting performance. I would also like to point out that "Rain,No Rain" Australia deserved to win.
I think the worldcup should be scrapped till, the world has quality teams to face Aussies. ICC should seriously consider creating two divisions at the top level. Teams like India,Pakistan,West Indies, and England should be relegated to second division.
To sum up this worldcup, I think Cricket is dying..If this rampage continues, it would not be too long for Indian fans to look for other avenue of entertainment. And if that happens, it will be the final Nail in the coffin for the Game.
A Very Passionate Indian Cricket Fan..
Complain about this postI think all this world cup has proved is that the format is wrong, the organisation was poor and the coverage was poor....also India were poor.
So all in all...... poor. Apart from England....oh hang they too were poor.
Complain about this post"Boo ICC" Next time better prepare yourself for this kind of situations, nobody knew what was going on. Being finals of long 48 days WC and ended in such a disgasting manner. The finals should have been played on Sunday altogether. It did not make any sence to play the final game of 38 over. I was waiting and waiting for this very moment and ICC just disappoint every single Cricket lover. Change your gears before making U-Turns like this one
Complain about this postICC CWC 2007 RIP. Few watched its dreary demise on pay TV for few cared. But it died as it lived - in darkness and confusion, then boredom.
Complain about this postI think, this is the most controversial Final match of World Cup Cricket history. Due to several reasons, I believe SL won the match, but Aussies won the Cup:
1. Why couldn't the umpires use the reserve days to have a 50 overs match in Final?
2. How is it possible to have no floodlights in a Final venue?
3. Since there was no rain during Australian Innings, there was no obstacle for them to score runs. But for SL, there were rains in intervals, causing their inspiration to go down. As the pitch had raindrops, it was hard for SL batsmen to hit the ball in correct position. For Jayasuriya and Silva, Clarke was able to bowl them, because of the dampness in the pitch, making it short-bounced.
4. In 3D version, it shows viewers Jayawardene's LBW was not accurate. Then, in my opinion, what is the point of having 3D technology? This question applies to all the matches throughout the tournament.
Does anyone agree with me???
Complain about this postOn a national footing, the Sri Lankan cricket team's World Cup campaign was a success -- the team can take immense pride in having brought this divided nation together even for a fleeting moment -- much the way their predecessors have done before them.
Complain about this postWith everything going against them, 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 postWay too long, this interminable World Cup! What were the ICC thinking of out-pricing local supporters?
The two best games in the whole tournament were England v. Sri Lanka, England v. West Indies. I certainly wouldn't want to pay megabucks to watch the Aussies cruising through in the way they have, it's bad enough paying the television licence fee. I don't blame the Aussies for being so good, but hopefully this is the end of their predominance, for the sake of the game as a whole. I don't want any team endlessly predominating - it is utterly detrimental. I want the see-saw this team up, that team down so that the element of unpredictability is restored.
Because I am from a certain generation, for me it's more about the way the game is played. This is why for me the England v. Windies was so good - it was a bit old-fashioned in that there were cliff-hanging moments, moments of heroism, despair, last stands etc. etc. - these sporting principles were engrained in me a long time ago.
Maybe in years to to come people will realise this but by that time it will be way too late and the game will be lost .........
The whole thing is totally overshadowed by the murder of Bob Woolmer - this should never be forgotten; a terrible, shameful act which besmirched the game I love.
Complain about this postHi,All
What a messy final world cup was that ,poor disition disorganice .Icc should responsible for all mess, such nice game of cricket was berried live with out thinking of cricket lovers around the world ,Any way two best team was in the final . Honestly I don`t think any one was enjoying the this world cup at all,Any way lets see in year 2011 .
Complain about this postThanks,From Polgolla
This is utterly ridiculous. Not to take away anything from the Aussies, but Malcolm speed and his cronies are getting paid and they are not being held accountable. Every single thing that could have gone wrong has. I am very sorry to see Sri Lanka and all the fans of this great game all over the world being dished out this rubbish of a circus show.
Sanjay Sunder
Complain about this postregarding the format. No other sport so blatantly tries to arrange the outcome of the tournament so that certain matches take place. It's pointless to compare cricket to football because the latter has far more world class teams and enjoys world wide adoration. However tennis has problems with spectators and still the ATP dosn't go sorting out the majors so that federer v Nadal happen, if either loses before the final then they don't meet, snooker dosn't try and get Ronnie v Hendry games to take place, it just lets them happen by chance.
If the ICC so desperately wants a high profile tournament where all the big teams play each other then they should organise another a tournament so that specifically happens (why not have a less high profile tournament called the Super 8 inbetween world cups? it would only be 28 games, 2 games a day it could be played in 2 weeks) not try and engineer the world cup to fit their expectations.
The next world cup should be organised so that lots of high pressure important games take place and if pakistan v india (or any other mouth watering fixture) dosn't happen, then we live with it.
Complain about this postWhat a farce! Do the organisers not see the paradox here?? We have a situation where the paramount game has been shortened due to rain to 38 overs each so as to squeeze into one days play, but then the batsmen are offered the light and everyone told they would have to come back on the next day for 3 overs! A script worthy of Yes Minister!
Complain about this postGil's performance and weather condition was in favour fo Australia's win over Sri Lanka. During this worldcup no other opponent was able to play with Aussie as Sri Lanka. Cricket is considered as the only gentleman game and Australia's win is acceptable. Australian team will admit the Sri Lankan team is a strong team. After all many spectators enjoyed the game.
Complain about this postQuestion - Was Jeff Crowe taking a one sided approach (coming from a country close to Australia) in his decision? How could batsmen play in sheer darkness? Australia were allowed to bat when the pitch was fresh and clouds were clear after the heavy showers and by the time Sri Lanka came into bat the pitch / outfeild were wet. The decision makers including Jeff Crowe should have called it off and had it scheduled for Sunday. I'm sure even a school boy's cricket match would have been called off for bad light if the weather was so bad.
Conclusion - This is not cricket. This is what we call " Favouritism" or is it "Disrimination"?
Complain about this postPoints to remember - Australia's bowlers never batted in the tournament.
Complain about this postThe members of the so-called team-of-the tournament all failed against the Aussies.
The Aussies played no close game.
If Gilchrist had not shined in the Final, it would have been one of his teammates that would have taken the spotlight. That is the nature of this team.
The closing speech by Percy Sonns was a disgrace. He mentioned all the cricketing aspects such as the six sixes, the 4 wickets in 4 balls, and the retirement of Mcgrath and Lara. But what about the other retirements such as Russel Arnold, Inzamam ul haq, Ian Bradshaw, Anil Kumble - were these players not good enough for Percy Sonns to mention!
Complain about this postAnd above all no tribute was paid to Bob Woolmer, which I believe is just digraceful!
What's all the fuss about? Surely it is the nature of one day games that the weather can affect the number of overs and that Duckworth Lewis will come into effect. The batting in the dark was unfortunate, but ultimately Sri Lanka's decision. Maybe they hoped the Australian fielders would loose the ball in the dark so that the batters could run fifty! At any rate, Sri Lanka didn't match the run-rate. Australia won fairly.
Complain about this postPurely,a waste of time.I will never watch cricket until pointing retires.However,the way Jayasurya departed was no credit to the bowler.The rain did the trick and the low bounce enraged me.
MAY GOD GIVE STRENGTH TO NON-AUSTRALIAN
Complain about this postCRICKET!!!
AMEN.
We'll never know whether the Sri Lankans would have prevailed if they had been dealt the same conditions as the Aussies -- especially in light of the confident manner in which Jayasuriya and Sangakkara went about the chase on a perfect batting wicket. The Aussie strike bowlers were made to look listless. Nothing to take away from the mighty Aussies but there is bound to be an asterisk next to this one. The ICC should impose a requirement of a well lit stadium at least for the semifinals and finals.
Complain about this postNo one should grudge the Aussies their obvious supremacy, organisationally this world cup has reached the nadir the game of cricket could perhaps ever go to.
Complain about this postwell it was a farce , if i was an Aussie fan i would not be too jubiliant( not that it was their fault) and if i was a srilankan fan i would feel proud of the way they fought back , just a sad end to a crazy World cup, ICC should look into its role
Complain about this postMaybe the mess of the World Cup proves one thing after all. That the only true form of the game is the 5 day Test match. Last week I watched the last day of the Warwickshire v. Sussex four day match at Edgbaston. How nice to see players in white, no silly fielding restrictions, and bowlers who could bowl as many overs as they liked. Let's get back to the true form of the game and stop messing about with the laws for the benifit of television. And finally sack Sky and get Test cricket back on terrestrial television. Sometimes I wonder what planet the people who run cricket are living on. The World Cup just shows how out of touch they are with the real world and the average cricket fan, be he in England, the West Indies, Asia or Australia.
Complain about this postVery, very disappointed that those powers in charge didnt decide that there is no way you can decide a final on duckworth lewis or even reduced overs full stop. You don't see the weather affect the duration of any other major sporting final, so why should this? ANYONE paying a fortune to come and watch the final from all around the globe would prefer to watch a stay another day and watch a proper 50 over game. We have been waiting for this contest for months, the culmination of this festival of cricket and then this....
Complain about this postWorst World Cup ever!
Complain about this postAm an irregular watcher but felt i really should sit through this one. However I never expected this...bewildering mess. I do not like to give in to conspiracy, theories, but a controversial lbw awarded by Buckner to an ace player at a critical point in the game, to an already handicapped team fighting for survival and honour, is a fact taht leaves me baffled. Sure Aust. would have won in all probability, but for Sl it would have been so much more preferable to loose by 14 runs instead of 40. What was Bucknor upto, if one is not adept at assessing one should bow out of such responsibilities. How can one be careless in choice of umpires for the most imp. part of the tournament - the finish.Hats off to umpire Dar though . Yes a lot of people would like some answers as to why there were no lights, why the pitch tipped off as a swing and bounce one, failed to provide that in the first half? Why the game could not be re scheduled, etc.
Complain about this postAs a woman and a novice, from a developing country such as Bangladesh ,I was inclined towards the SL team but I wonder where all that talk about cricket being a gentleman's game vanished. It is sad Aust. did not get the fitting victor's farewell, for this is not the way for heroes to go. By the same token, the real sense of vitory comes when all the players and spectators feel there has been a level playing field and fairnesshas been meted out to all. Why should there be even a breath of controversy with umpire decisions etc.The sour taste lingered and all the blue of the Caribbean semed to turn pale.
Aus was best team, but was fortunate Sri lanka didnt get good chance to over come them. A proper 50 over game with same conditions through out would have allowed Sri to win or give tough competition.
Shame on ICC. Cricket is loosing the fame due to stupid D/L method and other ICC rules.
Complain about this postAs an Aussie, it's nice to see Australia continue to win.
But oh my goodness, what a joke this WC has been and what a disgrace to the game the ICC is.
I live in the USA now and actually got a couple of Yanks interested in 2005 Ashes. It was pretty easy... riveting cricket and live BBC commentary you could listen to from anywhere in the world.
I tried to encourage the same people to tune into both the 2006/07 Ashes and the WC only to find out that due to rights restrictions you couldn't listen to either from America. Can someone please explain the logic here? I don't want to start ranting so I'll stop here.
Ticket prices, the format and length of the tournament, the way the final was cut short (surely the elimination stage (finals and semis) should be played out in full if at all possible), and the way the Caribbean flavor was snuffed out was ludicrous.
I would actually like to see some of the players get involved. This mismanagement by the ICC is affecting their fans' ability to enjoy the game and see it grow.
I would also like to see some heads rolling at the ICC. They are an abominable organization more concerned with making money than growing the game.
It shouldn't be possible to muck up a tournament involving the best cricketers in the world. Somehow, these incompetent jokers have managed to do it... again!
For the next WC, let's not invite the ICC!
Complain about this postthis cwc was -
.too long
.poor organization
.too high ticket price
.too little fan attendance
.dead atmosphere in many games
.many dead games in s8, e.g. aus-sl, aus-nz
.many boring games, with rain playing the high
the organizers have major work ahead of 2011; hope they do them right that time to make circket a really 'beautiful game' as they claim. good luck and see ya
Complain about this postI find that nothing has been said about Adam Gilchrists useing a squash ball inside his batting glove. Is'nt that enhancement.I know it is not a drug, but to my mind he was useing something to better his performance other than standard equipment.Brian
Complain about this postAn unfair game, perhaps the match referees should have been little bit sensible at least to postpone the match to the other day after the batting of Australia.
I feel very sorry for Sri Lanka although even in that terrible condition they show some great talents and real sportsmanship.
Complain about this postI arrived in Bequia ,one of the Islands in the Grenadines,on March ninth ,the day of the last test match before the actual start.I enjoyed the games which I watched frequently for the next five weeks.I was sad the West Indies fizzled,but as a relative newcomer to the sport I thought that it was extremely fun to watch .However the debacle of emptly stands,was inexcusable,and the Woolmer incident really kept a dark cloud over the rest of the tournament,I wonder if it should have been cancelled because of this tragedy.I am left feeling that the absurd monies spent refurbishing and building new stadiums is ironic seeing as how the very people inhabiting these countries were not able to attend.Sad,really,though somehow ,not really surprising,given how well everything else works in these locales
Complain about this postThis was a shameful end to a dismal World Cup. A true disaster from start to finish, where even England's poor performance was insignificant by comparison.
It was much like the Formula One debacle in Indianapolis a couple of years back. It always seems to happen on the occasions when the respective sports need their very best publicity to reach the wider audience.
It takes years to build the trust and commitment of a fanbase, but it can be lost in an instant. Let us all hope cricket at the world level can recover from this.
Complain about this postI agree with Rachel Gamble, Sri Lanka put up a good fight with all the problems, they didnt deserve to loose like that at all.
ICC should have just started it on sunday full 50 over match.
A very sad ending for the world cup
Complain about this postI wish to know who deserve the WC trully!! They should have arranged a fair play
Complain about this postthe whole tournament's been a farce it seems. Any tournament stretching over that period would lose its impetous, as this undoubtedly has. From ticket prices, to stadium preparation, anything in the control of the authorities has been awful it seems. The weather surely should mean that they should seriosly consider the viability of holding matches in Guyana too. I was really looking forward to this world cup as a "festival of cricket" from a nation who apparently loved the game: ticket prices were too high to stoke the atmosphere at all.
Complain about this postCricket lost. Money, self interest and greed won. Its as simple as that.
Complain about this postwhy the hell final match couldn't be played as a 38 over match...when rain was forcasted during day..
its a shame for ICC.
it was a tailormade match conditions for srilanka..
final should have been played nextday as a full 50 over match
It might not be the Aussie's fault, but one innings in the light on a dry pitch and one in the dark on a wet pitch is hardly fair - if only DL took that into account too."
Disgusting, very very poor, ICC should really look at itself instead of counting the money."
Complain about this postI think what happened was ridiculous and the umpires were wrong in there decision and England played rubbish the whole world cup lets hope we can improve
Complain about this postI think what happened was ridiculous and the umpires were wrong in there decision and England played rubbish the whole world cup lets hope we can improve
Complain about this postICC should have known that its world cup final and their rules better rather than playing along with the rain and also putting Sri Lanka to bat in total darkness.
As other suggested here, I also strongly agree that this match should have been played on Sunday after loosing 2.1/2 Hrs to that rain.
Still ground umpires do not take advantage of third umpires, but make wrong decisions which could easily turn over that match.
After this completely silly rules and the ICC team, I am now loosing interesting in this lovely cricket game.
Complain about this postMalcom Speed and Sean Percy to GOOOO NOWW!!!
Complain about this postWhat a shame!!! What a way to kill a World Cup Cricket FINALLL!!!! Why was this game cut to 38 overs? Why SL had to bat in rain and dark?? Why?? Can Speed or Percy answer that? Speed had told before that he wanted to have a reserve day for every game? Then why the FINAL was not played on reserve day? Does it mean they wanted Aus to get (not win) this world cup?? How long these AUS will be biased to Asian team? Indians would have kicked ICC a*ses if they had done the same if India was in the final instead of SL?? I hope match referee, speed and percy will have common sense, enough self respect and courage to resign....
BTW, I am not a SL or AUS or any ASIAN fan...
Dimon, USA
Complain about this postSuitable end to the world cup. The worst I have experienced since I have been watching back to 87'.
However, credit where it is due- the Aussies were by far the best team.
There have been too few competitive games, a lack of atmosphere, the format was wrong- too many test nation going out early and inability of the cricketing world to compete against the Aussies.
I honestly don't believe that a team should go unbeaten in almost 3 consecutive world cups- it is a sad indicment of the state of world cricket.
It has turned into a batters delight and world cricket is producing too few geniune world class bowlers.
Something has to be done to safe guard the future of cricket
I think its really un fair to srilanka.the end of the world cup in this style,ICC only like rupes. ITS the poorest end of world up i ever remember.i have not senn like this.there is a reserved day for the final.THE final should be played on that day.its all poor planning by ICC.
Complain about this postA very poor end to a very poor world cup. In future there should be only 12 teams with 2 groups of 6. From which top 2 qualify 2 contest semi-finals this will lead to a shorter and better world cup. the minnows should have there own mini tournament with only 2 teams outside the top 10 participating in the world cup. super eights were just too long with big teams often playing each other with nothing to play for. Credit to australia showed they could win in all types of formats.
Complain about this postDipesh
As an Aussie fan, I am certainly not jubilant about winning this world cup. It has been tarnished from the beginning by ineptitude, poor organization and mediocrity on the playing field by just about every team other than Australia.
The death of Bob Woolmer put a damper on everything that followed and even if every match thereafter had been decided on the last ball in front of packed houses, that one event would have rendered the whole tournament distasteful if not meaningless.
The only positive I can take from this as an Aussie is that, in a few months, when the bitterness has faded and the criminal charges have been laid, the world will realize what a truly amazing feat this Australian side has performed.
To have dominated this entire world cup as thoroughly as Australia has is one of the greatest achievements in world sport ever. Put it on the back of an Ashes whitewash and it shows that Australia have taken the game to a new level.
While I agree that Sri Lanka had as much bad luck in the final as Australia had good, and the Sri Lankans played hard and fair and stuck admirably to their task where other teams would have buckled, there was never any doubt who would prevail.
As a cricket lover I hope that the ICC can claw its way back from this, the lowest point the game has reached in the five decades I have been watching it.
Mike
Complain about this postThe world cup of 2007 ended with sour taste due to following reasons.
Complain about this post* Early dropping of Pakistan and India from world cup.
* Death of Bobwoolmer.
* Poor selection of tournament site.
* Not cattering for the rain while selection of the site.
* Rain kept disturbing the tournament till its final.
50 days to play the tournament and then a limited over final?!? They didn't think of ensuring the final would be a full match?! Given a proper chance, Sri Lanka could well have won this, especially given how comfortable they looked against the Australian attack. Noone is saying they would have won, but we'll never know now, will we? Shame.
Complain about this postThis was a World Cup where almost everybody were losers. Except India all the other big nations which could not make it to finals dumped their captains and coaches. Umpires erred and sometimes went overboard, Rudy warning a bowler twice in the same over and Daar forfeiting a run both for walking on the pitch. Finals being shortened and played in poor light without opting for the next day. Its time to dump some of the erring umpires and the ICC officials for making the game end in poor state.
Complain about this postFirst of all, CONGRADULATIONS AUSTRALIA. I would have prefered it if Sri Lanka won, but on the day, Australia deserved to win, even though there were certain irregularities in the game; and the toss, the weather, and luck went Australia's way. Any whiners please remember also that throughout the tournament Australia DID play better cricket than any other team. Congrats to Gilchrist especially.
Did anyone know that LTTE terrorists in Sri Lanka dropped a few bombs on the capital from light aircraft, making the authorities cut the electricity and leaving us in the dark? Pretty disgusting no? - they dropped the bombs right when people had started lighting crackers when Jayasuriya and Sangakara looked as if they were creating an opening for Sri Lanka. I guess they copied that idea from Fidel Castro.
ANYWAY, I think the ICC should have postponed the match - WHY?
(1) It's a world cup final - if there was a spare day, it should have been used? What's the use of building enthusiasm towards a final and not postponing it for a better day, especially when the ground doesn't have flood lights?
(2) Cricket teams are used to playing 50 over matchs. The team batting first have a big advantage in knowing that they can get out reaching for a big score and still make an impact. The side batting first also know all about factor number 3 (Look down please).
(3) The team batting second would be mentally unprepared to chase in a 38 over game - especially in a high-pressure world cup final. How are they to go about it, when chasing tactics and conventions are based around 50 over games?
Anyway the Duck-Lewis system has got to go. Surely they can make a slightly better one? They need to revise the leg-side wide adjudications, the bouncer policies and reduce the fielding restrictions to help the bowlers. ODIs are biased against bowlers.
Complain about this postSri lankans did a very good perfomance, sadly it was bad luck day for them,
Complain about this postWhat a mess. What a Shame to the cricket, ICC should really look at itself instead of counting the money, and need to take a good decision in feature
It is not surprising that the shroud of darkness that has covered this World Cup since the sad and untimely passing of Bob Woolmer ultimately eclipsed the event's final and showpiece. What a shame that cricket's markee event that promised so much, failed to deliver on almost every front. Aside from Mr. Woolmer's death, we can line up among the culprits: Poor marketing, planning and public relations by the WICB and its agents, disappointing showing by England, India, Pakistan, and an under-achieving host team. Presently, I am sorry to say that I feel very little excitement about cricket in general. I am confident, though, that I will soon get over my "blues". Inspite of it all, I must conclude by saying congratulations to the deserving champs, the "awesome" Aussies who proved they can dominate in both light and darkness.
Complain about this postA great world cup marred by a shambolic finish.
Complain about this postWhat a sad end to the world cup finals. I am sure millions of cricket fans around the world were dissapointed at the poor decisions made by the ICC at the world cup finals.
First of all, I suggest that the ICC should seek help from Meteorologists to prevent any possible changes of weather patters etc. After all we live in a world where we have access to high tech which can be very handy.
Secondly, I propose that the ICC should make amendments to their rules which will allow World Cup finals to be played only if there is time to bowl all 100 Overs. Shortening the number of Overs should never happen in a world cup final match or they should consider inroducing the best of 3 games.
Must get rid of the old DL method which is not practical for the game of cricket. Sri Lankans deserve credit for their persistence and perseverance.
Complain about this postI feel sad that we lost the finals. But not defeated. Well done to Sri Lanka for going down fighting. They not only fought the rampant Aussies but also the weather and the disgusting ICC and its sickening idea to play the finals between thw worlds best teams on such a bad day for cricket. No doubt they were concerned that Aussies should win the cup at any cost. I guess ICC (International Cricket Clowns) must be feeling happy now. Still no excuse. We lost to the best team for the day. Still we are proud of our team. We will it next time.
Complain about this postANDREW:- "The batting in the dark was unfortunate, but ultimately Sri Lanka's decision"
Right..... ofcourse, and let Sri Lanka finish the last 3 overs of the match the next day. :-0
Anyway, not that I'm bitter as an Englishmen, but this world cup was below par, not that it matters. Aussies still have won 4 out of 6 world cup finals. When is England going to win one? Frankly, I don't have much faith in our side to even say 'in this century'.
Complain about this postDAVID says:- "The comical ending to the world cup was just what Sri Lanka needed. Without it, they would have been beaten by around 150 runs and we would all be talking about the "death of cricket" rather than bad umpiring decisions."
You are not good at makking sense are you... Without a comical ending how would they have been beaten by around 150 runs? If the weather had held and if the match referee was fair they might have been beaten by just 15 runs. I felt really bad for them. The same way I felt outraged when our lads had to get 22 runs off 1 ball in the 1992 semi-final. I can understand how the Sri Lankans will feel.
I thought that Jeff Crowe favored Australia in the Srilankan innings. The side batting second was anyway at a big disadvantage. If Srilanka batted first, I would say that they would have won. The Sri Lankan batters looked very comfortable against the mediocre Australian ballers. The Australians batters couldn't hit against the Srilankan ballers - other than Gilchrist who was lucky to be dropped and get some very lucky edges.
When Glenn Mcgrath retires, the Australian balling side will be very weak.
Complain about this postDespite all the negative comments and remarks, I was one of many who made the trip over to Barbados to watch the super 8 games being played at the Oval.
Though the trip cost me well over £3,000 it was the trip of a lifetime and a holiday I will never forget despite the fact that games such as India v Pak never materialised.
Yes, the ICC should be held responsible for the mistakes that were made, but the fact remains that cricket is the best spectator sport in the world. Fans from all over the world came together and watched their team and heroes with no trouble at all. I imagine football authorities wish they could make such a claim.
Complain about this postI will always remember being present for Lara's final game and how England scraped a one-wicket win in front of a wonderous atmosphere.
The nightlife in Barbados, with a mix of of South Africans, Aussies, Indians and English was electric.
Lets not knock this great game too much. And for all those Indian fans who came over and contributed to the atmosphere - thank you.
And for all those who think cricket is dead in the west indies - we brought a beach cricket set on our first day and every beach we went to in barbados (rockley, carib, miami) we were challenged to a game by groups of local young kids - and unforunately we wer often on the end of a heavy beating. Cricket is still alive over there and I firmly believe this tournament will have helped the future of WI cricket.
Bough, the darkness didn't suddenly arise for the last few overs. The Sri Lankans were disadvantaged from a long way out with poor light and rain. It was simply a farce and Sri Lanka were ultimately playing in conditions in which they couldn't possibly win.Itis a shame for everyone involved, including Australia, that we didn't have a proper 50 over final. As said, for the final to be reduced to this in a tournament that gave itself 50 days to complete,is an utter farce. In the first half of Sri Lanka's batting, remember, as did the Aussies to the SL attack, the batsmen were comfortably on top.
Complain about this postIt was not a game it was a Shame!!!!!
We/Sri Lankans have been robbed. Any one with a little brain can see it was not a fair play ,it was a 'power play'.
I read on teletex the headding as 'Aus take the cup" that was very right Aus did not win the cup they 'took the cup'.
The game could have had an alternative day set a day with fair conditions for both innnigs not one dry sunny for one team and wet rainy, dark for the other.
May be Aus are brilliant but what about the Sri Lankan's capability?
Anyway every one in the world know it was not a fair play
Complain about this postIf anything, 1st class and test cricket will look a lot more attractive than what this side show threw up. One day "cricket" is what it is and it got what it deserved.
Complain about this postI followed many of the BBC coverages of the world cup cricket matches and there is one thing
Complain about this postwhich troubles me.
How is it possible that in contests with so much at stake that such ludricous umpiring decisions
are made - lbw's , caught behinds etc.
I think that the "third umpire" (hawk eye) should be called upon much more often.
This would make the competion much fairer for all involved.
Obviously the umpires in the Caribbean were
affected by their long spells in the sun - this
evidently affected their vision and their decisions
thank you, I enjoyed every game on tms radio 4 lw. I just love my cricket!
Complain about this postspot on jonathan !
it was even ridiculous to continue playing the world cup after bob woolmers murder. a murder ?...i mean i can understand a natural death, but the murder of one of the most prolific coaches in recent times due to lack of security in the biggest showcase of the sport is a farce !
although it was an absolute tragedy that india and pakistan crashed out so early, bangladesh and ireland deserved their wins and we owe maximum credit to them.
but in the end, what we saw for 40 odd days were monotonous and dead boring games which all ended in the predicted winner going home with the most prized jewellery in the game !
i think u r spot on in mentioning that the organisers should not be allowed to conduct a tournament again. futhermore, i have my doubts if the caribbean has the infrastructure to conduct major events in the future....a heavenly holiday spot ? yes....but certainly not a cricket host !
Complain about this postThe final should be the climax, something to look forward to. Unfortunately by the time it came around I'd lost interest. The competition was too long, and other faults have been well documented.
I just hope the ICC and others involved take note.
Finally, when we've all stopped moaning, perhaps we could spare a thought for Bob Woolmer's family
Complain about this postGreat win by the aussies clearly the best side in the world and by far deserved to win. To all the aussie bashers out there get over it, don't sledge the aussies just because your national team is so pathetic and can't get it right. To the ICC when are you going to get it right. This is the showcase event to the world and you've stuffed it up. Little wonder why cricket will never go beyond the commonwealth nations as other countries around the world would never tolerate such a inept and incompetent authority running their sport.
Complain about this postFirstly, congratulations to Australia and their skipper, Ricky Ponting who showed the world how the game of cricket should be played.
The World Cup is governed by rules set by the ICC. I am astounded that the umpires and other match officials did simply not know the rules that they were paid for to enforce.
Somebody must take responsibility for making the wonderful game of cricket look like a circus sideshow, and trust that those responsible will resign like gentlemen.
Complain about this postI have been wondering whether this world cup has been scripted by Spike Milligan or Agatha Christie. A very strange couple of months, capped off by a final Salvador Dali would have been proud of.
Good on ya to the Lankans, they gave the run chase a nudge and looked like the only team who could beat the aussies (NZ's own black caps included).
Double good on ya to the aussies, bunch of legends and legends in the making. Circumstances were n't the best for the final, but clearly the best team in the tournament with daylight second.
Enuff said about the monumentally incompetent blunders of the tournament organisers... heads should roll but I suspect fat bums will remain on comfortable seats.
Complain about this postIt was so sad to see the World Cup ending in such a disgraced manner like that. The referee and the umpires were shamefully wrong in their judgment while utter poor sportsmanship was shown by the Assie team. None of them even mentioned the Sri Lankan team or thanked their fans after the game was over. They only talked about how good they played the match. In my opinion, the Sri Lankan team is the real winner since they showed much class than the Ozs. They had to play under such conditions as rain and low visibility and even then still they managed to score 215 in 36 overs.
Complain about this postThis was the worst world cup till date.
Complain about this postIt will be sad that this tournament may be remembered for the final. What it should be remembered for, is the domination that Australia had. They never came close to being beaten. It is easy to complain about light and what not, but Gilchrist tore Sri lanka's attack apart, and it was the pressure of the score that prevailed. Please do not forget that Sri lanka fielded a weakened side against Australia in the super 8's. They, no doubt were trying to hide their so-called good players from the aussies, expecting to be in the final, or was it a factor of throwing a game, so as not to face tougher opposition in the semi's. No matter, the two best teams made it to the final, and the best team throughout the whole competition won. I will remember their domination, not the final. Well done Aussies, now the rest of the countries have to pick up their game to compete.
Complain about this postThis World Cup has been a disaster, and the venue a poor ambassador in promoting cricket to the non-cricketing countries.
Complain about this postNo doubt Australia deserved to win the title as champions of the world with Sri Lanka as the deserving challenger. However, Sri Lanka had the momentum to chase the Aussie's grand total, only to be failed by weather and bad light. Instead of a grand finale, the final fizzled into a debacle so shameful to the ICC.
Let's not forget to give a pat on the back to the Bangladeshis and the Irish, and also realize how the abscence of India and Pakistan changed the caliber of the the Super 8 matches.
Well, lets see what 4 years will do!
The world cup was an extreme let down.The ICC took the Caribbean flavour away and the cost of over priced tickers drove away the locals.The final was a big mess ,that should have been played on the reserve day.
Complain about this postI cant see why the game should not have been cancelled on that day and played the next day for the full 50 overs , especially been the final.What a Farce, What a laugh. If the rules have to be changed, change it at least for the future of Cricket. By the way was the Sri Lanka Captain Jayawardena out LBW or was it another mistake?
Complain about this postcongratulations australia and well done sri-lanka, ireland keep up the good work.
Even before the debacle sri-lanka could not have won, but they and particularly their captain displayed fine sportsmanship.
Everyone will learn from this and to the people of the West Indies well done.
Happy Aussie
Complain about this postGreat injustice was done to Srilanka in the final who were forced to bat in total darkness and on wet ground.
Complain about this postIf more than three hours were lost to rain why was the match not shifted to next day. It was understood that Srilanka will have to bat in fading light. Or the match would have been reduced to 20-20 overs right from the begining. There was no fairplay in the final. I think majority of people think that the final was not played on level field.
I still think Sri Lanka were never given a chance to show what they can do. They are a very good side and had the match been played over the full fifty overs in similar conditions it could have been a spectacle. Maybe a spectacle would not have fitted with the rest of the tournament - hence the farcical end.
Complain about this postICC's organization was pathetic. It is highly likely Aussie's would have won anyway. I felt that Srilankan's were not given a fair opportunity.
Both Aussi'es and Lankan's deserved better treatment!
Complain about this postSo the World Cup logo fell on Mr Speed's head. How appropriate and symbolic. You now owe a lot of refunds to those major corporations that paid for the premiership and you provided 3rd division reserves.
Complain about this postICC's rules are strange. Why couldn't they postpone the match to a later date?
I have lost nearly all interest in cricket.
Complain about this postA statistical Victory for Australia
A moral Victory for Sri Lankla and all those who play the game the way it should be played
This quotation is from your own website
this is how aussies play it
""31st over: WICKET - Silva b Clarke 21, SL 190-6
The end is now near - Silva charges Clarke, misses and is clean-bowled. Clarke stands in the middle of the wicket with arms outstretched, and shouts a phrase that rhymes with "Luck off!" at Silva as he passes. ""
Long live the game of cricket and to hell with araogant aussies
Complain about this postWhen all's said, our love for cricket should prevail. Well done Oz and well done SL, you made it a real contest until the final act.
The players behaved like heroes, and the crowd too were in the game to the end.
Well done, those small and yound Carib nations who have put it all on the line to stage a long and complex event.
To see games live on digital cable was a pleasure. To see players who were mostly just internet names turn into real sports players was a miracle. Even my wife, dragged to see Gary Sobers play at Luton in 1973, was engrossed in some games.
"You know, she said, it really is more intersting than baseball.."
Take it from her, we will learn from CWC 2007 and make this a beautiful game on the global stage.
Complain about this postGilchrist said that the squash ball inside his batting glove made the difference for him. Does anyone know if this is against the rules. I mean - what else is a batsman allowed to have inside his glove...
Here in the US baseball players who put pine tar on the bat to improve their grip are called cheaters.
Complain about this postWe need to bring talent back into the game. Too many sixes and rules. I liked the simple, old days. Perhaps the ball should be made a little heavier and the bat a bit smaller in width?
And some of the umpires.....they looked dead! After so many days and standing under the hot sun, I don't blame them! The technology is not used to the fullest. How can the game allow a dreadful decision on an LBW in a pivotal game? We need a third and fourth umpire to make these close decisions at the expense of losing some charm.
In the finals, if Sanath knew that rain was fast approaching, he would have gone into a different gear earlier - the scoreboard should have advised him (and everyone) of the impending weather situation.
To let teams like Bangladesh and Ireland into the Super 8's is not doing the game any justice. Make it Super 16's if needed and let the top four teams earn a right to the knockout stages.
Besides the farce final, what about the "bouncing" women shown on most TV shots to complement the complete silence on the Bob Woolmer saga?
Complain about this postI am a Barbadian living aboard. I have been trying to find out for the longest time why would one build a brand new stadium today without installing lights. All the people responsible for this farce should be force to resign, including the local politicians who were very much involved.
Complain about this postFair go some of you lot - agreed, the final was a mess; 50 overs would have been better, but I can't see how there was any chance of SL winning after Jayasuriya went. Anyway, Australia lost the 1996 World Cup final with a distinct disadvantage in the field due to the weather (fog, dew, visibility). So this evens it up in my book.
''Australia must have had help to have won all those matches so easily". What? Why? They are better than the others. Simple as that. Admit it.
Complain about this postNo-one looked like beating them in any match. They won and they deserve it. And it's not 'just because they have such-and-such." Besides - they DO have such-and-such. 11 of them.
Jit Lion doesnt know what he's talking about... although New Zealand may be close to Australia, the Kiwis would love to see the Aussies lose as much (if not more) than anybody.
As terrible as the final actually ended up being, the best team won, simple as that. Anybody who argues otherwise obviously wasnt watching the same World Cup!
Complain about this postHow appalling has the management of this World Cup been by the ICC? The locals could hardly afford the tickets, the tournament was far too long and the ICC didn’t even have the forethought to ensure that the final was played at a ground with lights. Even temporary ones would have allowed for at least some degree of sanity at the end. As far as just blaming the umpires for the mess in the final, it was a stuff up before it even reached the stage of calling the teams back on the field. In my opinion, Sri Lanka were batting in conditions you would normally call light on for at least an hour before they went off the field. Can someone say Scapegoat?
In the end I think the result was reflective of the best two sides in the World Cup. Australia would have won that game in nearly any conditions. Lets just hope Malcolm Speed resigns before the next one, he is definately the only Australian that didn't deserve to be on that podium when they were handing out the winners medals.
Complain about this postICC ...Your folks must be ashamed. Your match refrees + Umpires DONT KNOW THE RULES ?
Complain about this postNo disciplinary actions against these guys ?
I hope sincerely all my Asian cricket loving folks will HURT ICC FINANCIALLY . Do not buy anything which will help them financially .
I am serious .
I am a US citizen from Sri Lanka .SRI LANKA WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE. Congrats to our EXCELLENT Team.
England / India / Pakistan will always come back . Good Luck to these teams. Cant forget Ireland and Bagaladesh also.
I LOVE CRICKET BUT DISRESPECT ICC SO MUCH . ICC IS FULL OF HYPOCRASY .I am so glad one Indian official started to speak against ICC openly and publicly . HOPE ENTIRE POPULATION OF INDIA WOULD SUPPORT THIS GREAT GENTLEMAN.
I LOVE SRI LANKA WISH OUR PEOPLE PEACE AND HAPPINESS. May God Bless our ISLAND OF SRI LANKA .
To me it was always look like it will be very sucessfull world cup or a big failure and it turns out to be a bigger failure then anybody think about.
First India and Pakistan out in a pre cup tournament (FIRST ROUND)
Second no west indians flavours in the croud just rude aussies and suffering fans of other countries everywhere.
Third a joke on last day. Sri lanka had more chances of win even with Gilly's crackers but rain and ICC made it difficult for them.
Next cup will be very sucessfull FULL STADIUMS, SINGING AND CHANTING CROWDS, GREAT BIG GROUNDS AND OFCOURSE OTHER TEAMS READY TO BREAK AUSSIE DOMINANCE SPECIALLY LANKA AND INDIA.
Complain about this postThe final match was a mess since the begining
ICC should have made all the possible ways to have a 50 over side a match to the final
They could have had two reserve days for it.
Asking the second team to bat in total darkness with a swinging ball is not fair and level playing field.
In place of Sri Lanka, if Austarila was chasing the target and they would have in simmilar situation things would have been blown out of propostions
If the weather was favourable for a even contrest scoring another 60+ runs would not have been a problem for Srilanka.
That old man buckner(having poor eyesight) makes a point to umpire every final in the world cup and gives few bad decissions which suerly effect the end results
Complain about this post***ICC WORLDCUP FINAL****
1. WHAT A GROUND
2. WHAT A RAIN
3. WHAT A DARKNESS
4. WHAT A UNFAIR MATCH
5. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE ……?
OF COURSE ICC DECISION MAKERS.
Complain about this postCouldn't the ICC have found enough time in the 40-odd day schedule to play 50 overs a-side for the World Cup Final. Especially when the umpires were prepared (although wrongly) to come back on a second day to play the last three overs when Sri Lanka had almost no chance of making the required score.
Now imagine if they had played 50 overs each. With the evenly matched teams it could have ended as a 500-all draw but that's another story and the ICC would probably have resolved a draw which a game of tiddly-winks.
Complain about this postThe world cup final was a foregone conclusion and on March 16th I knew it will be Australia.
Australia is truly the only US like country where present performance alone counts.Past counts in the rest of the world, and that's why USA keeps advancing in science and technology and Australia in cricket
RavBulky
Complain about this postICC - Missing Its Line & Length
The ICC and the West Indies organizing committee certainly have a lot to answer for:
- Overpriced tickets resulting in embarassingly empty stadia, especially in the early group matches. $50 or $90 US is the equivalent ot 2-3 weeks wages for many West Indians.
- A yawningly protracted group stage and super eights series of one-sided games. Just bring back knock-out matches earlier; four team groups (top two qualify), Last 16, QFs, SFs and F format. Simple just like the World Cup Soccer.
- The Caricom VISA fiasco - this will be unknown to many Brits but ask any Aussie, Indian. Pakistani, Sri Lankan or Kiwi howe many hoops they had to jump through to get one, for the sake of post 9-11 security.
- Why was no provision made for floodlights (even temporary ones) to be installed at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, which is supposed to the showcase venue. Its no surprise that the sun sets quickly in the Caribbean and a rain delay should have been factored into any basic contingency plan. The likely reason? Economics.
- Why were caps of water bottles not allowed in the grounds (well they weren't at St Lucia) ? Can someone please explain the logic of that one. Just one example of the absurd security at grounds that also required conch shells to be "registered" before they were blown.
- It would have been a great opportunity to provide reasonably priced and quality food and drinbks at the venues. But alas this was not the case.
People from all over the globe spent substantial sums of money to travel to the World Cup - on average $4,000 to $5,000. They deserve better than this.
But then again that should not come as a suprise. The ICC World Cup organizers and sponsors, tucked away in their cool air conditioned boxes and chauffered Benzs, are fixated on the bottom and top line, rather than the line-and-length basics of hosting a fun and entertaining world cup.
Fortunately for them there are too many of us that love this game to be deterred from attending the next ICC cash cow world cup in 4 years time. So don't expect much to change...
Madan Sheina
Complain about this postSan Francisco, CA
I am sure Australia wouldn't have won many admirers in the carribian or for that matter in any cricket playing countries. All the cricket playing nations know that Australia is responsible to have brought the game initially known as "Gentlemen's Game" to a win at any cost. They started abusing players from other countries especially from Asia and they approve of it. They say it is a part of the mental game.Australia's greatest cricketer Sir Donald Bradman once said that if any of his team members behaved in such a manner, he will not be in his team. Well, maybe, because he is not an Australian but an Italian. Aussies would like to give but are very reluctant takers (Macgrath, Sarwan isuue in the West Indies). As the great fast bowler and a very respected commentator Michael Holding once said that there are many one way traffic in the Australian team. They can do but not you.
I was an admirer of Australia when I was young. When I came to Australia as a visitor in 1986, India was here, playing test matches. I was watching a cricket match on TV for the first time in my life.When an Indian fielder misfielded a ball, the respected commentator Ritchi Benaud said that it was not up to test standard. When an Aussie fielder misfielded more or less in the same place, Ritchi's comment was that "due to uneven bounce" the misfielding occured.
Nothing can take away the fact that the Aussies play their games very hard. Even when some seniors retire, ther are many in Australia who could fill the gap and still beat others. If only, they could play the game as was previously known as "the Gentlemen's game" and still win , then they have my respect.
Aussies do not leave their crease even when they get bowled. They look at the umpire to see if it was a no-ball. If they snick a ball, no way they will leave the crease if the umpire does not give them out. If an opponent is given a grace by the umpire when caught behind, Adam Gilchrist is there to talk to the batsmen. Michael Holding once said that when Aussie umpires were umpiring games in Australia, the West indian team was told they have to get Aussie's out twice to get them out.
Complain about this postSanth Jayasuriya was captured looking towards the sky shortly before wildly swinging at the ball in a vain attempt to avoid defeat by the Duckworth Lewis calculation. Sad way to end the World Cup Campaign.
Scattered showers were predicted by the weatherman. Why was the ICC so reluctant to move such an important Match into the reserve day?
It's also odd that the umpires chose to take the players off the field only AFTER the showers had stopped during the Sri Lankan innings. The pitch which was pronounced 'bone dry' for the Australian innings certainly wouldn't have stayed that way when Sri Lanka batted.
Btw, anyone know why didn't the commentators did not show the Hawk-Eye analysis of the LBW decision given against Mahela Jayawardena? All LBW decisions had been analysed this way.
Possibilities:
1) Not wanting to attribute a bad decision to Steve Bucknor in what was his World Cup swan song
2) Not wanting to create more controversy in a World Cup that has already seen more than it's fair share.
No denying that Australia has an outstanding team. But it's a pity their opponents in the final were not given a fairer chance of challenging them.
Well done Team Sri Lanka - you played brilliantly to reach the final.
Complain about this postGreat Unfairness to Sri-Lanka
Complain about this postThere is no doubt that Australia is a good cricket tem. But does that mean their unbeatable. Hell no! They are beatable by all means. In recent times SriLanka has been the only nation who can do it even with close margins. And we would have done it this time too if not for the weather. Perhaps I should not blame the weather, the unfairness in bad umpiring in a crucial match, the deduction of overs and the increased run rate and the initial 38 over game ( umpires should know that the over’s were too much and it would be unfair for the team who bats second). The way I remember (correct me if I am wrong) decision for overs were taken after the toss was done, and in this case Australia chose to bat first. This is all bull shit simple and utterly bull shit. Normally for the slightest drop of rain the umpires signal for the covers. They don’t want the pitch to get wet bla…bla…bla…. yet the SL batsman played in the pouring rain. They shouldn’t have played the game at all on Saturday in the first place. Common, “officials” it’s a final. You can borrow a brain from a kid who’s playing cricket on the street to make these decisions. Why didn’t they use the reserve day? The answer to that question is, had the Lions had all 50 over’s they would have crushed the Kangaroos and sucked their blood and buried their bones
Is it fair to call this is world cup final. Now the critics of cricket have the last laugh. As they always say this is the game for nothing but only for money, luck and languor. ICC's strange decision to go on with reduced over match simply killed spirit of this world cup.
Complain about this postThere should have been fair conditions for both sides for a good match.
We would have seen a better fight from the Lankans, only if 'Sanga' and Sanath had scorde another 75 runs in that partership, inspite of all the 'negatives' (the rain, the confusion...etc) they had.
When I heard that Jayawardena turned up late for the 'cup' photograph, I sensed that something was not right! How did that happen?
I guess, the Aussies meant 'business' right till the end. A good example for the rest of the teams to take home.
Complain about this postGreat Unfairness to Sri-Lanka
Complain about this postThere is no doubt that Australia is a good cricket tem. But does that mean their unbeatable. Hell no! They are beatable by all means. In recent times SriLanka has been the only nation who can do it even with close margins. And we would have done it this time too if not for the weather. Perhaps I should not blame the weather, the unfairness in bad umpiring in a crucial match, the deduction of overs and the increased run rate and the initial 38 over game ( umpires should know that the over’s were too much and it would be unfair for the team who bats second). The way I remember (correct me if I am wrong) decision for overs were taken after the toss was done, and in this case Australia chose to bat first. This is all bull shit simple and utterly bull shit. Normally for the slightest drop of rain the umpires signal for the covers. They don’t want the pitch to get wet bla…bla…bla…. yet the SL batsman played in the pouring rain. They shouldn’t have played the game at all on Saturday in the first place. Common, “officials” it’s a final. You can borrow a brain from a kid who’s playing cricket on the street to make these decisions. Why didn’t they use the reserve day? The answer to that question is, had the Lions had all 50 over’s they would have crushed the Kangaroos and sucked their blood and buried their bones
I just read that Gilchrist's superb knock was "aided" by a squash ball stuffed into his glove. This is akin to fixing a spring in the glove and would obviously greatly help in propelling the ball at a great speed towards the boundary for fours and sixes!
Is this legal? Are players allowed to hide/stuff "aids" into their cricketing equipment to help them perform better?
What does the ICC have to say about such a practice?
Complain about this postIt is sad that outstanding cricket by the top two nations has been over shadowed by bungling idiots that ICC seems to be made up of. It seems Speed opens his mouth only to change his foot (there seems to be an epidemic of foot in the mouth disease among all cricket administrators). How can he call this world cup a great success?
ICC should leave the host nation to organize the tournaments. They made a mess of the champions trophy in India and now the world cup. It smacks of colonial attitude that they want to run the tournaments in the thrid world and make a mess of it. Would ECB or ACB allow them to run the competition this way in their own country? Fat chance!
Complain about this postKumar Sangakara's honesty in denying the caught-behin was a class act by a class team under difficult circumstances: forced to bowl on pitch that sucked the skill out of its bowlers and then bat in rain and poor light. SL were ahead at one stage, when the light and ptich were equivalent to the morning. Then the clouds rolled: Jayasuriya saw it coming, took a swipe and missed and the rest of the team batted in rain and near darkness. I don't think the Aussie mindset will allow them to realize that the end doesn't always justify the means. Pitch conditions and weather should be factored in so as to ensure an equitable final that highlights the skillset of both teams. In this match, whoever batted first would have fun -- full stop. Nevertheless, congrats to the SL team for a wonderful performance this year. Good luck in 2011.
Complain about this postHey, why so many complaints? This World Cup was a revelation. It was obviously designed to bore us all witless with endless, one-sided ODIs, and that's a good thing for Test Cricket. It showed what a hopeless mess India and Pakistan cricket is in. It ended the careers of some over-rated coaches (Bob Woolmer excepted), over-hyped batsmen (spoilt Sachin and playboy Lara) and dubious bowlers (Shoab et al). It gave the walking-wounded Aussies (Hayden, Symonds, Watson) time to heal and play at their best (Brett Lee probably could have made the finals). And best of all, the ICC has shown every sporting organisation on the planet how to ruin a premier sporting event through sheer arrogance and incompetence. Watching all this unfold 'live' on television was awesome. Sure beats "Big Brother"!
Complain about this postThe world cup was summed up eloquently if unintentionally by Malcolm Speed. When explaining how ICC officials would not be held accountable for making the world cup final a laughing stock (and make no mistake, we have been laughing at this tournament) he apologised to the game's 'stakeholders'. My anger at him excluding fans from the apology was short-lived. I realised that that was what he meant. Cricket fans are 'stakeholders', in his eyes. Cricket RIP.
Complain about this postinternational cricket has lost its attraction for cricket lovers like us bythe shabby handling of the entire owrld cup series and the final in particular.2007 world cup will be remembered for the wrong reasons-a murder,the exit of india and pakistanin first round and the onprofessional final-is that the way icc plans to promote cricket internationally-any day football world cup is much better organised.-raja iyer
Complain about this postDont blame the icc the weather etc, blame the other teams who put in a spineless performance throughout this wc. Have a good look at your own teams and start improving there.When your team comes up to scratch then come out to play.
Complain about this postWell done Sri Lanka i know your country and fans will be very proud of you guys, so much i can say for a lot of other teams, and yes congratulations to Australia youve just told every other team that they need to improve.
No team is dared to compare with Australia. They are playing like computer programming. It seems humanly impossible to match them till their quality falls back. Cricket is a game of uncertainlity. Australia proved this phrase is wrong. As a result, Australia destroyed the taste of cricket. Totally boring. They may take off 1 to 2 years from now. I lost my interest to watch cricket.
Complain about this postIf the Referess and Umpires officially admit to making mistakes in interpreting basic Rules (knowlingly, since they had enough time to think and rethink) the rules have to be REINTERPRETED correctly and decisions reversed accordingly.
Otherwise everything is a "farce" as many comments have suggested.
Apologies are not enough. The game was a DRAW and the Title has to be shared no matter how well one side did.
Complain about this postI'm sick of all this criticism being levelled at Australia. They did absolutely nothing wrong in the course of this game - you can only play the situation that you're given.
The end of the match was certainly farcical, but the hard truth is that the game was over long before the rain came along. The game was over at the end of the final powerplay.
Australia scored 281 off their 38 overs. If they'd gone for the full 50 overs, and played their ordinary batting order (Clarke coming in at the fall of the third wicket) they'd have kept going at that sort of rate before launching an assault in the final 10 overs with Symonds and Watson coming in. It is not unreasonable to imagine that they'd have gotten 400. Sri Lanka can be thankful for small mercies like that.
As for the Sri Lankan innings, even when Sangakkara and Jayasuria were carving the field during the powerplays, they still couldn't consistently match the required run-rate. As soon as the final powerplay ended, the fielders were allowed to go back, and the runs unsurprisingly dried up. Of course, Sangakkara and Jayasuria had to maintain the same rate as they had been going at during the powerplays, and this led to their wickets. With those two gone, and the run rate increasing, the weak Sri Lankan middle order (neither Arnold, Silva or Tillekeratne are hitters of any note) had no chance.
If their two biggest hitters couldn't match the run rate after the powerplays, their weaker middle order had no chance once the powerplays were finished.
Then it started to rain, but the game was already over.
It's a simple fact that the less overs there are, the more chance of an upset there is. That's why 20/20 is more unpredictable than ODIs and ODIs are more unpredictable than tests. By reducing the number of overs, the Sri Lankans were given MORE of a chance to win the tournament, not less.
The reason the game wasn't stopped for light or rain is because the choice to stop is only offered to the batting team. They were behind the run rate, which meant if the game was finished, they'd have lost. They knew they had to try and get above the run rate, so SRI LANKA elected to keep batting. The Australians can only play what is offered to them.
Finally, the Australians showed great sportsmanship in offering to bowl spin bowlers in the last few overs. They didn't force Sri Lanka to come back the next day and face their fast bowlers, even though it was well within their rights to do so. McGrath sacrificed his final over of international cricket to avoid putting the Sri Lankans in an unsportsmanlike position.
The decision to continue batting rested with Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka alone.
Finally, everyone claiming that the match should have gone to a reserve day will be embarassed to know that it rained all day in Barbados the day after the final (the reserve day).
Complain about this postFor me two teams deserve credit out of this world cup.
Complain about this postAustralia as World Champions and as the only side to play good cricket in all there of there games in the tournament.
Ireland as they were the suprise team in the world cup. They gave a good account of themselves.
What a farce it was. It must have been 100 over match & there was another day meant for that. No, but ICC wanted to finish it off. SL had to bat in wet, dark and rainy condition. More or less like hanging someone in a hurry. However SL played well and they did not protest with the umpires. After everything is over, ICC is sorry about it. Congratulation to Australia. They won the match but I feel they would have had a tough time if there was a full match.
Complain about this postthe cricket world cup should have been cancelled after woolmers death ... it was a sinsiter thing ... the argument goes that they played on because woolmer would have wanted it to be so ... the truth is the money world does not care about woolmers wishes nor his death. .. i am disgusted actually ... and the money world now debates climate change ... all wolves in sheep skins and the majority of you are actually out of touch.. not me !
Complain about this postI wait to watch for a genuine magic change .. maybe a valentino rossi or sport player or a kerry packer x (-1) with the opposite valence who will change the world .. someone who will upset this whole apple cart ... I am no longer impressed ... there will be many more who will get this disaffected feeling ... i just happen to pick up early on things !
Actually I thought the World Cup was brilliant. I have personally played a high level in the Middlesex League, and enjoyed so many matches from the tournament. I don't think I missed a game.
I learnt so much about the game - it was a great lesson in hitting - and fielding. So who cares the final finished (due to bad light) anyway? Don't tell me that the Sri Lankans were ever going to chase down the Aussies effort. The Aussies deserved that victory.
The best bowler of the tournament was Hogg. The batsman of the tournament was Hayden, whom thankfully has truly left the legacy that he really deserves. His class will be remembered. Also Ponting - who keeps going - will outshine his modern day rivals. I believe he has already done so (Lara, Tendulkar).
However, Hayden is the person I would like to have open in my team - rain or shine. Has there ever been a batsman in history who has had the ability to walk down the wicket to Flintoff - Pollock - Ntini, and smash them over Mid On into the stands? NO. To me he is the greatest of all time. Better than Richards - Sobers et al.
All in all I loved watching the quality in this tournament. New Zealand and Ireland were very professional, SA were brilliant, England India and Pak were the dissapointments. So what, - A great tournament anyway.
Complain about this postIt's a red herring to say Australia are the best team so it doesn't matter. Sure, they're the best team -- they were undefeated in the tournament, they had the most points at the end. But if that's all it takes to win the World Cup then why bother playing the final at all? Australia had it all sewn up on points alone -- why not just cancel the match and hand them the Cup?
Because the final isn't about watching the favourites cream the competition -- it's about seeing if the second-best team can do that little something extra and produce a performance that actually beats the top team. It's about allowing both sides the dignity of a fair competition and pushing them to really prove themselves. And most importantly, it's about watching the two greatest teams in the world play a top-level game of cricket. We were robbed of all that; they might as well just have cancelled the final and handed Australia the Cup based on points, because the final proved nothing (except that Gilchrist is an amazing batsman -- all credit to him. Then again, would he have hit that amazing 149 if he'd been forced to bat in the dark with a wet ball?).
In this case, winning the toss meant winning the Cup, and the same would very likely have been true if SL had won the toss. THAT's what makes it a travesty -- not the fact that Australia won, but the fact that the officials allowed the outcome of the toss to effectively decide the Cup, thus taking much of the glory and pride out of Australia's victory. The Australians, not just the Sri Lankans, deserved better.
Complain about this postThats it, I am not going to watch cricket anymore. ICC has ruined the game for me. It was unfair for SL and AU both. This could be more of a 20/20 final. They should have postponed the final to next day than the farce it was reduced to. I was surprised that match continued even during the rain at later stages. Jaysuria lost his wicket on almost dead ball due to wet pitch. ICCs greed for cash ruined the most respectable game of all. I am sad to see Glenn and Murli go in such a fashion.
Complain about this postCricket is surely the loser.
Complain about this postA very poor tournament, very poorly organised, overall very poor standard of cricket, played with very poor attendance and with only 3 adequate teams.
If this is the best organisation of a World Cup that cricket can organise, then make this the last World Cup. The alternative is to sack this sorry group of administrators directing our sport and get some professionals!
Fairplay to the Aussies - the best team won the cup even if the circumstances were unfortunate - hardly their fault. The tournament was a huge disappointment with very few matches offering any kind of tension or excitement and the showpieces matches, the sfs and final epitomised this disappointment. Hopefully this marks the beginning of the end of Aussie domination. No-one can fault their professionalism and determination (which our England team has been sadly lacking) but no sport is served well by one team dominating and cleaning up all the trophies. The Australians have taught other sides a lesson here - let's hope people are listening - esp Freddie Flintoff!
Complain about this postThe manner in which the Australians won this tournament is a minor distraction to the reality that they were the best team in the tournament by a mile and totally deserved the win (and that's coming from a pom!).
Complain about this postIt is a sad reality though that this tournament will be remembered for reasons other than cricket. The signs were not good from the start with mundane qualifying matches being played out in front of empty stadia. Then the catalyst of the tournaments undoing with the tragic and untimely death of Bob Woolmer, which understandably cast a black cloud over the tournament.
Aside from Mr Woolmer (and his family) there have been two other big casualties of this tournament, and that is the West Indian people and the game of cricket itself.
What started out as an exciting 7 weeks for the West Indian people and its economy has ended in a disaterous world cup that will be remember for all the wrong reasons, and my heart goes out to its people.
As for the game of cricket, the ICC needs to take a long hard look at the format of this tournament that is too long by half. Even the most ardent of one day cricket fans will be relieved this tournament is finally over. There is no reason at all why this tournament could not be played out over 4 weeks, with teams playing simultaneously over the qualifying period and super 8's!. Cricket is a beautiful game, but as with most governing sports bodies it is run by a bunch of scheming money grabbers at the ICC who put money first and the game second. The one saving grace for us English cricket fans is the start of the county season here in the UK, and the prospect of some good test cricket over the summer!
Whilst I agree that the situation about having to bowl those last 3 overs was farcical, i do not agree with all the so called "experts" who criticise the game being reduced to 38 overs, or spread over 2 days. Why all this blame??? Nobody can blame the weather!!! Cricket is more susceptible to weather than other sports, and it was just bad luck. If they had decided to leave the game over until the next day, what would have happened if it was still raining??? The cup would have been shared, which would have been even more ridiculous. The umpires and staff owed it to the public who had paid to be at the ground THAT DAY to try to finish it, and that is what they did. A 38 over game was a good achievement in the circumstances, and those 3 silly overs aside, they should be congratulated and not criticised for it. The real criticism should be handed out to the people responsible for a world cup Final being played in a stadium that did not have either a retractible roof, or at the very least, floodlights. That is something that should have been written into the specification contracts when the Caribbean were awarded the world cup. So, please blame the ICC for not planning ahead for this scenario. In any event, the best team won the competition....and i am an Englishman saying that!!!!
Complain about this postA pathetic world cup. Reflects the new cricket world of instant celebrities rather than real cricketers.
Complain about this postWhat a disaster. I can only feel for both teams, Sri Lanka because they were robbed of a proper innings and Australia because they will never get away from the fact that they only won by default. Not to mention the fans who were going through the pain of having to watch it all. Thankfully I was at home and had not forked out a load of cash to go over there.
Complain about this postIf the match referee and 3rd umpire admit they made a mistake... Well what does the ICC have to say? Jeff Crowe has played cricket at the highest level and Rudie has umpired a few match in his time, has he not? Shame Speed you are not the man for the job and certainly not for slow speed world cup.
Complain about this postWhy have a reserve day if you cannot use it. It would have enhanced the TV and viewer spectacle with more agro etc. Why not its once in 4 years!
Aussie - Good show and congrats for super world cup. In the final, the toss was the key.
Good luck to Cricket with M(edium to Low) Speed!
I'm glad that the 2 best sides played in the final and the best team won at the end, even though the final was compromised by a farcial ending. By farcial ending, I'm referring to the last 3 overs, not the entire 2nd innnings as many people seem happy to imply.
To the Lankan fans (and the English fans who support whoever plays Australia) who claim that Sri Lanka lost unfairly, I have the following points:
- When Mahela was interviewed after the Toss, he was actually not unhappy that Ponting won and decided to bat first.
- To those who seem to think that Sri Lanka lost "because of" the D/L method, you need to remind yourself that there nothing in D/L that says that the chasing team will always lose. Surprise surprise, it is actually possible to win by being ahead of the D/L target when the game is stopped!
- In fact it is generally accepted that the chasing team has the advantage of knowing what the target is at any point in time while the team batting first has a problem knowing how to pace their innings. Which was why Mahela was quite happy with Ponting's decision to bat first. Obviously that depended on SL's bowling attack pegging back the Aussie batsmen and restricting their run-rate. Which did not happen due to Gilchrist's brilliance.
- SL with 3 spinners were able to bowl and field in dry conditions which is an advantage compared to the Aussie bowlers especially Hogg who had to bowl in wet conditions. Rain would generally render the bowling especially spinners less effective due to less grip, and a wet outfield makes it more difficult in the field. So to say that rain disadvantages only the batting team is ignorant.
- SL's bowling attack is rightly cited as their best chance of beating the aussies, yet Gilchrist completely took them apart. His destruction of SL's supposed strength is the real reason that SL lost. SL really did not stand a chance after Jayasuriya fell.
The SL team have been a model of sportsmanship and grace throughout the world cup, and I think their supporters should also accept graciously that the best team not just in this tournament but on the day won.
Complain about this postTHE SADDEST SHOW ON EARTH
by the way if sri lanka won the toss and went into bat first. then i would say GOODBYE to the aussies.the aussies would have never accepted to continue batting in this horrible wet and dark weather.
Complain about this postCHEERS to the sri lankan captain and team for handling this situation like gentelmen.
Full credit to Australia winning the world cup. But I feel Sri Lankan were under done by
Complain about this postthe ICC rules. Why did they deceit keep reserved day if they don’t plan to use it.
Between two innings players did not had time to had there lunch and the umpires having lunch in the middle of the ground between overs. Not even 5 overs’s balled rain start
But the umpires decided to continue. Pitch was like a paddy field after wared .this ground was supposes to have bounce and the pace. I think every one show what happen next.
The one bright spot that I can see from England/Windies ponit of view is that the players have had a relative break from their usual punishing round, in that they've only played 8 1-day games in nearly two months. Hopefully that should see them restored for the summer.
Complain about this postTo say that the World Cup offers international players a break from cricket must say something about either modern international cricket in general or this World Cup in particular, but I'd rather not go into that.
When i say they reduce the final to 38 overs i turned off. This was the final that deserve 50 overs. not 38 of fast slogging. they did that all through the t'ment. 2 days was for all matches, but they only sued it once. utter rubbish. i have gone off cricket since watching this world cup. i was not aware that the aussie won but was not surprise. i would not be watching cricket again. this world cup with all the restrictions etc etc has killed me off for good.
Complain about this postWhat a great result for all the poor losers and conspiracy theorists. This result allows them to believe that Bangladesh was the victim of some great conspiracy.
Perhaps the coin that Australia won the toss with was rigged also!? Perhaps a double headed coin.
I dearly wish that we could replay the final on a fine day. Australia would have scored about 400 runs, Sri Lanka about 280 runs, and there would be none of this whinging.
No, let's face it, there would have been whinging no matter what the result. Some people just can't accept defeat gracefully.
Complain about this postThe World Cup was a joke. I expected a carribean atmosphere with the steel bands and the chatter but due to silly regulations each game was a dull affair. The final, everyone agrees was a farce, should have been a 100 over event. I am quite certain the Aussies would have won but the Sri Lankans should have had a chance. For an event that had lasted 7 weeks already why the game could not have been played over two days, aussies batting on day one and Sri Lanka on day two, baffles me. It seems those who never acheived great things in cricket may have been flexing their muscle on those with the talent who have been building up to this show piece for four years. The honourable thing for the administrators at the ICC and the local organisation committees is to fall on their swords and apologise.
Complain about this postIt is sad to see world cricket body is making a mess at the greatest event in world cricket. Australia deserve to win, no doubt about that but I have no doubt Sri Lanka was very unlucky during the day. They are a very talented side and could have made it very close given the condition were on their side.
The match could have been played on the next day because it was not a 50 over match. If the final was played for less overs definitely one team can get the benefit without a doubt because one team might not have prepared for a shorter version of a game. It is not the perfect end for cricket. THE FINALS should be played for 50 overs not less and definitely not in dark.
Complain about this postIf the game could have been called off at 33 overs due to the minimum of 20 overs being bowled - what about this scenario?
What if it at the time bad light was called, there were a handful of runs needed. Enough to make it hard/impossible to bat for in the conditions but quite achievable with good light.
What would the referees do? In the light of the statements made by Crow that the minimum overs were bowled so therefore a result can be called. I think it sets a very dangerous and equally controversial precedent.
Complain about this postYes, the best team won but the 2007 CWC was an awful competition . Over long, with too many one sided games, zero atmosphere, an abject performance by England and a farcical ending to the final - and, overall, everything has been totally overshadowed by the shocking death of Bob Woolmer.
Complain about this postTo think, I even contemplated going to the Carribean at one stage....
The Sri Lankan cricket team inspire admiration and bring great honour to their country in the eyes of the world.
Some of the Sri Lankan fans on this forum do just the opposite.
Complain about this postThis is the most disappointing world cup for me. I've followed all previous world cup and this is the worst. The stadium had been half full everytime. The organisers didn't know what to do nd finally made a FARCE of the final. What a sad story.
Complain about this postA disaster,especially for the local folk. Cricket is being run by people who have money in mind, not the game. Too much cricket. Back to long tours and less one day games!
Complain about this postFor anyone wondering how Sri Lanka might have batted given 50 overs of fine weather, try looking at the match on April 16.
Sri Lanka vs Australia.
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.
After being in a good position at 3-167, Sri Lanka collapsed to be all out for 226.
Complain about this postSo there you go.
Even if Sri Lanka had 50 overs, they wouldn't have reached Australia's 38 over total of 4 for 281.
I strongly feel there should be a re-match. The finals was a farce - disgusting!!!! The finals should have been postponed in the first place. No. 2 - Match should have been stopped and for replay the next day to bad weather / light. I am sure, the Aussie cricketers would also want a re-match to win with no fiascos. On the other hand, I am certain the Sri Lankans would have also had a chance in winning - if not for the bad weather / light. ICC - Re-match please.
Complain about this postWe watched 6 weeks of good cricket.
But I think we should use 3rd umpare as rule for every LBW decisions. It makes the grate game interesting and compatible with present technology.
Complain about this postto have the finals of world cup with no flood lights !!! You can't call it a fair game. Sri lankan
Complain about this postwere not given a fair chance to bat their innings withoout disturbance .Ican't see how you can hail australians as winners when srilankans were
treated so unfairly.They should have a re-match.
The cricket world cup was too long for so few teams.
The world cup has to be reduced in length but not in teams. It was nice to see teams one normally does see and well done to the Irish.
As a South African supporter once again the expected happened ( we do not have it for the big matches). I think Autralia vs the rest of the world would trounce teh rest of the world that is how strong they are, it pains me to say it but well done you ozzies you deserve it, undoubtly the best team in the world by far.
As far the duckworthlewis method, there is no more ridiculous method than that, sport is a game whereby the unexpected can happen and we can not have a statitic calculate results and decide on games we might as well have the players go home and play a video game. Scrap the method ASAP and make rain interuptions in group stages to share points and in semifinal and finals to be played the enxt day.
Complain about this postYou can not blame either team for trying to make the best of a poor organised world cup. Well done to the Aussie's and bad luck to Sri Lanka
Complain about this postworld cup final is not fair, australia won not in cricket way, the rules regulations, and bad conditions for sri lanka, mentely sri lanka won ,
Complain about this postvery bad world cup, australia is betable by sri lanka, bad luck. next world cup must play 50 overs, even in 2 days, this is unfair cricket.
This was a disgrace for cricket. Congratulations for aus but with conditions like that even a school team would win if they bat first. We never got to see who the better team was. What were the authorities thinking. World cup final being brought down to 38 overs. I hope such things would never happen in this great sport ever.
Complain about this postIn response to the comments by Andrew Duggan,
Complain about this postI hope that your comments were not a slur on the Aussie teams performance at the world cup.
I agree the Final was a debarcle and needs to be addressed to avoid similar ocurrancies in the future but hey!
England had their chance to beat Australia, so did South Africa and New Zealand and Sri Lanka had the chance to wrap it up before the darkness and rain came, they caertainly had the talent, but they all failed and Australia did go on to win the cup. The pitches were the same for everyone so as far as I am concerned, end of story.
Oh! by the way I am an ex patriate Pommie so I can be completely unbiased.
Dave R.
I think that if it was australlia batting in the gloom they would have lost. They also would have complained about it. But fair play to the srilankans because they took it so well.
It was the wrost end to a final and not because of australlia winning it because of how the match finnished.
The countries didn't really play as well as i first thought. That is what made it so bad. It would have been very close if it went the full distance and every australlian has to admit that.
Stephen Cooke Petersfield England
And yes england display in the world cup was shocking
Complain about this postWhat was really bad about the World Cup final was something that no one mentioned.
Not one individual in the presentation ceremony mentioned Bob Woolmer, someone who lost his life during the world cup. Forget taking a moment of silence, none of the players or officials mentioned him at all. This is despicable
Complain about this postYes, the ICC screwed up big time but let's commend the two teams that rose above the mess around them in world cricket right now and gave cricket fans some joy. Aussies will want to think they are by far the best but the Sri Lankans showed themselves to be superior in many departments.
The aussie top 3 (Hayden, Gilly and Ponting) are peerless. Jayasuriya,Sangakarra and Jayasuriya come a close second but Tharanga is a very weak link. The Aussie middle order also was better then the Sri Lankan middle order.
Apart from fernando whose first spell of 56/5 overs cost the lankans the cup, Sri Lankan bowling was better than aussie bowling eventhough the aussies had the advantge of overcast conditions.
Murali was, is and will always be the greatest spinner to have ever lived (no disrepect to spinners with great records only against Eng,RSA,NZ) Had lady luck not smiled on Gilly and Ponting they would have been dismissed by Murali's doosra. McGrath may have had an ordinary day but his mere presence added an extra something. Those privileged to watch him bowl one last time will always remember it.
Sri Lanka and Australia have moved far ahead of other teams right now. This is an indictment of the rest of the cricketing world as well.
Complain about this postShameless ICC...!! After months & months long time waste the final played in dark....why dind't your organisation handed the cup to Ausis when it started raining in the morning.......I advise you to organize school soft ball cricket maches ICC.
Complain about this postThe World Cup Cricket 2007 has been successfully, amd may I say mercifully for me at least, concluded. The inclusion of so many minnows of cricket made the competition look inordinately long leaving its inevitable deleterious impact on the psyche of the cognoscenti. A competition between the minnows alone should perhaps be organized before the main event, so that the continuation or rather its prolongation would not affect the delicate sensibilities of the people who really care about the future of this wonderful multi-dimensional sport that is cricket.
Team Australia has now proved that they are the most professional team that has ever played cricket anywhere. In all aspects of the game-batting, bowling, fielding-its excellence is unbeatable. All the players, from the most senior to the rookie, are among the most enthusiastic athletic proponents of the game. They play to win, even when they do not wish to lose their sportsmanship. In Ponting they have a wonderful captain, whose professional batting skills apart-almost extraterrestrial, who has unerring instincts as to when to go to bat, when to change bowlers, and total dedication to the team's welfare and its mission at hand, is beyond comparison. The confidence that he instils into his team-each and every one component-is really an example to savor and wonder at.
Sri Lanka deserves our kudos in no uncertain way. Even when they were confronted with Gilchrist's devastating innings that would have broken any side's back, they gave a good account of themselves as a fighting unit of no mean caliber.
But one point on the flip side of above. If there is no improvement on the nature of competitors, especially England, West Indies, S. Africa, and Pakistan, Cricket is going to get duller and duller, and the craziness of people for cricket would come down to more sober levels-may be that would not be that bad, after all.
Complain about this post---Sauri P. Bhattacharya
I think it was easy for Australia but with all taken into consideration, it's because they are easily a class or two above the rest. I know many of us don't like hearing that but fact is fact. The pitches are foreign to all teams but the West Indians so that can't be used as an excuse. I feel sorry for Australia they couldn't win in the style they deserved after such a powerful and dominant two months. Well done to Sri Lanka and NZ but obviously this was Australias tournament from the onset.
Complain about this post
Complain about this postAustralia deserved to win. They played professionally and that's how it has to be done. Sri Lanka cannot make excuses, they need to put their heads down to the task in hand and that is playing to win.
Cheers
Mike
The final world cup ended in an utter mess. It was said its a batting wicket and did help the Aussies but the rain marred the game for Sri Lanka.
Mahela Jayawardena's innings ended with a wrong decision. The umpires at the end didn't know what they were doing. They offered the light to the batsman and why didnt they communicate with the Aussie captain? Why did the score board show that Aussies have won when the match was still not over. What chaos was that!
Isn't there an authorised body to communicate with the umpires, coaches, players to say what is going on.
The whole world was watching the match and it was an utter waste of time.
Give us some answers.
Complain about this postAll due credit to Aussies for their wonderful game
and specially to the top 5 batsmen and their
genuine McGrath. Gillie had all written that the
cup belonged to Aussies. Lankans did well
through out and were really unlucky to win the
cup. No other team did well, except for Bangla
Tigers. SA as usual, they choke all the time and
irrespective of what Smith says, they are born
chokers(sorry!!!, but that is fact and history
supports). Well what can be said of India and
Pak. Indians were busy with their endorsements
and Pak as usual were pathetic. To top that,
coach was murdered....This is a game and a
sport and not a Lions den!!!!...Shame on those
killers. The crowd and fans hardly any for such a
big event. ICC should abolish themselves and
they have killed the game. The true cricketing
fans need someone like Kerry Packer....That will
definitely bring limelight to the sport. No doubt,
the fans booed at the reps and I admire them on
doing on behalf of us who could not make it.
The rules to play less than 50 overs with a reserve day is unthoughful....Does not make sense to have a reserve day and yet cut the number of overs.
What a sad WC 2007.....
Complain about this postStart a series like Kerry Packer....that will bring players like McGrath, Warne, Wasim Akram, Lara out of retirement. Have 8 teams and let them play all over the world, including US. Every 4 years let those players represent the country and that is fun....Look at the Soccer and Europe has
florished. Hard to see empty stands.
Now that this World Cup is over and Australia have won their 3rd on the trot, congratulations are due to the winners.
The game of Cricket has lost a lot in a few short years mainly because the sporting has been overshadowed by the winning. It is unsporting conduct on the field of play that has been allowed without penalty that has reduced the game to winning at all costs. This has lost many fans and lost a lot of goodwill from the supporter.
Players who know that they are out should walk and should be banned for not doing so. It is not Cricket to see unsporting conduct from any player or team. Technology has improved the game in some ways but the authorities have focussed on the finance rather than the game. There are far too many unsavoury aspects becoming the norm particularly deviation from the historical sporting conduct that is expected from Cricket. Sledging should never be tolerated and should be penalised by exclusion of the teams from competition for a substantial period.
Cricket was always the forefront of gentile sporting competition with a clear set of rules. It is time to return the game to its zenith of sport.
It is time for the spectator to be respected for the diversity of culture and joy that made this game so enjoyable. This was missed in the West Indies by the ICC being obstinate in keeping only finance in focus. This coupled with poor treatment of the local fans reduced the competition to a boring farce.
Complain about this postA COMPLETE MESS... the biggest day in cricket was at venue without lights...give me a break...Sad conditions and an unfiar play. They should've postponed it to Sunday. SL deserved a fair play. they didn't get to play continuously and that effected their concentration. let's bat..oh wait it's ranining let's not..maybe it will go away so let's bat...oh it's too dark you can't see anything..but...let's bat anyway.. oh wait maybe not!...That was HIDIOUS!! SHAME on u ICC.. we love cricket please don't lose the fans by pulling stupid stunts like this.
Complain about this postIt is a pity that the final ending in a farcial way. ICC's organising ability is crap. Two days should be set aside for the final. I don't think the Committee knows anything about emergency planning.
Complain about this postThere are ways where paying spectators, players and valued volunteers get their fair share.
No point in giving ideas to this ICC committee, who should be sacked log, stock and barrel. I will not be surprised if BCCI takes over.
although i must be englands biggest critic and i still feel that if they had stuck with a player like mal loye who could have capitalised on the first power plays .that said however the only real game australia had was against what was in my opinion the strongest england team possible from the players selected.i also feel the same about the sri lanks match which england were very unlucky to lose.
Complain about this postWhy Australia won the world cup?
Complain about this postThis was my first exposure to cricket, so I enjoyed it very much. We got to see a match here in the Caribbean, and watched many matches on TV. I believe many people here wished that the rules hadn't been so strict as to what you could bring into the stadium, and also there were complaints about the price of tickets. The volunteers working at the stadium were great, though. It was a lot of fun.
Complain about this postMy opinion about the final is that it should have been called when the rain began, and continued the next day. This at least would have given Sri Lanka a glimmer of hope. We really wanted to see them play at their best, which they valiantly tried to do. I look forward to watching more cricket in the future. My enthusiasm has not been dampened!!
Honestly Speaking.. This Worldcup has been a shame for the Cricket Lovers..
Specifically this tournament didnt helped Cricket a bit other then the ICC officials in making money.
talking on the game. most of the games were one sided.. team batting first won almost everytime.. except from some Idiotic cricket played by some nations..
What this worldcup left, are just some bad memories like what happened to Asian nations, what happened with Bob Woolmer, it's schedule of over two months, and not the least,, this world Cup left his perfect marks on the final as well. and destroyed all the interest that a viewer have for a GOOD contest between two good teams.
overall.. i am looking forward to be forgetting this World Cup as soon as i can.. n hope that some idiots of ICC's Management do something for the betterment of game rather then thinking of money...
Most of us had an idea of who will be the Winners.. but this way.. i doubt if Australia could have beaten Sri Lanka in a complete Match and in PLAYING conditions...
Complain about this postThe world cup final was an utter shame. firstly the idea of reducing overs in a final was really not in the best interest of the game. If forecasted whether was bad the dates should have been adjusted. making the match a 38 overs one was not fair and did not bring out the fight that shouldve taken place. basically almost everyone the world over is disgudted at the aphaling final we witnessed. given 50 overs and a good ground with neutral conditions , there would have been a good game to watch!
Complain about this postI can not understand why they did not use the best umpires. Last year, Englishman, Mark Benson was the #1 with a correct decision percentage of 98.6%, a long way ahead of the final umpires. They should pick the best two that do not represent playing nations; they should not rely on the experience like they did. Mark has far more experience than either umpires as he has been playing the game as Captain of Kent and an England player since the early 80's.
Let’s not let it happen again.
Complain about this postThis was the poorest World Cup that I can remember. First few World Cups just lasted about 2-3 weeks. And what a ridiculous was to play the final? I still don't see the value of reserve days when matches get truncated anyway.
Not many saw Kapil Dev's brilliant 175 in 1983 India v Zimbabwe match as it wasn't televised. Yet, most cricket fans remember it.
ICC assumes that the more matches, the more spectators and TV viewers and hence more money. So, they play more matches by bringing minnows in. If ICC cares about the minnow nations, why don't the test playing nations play more official matches with them in the four years between world cups?
Fans do care about the quality of the matches. Even with 16 teams, this world cup produced only three games that went the full length (likely, no one will remember then after a few months): Zimbabwe v Ireland, England v Sri Lanka, England v West Indies.
ICC and television/satellite companies made their money by making all charges non-refundable. Because of this, the stadiums were fairly full even for the Bangladesh v Ireland match (as many India and Pakistan supporters like me went anyway). Next time, spectators and TV viewers will not be willing to pay too much.
The spontaneity, simplicity, and the closeness of contests have to be brought back to cricket for it to sustain its popularity.
Complain about this postGilchrist won the world cup for the Aussies. no one else really preformed that well. But what about the squash ball inside his glove??? is that not againast the rules? what else can a batsman out inside his glove to improve his performance??
Complain about this postnot to mention the unfiar conditions that were given to the SL players. they played a great game under those conditons! true gentleman of cricket!
Un professional management from the ICC should not distract from some interesting if not spectacular cricket games.
The whole sport needs to sit back and ask itself where it wants to be in 10 and 20 years. If it continues on this path (one great team, disfunctional other countries and occasional minows winning) then it will die a slow and occasionally entertaining death.
Soccer/Football and Baseball have understood the need for change, American Football, NASCAR and FI have accepted their limited appeal and they milk it. What does cricket want to be in a global market?
Complain about this postAfter all it was he world cup final.People of the world need a fair deal.It was not a child play to rush and finish it off.Who ever wins does not matter but we would like to see a full 100 over match for a WORLD CUP FINAL.
Complain about this postLET us learn a lesson from this experience.
SRI LANKA was little unlucky with many short comings.BOWLERS let the team down.I dont know why they did not include a promising youngster Mahroof who took 4 wickets in one of the earlier match.
Australia deserved to be the champion - no question about that.....but....in a fair way. Not blaming them for what happened during the final: but the game should have been played in a proper way. Australia bated really well to start with......then again that was all they did, the weather took over from them, infact the weather was the main reason for australia to win and sri lanka to lose the final. If sri lanka had batted 1st, australian would have probably batted on that day. If Sri Lankan have won the world-cup, everything would have been a different story. The Auzies would be jumping up and down for a re-match. It is just not fair on Sri Lankan team and on all the cricket supporters. I've been watching cricket for more than 15 years, out of all of the world-cup in last 15 years this is certainly the WORST.
Complain about this postGet rid of umpires and use technology:
This format has been very unfair to SL. They played during rain and darkness. Sanath got out because the ball kept very low.Australia played when the conditions were superb. Added to this is the fact that Mahela got a very dubious LBW decision.
My suggestions for future semi-finals and final:
1. Play the full 100 over match on the reserve day. If this is not possible make a third reserve day for the final. If this also fails, then only D/L should come to play.
2.Use technology extensively for LBWs, catches and run outs. We need only one umpire in the field and two should be the TV/Camara umpires. Why ride a bullock cart when a car is available.
3.Shorten the duration. The first 6 teams according to the ICC ratings should be automatically qualified.Four places should be fought among the other teams including the chosen associates (don't call them minnowers).This contest should begin before the proper world cup. The proper world cup begins with super 10 competition.
4. The world cup starts here with the super 10.Then each team should play the other nine teams on a league basis. Two matches should be held in a day. People can choose which one to watch.
5.Once semi-finalists are chosen, allocate two days for the semi-finals with one reserve day. Allocate three days for the final.
Although there will be 10 teams in the world cup, the duration will be shorter since two matches would be played in each day just like soccer. Ensure that prolonged rest days are eliminated.
Zenn
Complain about this postThis final is a disgrace to the 'new' fans of cricket who were deprived of a 'real' final in a more limited overs game that should have logically been postponed to the next day. Fans and cricket lovers were robbed.
Complain about this postThese blogs are becoming a waste of time reading, the flood of negative, jealous, pathetic sour grape comments is amazing.
There are a lot of people who need to get a grip, put things in perspective and get on with life ... they also need to get informed and temper some of their comments with facts and not just bias and/or bile!
I started compiling a few thoughts/comments to some and stopped here because I've better things to do.
PD, no you can’t show that Sri Lanka won the match, bizarre logic mate.
Jit Lion, If you have any idea about New Zealand and Aussie rivalry, to suggest that Jeff Crowe is biased because they are close to Australia is very, very far from the mark. Anyway, once Sri Lanka had faced 20 overs, it was a match according to the rules.
Ranjan, you have a terrible attitude, your lack of watching cricket until ponting retires will be NO LOSS. You clearly have no interest in watching good cricket in comparison to dealing with the chip on your shoulder. Also, you say please God give strength to Non-Aussie cricket, well I agree with you, we could do with more competitive matches.
BANDARA, I appreciate your comments although I disagree with your comment 2 and 3, just because I think that chasing over a shorter period is easier as you know what you are chasing. Setting a target when you are unsure how many risks to take early, personally I find a more difficult proposition, but hey, that’s just my opinion and I appreciate yours, I also think that it is a bit tough against the bowlers these days.
David, do you honestly think that the ICC were “concerned that Aussies should win the cup at any cost“?. How do you come up with this? We are a country of 20million, everyone, repeat everyone wanted us to lose and we do not control the ICC like so many posters here seem to think.
Afrikaaners Rule, your post just reeks of sour grapes and dissppointment, get over it.
Complain about this postWhat a farce! Time to clean house, Malcolm Speed should be speeded out of office along with the rest of the executives, who have brought Cricket into disrepute. Cricket needs a fresh start with fresh competent people otherwise it will continue being run by mediocre people at best! Surely the game deserves better and we need to demand better leaders to lead by example and not dictate.
After Woolmer's murder, was it worth continuing this tournament? Absolutely not!
Complain about this postI can't believe people are saying that the format should be changed to allow Pakistan and India to get to the Super 8s. I'm a Pakistani, and I see no reason why either of those 2 teams should have made it to the next round. Pakistan played pathetically and India folded under pressure. The format used was similar to the soccer (football) WorldCup, the only difference is that there are so many strong teams playing football it's no big loss if any particular team is eliminated early. Isn't the solution for Pakistan and India to learn to play as professional outfits in the 21st century? Part of me is glad these 2 teams got the thrashing they deserved for being so mentally weak.
As far as the Cup organization is concerned, 7 weeks is ridiculous, was this the County Championship or a WorldCup? Some obvious suggestions:
1. Millions spent on stadiums and no floodlights!!
2. There's no need for just one match a day. In the age of TiVo, viewers can handle more than one game a day, as advertising becomes a non-issue in any case.
3. D/L has outlived its purpose. The intent behind it was good, but it has swung the pendulum the direction of the fielding side.
Finally, although I was backing Sri Lanka all the way, I think Australia deserved to win, I don't think SL could have sustained their run chase even if conditions had not conspired against them. But for a while, Sangakkara and Jaya were looking so good - sigh.
Complain about this postWell The Best Team In The Tournament Won It By Far. Australia, Like Them Or Loathe Them Are The Greatest Cricket Team At Present And Who can Argue With That.
Admittedly The Final Was Viewed As Farcical By The Critics And Probably Rightly So, But You Cannot Blame Australia For What They Deserved.
Brilliant Cricket Throughout And By Far The Fittest Team Out There.
Well Done To The Aussies.
Complain about this postWhy didn't Sri Lanka take the light offered earlier? Then we might have finished with some sort of light and credibility. Well done Sri lanka but rain or shine, the Aussies would always be champions.
Complain about this postWould postponing the match have been any use? According to reports on the TV coverage, the weather forecast was the same for the next day - showers/occasional rain. Duckworth/Lewis would have come into play regardless.
Winning the toss will always have an effect on a cricket game, regardless of weather, and it was no one's fault that Ponting won the toss and chose to bat! And at no stage did the much-vaunted Sri Lankan top order batsmen consistently match the required run rate ... it's no good saying that their 'plan' was to accelerate through the innings, because that took no account of the conditions. Smart people change plans according to the conditions. Blind Freddie (or even an English coach!) would have known that with rain about and the Duckworth/Lewis system likely to come into play, Sri Lanka HAD to be in front of the run rate after 20 overs. Yes, they played very well, and all credit to them for the spirit in which they dealt with the farcical finish - but they needed to adjust their game plan because of the weather and the shortened game.
And please tell me WHY Australia should come back to the field? Surely other nations should be looking to match their standard of excellence!! If someone sets a world record in the high jump or 100m, other athletes don't grumble about the winner being so superior - they set out to beat them and exceed the mark that's been set. Australia was so dominant because they WORKED at it and because their team members were utterly committed to the cause. A standard has been set - it is now up to others to match that mark.
Complain about this postMr Speed's criticising officials suggests He should take the fall for deciding a World Cup on an Ad Hoc principle. How can any team be expected to put their Best foot forward in a game where Priorities change by the minute depending on Outside influences. Regardless,Umpires are there to decide the game and No One Else.
Complain about this postAustralia undoubtedly had the BEST record,but the winning margin of 53 runs despite all of the uncertainties and setbacks,suggest Sri Lanka could have prevailed on what was clearly a Batsmans' Pitch.
Why was Hawkeye conspicuously Absent in the first half???
Ponting requesting and receiving a New Ball prematurely because the one in use was hard to see in Broad daylight, highlighted Aussie POOR SPORTSMANSHIP when his bowler Rubbed dirt on the ball in fading light, as was Ponting and another Aussie running on the pitch, plus their blatant Wasting of time in fading light,all point to adopting the North American philosophy of "Winning at All Costs by Whatever Means" which really has no place in Cricket. If Speed is above standing WITH His Officials ICC should bid him ADIOS.
I spent months looking forward to this tournament, and within 5 days my team were knocked out. However, I wasn't going to let that kill all of my interest in the tournament, so I picked an alternative team to cheer on (Sri Lanka) and swung either one way or the other in each game.
Throughout the whole tournament I tried to persuade others to get into this 'feast' of cricket, explaining to them how exciting cricket could be.
That was all despite watching game after game where noone had turned up to the stadium (if people aren't turning up to the ground, what are you likely to get from watching on tv?), where the ground had virtually no atmosphere and where the match contained an unbearable degree of certainty and one-sidedness.
I perservered, even though we all knew early on in the Super Eights who would make it through to the Semis. I watched the Semis with anticipation but was disappointed again with games that were decided well before the last ball was bowled.
I kept up hope and enthusiasm for good cricket throughout, even following our coach's dreadful death, despite watching countless meaningless games in a Super Eight competition that felt as long as the Premiership season.
I had hope that the final would turn everything round, that we'd get a game that would turn the tournament on its head and end in style.
I had belief when Sangakkara and Jayasuriya were chasing an unbelievable target, and even when Jayasuriya came out.
And then finally I saw Australia being told to stop celebrating, told to drag the tournament under the ground with three final overs. And I realised that for the last 7 weeks, I had been deluding hoping for good cricket when in fact I, and the rest of us, had been watching the biggest farce of a sporting tournament that could ever be imagined.
I don't think it could have been any worse.
There were of course the highlights that everyone has mentioned, but these were just not enough. Where were all the close games, the thrilling run chases of insurmountable totals?
And then of course so many of us have said that the tournament was one-sided, Australia were the best and that they had luck on their side.
The circumstances of the Sri Lankan run chase were unfortunate, and to some extent conspired against them.
As a Pakistan fan, I've never been a big supporter of the Aussies, and tend to support their opponents on the day, whoever they may be. The Australians have been called arrogant and lucky side.
They are extremely lucky. They have Ponting, Gilchrist, Hayden, McGrath, Bracken et al. They have better players waiting in the wings and unable to get into the team than the rest of us have in our favourite international teams. They have a fantastic system for churning out motivated, dedicated and professional cricketers. They have an unbelievable camaraderie that other teams can only envy and have taken cricket to new levels.
Yes, the Aussies, they're just a lucky bunch. If only the Pakistanis, Indians, South African, English and West Indian teams were as dedicated, hard working, motivated and strong minded. Maybe then they might create some 'luck' of their own.
Until they do, the Australians will rightfully continue to streamroller over them to countless more victories.
Complain about this postSangakkara and Jayasuriya looked good for a few overs, during the first Powerplay from 12th to 16th over. From the 17th over onwards, the boundaries dried up and the required rate crept back up to 9 within a few overs. This was before the rain and bad light came into play.
Only 4 overs out SL's innings before the rain break yielded more than 10 runs each, all during the field restriction overs.
On the other hand, Gilly was just hitting the ball in all directions, making powerplay irrelevant. 9 of their 1st 24 overs yielded more than 10 runs each.
All the SL bowlers, not just Fernando, suffered at the hands of Gilchrist except for Malinga.
Gilchrist is the difference between the 2 teams, not the toss, the officials, the weather, the light.
Complain about this postWhat really helped Sri Lanka lose the final was the men they included and equally the men the left out of the final squad. Sri Lanka should have benched Tharanga and given a chance to Attapatu. The dead rubber game against Australia was the time to test Attapatu and give him some time in the middle. Leaving Maharoof out of the final when he is a proven hitter of the ball was also a bad decision. They left Dilhara to leak 56 runs to Gilchrist alone and paid the ultimate price.
The Australians played well but they were shaky and had Sri Lanka kept up with sensible batting they may have collapsed undder pressure as they did in '96. That does not detract from the solid work they put in and the way they dominated the world cup. Hats off to them.
Complain about this postWhat a sorry end to an event that is regarded as the pinnacle of Cricket and only comes every four years!
I assume the crowd who gathered at the Kensington Oval, Barbados on Saturday came there to witness a good game for a period of 100 overs. But, unfortunately nature was against everything and after waiting for so long the ICC reduced the much awaited FINAL of a WORLD CUP in to a 38 overs-a-side match. Surely, the ICC should have known before hand that there will be continuous rain interruptions and darkness issues during the second innings. Knowing all that, why couldn't the ICC reschedule the match to the next day ? Or play a 50-overs-a-side on one day and the other side the next day. Instead of doing any of these, the ICC officials and their umpires decided to stick with their own decision to hold the match.
For all that chaos the FINAL had to go through, and the irresponsible manner in which certain things were conducted, the ICC should surely take the blame.
It is sad that some people think that the 'world cup' belongs to Australia just because they won all the games throughout the tournament. One mustn't forget the fact that anything could happen on a given day and that the verdict of a good game cannot be given until its last ball is bowled.
Gilly who was quite out of form throughout the tournament turned the match upside down with a century. The way he approached the match was something that was quite surprising for some.
Gilly's latest revelation was that the secret behind such a significant change was a squash ball that he stuck in to his glove. If he really used a squash ball inside his glove, it devalues the spirit of the game for sure. Because as far as I'm aware no one can use anything and everything they want, other than what is permitted. If some team other than Aus had done this,there would have been quite a lot of fuss by now.
Didn't the ICC know that a rain interruption would be unfair for Sri Lanka, who batted second because a dry-pitch would transform all of a sudden in to a wet one? Didn't the ICC know that continuous rain interruptions would affect the rhythm of the Sri Lankan batting ? After all does anywhere in the laws of cricket state that batsmen must play in the darkness (for over ten overs) for the sake of finishing a match in one day (in order to make the TV guys happy)?
When the whole world saw that Jayawardene's LBW was a clear not-out, Bucknor ruled it out as a LBW at the very moment when SL was recovering from the loss of rhythm due to rain interruptions and trying to give a fight to catch up with Aus's run rate. One might say that Bucknor himself had not seen whether it was out or not-out; true that, but the ICC should definitely have given a thought that such incidents could take place when playing in great darkness.
I have no doubt that Ponting would have strictly objected in playing in the dark, if Aus was batting second.
Given the hard conditions and the pressure that the Sri Lankan team had to face, it was a good performance by them.
Saying all this, I can only conclude that this world cup was not won but robbed. All the chaos that had taken place, limited all its chances for people to really decide the rightful winners, be they Aus or SL.
Complain about this postI was counting days for the world cup to start and was excitied about it even though i would have had to get up at 2am to watch it. Once it started i was counting days for it to be over as it was way too long. Two of the top teams India, Pakistan were out which made it even worse. Final was interuptted due to rain which makes me think that if it did rain after 20 overs and Sri Lanka was 120 for 1 and had a small chance to win but would have lost due to D/L, it would have been a shame so why not cut down the round robin state and have 3 Finals which will give every one a fair go.
Complain about this postAfrikaaners Rule wrote:
"You are not good at makking sense are you.."
Complain about this postWhich part is confusing you? Perhaps your teacher, or one of the older boys in highschool might be able to explain it for you.
The present world cup is to long.... Fact
There are countless & meaningless one day games prior to World Cup... Fact.
Why not make all one day games say two years prior to the world cup count towards world cup rankings. Everyone plays each other equally home & away over that period of time. The top 8 ranked teams qualify for the World cup. The world cup is then played on rankings ie. 1 v 8, 2 v 7, 3 v 6, & 4 v 5 on a best of three series at the World cup venues. The Semi's are best of three & the final is best of three. Maximum total games = 21 Minimum 14. All over in three weeks. Simple, exciting & takes away the luck of the toss factor. The ICC can thank me by sending me to the final next time.
Complain about this postA short response to
"04:29 AM on 01 May 2007, Cricket Fan"
1) regarding Gilchrist using a “squash ball inside his glove, it devalues the spirit of the game for sure”. No, I don't think it does, far from what you maintain I believe that if another player tried it, they would be congratulated for being clever.
2) “I have no doubt that Ponting would have strictly objected in playing in the dark, if Aus was batting second”, wrong again because if they were behind the D/L rate after 20 overs that would have LOST the game, ie conceded.
Everyone agrees the final was far from ideal and the Sri Lankan team is a very good side, but as you say “the rightful winners” emerged. If anything the World Cup is being “robbed” from the Australians from supporters who cannot get over their own bias.
Complain about this postFirst, congrats to Australia (snarl), but well played. I think the world cup final has demonstrated how far one day cricket has drifted from real cricket, playing in pyjamas, power plays and variable game lengths. It has become a farce. Once the game has started, and certainly after the second innings has started, the length of the game should not be changed. It can become so ridiculous to be honest. In golf, you play until the match is over, end of! The same should happen with one day cricket. maybe more