By: K. Gautam
There are some things you wait a lifetime for and almost wonder if it would ever happen. A world cup final between India and Pakistan is a dream come true for cricket lovers of both countries. Agreed it is a 20/20 world cup and not the longer version, but who cares! An Ind-Pak final is an Ind-Pak final, even if it is gully World Cup cricket.
After being unceremoniously knocked out of the 2007 ICC World Cup and having been persecuted by the public, it is redemption time for both the countries. Pakistan also had to go through the loss of their coach Bob Woolmer.
India vs. Australia
Lightning never strikes at the same place twice, they say. Well, it actually did at Durban in the form of Yuvraj Singh, who after a rest day against SA (injured) continued his blistering sixes. He lit the entire stadium with another swashbuckling innings of 70 of just 30 deliveries, with 5 fours and 5 sixes.
The two teams gave a display of high quality cricket, with both teams not giving an inch to each other. At the end, Australia couldn’t quite finish it off, just when you thought they had the match in control.
After Dhoni decided to bat first after winning yet another toss, Virender Sehwag couldn’t quite get going, nicking one to Gilchrist, Mitchell Johnson foxing him with one outside the off-stump. India was not exactly flying after 8 overs at 41 for 2, when Gambhir was dismissed.
The stage was set for Yuvraj, who continued his Midas touch, which he had found in the England match. He could do no wrong. He started off with a pull off Stuart Clark soaring into the stands, followed by a flick off his hip of Brett Lee, with the pace of the bowler and the batsman’s timing carrying the ball way, way into the crowd. No wonder it was the longest six of the competition at 119 meters.
The 114 runs scored from the end of the 8th over till Yuvraj’s dismissal in the 18th over set India up for a big score and the match after a slow but steady start. Uthappa (34 of 28 balls, 1X4, 3X6) and MS Dhoni (36 of 18 balls, 4X4, 1X6) brilliantly rallied around Yuvraj.
The running between the wickets was a real revelation for India, which always has been one of the letdowns in the past. Sehwag, Gambhir, and Uthappa managed to outsmart the Australian field within the ring, scampering for cheeky singles. This kept the scoring moving at a respectable rate, when the batsmen were not able to get the ball away to the fence.
Australian Innings
With a target of 189, the openers had to give a solid start. Gilchrist and Hayden started off steadily, with 19 runs after the 4th over. Sreesanth, who finished with great figures of 2/12 of 4 overs, was unlucky not to get a positive verdict from the umpire against Hayden, who seemed to be plumb in front of the wicket. His eye to eye contact and a few words upset Hayden into trying wild swishes across the line, in vain.
The opening stand gained momentum in the 5th over, which cost 17 runs, with Gilchrist getting stuck onto RP Singh. This was a crucial moment in the entire match. Gilchrist could have brought India to his knees, had he carried on as he did in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka, but Sreesanth had other ideas. He made one swing back in to castle Gilchrist.
Hayden had to carry on the hitting, with the asking rate climbing. He changed tactics with clean, straight hitting and got a liking to the slow pace of Irfan Pathan and Joginder Sharma, heaving them for huge sixes. Harbhajan Singh, who had bowled a brilliant, attacking spell against SA probably made the mistake of containment rather than going for wickets, bowling faster ones instead of flighting the ball and trying to deceive the batsmen. Teams should have realized by now that even in a 20/20 match, you can stifle a batting team by taking regular wickets.
India pulled one back, Brad Hodge dismissed by Irfan Pathan in the 9 over.
Andrew Symonds joined Hayden and the two complemented each other by some clean hitting and smart running. Their partnership of 66 in just 36 balls brought them closer to the target.
With 54 required of 32 balls and Symonds and Hayden scoring an average of one boundary or a six every over, India looked lost. Then came the lease of life which India desperately required. Sreesanth got his revenge by bowling Hayden, who missed a full delivery, going for a big hit. However, Symonds was still continuing to find the boundaries, always keeping Australia interested. With just 33 required of 21 deliveries and 7 wickets in hand, Australia was firm favorites.
Irfan Pathan castled Andrew Symonds, who tried to cut a ball too close to the stumps, and that was the beginning of the end for Australia. Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh bowled brilliant 18th and 19th overs respectively, which yielded just 8 runs. The trio of Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, and Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey found the pressure too hot to handle, whereas the Indian bowlers and fielders held their nerves.
With 22 runs required of the final over, Australia was praying for a bad over by Joginder Sharma, who has been the weak link in this Indian bowling lineup. The prayers were not answered, with Joginder Sharma keeping his faculties under check, bowling straight and full, and giving Michael Hussey no chance to free his arms. Australia ended up 15 runs short at 173/7.
So, India has beaten Australia for the first time in 20 years in a World Cup match. Dhoni and his boys have played like men and can be proud of themselves.
They have an excellent record of 5-1 in 20/20 going into the finals.
Pakistan vs. New Zealand
The first semi-final was not as dramatic as the second, with Pakistan scoring a clinical, professional win.
New Zealand still continue to be jinxed in World Cup semis, a final berth still elusive.
They had their chances, which it couldn’t quite capitalize on.
New Zealand was not able to cash in on the good start by the openers who put on 50 runs, with the rain break not helping. Once Lou Vincent was caught and bowled by rookie let arm spinner Fawad Alam, the batsmen never got going. The pick of the bowlers were Umar Gul (3/15 in 4) and Afridi (1/24 in 4). Ross Taylor scored 16 runs of the final over by Mohammad Asif, helping NZ get to 143, which looked like a fighting one on a pitch that was bound to get low as the match progressed.
Pakistan Innings
New Zealand needed wickets from Shane Bond, but his not so impressive run continued, yet again unable to pick the much required wickets. Imran Nazir, who employed a runner citing injury took calculated risks against all the bowlers, even carting the impeccable Daniel Vettori for a six and a four in his first 2 overs. He scored a quickfire 59. The opening pair of Nazir and Mohammad Hafiz put on 60 runs in 7.1 overs, bringing the required rate to just a run a ball.
Daniel Vettori did his best to unsettle Pakistan with smart field placings and bowling changes. He himself bowled brilliantly creating some pressure with 1/22 of 4 overs. The dismissals of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi created a few flutters in the Pakistan camp. When Misbah-ul-haq joined Shoaib Malik, 33 runs of 33 were required. One or two more wickets could have brought New Zealand right into the game. However, the New Zealand fielding couldn’t rise to the occasion, Ross Taylor dropping a sitter of Shoaib Malik when it looked like getting tight. Ross Taylor has dropped the maximum number of catches in this competition. He probably would have won the ‘worst fielder’ award.
With the required rate always at 6 an over towards the end, Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-haq kept their cool, and Pakistan reached home with more than an over to spare.
The Final
The final promises to be a great one. India would probably start off as favorites as they have come off a real humdinger against Australia, and also having beaten Pakistan earlier.
They would also hope to keep their 100% record in World Cup matches against Pakistan.
There are some things you wait a lifetime for and almost wonder if it would ever happen. A world cup final between India and Pakistan is a dream come true for cricket lovers of both countries. Agreed it is a 20/20 world cup and not the longer version, but who cares! An Ind-Pak final is an Ind-Pak final, even if it is gully World Cup cricket.
After being unceremoniously knocked out of the 2007 ICC World Cup and having been persecuted by the public, it is redemption time for both the countries. Pakistan also had to go through the loss of their coach Bob Woolmer.
India vs. Australia
Lightning never strikes at the same place twice, they say. Well, it actually did at Durban in the form of Yuvraj Singh, who after a rest day against SA (injured) continued his blistering sixes. He lit the entire stadium with another swashbuckling innings of 70 of just 30 deliveries, with 5 fours and 5 sixes.
The two teams gave a display of high quality cricket, with both teams not giving an inch to each other. At the end, Australia couldn’t quite finish it off, just when you thought they had the match in control.
After Dhoni decided to bat first after winning yet another toss, Virender Sehwag couldn’t quite get going, nicking one to Gilchrist, Mitchell Johnson foxing him with one outside the off-stump. India was not exactly flying after 8 overs at 41 for 2, when Gambhir was dismissed.
The stage was set for Yuvraj, who continued his Midas touch, which he had found in the England match. He could do no wrong. He started off with a pull off Stuart Clark soaring into the stands, followed by a flick off his hip of Brett Lee, with the pace of the bowler and the batsman’s timing carrying the ball way, way into the crowd. No wonder it was the longest six of the competition at 119 meters.
The 114 runs scored from the end of the 8th over till Yuvraj’s dismissal in the 18th over set India up for a big score and the match after a slow but steady start. Uthappa (34 of 28 balls, 1X4, 3X6) and MS Dhoni (36 of 18 balls, 4X4, 1X6) brilliantly rallied around Yuvraj.
The running between the wickets was a real revelation for India, which always has been one of the letdowns in the past. Sehwag, Gambhir, and Uthappa managed to outsmart the Australian field within the ring, scampering for cheeky singles. This kept the scoring moving at a respectable rate, when the batsmen were not able to get the ball away to the fence.
Australian Innings
With a target of 189, the openers had to give a solid start. Gilchrist and Hayden started off steadily, with 19 runs after the 4th over. Sreesanth, who finished with great figures of 2/12 of 4 overs, was unlucky not to get a positive verdict from the umpire against Hayden, who seemed to be plumb in front of the wicket. His eye to eye contact and a few words upset Hayden into trying wild swishes across the line, in vain.
The opening stand gained momentum in the 5th over, which cost 17 runs, with Gilchrist getting stuck onto RP Singh. This was a crucial moment in the entire match. Gilchrist could have brought India to his knees, had he carried on as he did in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka, but Sreesanth had other ideas. He made one swing back in to castle Gilchrist.
Hayden had to carry on the hitting, with the asking rate climbing. He changed tactics with clean, straight hitting and got a liking to the slow pace of Irfan Pathan and Joginder Sharma, heaving them for huge sixes. Harbhajan Singh, who had bowled a brilliant, attacking spell against SA probably made the mistake of containment rather than going for wickets, bowling faster ones instead of flighting the ball and trying to deceive the batsmen. Teams should have realized by now that even in a 20/20 match, you can stifle a batting team by taking regular wickets.
India pulled one back, Brad Hodge dismissed by Irfan Pathan in the 9 over.
Andrew Symonds joined Hayden and the two complemented each other by some clean hitting and smart running. Their partnership of 66 in just 36 balls brought them closer to the target.
With 54 required of 32 balls and Symonds and Hayden scoring an average of one boundary or a six every over, India looked lost. Then came the lease of life which India desperately required. Sreesanth got his revenge by bowling Hayden, who missed a full delivery, going for a big hit. However, Symonds was still continuing to find the boundaries, always keeping Australia interested. With just 33 required of 21 deliveries and 7 wickets in hand, Australia was firm favorites.
Irfan Pathan castled Andrew Symonds, who tried to cut a ball too close to the stumps, and that was the beginning of the end for Australia. Harbhajan Singh and RP Singh bowled brilliant 18th and 19th overs respectively, which yielded just 8 runs. The trio of Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, and Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey found the pressure too hot to handle, whereas the Indian bowlers and fielders held their nerves.
With 22 runs required of the final over, Australia was praying for a bad over by Joginder Sharma, who has been the weak link in this Indian bowling lineup. The prayers were not answered, with Joginder Sharma keeping his faculties under check, bowling straight and full, and giving Michael Hussey no chance to free his arms. Australia ended up 15 runs short at 173/7.
So, India has beaten Australia for the first time in 20 years in a World Cup match. Dhoni and his boys have played like men and can be proud of themselves.
They have an excellent record of 5-1 in 20/20 going into the finals.
Pakistan vs. New Zealand
The first semi-final was not as dramatic as the second, with Pakistan scoring a clinical, professional win.
New Zealand still continue to be jinxed in World Cup semis, a final berth still elusive.
They had their chances, which it couldn’t quite capitalize on.
New Zealand was not able to cash in on the good start by the openers who put on 50 runs, with the rain break not helping. Once Lou Vincent was caught and bowled by rookie let arm spinner Fawad Alam, the batsmen never got going. The pick of the bowlers were Umar Gul (3/15 in 4) and Afridi (1/24 in 4). Ross Taylor scored 16 runs of the final over by Mohammad Asif, helping NZ get to 143, which looked like a fighting one on a pitch that was bound to get low as the match progressed.
Pakistan Innings
New Zealand needed wickets from Shane Bond, but his not so impressive run continued, yet again unable to pick the much required wickets. Imran Nazir, who employed a runner citing injury took calculated risks against all the bowlers, even carting the impeccable Daniel Vettori for a six and a four in his first 2 overs. He scored a quickfire 59. The opening pair of Nazir and Mohammad Hafiz put on 60 runs in 7.1 overs, bringing the required rate to just a run a ball.
Daniel Vettori did his best to unsettle Pakistan with smart field placings and bowling changes. He himself bowled brilliantly creating some pressure with 1/22 of 4 overs. The dismissals of Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi created a few flutters in the Pakistan camp. When Misbah-ul-haq joined Shoaib Malik, 33 runs of 33 were required. One or two more wickets could have brought New Zealand right into the game. However, the New Zealand fielding couldn’t rise to the occasion, Ross Taylor dropping a sitter of Shoaib Malik when it looked like getting tight. Ross Taylor has dropped the maximum number of catches in this competition. He probably would have won the ‘worst fielder’ award.
With the required rate always at 6 an over towards the end, Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-haq kept their cool, and Pakistan reached home with more than an over to spare.
The Final
The final promises to be a great one. India would probably start off as favorites as they have come off a real humdinger against Australia, and also having beaten Pakistan earlier.
They would also hope to keep their 100% record in World Cup matches against Pakistan.
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