The Carrebian Hatrick

So whats my next post gonna be? No prizes for guessing! Ya, its about the Cricket world cup 2007. This World cup was made interesting not because of the quality of cricket or the nail biting finishes but because of the controversies. To sum it up this world cup ended up as a big disappointment. The turnout was the worst in the history of world cup, the government ban not allowing musical instruments inside the stadium made the matters worse. People had to pay more money for the tickets and this made them to happily sit in front of their TV sets instead of going out to the ground.

The shocking elimination of India and Pakistan from the super 8's also contributed to the reduction in interest levels, notably in the subcontinet. The performance of India especially was very dismal given the media hype and the pay they enjoy. The slogans "Hoo haa India aaya India" in short "Come on India" came true as they packed their bags and returned home as soon as possible. Hope they will get some revenge by crushing Bangladesh in their forthcoming tour(It's just a hope guys.... With India you may never know!!). The only saving grace for the Indian team this world cup was their world record 413/5 against the hapless Berumdians.

The death or rather "the MURDER" of Bob Woolmer, the pakistani coach was one of the most shocking incidents of this world cup. He was an excellent coach and a great human being. I pray for his soul to rest in peace and hope the people responsible for this macabre act are bought to justice.                                                                                                                                                                                                    



At the end of this world cup many of the best exponents of the game decided to hang up their boots. We can view the exquisite and stylish stroke play of Brain Lara, the lazy and easy shots of Inzaman, the lethal and accurate bowling of Glenn McGrath and the powerful hitting of Craig McMillan only in the recorded versions being telecasted in the TV. My salutations to these gentlemen who were great ambassadors of this game.

The two cricket teams which threw a few surprises were the Bangladeshis and the Irish. I was impressed with the Irish in particular. They played really well for a team which makes it debut in world cup. The Bangladeshis have definitely silenced their crtics by winning the games against India and the then ranked No 1 team, South Africa. These are the teams to be watched out in future and hope ICC provides them with more funds so that they could improve their infrastructure.

Both the semi finals played in this world cup turned out to be a single sided game with Sri Lanka overpowering NewZealand by 81 runs(It's a pity that they are loosing their fifth semi final in the world cup history) and Australia crushing South Africa by 7 wickets(SA's dream of winning the coveted trophy has to wait for another 4 years).

Sri Lanka and Australia were to compete against each other to take home the cup. Was it going to be a repeat of 1996 world cup or will Australia once again establish its supremacy was a question which had to be answered. The rain played a party pooper by reducing the play to 38 over per side. The Aussies won the toss and elected to bat. Within minutes Gilchrist, the person who had a relatively poor run in this tournament, took the game away from Lankans. His 149 of 104 balls with 13 boundaries and 8 powerful strikes into the stands almost sealed the game for Aussies. The Lankans had to chase a nearly unsurmountable target of 282 from 38 overs to end the Australian dream run of 27 consecutive world cup victories. The Lankans put up a brave show but the Aussies had the last laugh. The rain again played spoilsport during the Lankan innings. The Umpires called off the game and the Australians celebrations was cut short by the umpires decision to continue the game. Finally at the end of 36 overs the play was called off and Australians won by 53 runs according to Duckworth Lewis method. Gilchrist was named man of the match and McGrath playing his last one day international was named player of the series. The Aussies once again proved that they are nearly invincible by achieving "THE CARREBIAN HATRICK".