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Tuesday, October 6, 2009 | 
By HUW RICHARDS
Published: October 6, 2009
Australia no longer rules the entire cricket world as it once did. In the past few months its hegemony over the longest form of the game, the five-day test, has crumbled as it lost the Ashes against England and fell from the top of the world rankings.
It never has truly come to terms with the newest, noisiest format, Twenty20, and it failed to reach the playoffs of the world championship this year.
But by winning the Champions Trophy in Centurion, South Africa, on Monday, it showed that it remained supreme at the in-between format, one-day internationals played over 50 six-ball overs apiece.
Its six-wicket victory over New Zealand retained a title won three years ago in India. This comes on top of three consecutive wins in the World Cup, played in the same format.
In the end it was clear-cut, with the winning runs struck with almost five overs to spare, an age in a limited-overs match. It was not, though, a complete procession. This match followed the pattern of Australia’s semifinal victory over England on the same ground on Friday.
As it had on Friday, Australia blew away the opposing top order, taking five wickets before 100 runs had been scored, then allowed the middle order a recovery.
Chasing 201 to win, well below the norm at Centurion, Australia started shakily against fine pace bowling by Kyle Mills and Shane Bond. Tim Paine and Ricky Ponting were dismissed with only six runs on the board. But as on Friday, Shane Watson held his nerve and led his team to victory, following his 136 not out against England with 105 not out against the Kiwis.
Watson reached both personal and team targets from the final ball. With the scores level, Watson had amassed 99 runs. He then struck a delivery from spin bowler Jeetan Patel out of the ground for six runs to complete the triumph.
Since Watson was also a useful, economical bowler for Australia, you might expect that he would also have been named Man of the Series. One reason he did not was his poor contribution to the pool stages, out without scoring in the first two matches. The second, and far more compelling, was the brilliant form of Ponting, who led his side well, fielded superbly and before his cheap dismissal on Monday was the best batsman in the tournament, adding the Gold Bat awarded to the leading run-scorer to his copious haul of personal trophies.
Wayne Parnell of South Africa won the bowling trophy with 11 wickets in spite of playing in only three matches, compared to five for players in the teams that reached the final.
New Zealand was well beaten, but merits considerable sympathy. With fewer players than other leading nations, it always has to stretch limited resources to compete and is much more vulnerable to injuries and other absences.
It had lost one first-choice player before the tournament started and two more as it went on. All-rounder Grant Elliott played his match-winning innings of 75 not out in the semifinal against Pakistan with an injured hand.
Then, on the morning of the final, came the most grievous blow of all, when the captain, Daniel Vettori, was ruled out by a hamstring injury. No player plays a bigger role for any team than Vettori, who is not only an astute leader but his team’s best bowler and most reliable batsman.
His deputy, Brendon McCullum, had to take on the captaincy as well as keeping wicket and opening the batting, sufficient responsibilities in themselves. A hot-and-cold performer who can destroy any attack, he had one of his off days on Monday, struggling for 14 deliveries before being dismissed without scoring.
This should not, though, detract from the quality of Australia’s performance. It was undefeated in five matches, failing to win when its contest with India was washed out when it was threatening to build a huge total. It beat all the other semifinalists, the wins over England and New Zealand following its last ball defeat of Pakistan in the best match of the competition. The empire is somewhat diminished, but not yet ended.
Published: October 6, 2009
Australia no longer rules the entire cricket world as it once did. In the past few months its hegemony over the longest form of the game, the five-day test, has crumbled as it lost the Ashes against England and fell from the top of the world rankings.
It never has truly come to terms with the newest, noisiest format, Twenty20, and it failed to reach the playoffs of the world championship this year.
But by winning the Champions Trophy in Centurion, South Africa, on Monday, it showed that it remained supreme at the in-between format, one-day internationals played over 50 six-ball overs apiece.
Its six-wicket victory over New Zealand retained a title won three years ago in India. This comes on top of three consecutive wins in the World Cup, played in the same format.
In the end it was clear-cut, with the winning runs struck with almost five overs to spare, an age in a limited-overs match. It was not, though, a complete procession. This match followed the pattern of Australia’s semifinal victory over England on the same ground on Friday.
As it had on Friday, Australia blew away the opposing top order, taking five wickets before 100 runs had been scored, then allowed the middle order a recovery.
Chasing 201 to win, well below the norm at Centurion, Australia started shakily against fine pace bowling by Kyle Mills and Shane Bond. Tim Paine and Ricky Ponting were dismissed with only six runs on the board. But as on Friday, Shane Watson held his nerve and led his team to victory, following his 136 not out against England with 105 not out against the Kiwis.
Watson reached both personal and team targets from the final ball. With the scores level, Watson had amassed 99 runs. He then struck a delivery from spin bowler Jeetan Patel out of the ground for six runs to complete the triumph.
Since Watson was also a useful, economical bowler for Australia, you might expect that he would also have been named Man of the Series. One reason he did not was his poor contribution to the pool stages, out without scoring in the first two matches. The second, and far more compelling, was the brilliant form of Ponting, who led his side well, fielded superbly and before his cheap dismissal on Monday was the best batsman in the tournament, adding the Gold Bat awarded to the leading run-scorer to his copious haul of personal trophies.
Wayne Parnell of South Africa won the bowling trophy with 11 wickets in spite of playing in only three matches, compared to five for players in the teams that reached the final.
New Zealand was well beaten, but merits considerable sympathy. With fewer players than other leading nations, it always has to stretch limited resources to compete and is much more vulnerable to injuries and other absences.
It had lost one first-choice player before the tournament started and two more as it went on. All-rounder Grant Elliott played his match-winning innings of 75 not out in the semifinal against Pakistan with an injured hand.
Then, on the morning of the final, came the most grievous blow of all, when the captain, Daniel Vettori, was ruled out by a hamstring injury. No player plays a bigger role for any team than Vettori, who is not only an astute leader but his team’s best bowler and most reliable batsman.
His deputy, Brendon McCullum, had to take on the captaincy as well as keeping wicket and opening the batting, sufficient responsibilities in themselves. A hot-and-cold performer who can destroy any attack, he had one of his off days on Monday, struggling for 14 deliveries before being dismissed without scoring.
This should not, though, detract from the quality of Australia’s performance. It was undefeated in five matches, failing to win when its contest with India was washed out when it was threatening to build a huge total. It beat all the other semifinalists, the wins over England and New Zealand following its last ball defeat of Pakistan in the best match of the competition. The empire is somewhat diminished, but not yet ended.
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