The Champion of Champions

It is an all too familiar sight; isn’t it? A big tournament final, and the Australians are right on the money. How do they do this over and over again? Well, just that they peak at the right time. That is the kind of stuff, champions are made of.

This was one of those tournaments where the Aussies were not clear favorites; however they were the defending champions and were capable of winning it. They did not have the usual “powerful” side as they used to in the past. No Hayden and Gilchrist at the top, no Symonds in the middle, Michael Clarke was injured and there was no Warne and McGrath in the bowling department. Brett Lee was just coming off an injury break. It was a new look Australian side. But, a certain Ricky Ponting was still there and he was at his imperious best. He ended the tournament, topping the batting charts with 288 runs, and was deservedly awarded the player of the tournament. Being the captain, he certainly led from the front.  

What made them click? It was not individual brilliance. It was a collective team effort and contributions from everyone in their side that helped the Australians successfully defend their Champion’s Trophy title. This is where the difference between the Australian side and other international sides lies. Take India for example. When Sachin Tendulkar performs well for them on a big stage, the side does well too. Sometimes, when he gets dismissed for a low score, the others falter too! This does not happen with Australia. Ricky Ponting, who was batting so well throughout the tournament, was dismissed for just a single in the finals and Australia was in trouble at 6 for 2.  Shane Watson and Cameron White came to the party to get the chase back on track. They saw off the new ball bowlers (Shane Bond and Kyle Mills) who were bowling very well, and cashed in big time later on. Shane Watson got off to the worst possible start in the tournament with two ducks in his first two games. He also had the best possible ending to the tournament with two fine centuries in his last two games, which also turned out to be the Semi Finals and Finals. He was awarded the man of the match on both occasions. A rare feat indeed (considering this is a mini world cup with only the top teams participating). Only India’s Mohinder Amarnath (1983 World Cup), Sri Lanka’s Aravinda De Silva (1996 World Cup) and the legendary leggie Shane Warne (1999 World Cup) have achieved the feat before.

A great achievement from a great side. They have been at the top of the team rankings long enough to know how to approach big tournaments.  They are in the process of rebuilding at the moment and if this is the kind of result they are able to produce at this stage, then beware of their performances when they are going at full strength and full throttle.

Cheers,

Aswath