The Cricket World Cup seems to have been going on forever but after six weeks the curtain finally comes down on the show at Melbourne tomorrow in what should be a sizzling final between co-hosts New Zealand and Australia.
Overall, the tournament has been something of a mixed bag. The highlight was definitely that sensational first semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa in which we witnessed thrilling cricket and nerve-jangling drama befitting of a World Cup.
While there had been some excitement in earlier games, even in battles among the minnows, there were also the inevitable yawn-inducing matches featuring mismatched sides.
After four disappointing one-sided quarter-finals, cricket fans were desperately hoping for at least one closely contested semi final and New Zealand and South Africa did not disappoint.
They produced a cracker which the partisan 40,000 crowd packed into Auckland’s Eden Park stadium and the millions watching on TV or following on the Internet, will never forget.
The game went down to the wire, with an astonishing climax. You simply did not know which team would win until Grant Elliott whacked that massive six to clinch the game with the penultimate ball and put New Zealand into their first World Cup final.
As bowler Dale Steyn collapsed on the ground in despair, Elliott sportingly walked up to him and offered his hand. In fact good sportsmanship prevailed throughout the match.
“I don’t even know where it went,” said Elliott, talking about his match-winning six. The South-African born Elliot has been living in New Zealand for 14 years.
Elliott went on to explain why he consoled Steyn. “I just felt a bit of compassion towards him,” he said.
“It could have been us, it could have been me sitting there having missed the last two balls and I would have been pretty gutted as well, along with 40,000 people in the stadium.”
After losing in six semi-finals the Black Caps must have felt their time had finally come and they were right. The match had everything, both sides contributing with superb batting, great bowling and plenty of mistakes, including dropped catches and missed run outs. There was also an untimely rain break which didn’t do South Africa any favours.
The heaving crowd played their part too. They reacted to virtually every ball and when Elliott’s final strike went over the ropes the place erupted. Losing captain AB de Villiers called it “probably the most electric crowd I have played before in my life’’.
The South Africans were magnanimous in defeat, but understandably bitterly disappointed at the outcome.
While the New Zealand team celebrated, the South African players at first stood alone on the field in various states of despair. For them, contributing to one of the best matches ever in a World Cup was no consolation at all.
It was a poignant scene. All the South Africans were distraught, but you had to feel particularly for bowler Steyn, entrusted with the final over. He must have felt like he had let a whole nation down, but he hadn’t. He had contributed to a great game of cricket.
De Villiers spoke for the whole team when he said: “It is no consolation to have participated in one of the most memorable games at all. It hurts quite a bit. I’m gutted.”
Despite his disappointment, De Villiers found time to acknowledge New Zealand’s victory.
“I guess the better team has come out on top,’’’ he said. “It will take a while to get over this. I hope the people back home will be proud of us.”
For neutrals around the world it was simply a marvellous game of cricket.
“Cricket was the true winner,” said West Indian great Brian Lara. “What a game!” tweeted former England spinner Graeme Swann. “The eruption of Eden Park was spine-tingly huge.”
The second semi-final at the Sydney Cricket ground between defending champions India and Australia was never going to match the drama of the Eden Park showdown, and so it proved. Australia’s 95-run win was probably even more comfortable than they could have envisaged.
Chasing Australia’s substantial, but not impossible, score of 328, a disappointing India never really looked like doing it once their first wicket fell at 72. It had been a promising start from Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, but once Dhawan went things seemed to fall apart.
The raucous support of the Indian fans, who far outnumbered Australian supporters, began to fade midway through the innings as it began to sink in that they were not going to overhaul the Australian total. One commentator observed that the ground had gone so quiet it felt like the game was being played in India.
With just 10 overs to go, India still needed 133 runs. It looked impossible — and that proved to be the case. The Australian bowling was simply too good.
Earlier, Steven Smith with a fine century and opener Aaron Finch had provided the back bone of the Australian innings. It says much for the Australian batsmen that this was the first time India had not bowled out the opposition in this World Cup.
It is probably fair to say the two best teams of the tournament are in tomorrow’s final. It would be foolish to predict who will win. The Kiwis narrowly beat Australia in a Group match, but you can’t read too much into that.
Both sides have displayed great teamwork with no real weak links in either batting or bowling. Tomorrow’s final promises to be a corker.