Preview: West Indies v Australia Final

By Audio Man
November 4 2006

"What a shot to finish off the match! And what an innings it has been from Chris.." Laxman Siva's voice waned off into the background as I heard a knock on my door. It was a friend who had forgotten about the match, dozed off and was now trying to make up by dropping me to work.

Jolly: "Yo man. Is the game done yet?"

Me: "Done and dusted. Beer?"

Jolly: "What? This early in the morning? Sure."

Me: "So, aren't you gonna ask me who won?"

Jolly: "No. Who won?"

Me: "The West Indies of course. What did I tell you? Chris Gayle played the innings of his lifetime today. He, quite simply, decimated the second-best bowling attack in the world."

Jolly: "Wait. You mean Pollock and Ntini? The pair that destroyed the Pakistani line-up a couple of days back?"

Me: "Yes, but that was on a very bowler-friendly track in Mohali. This Jaipur pitch for today's game was very placid. South Africa made 258 and it looked like a pretty competitive score, all until the West Indies started batting on it. A quickfire 150-run partnership and the game was rendered into a no-contest by the opening batsmen, Chanderpaul and Gayle. I will remember the six that Chanderpaul hit off Andre Nel over fine leg for a long long time."

Jolly: "Ha ha, little Chanderpaul hit a six, eh? He must have collapsed immediately, being completely drained out."

Me: "He did. Well, almost immediately. Pulled up a muscle and promptly walked off."

Jolly: "Hmm so, is he gonna be fit for the final?"

Me: "Yes, he should be. It looked like just minor cramps. The final promises to be a real humdinger of a contest."

Jolly: "Bah, only a WI fan would think there is even gonna be a contest, come Sunday. A #7 team is taking on the proven world champions. Keep dreaming, you seem very good at it."

Me: "No dude. This is rooted in logic, unlike most things I do or say usually. Do you know that since 2003, the WI have beaten Aus more times in ODIs than any other team in the world? Do you know that they are the only team in recent times to have been the Aussies 3 matches in a row?"

Jolly: "Wow, am surprised and shocked at the first stat. But the 3 consecutive victories in a row against Australia was a gift. I remember watching those matches and they were all dead rubbers, and came after the Aussies had won the 7-match series in the first 4 matches itself. You can't fool me sir, not that easily anyway."

Me: "Yes of course, no denying that. But has any other team done that to the Aussies in recent times, even in meaningless matches? I tell
you this WI team has some real stars and is going to surprise many in the World Cup next year."

Jolly: "Yeah yeah, don't we all keep saying that every fourth year about our own Indian team? These things don't matter for the World Cup, current form at that time is what counts. Let's see if the WI can sustain their current form and perform as consistently then. Anyways, all those stats seem from a long time ago. Have the WI done anything significant in the past few years against Australia?"

Me: "Hmm let's see. Since that one-day series in the Caribbean, the two teams met in the VB series in Australia, with Pakistan being the third team in the competition. And, as was predicted by many, the WI promptly lost all but one match in the tournament. That one solitary win came against a complacent Pakistan, on the back of a scintillating hundred from Brian Lara. But they did have Australia in all sorts of trouble in a couple of matches that series, with some superb swing bowling from Pedro Collins. Australia were 43/5 in one, when rain forced the game to be abandoned and the very next game found themselves at 38/4 before the lower-order dug in to help them to a winning total. And then come the recent games. The two teams met recently in Kuala Lumpur. Remember when we saw those matches? Those were the days when you actually turned up on time….."

Jolly: "Yeah yeah yeah. So, who should we look forward to on Sunday to perform for the West Indies, in a crunch situation?"

Me: "Crunch or not, doesn't matter to Chris Gayle who plays all games the same way. Over the course of the last year, he has put in a lot of work in practice and in adjusting his technique against the new ball and is now reaping the rewards. To cover the swing that Brett Lee is bound to get with the new ball, you will see Gayle bat with a very side and front-on stance. And he is the best form of his life here. You missed one of the great ODI knocks the other night. Then there is Sarwan, who is one of the best ODI players in the world. He is a very good finisher and the WI are looking to play him further down the order so that he has an opportunity to do exactly that - finish it off, coz that has been their major problem in recent times. Jerome Taylor and Bradshaw provide a spectacular and solid start, all rolled into one, with the new ball. Expect Taylor to pick up a few quick wickets at the death with his straight bowling. And then there is the man among boys - Brian Lara. He is a champion bat and he always has something special in store for the Aussies. On two occasions in the recent past, he has scored 2 superb half-centuries against them."

Jolly: "And Aussies?"

Me: "Oh well. They are champions not because they have special individuals, but because every one of them contributes to a victory. So it is hard to pick players out for special mention. Though, look out for Ricky Ponting. When put under pressure, and this is pressure - the final of a tournament Aus have never won......."

Jolly: "What? Australia have never won the Champions Trophy?"

Me: "Nope. That is why they will be very difficult to beat in the final. So watch out for Ponting. And Brett Lee as well. Lee is one of the best new-ball bowlers in limited-overs cricket in the world. And if he can cause serious damage to the WI top order, game set and match Australia right there."

Jolly: "Wow. It does sound great, am looking forward to very good contest on Sunday. Oh hey, aren't we late for work?"

Me: "Yeah, I am so looking forward to this game as well. I am backing the WI to beat Aus and defend their title in great style. It will do a lot of good for WI cricket."

Jolly: "Yes yes. Finally. Australia will lose a final after a long time. Those are the odds right?"

Me: "Nope. That's the beer talking. Let's go. I'm driving."