The long-reigning supremacy of the Australians came to an end at last. For once at least, against England, they looked vulnerable. But even in defeat, the Australian batting continued to look good. Their bowling, however, seems to be losing its potency.
More than the good batting by the England batsmen, it was the innocuous Australian bowling that was responsible for the rather unexpected Aussie exit.
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Brett Lee, who believes in pace, is struggling to come back to form in time.
The law of averages has finally worked the world champions down. It is always good to see some fresh faces and new teams making progress in the international arena.
Pakistan had renewed their status of stardom after defeating India at Edgbaston. But the hype that was created about them after this win was soon dashed by the West Indies.
It appears that the Pakistan think-tank completely misread the conditions and gifted away the initiative of winning the toss. Shoaib Akhtar bowled with zest and also floored Windies captain Brian Lara with a bouncer. The way Lara ducked awkwardly into the bouncer looked very dangerous. But fortunately, not much damage was done to the team or to Brian Lara. Shoaib's bowling was powered by pace. But it remains to be seen how consistently he can do that.
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul have been the chief architects of West Indies batting. Mervyn Dillon, Corey Collymore and Dwayne Bravo are quite effective in English conditions. The big win against the South Africans has instilled new confidence in them and the much-needed belief in their beleaguered players.
Lara and Chris Gayle are the other two important characters in the team. The inexperienced bowlers, who appear like bits and pieces, have somehow managed to excel so far in this tournament. A team comprising players from different islands have found it difficult to maintain the standards for various reasons.
West Indies' entry into the final will definitely help in arresting the eroding interest in cricket in the Caribbean.
The entire English summer has been a success story for Michael Vaughan and his boys this time. Except for the triangular series in June featuring New Zealand and West Indies where they missed out on the final, they have dominated in both forms of the game. Andrew Flintoff is definitely the power centre of the current England team. Presently, he is the undisputed number one all rounder in the world. He has single-handedly steered England to victory on more than one occasion, something not many can do too often.
Using a lightweight bat, he takes a heavy toll on any kind of bowling, be it spin or fast. On his day, Flintoff could be one of the quickest bowlers in the world.
Obviously, Andrew Flintoff is the differentiator for the England team at the moment. The metamorphosis of Steve Harmison becoming a match winner is another factor that has turned England into a winning combination. Although, Harmison's successes have mostly come in the longer version of the game, he is a good example of how well a Test cricketer can make it easily to the one-day team. With Marcus Trescothick and Vaughan among the runs, the Middlesex captain Andrew Strauss form has added a new dimension to the England team.
In my opinion, it should be an easy final for England. A Lara or a Sarwan can make things happen, but the home team is unlikely to let go this golden opportunity of winning the mini-World Cup. Judging by man to man, the founders of the game definitely hold an edge over their opponents.