Yorked!!! – By Chetan Narula.

World Cup Final: Defending Champions v/s Dark Horses

This world cup could not have had a more perfect final. The defending champions, Australia, on the cusp of history, a third straight world cup, a record in the making and a chance to get even for the defeat in the 1996 final. The dark horses, Sri Lanka, a great run to the final, the second best team in the world cup, easily the most tactical team too and of course the chance to complete a double on Australia in world cup finals. Doesn’t get better than this.

But it is not the past that matters for this match and that is what both the captains have to understand. Easier said than done, of course, but more so in the case of Ricky Ponting than Mahela Jayawardene. The Australian captain believes that it is the heavy defeats his team incurs on the opposition that gives his team the confidence they have and display on the field. Yes agreed, any win does you a world of good and adds to your momentum. But the truth is that the Aussies haven’t really been tested. The semi final against South Africa was supposed to be the tough one for them, but it didn’t happen. Of course, they deposed off the Proteas with disdain but again, what happens when this team is stretched?

They tend to meander and lose, is the answer. It has been done before and will be done again. No doubt about that, but will it be this match? It might be. Because in the super eight match against the Aussies, the Sri Lankans might have lost but they came away with smiles and of course a tactical advantage. And that is where Mahela Jayawardene has really put his hands up. The move of not playing his front line bowlers in that match might just pay off. Malinga was injured and both Vaas & Murali were rested. Vaas is a dodgy customer any given day and Malinga has well, set this world cup on fire, with his slinging deliveries. But it’s the Murali factor that matters most tomorrow. Yes it matters on any other day too for Sri Lanka to win but not more than this, has it mattered ever.

The last time Australia played Muralitharan for a whole series was well, quite a long time back. He didn’t visit them in 2004 for the tests and then after that played the VB series in 2006. Since then the two sides haven’t met for a while. Why this is going to be a factor is evident from the group stage match against India. Murali and Vaas didn’t tour India prior to the world cup and here they became literally unplayable. And consider that the Indians, their world cup debacle notwithstanding, are far better players of spin than the Aussies. Point is that Murali’s guile is unplayable if you haven’t faced him for a while.

While the fact that the Sri Lankan bowling will be bearing a totally different look from the one that played the super eight match, the batting will be the same. And that is where the Aussies probably have a head on. Their bowling led by Glenn McGrath is quite competent on any day and if it is the world cup final, you would certainly root for them. It is going to be the last match for the Pigeon and unlike Lara and Inzamam, he would certainly want to go out on a high. And what better than winning the world cup for a third straight time. The pitch at Barbados is expected to have good pace and bounce which could only mean that the Aussie pace battery will be smiling even before the match starts. And as we have seen in this tournament, the ball does move a bit in the mornings before it settles down for the day. And again, the Sri Lankan batting seems more circumspect than the Aussie line up.

The Lankan batsmen have done well throughout but they have not come out on tops as many times it would like to. Against good quality attacks of South Africa and Australia, they came up short. A repeat of that in the final and they can kiss the trophy good bye. The Aussies haven’t been tested as mentioned earlier and Hayden & co. couldn’t have faced a sterner test in the final. Given that Ponting wants to set a target most of the times than chase, both the teams’ batting will have to click. The first to blink will be the one to lose.

Key players will be the stalwarts of the respective teams. Hayden, Ponting and McGrath hold the Aussie keys but its time Gilchrist set this world cup on fire. For the Sri Lankans, Sanath Jayasuriya is up for one last hurrah and then of course there is Vaas and Murali. Throw in a bit of Clarke and Symonds plus Malinga and Sangakkara, it’s a fine concoction for the biggest cricket match in four years.

The last time a team was on the verge of winning a hat trick of world cups, Clive Lloyd’s West Indies in 1983, they were upset by the underdogs, India. Again in 1996, Australia were firm favourites to lift the cup, only to be beaten by the 66/1 underdogs, Sri Lankans. A repeat is on the cards. It’s the defending champions versus the underdogs. It’s game on.