Australia is still the juggernaut of cricket

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Congratulations to Australia on winning the 2023 edition of the ICC One-Day International World Cup in India. This win proves that they are still the juggernaut of cricket in the world; it’s almost as though everyone fell asleep on them. The favourites were New Zealand and India, at least in my opinion.

The conundrum about going unbeaten in any sport is going undefeated into the final, and losing the final, because it’s the final that matters. I believe India played the occasion and not the game, they were highly influenced by their fans in the jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium. You could see it in their body language, like a post-winning streak hangover, if you will. Perhaps they were still salivating over David Beckham’s visit.

Australia won the World Cup by going back to basics. Captain Pat Cummins saw that pitch, took a photo and probably studied it with his teammates. It was a 50-50 pitch for batter and bowler; credit to the ground staff. Australia also won the World Cup at the toss, when Pat Cummins decided to bowl first, given Virat Kohli’s ridiculous statistics when chasing, he didn’t disrespect the opposition, hence the burden shifted towards India’s bowling attack. The boundaries were massive. Australia noted India’s run distribution were skewed towards boundaries throughout the tournament, therefore they were going to make them toil for their runs.

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc led the charge by bowling line and length, not allowing Rohit Sharma, Kohli, Shubhman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav any chance to free their arms, hence a below-par score. Then obviously, the light dew would’ve come into effect later in the evening, so gripping the ball would be difficult, and it would help the ball travel across the outfield. Nonetheless, Australia did what Australia does, that is, they stay in the game no matter the situation, they focus on crossing the finish line and not reputation, and they turn up when it matters.

West Indies can learn something from them and India, because WI will be hosting a T20 World Cup very soon, and to win the tournament we’ve got to get to the final first.

KENDELL KARAN

Chaguanas

Trinidad and Tobago