Australia were deserving champions
By winning the Champions Trophy a second time, the team from Down Under showed just why they are the best side in world cricket.
The best team won the Champions Trophy and any format that allows that cannot be all wrong! Australia won because they were versatile; they could be patient and attacking, they could win with their top order and their tail enders, they could win with quick bowlers and spinners; their batsmen could bat on flat decks and lively ones while the bowlers could get their lengths right on slow tracks and bouncy ones.
India were slow and inadequate, Pakistan were fiendishly volatile, South Africa were too inflexible, New Zealand overcame their inherent limitations till the final, the Sri Lankans were limited by the surface they were playing on, England by their own diffidence. I have not mentioned the West Indies though I do remember seeing some men in maroon. But even they gained. We are going to see a lot of Kemar Roach.
But Australia could adapt. They were tough as nails and they could mould their game. They were made of steel but like clay they could assume a different form on different days in different conditions. It is a great combination at the heart of which lies intelligence, a fierce desire to win and a great work ethic. Unlike any other team, they left the competition with a more complete team; everyone else discovered cavities. They actually gave fifty overs cricket a shot in the arm.
New heroes have emerged. Grant Elliott had his fifteen minutes of fame while Shane Watson made the inevitable move towards becoming a batting all-rounder. His bowling registered on the speed gun but didn’t worry the batsmen too much. And he batted like a genuine top order player. Graeme Smith played the bravest innings of the tournament and Wayne Parnell was the strangest of them all; taking wickets and conceding runs with the same abandon.
Now T20 must take centre-stage. The Castrol Index has worked quite well in this format so far. Soon much more will happen on this site.
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Hello Harsha. I posted a question on ‘Expert Fan Speak’ and posted a reply in response to two other answers. Since it didn’t show up, I assumed an error and used my brother’s id to post it. Didn’t show up immediately either. Thought it might be a character limit error and cut it down. Nothing again. Realised only then the comments are to get moderated first! If you don’t mind, just let the big one posted appear, the rest left ignored. Thanks and apologise for the inconvenience.