The tournament definitely deserved a final of greater grandeur. All it needed was a brute of a ball from Nathan Bracken to beat the outside edge of the ever-widening blade of Chris Gayle to disturb the citadel and kill the contest. The West Indians caving in after the fall of Chris Gayle was an apt summary of their over dependence on the opener.
The West Indian aggression was noteworthy. You need that approach to upstage great sides but to maintain that momentum is another thing. Sadly, the Calypso charmers lacked it in totality. One got a feeling the West Indies did not have a plan B after the top three batsmen fell. They just accepted their plight; and didn’t fight back.
Australia, on the other hand, were worthy victors. They have developed this uncanny knack of taking their game to another plane in crunch games, hallmark of a truly magnificent side. No team that loses five wickets during the first twenty overs can expect to make a match of it and West Indian capitulation reflected sternly their lack of consistency.
I liked the resigned look on Ricky Ponting’s face when the Caribbean openers threw caution to the wind and went berserk. That coupled with the disgruntled look on McGrath’s face when he did not seem to know what had hit him made everyone believe the world champions had finally met their match in a cup final. What a pity that was not to be. A hard lesson that the Windies would have learnt with this final: Give a top team an inch and they always end up with a mile, and a smile and a trophy.
The first spell from Bracken effectively sealed it for Australia. What came as a complete disappointment was the failure of Lara. Once his team got off to a flier, Lara should have walked in at three and held the top-order together. Also baffling was his overcautious approach. The genius that he is with his stroke play he hardly needs to resort to defensive tactics. The skipper should have played his natural game and who knows that might have helped his side maintain the momentum.
McGrath came back strongly but he would be the first to admit his more than tidy analysis would have not been possible if Gayle was not consumed at the other end. The Aussie bowlers had their tails up after the fall of the third wicket and full credit to them for having kept the pressure on, looking for wickets throughout.
The run chase for Australia was a mere formality but the fall of two early wickets might have instilled a false sense of hope. They quickly died as a few graceful hits from Damien Martyn found the ropes. The West Australian seems to have hit a purple patch ahead of the Ashes. Shane Watson for his part contributed handsomely with the bat and is fast emerging as a genuine talent in both disciplines. Australia seems to have unearthed a gem ahead of the World Cup.
The depth in the Aussie ranks seems to be growing by the day. Three quality all rounders in Gilchrist, Watson and Symonds give Ponting the flexibility a captain needs in the shorter version.
The Champions Trophy threw many surprises: From no Asian team in the final four, despite the tournament being played in conditions they were well aware of to November rains in Mumbai. Australia though lived up to their top billing and proved the bookmakers were right. The Windies for their part proved yet again the only thing predictable about them is their unpredictability.
