Before any auspicious event, it is a common practice to make some kind of a sacrificial offering to appease the Forces Above.
On Wednesday, as I watched the second semi-final, I got this strong feeling the Oz offering was not a lamb or a goat, but the South African cricket team! Victory scripts of Australia lifting the cricket World Cup for the third time have already being written even before they meet Sri Lanka.
So has Ricky Ponting done the appeasing act so that the Lankans don’t create any problems in the final. I really do not think so, but I will come to it later. First things first, all along, it was thought, the Australia-SA match would be the contest of the tournament. But the way Glenn McGrath struck with the new ball, it became almost a no-contest then and there.
I don’t know where McGrath got the nickname Pigeon from. But if anyone was saying SA left the field with bird droppings on their faces, it was caused by this bird. At 37, McGrath is playing his last World Cup and one-day international tournament. And he has already done so much damage in a Cup which will be remembered for reasons other than cricket, I would like to vote him MVP: Most Valuable Player.
So what of McGrath’s last ODI against the Lankan tigers on Saturday. For someone who has bowled so aggressively in the World Cup, it is certain he will have so many tricks up his sleeve, the Lankans will have to do much more than just perform.
Having said that, I wish the bubble would burst. When Brett Lee was ruled out of the World Cup at the last minute, I had my doubts how far the Oz would go. But as has become a rule, the Oz never have a problem finding the right replacements. Players emerge like products from as assemble line!
But I do think when one compares SA with Lanka as a whole team, the Lankans have more flair. I have always felt SA are robotic and choke on the big stage. They did it again and I think things won’t change much even if I happen to blogging till the 2011 World Cup to be held in the sub-continent again.
One thing is certain: skipper Mahela Jayawardende or the rest of the Lankan batsmen will; not attempt to slog straighaway when you have Pigeon doing everything with that white ball. Whether he bowls with the new ball or first change, is too early to say, but if the Oz get to bat first, it could be a great contest.
I have marveled at the Lankan attack. So if they are going to bowl first, it will be a gripping contest, notwithstanding the bulldozer called Matthew Hayden. And why do people seem to forget Murali is waiting to unleash all the vicious stuff all over again.
There are still two days to go for the final. Ponting may have already offered the sacrifice on Wednesday, but Saturday promises to be different.
Do you agree with me?
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1 comment:
I agree that it will be a good contest but I guess you are forgetting the bleached-blond blower with the sling-shot action, if he gets going then the Aussies might just have to take a detour. Nevertheless, it’s certainly not going to be like the 2003 final when India just surrendered meekly.
Speaking about McGrath, I would say he is still the best and there cannot be any replacement for him.
Aussies have yet to find a replacement for Shane Warne, I doubt they would ever be able to find a replacement for McGrath, for hardly you would find bowlers sticking to their line even while going through a bad patch, but he always did, like a machine he would continue to pitch on the off, and wait to the batsman to play a loose shot. I would say he did his job to perfection — stuck to his line and reaped a good harvest.
Somehow he reminds me of Kumble, now… now, I am not talking about bowling but temperament.
The jumbo knew his limitations; he knew that with quicker balls like his he won’t be able to get the desired turn other spinners did, so he perfected his line and length and in later stages of his career started experimenting on that.
547 wickets in Tests certainly proves the point that temperament matters the most in cricket.
And old Glenn is no exception to that…. hats of to him.
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