The 2003 World Cup got off to a shaky start. Even before a ball was bowled in earnest, there were controversies galore. Firstly of course, the impasse between the Indian players, BCCI and the ICC regarding certain clauses in the Player Terms Agreement, then the Lankan players had a standoff with their board over increased share in the revenue to the BCCSL from the World Cup. Then England, inspite of knowing over one year in advance that they had a match to be played in Zimbabwe, started to ask for a rescheduling of that game just a fortnight before the World Cup began.

New Zealand, who have been very close to some terrorist action when they have been in the subcontinent, also pulled out of playing in Kenya and to top it all, a day before the eventual champions Australia could begin the defense of the title they won in 1999, Shane Warne, their star player was sent back after failing a drug test for a tablet he had taken in Australia about three weeks earlier. It was the kind of scenario that would have taken years off the lifetime of any administrator, especially those handling a mega-event like the World Cup.

South Africa is also bidding for the Soccer World Cup in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012 and so are very keen to impress the world with their organizing ability.

The first match of the cup though made up for all the controversies as in a nail-biting finish, the hosts South Africa lost to a resurgent West Indies team by just three runs.

There were some fine contests thereafter in the tournament but none to match the quality of cricket and excitement of that opening game. It was a good World Cup for some non-Test teams like Kenya and Canada while a Test team like Bangladesh was a total disappointment and their performance did raise more than a few questions about how and why they were given Test status.

Teams in the past who were given Test status have lost in the initial years but seldom looked as hopeless as Bangladesh have done since they got Test ranking. Namibia and Holland too provided the odd spark but did not have the finishing power and experience to win.

West Indies were perhaps the unluckiest team in the tournament as their match against Bangladesh was rained off and they had to share points with them. Though their bowling still lacks penetration, in Vasbert Drakes they have found a bowler who knows what is required. South Africa buckled under the pressure of the huge expectations from their supporters and floundered very badly leading to perhaps a premature change in captaincy.

There was no way though for a Pakistani captain to escape the axe after the team not only failed to get past the first round but more importantly lost to arch-rivals India. Not only Waqar but other senior players also found themselves out of the squad.

New Zealand played good cricket till their defeat by Australia in the Super Six stage, after which they lost badly to India too and ended their campaign with a whimper. The Sri Lankans too had an indifferent World Cup with their middle-order not contributing much, excepting the classy Aravinda De Silva, and apart from Vaas and Muralitharan, they did not have a bowler who could trouble the opposition on the good pitches in South Africa.

The final was between the two best teams in the tournament. India did wonderfully well to pick themselves up after the drubbing they received from Australia, and the manner in which they won the rest of their matches did give rise to the hope that they would be able to pip the champion in the final. Unfortunately, the occasion got to their bowlers who had bowled superbly till then and the match was lost even before the shine was off the ball.

The Australian captain played one of the great one-day innings in the game and was well supported by the injured Damien Martyn. Then the wily old war-horse Glenn McGrath tempted India’s hope Tendulkar into going for a pull shot before he was set, and once the little champion was gone, so were India’s chances. Sehwag capitalized on the spinners being brought on early when rain threatened, but the only way India was going to win after Australia put up that mammoth total was through the D/L method if rain curtailed their innings. That did not happen and Australia showed just why they are the champions with their consistent awesome play. They did not lose a single game and are the undisputed champions of the world.