JOHANNESBURG, 24 March 2003 — Australia rewrote the record books yesterday when they defeated India by 125 runs with 10.4 overs to spare in a one-sided World Cup final at The Wanderers.
Ricky Ponting struck eight sixes in an explosive 140 not out as the defending champions raced to a record 359 for two from their 50 overs after unexpectedly being asked to bat by Saurav Ganguly.
Ponting’s score was the highest in a World Cup final, beating Viv Richards’ 138 not out against England in 1979.
The Australia total was the highest ever in eight finals, bettering their own 253 for five in 1987 and West Indies’ 291 for eight from 60 overs in the inaugural 1975 tournament.
It was also Australia’s biggest score ever in a One-Day International after 109 runs came from the last 10 overs.
In reply, India opener Virender Sehwag batted with immense confidence to reach 82 from 81 balls with three sixes and two fours before he was run out from a direct hit at the bowler’s end by Darren Lehmann.
But although India batted brightly throughout they also kept losing wickets regularly, succumbing for 234 from 39.2 overs.
They would have lost them faster if Australia’s fielding had been of its usual standard.
Brad Hogg and Ponting dropped fingertip chances and Damien Martyn spilled a high catch at midwicket off Yuvraj Singh, one of three lives granted to the young Indian.
Martyn, who had been cleared to play after fracturing his right index finger in the semifinal against Kenya last weekend, made amends later with a fine, diving catch at mid off, running backwards, to dismiss Dinesh Mongia for 12.
The match had been billed as a classic clash between Australia’s exciting young speedster Brett Lee and the India master Sachin Tendulkar.
Fittingly perhaps, in a match India will want to forget, the pair did not even meet. Tendulkar pulled the fourth ball of Glenn McGrath’s opening over for four, then tried an injudicious hook off the next.
The ball hit the splice of the bat and lobbed up on the leg side, where McGrath all but pushed his team mates out of the way in his eagerness to complete the caught and bowled.
In a bizarre twist, India were given a glimmer of hope when storm clouds gathered over Johannesburg and Sehwag and Ganguly began to bat with almost feverish haste.
Ganguly, calculating that quick runs on the board could possibly give India the match if the Duckworth-Lewis system for rain-shortened matches was called into operation, walked down the pitch to hit McGrath for a sliced six over point.
He raced to 24 from 25 balls before he was caught off Lee and Ponting, making similar calculations, called up left-arm spinners Brad Hogg and Darren Lehmann in an effort to complete the 25 overs necessary before a result could be declared.
A heavy rainstorm stopped play to the joy of the large India contingent, hoping against hope that play would be abandoned before 25 overs were bowled which would have meant the match being replayed today.
But the ground was soon bathed in bright sunshine and the match resumed after only 25 minutes. Australia got away to a flying start when a 10-ball opening over from a nervous Zaheer Khan went for 15. Adam Gilchrist raced to 57 from 48 balls as the 100 came up in only the 14th over and Ganguly was forced to turn to Harbhajan Singh as early as the 10th over.
The India off spinner, who made several deliveries jag away sharply from the two left-handers, responded with the wickets of Gilchrist, caught by Sehwag at midwicket and Matthew Hayden, caught behind for 37.
The quick-footed Ponting, whose team came into the match with a record winning streak of 16 in One-Day Internationals, was relatively subdued at the start, bringing up his half-century from 74 balls with just one four.
He immediately accelerated, hitting India’s most dangerous bowler Harbhajan for consecutive sixes over wide long on, the second flying out of the ground.
He then turned his attention to Ashish Nehra, hitting the left-arm paceman for six and taking another of left-arm spinner Mongia. Two more came off Zaheer Khan and another brace off Javagal Srinath, including one in the final over of the innings. In all, Ponting batted for 121 balls, striking four fours in addition to his eight sixes.
Almost unnoticed, Martyn stroked his way to an immaculate 88 not out with seven fours and a six in an unbroken partnership of 234, only three short of the World Cup record.
Australia exposed India’s lack of a fifth bowler, with Ponting and Martyn scoring at six an over without taking any risks against the gentle spin of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Mongia and Singh.
But the much vaunted India pace attack failed to make any impact, bowling too short and failing to exploit the early life in the pitch. Khan went for 67 from seven overs, Srinath 87 from 10 with Nehra, the pick of the bunch, 57 from 10.
Meanwhile, man of the match and Australia captain Ricky Ponting paid tribute to his teammates after retaining the World Cup against India, praising the squad’s resilience after a string of setbacks.
“We have been really tested throughout this World Cup, with our fair share of injuries and the Warney issue as well,” he said.
Australia, who beat India by 125 runs at The Wanderers, lost quick bowler Shane Watson before the tournament began as well as Jason Gillespie during the Cup, while leg spinner Shane Warne flew home before playing a match after failing a drugs test.
Several other players suffered injuries, including Damien Martyn who hit 88 not out in the final while playing with a broken finger.
“The guys that have come in, Andy Bichel and Andrew Symonds, have both had sensational World Cups,” Ponting added.
Meanwhile, India’s superstar Sachin Tendulkar was named the player of the World Cup even before his team crashed to a 125-run defeat to defending champions Australia in the final.
The 29-year-old ensured the honor would be his after taking an unassailable lead in the voting system by which the match referee for each of the 52 games awarded three points for the best player, two for the second and one for the third.
Tendulkar, who ended with a record 673 runs in this tournament, secured 14 points, four more than his own captain Saurav Ganguly and five more than Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas. Tendulkar was awarded a gold trophy worth 500,000 rand ($62,500) in a post-match ceremony by the legendary West Indian Garfield Sobers, widely acclaimed as the best cricketer ever.
“It’s an honor to be named the best player of the World Cup, but I would have been happier if India had won the title,” he said.
“It was just one of those off days when nothing went right for us. We had a bad start and the pressure kept building.”
Tendulkar, a multimillionaire, also won three gold watches in the tournament which were awarded for the man of the match.
