BOMBAY, 26 March 2003 — The Indian cricket team returned home yesterday to a grand welcome despite their 125-run defeat by Australia in the World Cup final in Johannesburg. Thousands of cricket-crazy fans, who normally slam the team after any loss and often vent their anger with street demonstrations, flocked instead to Bombay airport early in the morning waving national flags and chanting, “Long live India.”
The loudest cheers were reserved for local hero Sachin Tendulkar, who was voted Man of the Tournament after scoring 673 runs in 11 matches. “Our team gave a tremendous performance and has done the country proud,” Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told reporters.
“They played to their full potential and entered the final in a majestic way. Yes, we haven’t won but on that day probably Australia were the better team on the field.” India won nine of their 11 matches in the tournament, including a celebrated victory over arch-rivals Pakistan. “We’re definitely disappointed,” captain Saurav Ganguly said. “But we’re happy we have played well overall in the tournament.”
“The team has given us a lot of good memories from this World Cup. They may not have won, but they played like champions,” said Bombay cricket fan Anurag Saxena. India next play a tri-nation tournament involving South Africa and hosts Bangladesh in April.
Ponting Pays Tribute
to Depth of Squad
In Perth, Australia, Ricky Ponting said he was not surprised at the way his Australia team steamrollered through the cricket World Cup. Australia ended the competition unbeaten after crushing India by 125 runs in Sunday’s final in Johannesburg.
“I thought we could (go undefeated),” Ponting told reporters at Perth airport yesterday. “I thought we had the talent. (Fast bowler) Glenn McGrath told everybody we would go through undefeated, I think. So it’s nice to have done that now... We played some great cricket through this campaign.” An estimated crowd of 7,000 people welcomed the team home at a public reception in the Western Australia capital.
Ponting’s vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, a Western Australian, told the noisy crowd: “Our coach John Buchanan has already (been) saying that he thinks we can improve so we’re interested to know where.”
The World Cup victory was not only Australia’s second in a row and a record third in total — they won it in 1987 and 1999 — but also extended the side’s record winning streak to 17 one-day games.
Ponting said a match-winning 143 not out from fringe player Andrew Symonds in Australia’s Group A opener against Pakistan on Feb. 11 underlined the squad’s depth. Gilchrist also paid tribute to Symonds and said the Queenslander’s century was the turning point for Australia who had been struggling at 86 for four batting first. “The talent that we’ve got in this side, it certainly makes my job a fair bit easier,” said Ponting, who hit 140 not out in the final. “Whenever we were tested...one of this bunch put their hand up and made sure that we got over the line.” Gilchrist, who smashed a brisk 57 in the final, said Australia’s path to glory in 2003 was smoother than four years ago under Steve Waugh. “We were under fire right from the beginning and every game was do-or-die really (in 1999),” he told reporters.
Sharjah Tournament
May Move to Sri Lanka
Organizers of a triangular one-day tournament are in discussions to move the venue from Sharjah to Colombo after South Africa pulled out of the event because of safety concerns.
The South Africans withdrew on Monday following the outbreak of war in Iraq. They had been scheduled to play in the competition with Pakistan and Sri Lanka from April 1 to 10. Sri Lanka’s team manager Ajith Jayasekera said in Colombo he had been told the tournament had been canceled but officials in Sharjah are trying to move the venue to Sri Lanka.
“At the moment we are negotiating with the United Cricket Board of South Africa and if they agree to play in Colombo on the same dates, we can stage our event in Sri Lanka,” Qasim Noorani, president of the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series, said. “Since South Africa are traveling to Bangladesh to play a three-nation tournament there, I don’t think it will be possible for them to change the dates, but still we are open to all options.
Bangladesh Captain Mashud
Wants to Step Down
In Dhaka, Bangladesh cricket captain Khaled Mashud wants to step down from the job, family sources said yesterday. “In a letter despatched to the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday, Mashud desired to step down as the captain of the national team,” one family source told Reuters.
