

World Cup 2015 – India vs South Africa, Melbourne Cricket Ground

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This article is written by Ahmed Uzair and Mohd Abdullah

The prospect of being world champions, the quest to ultimate glory, heavy expectations, cut-throat competition, and the massive preparations! Nothing brings the best out of teams than the Cricket World Cup. No wonder then, that often red hot favorites flatter to deceive and underdogs end up punching above their weight. The pressure of bringing the world cup home is so significant, that teams start preparing for the next edition as soon as the World Cup is completed. The defending champions try to improve on whatever areas they felt like they were lagging, while those teams which did not manage to get their hands on the cup work on creating a stronger, balanced, and better-equipped team. Out of the many nations competing in the group stage, a handful qualify for the knockouts. However, often the teams considered as favorites end up taking a toll on their performance in the knockouts owing to the pressure. They might have been dominant in the group stages, but end up being knocked out in the knockout stages. However, in the end a face-off between the two best and most consistent teams, decides as to which team will lay their hands on cricket’s ultimate quest to glory.

Bilateral rivalries like the India-Pakistan and Australia-England aside, it’s the finals which often produce high voltage contests between the teams. Fans look up to their teams to give their best shot at the finals. However, often the prospect of being world champions combined with the heavy expectation from fans and critics alike, end up being too much for a team. This often leads to single-sided and sloppy contests in the final. Here in the first part of the article we try to rank the cricket world cup finals based on the competitiveness of the match.

12. 1999 ICC World Cup Final (Aus vs Pak)

The 1999 edition, hosted in England and Wales for the first time since 1983, was the first World Cup to be held without a title sponsor. Australia and Pakistan reached the Final held at Lord’s. Pakistan topped in the group stage and Super Six, and had a comfortable 9-wicket win against New Zealand, courtesy Saeed Anwar’s 113* in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Australia was placed second in both group stage and Super Six and had one hell of a semi-final with South Africa, which ended in a tie and the Aussies qualified only due to their higher position in Super Six. Both teams had won the World Cup before, in 1992 and 1987 respectively, and were hoping to double their tally.

The group stage encounter of Australia and Pakistan saw Pakistan sneaking a victory by a total of 10 runs, all thanks to Wasim Akram’s death bowling heroics. Unlike the group stage encounter however, the final was a very disappointing affair. At the final, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to set a big total. But, their batting succumbed to the Aussies’ bowling attack. Shane Warne who got a 4-wicket haul was the destroyer-in-chief as Pakistan were bundled out for 132, the top scorer being Ijaz Ahmed scoring 22. Australia chased the total without breaking any sweat, in just 20 overs for the loss of 2 wickets.

Why we placed it the lowest: The target Australia was given is the lowest ever in World Cup finals. The Pakistani side didn’t show any type of resistance to the Aussie bowling and batting prowess. The one-sided nature of this match is the reason why we have placed this match at the bottom position.

11. 2015 ICC World Cup Final (Aus vs NZ)

The 2015 Cricket World Cup Final took place at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground on 29th March, 2015, with a record spectator count of 93,013! New Zealand came into the final on the back of a dominating tournament as they won all six of their Pool A games. They defeated West Indies by 143 runs in the quarter-final, progressing to the semi-finals where they clashed with South Africa. Both the teams had never qualified for a world cup final before this match. However, in what can be termed as one of the most emotional moments in World Cup history, skipper AB De Villiers and South Africa were left heartbroken as New Zealand clinched the game at Eden Park, Auckland by four wickets. In a rain-curtailed game, Grant Elliott hit a six off the penultimate ball to steer New Zealand to their maiden world cup final appearance. Australia too were high on confidence throughout their tourney, losing only a single match in the group stage against the Kiwis.

New Zealand’s maiden final appearance however was a heart-wrenching affair for the Kiwis as Australia won the match one-sided. New Zealand’s batting performance in the final was in stark contrast with their performance throughout the tournament. New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum opted to bat after winning the toss. However, the skipper was cleaned up on the fifth ball of the first over by Mitchell Starc. Martin Guptill, the top scorer of the tournament, failed to make an impact in the final as he was bowled by Maxwell in the 11th over. Kane Williamson fell victim to Mitchell Johnson soon. Halfway through their innings the Kiwis were struggling at 93 for the loss of three wickets. However, a gutsy stand between Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott, who scored an 83 of 82, meant New Zealand managed to get to a below-par total of 183 in 45 overs as Australia bowled them all out.

Australia on their part had a shaky start too, as Trent Boult bowled Australian opener, Aaron Finch, for a duck in the second over. David Warner then joined hands with Steve Smith and the duo lasted for a few overs until Warner was dismissed for 45 in the 12th over. Australia were 63 for the loss of two wickets at this stage. It seemed like the Kiwis were trying to apply some pressure. However, the then Australian skipper, Michael Clarke joined Steve Smith in a 112-run partnership for the 3rd wicket, scoring a fluent 74 off 72, thus shutting all doors for New Zealand to a maiden WC victory. By the time he was dismissed Australia needed 9 runs in 113 deliveries. Steve Smith hit the winning shot of Matt Henry on the 1st ball of 34th over to seal the match by seven wickets as Australia clinched a record 5th WC win. Later on, the Aussie skipper dedicated the victory to Phillip Hughes, the Australian cricketer who had died the previous November after he was hit by a bouncer.

Why we placed it here: Although this match was a historic moment for both the finalists since Australia recorded their 5th world cup triumph and New Zealand made it to the finals for the first time in the world cup, the way New Zealand succumbed to the pressure of a final match and submitted themselves to the might of the Aussies was the biggest factor for this match being ranked so low.

10. 2003 ICC World Cup Final (Aus vs Ind)

Another world cup final won by the Aussies with firm authority. They just have the habit of winning World Cups! In this edition, Australia and India qualified for the finals with Australia winning all their matches of the Group Stage and Super 8, while India only losing the match against the same opponent in the group stage where they were thrashed by 9 wickets after getting bowled out for 124, courtesy Jason Gillespie’s 3-13 in 10 overs.

India came into the final after beating Kenya by 91 runs. Their batsmen were in peak form, with Sachin Tendulkar being the highest run-scorer of the tournament with 669 runs. Meanwhile, Australia too were at their peak, after winning all their league games and defeating Sri Lanka by 48 runs (D/L method). In the final, the Men in Blue were looking to not repeat the mistakes they made in the Group Stage match against their rival. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. In the final, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly won the toss but elected to field first, a move which met the ire of critics. In the first innings, Adam Gilchrist wreaked havoc on the Indian bowling attack in the opening overs, giving Australia a flying start. After India managed to get the openers out, they faced Ricky Ponting whose ‘spring bat’ further pushed the Indian side away from the trophy. Australia finished scoring 359/2, the highest ever first innings score in a World Cup final to this day. Chasing such a big total was an appalling task, and India’s big guns succumbed to the pressure, with Sachin Tendulkar falling at 4, Ganguly managing to score 24, and Mohammad Kaif getting out on a duck. India looked to be done and dusted. However, Virender Sehwag joined hands with Rahul Dravid for a partnership even as the duo tried to keep the run rate above six. But, with Sehwag getting out on 82 with India at 147, all hopes were lost. India were bundled out for 234 and the Aussies completed their World Cup treble with a massive 125 run victory even as India were left heartbroken.

Why we ranked it here: The final was shaping up to be a memorable one, but once the match began, it became yet another tale of one-sided World Cup finals and Australia’s dominance in the tournament. India were not at all in contention right from the beginning of the match as their bowling attack was blown apart by the Aussies.

9. 2007 ICC World Cup Final (Aus vs SL)

Aussie fans, don’t be mad at us! We know that all the bottom 4 finals of our list were won by Australia. It’s no secret that Australia dominates their opponent not only in the finals but throughout the tournament. However, this list is based on the competitiveness of the final match. Hence, Australia being involved in the bottom-ranked matches is a testament to the fact that they are very dominant in the finals. That justifies the fact that they have 5 World Cup wins. Coming back to the 2007 WC, the final was a repeat of the 1996 edition, with Sri Lanka and Australia qualifying for the final. Both teams had a comfortable run in their road to the final, with Australia winning all their group stage and Super 8 matches, and the table in both rounds, while Sri Lanka finished second in the Super 8 with 10 points. In the semi-finals, both teams had an easy win, with Australia defeating South Africa by 7 wickets after bowling them out to a paltry 149, while Sri Lanka defeated New Zealand by 81 runs. Sri Lanka looked to emulate their performance of the 1996 WC final, while Australia were hoping to get a hat-trick of World Cups.

Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2007 Cricket World Cup final

In their previous encounter in the Super 8, the unbeaten 106 run partnership between Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds had helped Australia to easily defeat Sri Lanka by 7 wickets. However, unlike the previous 3 final match encounters involving Australia, where the Aussies had completely demolished their opponents, both teams got a feeling of deja vu of 2003 WC semis as rain again played its part here. Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. However, rain interrupted the play and the match was reduced to 38 overs. When the match started, the Aussies dominated like they did in the previous two World Cups. With the help of Adam Gilchrist’s 149 off 104 monstrous innings- the highest individual score in a World Cup final to this day- which included 8 sixes, Australia ended up making 281 runs. Again rain interrupted and thus the target was reduced to 269 runs while the overs were reduced to 36. Though Sri Lanka kept their run rate above 6 for quite a good time, the pitch and the dark skies proved to be their nemesis as they lost by 51 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis system. Australia got the hat-trick of the World Cups they truly deserved.

Why we placed it here: The only final in World Cup history to be decided using the Duckworth-Lewis System and not to mention, the controversy in the final 3 overs when the play was stopped due to bad light and then continued in such dim conditions that there was nothing visible from the stump cam, are the primary reasons for this ranking.

8. 1979 Prudential Cup Final (WI vs Eng)

The final match for the 2nd edition of the cricket world cup was held at Lord’s and it saw West Indies locking horns with England. This was the 2nd time that the final was organized at Lord’s and West Indies were making their appearance in the final as the defending champions. They had won the inaugural cricket world cup held in 1975 at the same venue. England won the toss and elected to field first. The Windies were off to a shaky start as they lost four wickets by the time they reached a total of 100. However, another Vivian Richards special (138 of 157 deliveries, 11 fours and 3 sixes) ably supported by Collis King’s explosive innings (86 of 66 deliveries, 10 fours and 3 sixes) helped Windies reach a formidable total of 286 for the loss of 10 wickets in 60 overs.

In response, the English openers got off to a very slow start. Their partnership yielded 128 runs albeit in 38 overs. By the time the openers were dismissed, the required rate had soared very high. Graham Gooch’s fireworks en route his 32 run cameo took England to 183/2. However, his wicket saw one of the worst collapses in history as England succumbed to 194 all out in 51 overs, losing eight wickets for just 11 runs! Vivian Richards was declared the man of the match as the West Indies successfully defended their world cup champions tag, thus winning back to back titles.

Why we ranked it here: The lackluster batting performance by the English openers put too much pressure on the England team, which in turn meant England were never in the hunt for a victory in the final. This led to the match being won by the Windies single-sided. The lack of intent from the England team, especially the openers made this match look like an innings from a five-day Test match. The result was a crushing defeat for England, wherein they also recorded the worst collapses of all time in the world cup losing 8 wickets for just 11 runs. Hence, keeping all these factors in mind this match has been ranked eighth on our list.

7. 1996 Wills World Cup Final (SL vs Aus)

Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore , 1996 Wills World Cup Final

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Underdogs Sri Lanka met the ever dominant and ruthless Aussies at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore for the final match of the sixth installment of the cricket world cup in 1996. Sri Lanka came to the final on the back of a very successful tournament with victories over teams like India, England, and the Windies. They finished at the top of the table in group A, ahead of the Australians. Naturally they were high on confidence as they entered the final quest to glory. The Aussies, on the other hand were known for their dominance in international tournaments, especially the knockouts.

Sri Lankan captain, Arjuna Ranatunga sent Australia to bat after winning the toss. Captain Mark Taylor and the young and emerging stalwart Ponting provided Australia with a strong start. However, the middle order could not capitalize much on it, as Australia fell from 137/1 to 170/5. The spin bowling attacked tightened its grasp, as Australia crawled to 241/7 in the allotted 50 overs. The Lankans had an equally shaky start as they saw both their openers falling cheaply. At 23/2 Sri Lanka desperately needed a partnership. The Sri Lankan batting sensation, Aravinda de Silva came to the rescue again with an unbeaten match-winning knock of 107 of 124 deliveries. He was ably assisted by Gurusinha (65 of 99) and captain Ranatunga (47 of 37). Sri Lanka created history by defeating Australia and winning their maiden World Cup title in Lahore. Even as the world watched in disbelief, the Lankans had conquered the quest for ultimate glory!

Why we ranked it here: This match was in stark contrast with Australia’s previous encounters, as not only did the Lankans compete with the Aussies, but they also managed to win the match, a result which shocked fans and critics across the globe equally. No one had imagined that the ever mighty and dominant Australians would end up on the losing side against the Sri Lankans.

So that’s a wrap of part 1 of final match rankings. Stay tuned for the top 6 final match rankings (to be released soon). Let us know how you feel about our rankings and what should the rankings according to you be (if not ours) in the comments section.