Cricket almost at its best

ON THE BOUNDARY, Tony Becca

Whoever said that cricket was dead, or near to dying, must be crazy, or near crazy: cricket is alive, very much alive and happily so.

I have always said that nothing is wrong with cricket; that cricket cannot cure, or that good and great cricketers cannot cure. The recent World Cup of cricket, just like the Ashes series and the India-South Africa Test series before it, proved it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

The only thing the World Cup lacked was the test of Test cricket, the special skill, the mental and physical strength, things which, according to the cricketers themselves, provide cricket's ultimate test.

World Cup 2011 surpassed the other World Cups in almost everything else, and especially so, World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

It surpassed World Cup 2007 because the people were allowed to express themselves because, with flags flying, drums beating and dancing everywhere, they enjoyed themselves more, because the cost of watching was far less expensive, because the players, it seemed, were better prepared and probably because, for the first time ever, the home team was one of the favourites and won the Cup.

From the first match when India made 370 for four and Bangladesh replied with 283 for nine, and from the second when New Zealand crushed Kenya for 69 and replied with 72 without loss, the stage was set.

It will take a long time for the fans to forget the surprises, including Ireland's victory over England and the near miraculous run chase.

Needing 328 for victory, they were tottering at 111 for five when Kevin O'Brien entered and blasted the fastest century in the tournament's history.

Another which they will long remember is the deadly assault of Ross Taylor against Pakistan - 131 not out off 124 deliveries, with eight fours and seven sixes, with 28 runs coming off one over, his last in the tournament, from fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, one of the fastest bowlers of all time.

It will take a long time also to forget the crippling collapses, including those of the West Indies, 222 for six chasing England's 243, before losing four wickets for three runs; and 154 for two hunting 268 made by India, before losing eight wickets for 34 runs.

There were also those by India.

Batting first and sitting pretty on 267 for one, India lost nine wickets for 29 in nine overs in losing to South Africa with two deliveries to spare; and riding high on 305 for three against England, they lost seven wickets for 33 runs, an experience only excused because the match ended in an exciting tie with one delivery to spare.

In that match, India scored 338 off 49.5 overs and England 338 for eight off 50 overs.

Pace and accuracy

And when it comes to the bowling, who will ever forget the pace and accuracy of Kemar Roach and Lasith Malinga during their hat-trick performance against the Netherlands and Kenya, respectively, the swing bowling of Munaf Patel and the leg-pin-googly bowling of Shahid Afridi.

Lest it be forgotten, in a World Cup which produced the most runs, 5.13 per over, in the history of the tournament, there was one tight match, a match which reminded more of Test match cricket than one-day cricket. It was England versus South Africa when South Africa reduced England to three wickets for 15 runs before dismissing them for 171 and England, after South Africa looked safe at 124, removed them for 165.

With Pakistan up against the West Indies and winning with 10 wickets in hand; Australia up against India and winning with five wickets in hand; New Zealand up against favourites South Africa and surprisingly winning by 49 runs; with England up against Sri Lanka and losing by 10 wickets, with Sri Lanka with 231 without loss; with India beating Pakistan by 29 runs; and Sri Lanka doing likewise to New Zealand with five wickets in hand, the quarter-finals and semi-finals may not appear as exciting or as competitive as the action-packed preliminary round.

Whatever the quarter-finals and the semi-finals lacked, however, if indeed they lacked anything, World Cup 2011 made up for it with a final to remember.

In the World Cup showdown, Mahela Jayawardene paraded his skill in a splendid innings of 103 not out of 88 deliveries to lead Sri Lanka to 274 for six - what seemed a winning total - or rather, to a total the likes of which had not lost a World Cup final previously.

When Malinga, bowling in the night under the floodlights, removed Virender Sehwag second ball at zero for one and then star batsman Sachin Tendulkar for 18 at 31 for two, the Wankhede Stadium was as quiet as a graveyard.

That was until the home team paraded their much-vaunted batting aggregation and a confident, but careful Gautam Gambhir turned up with 97 off 122 deliveries, a watchful Virat Kohli chipped in with 35, Man of the Match, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, delivered a ferocious 91 off 79 deliveries, and with Dhoni smashing fast bowler Numan Kalusekara for a straight six to win the match, Yuvraj Singh, the Man of the Tournament, saw them to victory with a polished innings of 21 not out off 24 deliveries.

The 2011 World Cup, every day of it, almost every match in it, was a wonderful advertisement of everything, almost everything, that is good about cricket.