The status quo; yet another final for Australia. Efficient, yet brutal without being over-spectacular, captain Ricky Ponting constantly is a man who looks as though he wants to put a million wrongs right. The hoodoo; New Zealand's semi final jinx, reaching a final in relative comfort, utilising teamwork and common sense to great effect, needed when a team is not filled with stat-busting superstars.
Group Stage Review
The format was strangely sensible and streamlined for the ICC, maybe they have finally learned their lesson after the prolonged and drawn-out 2007 World Cup. Two groups of four, top two qualifying to the semi-finals, and no room for the likes of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe or Ireland to either create a shock or provide easy points for the established nations. All completed within a couple of weeks by the party loving yet constantly disappointed cricket nation that is South Africa.
One team that could have dragged the tournament into the less than brilliant stakes was West Indies. With the big guns all missing due to a painful, bitter strike, a group of journeymen, youngsters and no-hopers nevertheless did their best to be competitive. Australia's Mitchell Johnson soon put paid to that with his counter-attacking batting, whilst the Windies house of cards batting collapses left them pointless, though not without the spirited, aggressive bowling of Tonge and Roach.
No Indian Summer
An over-hyped and over-paid Indian team did not over-perform. Losing Yuraj Singh through injury was a blow, losing to rivals Pakistan was even more a bitter pill to swallow. As they were getting a pasting from Ponting and Hussey, the rain intervened, and curtailed any chance of an Indian fightback. A consolation win over the depleted West Indies will not mask another tournament of under-achievement.
Hosts South Africa leave early
The biggest surprise of the tournament was in the unlikely form of England, whose power and gung-ho batting belied their under-achieving status, especially after a 6-1 thrashing on home soil by Australia. First they despatched well fancied Sri Lanka after an early wicket taking blitz by Anderson and Onions, and then Morgan, Collingwood and Shah put the South African bowling to the sword, their later defeat by a rising New Zealand irritating but not matting a jot.
Cramped, moody and with a distinct of sour grapes in his mouth, Proteas captain Graeme Smith is once again left with attempting to shake off his team's tag of "chokers," a label that they has stuck since the 1992 World Cup semis when they lost in heartbreaking fashion to England. Losing to England is a blip, but losing to England and Sri Lanka is unforgivable for a country whose expectations are huge.
Champions Trophy Semis
So to the semis, where Australia's dominance over the old enemy in 50/50 continued. England's top order batted like they were on speed, attempting to score at break neck speed. Tim Bresnan though similar to Andrew Flintoff in build, shows he can bat a little like him, scoring 80 off 76 balls, something to put on Twitter perhaps. Luke Wright played within himself with 48, and with calm restored, a score of 257 was reasonable and competitive.
The Australian response was brutal. Old hands Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting scrapped, intimidated and bullied the English bowling into submission. An unbeaten stand of 252 with both notching centuries saw the Aussie cruise home, English captain Andrew Strauss left to ponder what was another uneven tournament for England.
Black Caps
New Zealand beat the enigmatic Pakistani's with their workmanlike bowling sealing the match early on. Like England, Pakistan attempted to play too many shots at The Wanderers. Their score of 233 was never likely to be enough, despite good hands from Mohammad Yousuf with 45 and Umar Akmal with 55. The unheralded Iain Butler took four wickets, captain Daniel Vettori three as the honest seam and accurate spin halted any Pakistani run charge that might have materialised.
The Black Cap's top order missed the explosion of the jolly Jessie Ryder and with Brendon McCullum also dismissed early, 126-4 was an uncomfortable scoreline. Grant Elliott is not a player who will immediately draw comparisions with the great Kiwi legend Richard Hadlee, but he is turning into a genuine contender for player of the tournament, after his bowling spell against England.
His composed 75 not out saw the Kiwi's over the line, atypically Vettori's 41 off 42 balls was a sign of an captain on top form, inspiring his under-rated team in the process. If Mitchell Johnson took the ICC plaudits, and Andrew Strauss the favourable column inches in the press, then surely Vettori is a genuine contender for one of the leading all-rounders in the world?
Antipodean Centurion Final
The final on October 5th sees a clash in styles; one team brushing aside all-comers through brute force and gusto, the other using every bit of talent in their bodies to force out determined wins. All signs though point out to another Australian tournament win, their big final experience, some explosive big names, and their ruthless, cold, efficient batting.
However New Zealand will pounce on any sloppiness, and as Pakistan almost proved, Australian are prone to the occasional batting collapse, and leak runs when the pressure is on. Tomorrow at Centurion will show us who will win the second ranking tournament in 50/50 international cricket, although the cricket world may be rooting for the underdogs on this occasion.
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