Sport | Cricket
Team effort sees Sri Lanka and Aussies win
The Australians maintained their dominance over the West Indians in the one-day series, while the Sri Lankans did likewise in the Asia Cup.
- By Sunil Gavaskar, Special to Gulf News
- Published: 00:08 July 14, 2008
The Australians maintained their dominance over the West Indians in the one-day series, while the Sri Lankans did likewise in the Asia Cup.
Much as the West Indians and Indians tried, they fell well short of the finishing post, thanks to a splendid team effort.
Chris Gayle and his men matched the Australians stroke-for-stroke in the penultimate encounter of the one-day series.
It did seem at one stage that the West Indies were poised to register a consolation win, after losing the first three games of the five-match series.
However, the resilience and professionalism of the Australians prevailed, and they hung on by one run.
The performance of the world champions ought to be an eye-opener for budding cricketers all over the world, in that every game should be treated as if it is the last you will ever play in your life.
It is this attribute that has enabled the Australians to win three consecutive World Cups.
The West Indies, who ruled world cricket before the Australians did, were thoroughly demoralised after the defeat, and it showed in the final game of the series.
The Aussies blasted their way to 341-8, and the hosts then caved in for 172, with Mitchell Johnson taking five wickets.
Johnson had the advantage of bowling against a dispirited side, which had a monumental target to achieve.
Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis did not have these safeguards when his skipper tossed him the ball at a crucial stage of the Asia Cup final.
India were 76-1 at the end of the ninth over, and given the way they had batted in their previous game against the same team, a win seemed imminent.
But the Indian batsmen had no answer to the varying questions posed by Mendis.
Fighting score
The enormity of what he achieved be gauged by the fact that bowlers, quick and slow, had been slaughtered on the same pitches in the earlier stages of the competition.
Put in to bat, Sri Lanka amassed a fighting score, thanks to that man Jayasuriya.
Unfortunately for the Indians, not one batsman put his hand up to essay a Jayasuriya-like innings in the final.
Mendis was splendid, and it will be interesting to see how the experienced heads in India's Test middle-order play him in the forthcoming Test series.
Jayasuriya and Mendis accumulated eight points each in the past seven days. That makes them the International Cricketers of the Week.
Share this article
More from Cricket
More from Sport
Popular in Sport
-
Sport
A round with Pacquiao
In the ring with Manny Pacquiao to see what makes this boxer tick
Sport Editor's choice
-
'We'll play like world champions'
Afridi confident Pakistan can win against New Zealand in Twenty20 matches
-
Underdog Cotto exudes confidence
Puerto Rican ready for speedy Pacquiao in Saturday's welterweight bout
-
Excitement building ahead of qualifier
There is nothing bigger than this, team's captain Nelsen says ahead of Saturday's sellout playoff against Bahrain
