Australia beat New Zealand to lift Champions Trophy
CENTURION: Australia were crowned the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy winner after Shane Watson’s unbeaten century guided the defending champions to a
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six-wicket victory over a depleted New Zealand in the low-scoring final match on Monday.
Watson hit an unbeaten 129-ball 105 (10X4, 4X6) and starred in a 128-run stand with Cameron White (62) under tremendous pressure as Australia, chasing 201 against New Zealand’s never-say-die pacers, overcame a wobbly start to reach 206/4 in 45.2 overs.
Earlier, a rudderless New Zealand, sans their injured skipper Daniel Vettori, fumbled and faltered their way to 200/9.
The Kiwis had just two decent partnerships in their innings but Martin Guptill (40) and Aaron Redmond (26) took 15.1 overs to raise 61 runs for the second wicket, while Neil Broom (37) and James Franklin (33) added 65 in 14.1 overs, which underlined their struggle in the middle.
For Australia, Nathan Hauritz claimed 3/37.
Considering Australia’s batting might, the match seemed to have all the ingredients of a lop-sided show but Shane Bond and Kyle Mills injected drama by dealing early blows that jolted Australia out of any complacency they had.
Shane Bond’s second delivery removed Tim Paine (1) and Mills then trapped in-form Ricky Ponting (1) in the next over to reduce Australia to six for two wickets inside three overs.
And New Zealand pacers maintained the same pressure as Australia crawled to 34/2 after 15 overs, an austerity they are not accustomed to.
Watson and White did not panic and ran hard between wickets, while helping themselves to the occasional boundary. The duo paced the chase with utmost maturity, first weathering the crisis and then opening up.
Mills eventually returned to remove White but the stand had yielded 128 precious runs by then and even Michael Hussey’s (11) wicket came too late as Australia had pocketed the match by then.
Watson wrapped it up in style, hitting two successive sixes to romp home.
Earlier, Vettori’s last minute pullout with a hamstring injury was just the start of New Zealand’s woes and they never got going after opting to bat first at the SuperSport Park.
As if losing Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey and Jesse Ryder at different stages of the tournament was not bad enough, the Kiwis walked out in the middle without their inspirational captain and man-in-form Vettori.
This was a mighty blow for the Kiwis as Vettori was New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with seven scalps under his belt besides leading their batting averages.
In his absence, Brendon McCullum took over the captaincy reins and Jeetan Patel was drafted in the playing XI but New Zealand were clearly not the same force.
McCullum opted to bat first but to his horror, by the time the match was into its 27th over, the Kiwi top order was cooling their heels in the hut.
McCullum himself let the team down when it mattered most.
Not a single run came off the bat in the first two overs as McCullum scratched around before returning for a duck when Peter Siddle ended his 14-ball struggle to get off the mark.
Life was not easy for Guptill and Redmond either with the Australian pacers maintaining a stifling line and length and their fielders ensuring there were no freebies.
Guptill hit Mitchell Johnson for two fours in the same over in a rare moment of aggression but it took him and Redmond 15.1 overs to raise those 61 runs before they were hit by the next setback with Nathan Hauritz getting a distinctly uncomfortable Redmond stumped.
Situation demanded patience and Guptill had got the start as well but the Kiwi batsman made a complete mess of it, offering a tame return catch to Hauritz to leave his team tottering at 77/3 and the crisis was not over yet.
Michael Hussey took a blinder off Johnson to remove Ross Taylor (6) in the next over and then Brett Lee trapped in-form Grant Elliot (9) to polish off the Kiwi top half.
Broom and Franklin tried to put things in order but both perished just when they had started to open up and New Zealand barely managed the 200-mark.
Source : TIMES OF INDIA
Australia set to tame underdogs New Zealand
It’s not often that you have opposing captains agree on something on the eve of a big final. But in Johannesburg, Ricky Ponting and Daniel Vettori were clear about one thing: This is the best edition of the Champions Trophy they had played in.
“It’s been an excellent tournament, the best and most enjoyable Champions Trophy I’ve played in. To have the best eight teams, over a shorter period of time… People in this country and all over the world have enjoyed the one-day cricket played over the last couple of weeks,” said ponting. “These events are about showcasing the game, and the ICC and the players have done a terrific job of making this tournament a spectacle for the 50-over game.”
“I’ve said all along that every game has mattered, and that is the most important thing,” explained Vettori. “The reason people were getting tired of the one-day game was that there were a lot of irrelevant games, and that hasn’t happened here.”
If every game has mattered, then the one that matters the most is upon us. While the Australia-New Zealand rivalry does not have the sentimentality and jingoism that surrounds an India-Pakistan encounter, the trans-Tasman rivalry is one that has plenty of history.
In their own corner of the world, the two island nations have been at it in an idiosyncratic manner. While New Zealand have a small pool of talent to choose from, they have never been short on will. Australia, a land that celebrates the great outdoors, has always prided itself on its sporting achievements.
While New Zealand have had more than their fair share of injury troubles, they have found a way to win games, their effort against Pakistan being a case in point. Australia have gone from strength to strength, being unbeaten so far. Either way, the tournament is ready to crown its first repeat winner, providing the rains that have hung ominously around stay away.
In a way, New Zealand’s journey has mirrored the unflagging nature of their industrious and hard working captain. Daniel Vettori has not just been the driving force behind the bowling, but has promoted himself up the order to take the game by the horns with his batting when required. Now he stands one match away from glory and the man in his way is another inspirational leader.
While Ricky Ponting has not nurtured the kind of aura and sophistication Steve Waugh had, he has undeniably led from the front with his batting, saving the best for the big games. Whether he can stretch his dominance one more game, or submit to the law of averages, could well decide how Monday’s final pans out.
Source : HT
Australia eyes successive final in Champions Trophy
A team that simply refuses to lose comes up against one that has devised novel ways of courting failure in big tournaments, in the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy when Australia take on England at SuperSport Park on Friday.
While Australia have been stretched more than most expected — West Indies gave them a fright early on and they took all of 50 overs to chase down a modest total against Pakistan — England have surprised with a couple of clinical performances.
As Andrew Strauss has pointed out, England are very good when they get their act together. The problem is that when this does not happen, they are barely competitive.
If you wanted an insight into just how much these global events mean to the Australian team, look no further than their most recent match. Even as Pakistan tightened the screws in a tricky chase on a sluggish pitch, Australia’s lower order and tail refused to be denied. Not one batsman threw his wicket away, and even the tailenders had to be prised out, either through a good delivery or a well set-up passage of pressure play.
Perhaps it’s the sense of occasion and the grand stage that brings out the combatants in the Australians, but the force is certainly with them when it comes to the semifinal.
In the absence of Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey have raised their game, making up for the loss of experience in the middle order.
Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson have bowled fast and with control. The one point of concern will be the extended role spinners are expected to play in Centurion. Nathan Hauritz will have to shoulder this burden, especially if Australia have to bowl second.
England wear a settled look despite the fact that they’re missing their two best ODI players — Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen. With Stuart Broad tearing a buttock muscle, Strauss has been given a fresh riddle to wrestle with, but this could come as a blessing in disguise as legspinner Adil Rashid will be a handful in these conditions.
India’s hopes now rest on Pakistan
The rains that were predicted accurately arrived at 5.40pm on Monday, disappointing everyone but the weatherman who got it right. Australia, after choosing to bat, were 234 for 4 from 42.3 overs and were just getting ready to launch a final assault when the match was called off.
India and Australia took home a point each and the result meant that Pakistan became the first team from Group A to qualify for the semifinals. For India to make the cut now, Pakistan must beat Australia on Wednesday and India have to get past West Indies later on the same day with a better net run rate than Australia.
Ashish Nehra picked up from where he left off in the last game, hitting just the right lines and lengths. He troubled both Australia’s openers and surprised Shane Watson with a ball that kicked up from a length. Committed to the pull, Watson only managed to spear the ball into the air for Harbhajan Singh to catch.
Tim Paine, who has settled nicely into the Australian ODI set up, then set about laying into the Indian bowling. Ishant Sharma, a pale shadow of the bowler who tormented Australia 18 months ago, banged the ball in short, and it 
disappeared for six over square-leg sooner than you could say “bad ball”.
If getting the length wrong wasn’t bad enough, Ishant provided plenty of width as well, and was taken for six fours and a six in the 7.3 overs he sent down before the rain brought him respite.
Harbhajan, who went for 71 from 10 overs in the Pakistan match, struggled to establish any sort of rhythm. With his control deserting him, the runs came easily. Australia’s batsmen did not try to force the pace against the offie, but picked up singles at will.
Amit Mishra, playing his first game of the competition in place of Yusuf Pathan, got the ball to grip the surface and turn, and broke through early. Paine (56) attempted to sweep the leggie and only managed a leading edge, to be caught at midwicket.
Ricky Ponting, bedding down for the long haul, looked particularly ominous when he lifted Praveen Kumar almost effortlessly over long-on for six. Bringing his experience and considerable skill to the fore, Ponting pierced the gaps in the off-side field, working up a good run-rate. Adding 88 for the third wicket with Michael Hussey, Ponting looked well on his way to a big hundred when a freak dismissal sent the Australian captain on his way.
Ponting (65) responded to a call for two from Hussey, who had driven the ball wide of the sweeper cover. Gautam Gambhir, patrolling the ropes, threw the stumps down at the non-striker’s end, leaving Ponting well short.
Hussey continued the good work and as clouds gathered and rains threatened, the Australians took their batting powerplay at the end of 35 overs. Cameron White set to work, heaving Mishra over midwicket for a big six.
The runs came easily and India were faced with yet another potential 300-plus chase when rain began.
Scorecard
Australia: S Watson c Harbhajan b Nehra 0, T Paine c Harbhajan b Mishra 56, R Ponting run out (Gambhir) 65, M Hussey c Tendulkar b Sharma 67, C White batting 35, C Ferguson batting 2; Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-7) 9
Total (for 4 wkts; 42.3 overs) 234
Fall of wkts: 1-3, 2-87, 3-175, 4-227
Bowling: A Nehra 8-1-38 -1, P Kumar 8-0-34-0, I Sharma 7.4-0-53-1, A Mishra 9-0-45-1, Harbhajan 9-0-54-0, S Raina 1-0-8-0
England outclass SA to reach semis
England beat hosts South Africa by 22 runs to knock the world’s number one ranked side and tournament hosts out of the Champions Trophy on Sunday. Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan blazed half-centuries as England piled up 323 for eight, their highest ever total against South Africa.
South Africa, despite captain Graeme Smith’s career-best 141, could only manage 301 for nine in reply.
Shah and Collingwood inflicted enormous destruction on a home attack that could not stick to a length as they plundered 163 runs off 162 balls in a record third-wicket stand for England against South Africa.
Shah went over the boundary six times in his 98 off 89 balls, while Collingwood showed wonderful placement and composure in cruising to 82 off 94 deliveries.
Morgan finished the innings in style as he took advantage of woeful death bowling to wallop four fours and five sixes in his 67 off 34 balls.
Wayne Parnell, South Africa’s youngest bowler, was their best, taking three for 60 in 10 overs.
South Africa were unable to compile a telling partnership despite Smith’s fine innings and they went into the last 10 overs needing 94 runs to win with six wickets in hand.
Big-hitter Albie Morkel netted a six and a four off successive deliveries in his 17 off 14 balls, but, with debate raging as to whether England captain Andrew Strauss should allow a limping Smith a runner, Morkel ran himself out attempting a bye to stand-in wicketkeeper Morgan.
Strauss’s decision to call on off-spinner Graeme Swann to bowl three overs in the closing stages paid off as he conceded just 10 runs and bowled the JP Duminy for 24.
James Anderson finished with three for 42 as South Africa slid to defeat and England, crushed 6-1 by Australia recently, reached the semi-finals.
AB de Villiers (36) and Herschelle Gibbs (22) made promising starts but failed to master the conditions or England’s attack.
