A have a look at the 2023 Cricket World Cup, which was dominated by India till the host nation ran right into a formidable efficiency by Australia within the last:
AUSTRALIA’S YEAR
Australia regained its standing because the king of ODI cricket to cap a surprising second half of 2023 when the workforce grew to become world champion in check cricket and in addition retained the Ashes — for some, the top of the game — by drawing a high-octane check sequence in England. Pat Cummins was the captain all through all of it and can go down as one in every of Australia’s nice all-format cricket leaders. Travis Head, in the meantime, was participant of the match in each the World Take a look at Championship last towards India in June and the World Cup last towards the identical opponent 5 months later. Australia has a long-held fame for producing when it actually issues, and beating India in its personal again yard in entrance of practically 100,000 spectators for a record-extending sixth title was one other demonstration of that.
INDIA FALLS SHORT
India did the whole lot proper on the World Cup, delivering 9 straight enormous wins within the group stage after which one other within the semifinals towards New Zealand. It was all arrange for them on Sunday — the perfect batting and bowling lineup taking part in in entrance of its prime minister and 92,000 followers on the earth’s greatest cricket venue constructed particularly for this second, whereas a cricket-loving nation of 1.4 billion individuals held its breath. No marvel Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and the remainder of the India workforce seemed so heartbroken after Australia upset the percentages and ensured an eerie silence unfold by way of the Narendra Modi stadium that was a sea of Indian blue. Followers had been seen crossing their fingers in the course of the match and in tears afterward. India, the nation which holds a lot of the ability in world cricket, stays caught on two 50-over World Cup titles. Since successful the 50-over World Cup in 2011, India has misplaced the T20 World Cup last in 2014, the Champions Trophy last in 2017, the World Take a look at Championship finals in 2021 and this yr, and now this World Cup last on house soil.
PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
It needed to be Kohli, the India nice who strengthened his standing as the perfect participant of his technology with a tournament-high 765 runs. No participant had ever scored in extra of 700 runs in a single World Cup till “The King” scored three tons of — together with a report fiftieth in ODIs, surpassing the mark of his idol Sachin Tendulkar — in addition to six half-centuries to common 95.62 in 11 innings. Kohli seemed like he needed to be anyplace else as he collected his award for the event’s finest participant after the ultimate. Finally, he’ll look again on this World Cup with satisfaction, in addition to some remorse his workforce couldn’t recover from the road.
TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT
The ICC’s workforce of the event contained six of India’s overwhelmed finalists and solely two of Australia’s champions. There was a spot for a participant from the underwhelming Sri Lanka workforce, pacer Dilshan Madushanka, and no sight of anybody from the large disappointment of the World Cup, ousted champion England, or the shock of the event, Afghanistan. The workforce: Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Rohit Sharma (India), Virat Kohli (India), Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand), KL Rahul (India), Glenn Maxwell (Australia), Ravindra Jadeja (India), Jasprit Bumrah (India), Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka), Adam Zampa (Australia), Mohammed Shami (India).
MOMENT OF THE TOURNAMENT
Glenn Maxwell’s outrageous 201 not out towards Afghanistan is being extensively seen as the perfect innings in World Cup historical past and one of many best knocks ever in cricket. He completed it barely in a position to transfer as a result of his legs had cramped up and it resembled a golfer teeing off to a transferring ball. Fittingly, it completed with him smashing the ball over deep midwicket for a match-clinching six. “Ridiculous,” was how Australia captain Pat Cummins summed it up. “It’s got to be the best factor that has ever occurred.” It was the eleventh double-hundred in ODIs, however the first in a workforce chasing.
DEPARTING PLAYERS
There’s an extended listing of gamers for whom this was doubtless their last World Cup. De Kock introduced earlier than the event that he’d be quitting the format and he signed out in fashion with 594 runs in 10 innings at a mean of 59.40 for the Proteas, with solely Kohli scoring extra. One other opener, David Warner, is within the midst of an extended goodbye to worldwide cricket and ended his ODI profession with one other World Cup winner’s medal. Afghanistan fast-bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and England left-arm fast David Willey had been among the many less-celebrated gamers to have already ended their ODI careers, whereas Sharma (age 36) and injury-prone Ben Stokes (age 32) are cricket greats who may not be seen once more on the event.
NEXT STOP, AMERICA
Males’s event cricket is off, for the primary time, to america because the ICC appears to interrupt new floor and increase into new markets. Subsequent yr’s Twenty20 World Cup can be co-hosted by the U.S. and the Caribbean from June 4-30, with Grand Prairie exterior Dallas, Broward County in Florida and Nassau County, New York, staging matches at American venues. There can be seven venues within the Caribbean. America qualifies as hosts and can be taking part in in a limited-overs World Cup for the primary time. The nation performed within the 50-over Champions Trophy in 2004, shedding each of its group-stage matches. The subsequent males’s 50-over World Cup is in 2027 and scheduled to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
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