SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 2015

Underarm incident still Form meets pedigree resonates before final in World Cup final : There’s been no place like home for and on their respective paths to the World Cup final MELBOURNE: New Zealand’s cricketing Gallipoli came on Feb. 1, ATTACKING MINDSET but just one of the co-hosts will enjoy that particular advan- 1981 when Australia instructed his brother “When I first came into the NZ team in 1973 a draw was as tage when they meet in tomorrow’s title decider. Trevor to bowl the last ball of a one-day match at the Melbourne good as a win,” said , the finest cricketer produced After 48 one-day internationals played out over six weeks Ground along the ground. New Zealand, with an All Black at by New Zealand and the first man to take 400 test . between teams from five continents, the 11th version of the crease in the form of Brian McKechnie, needed six to tie a World “So we played defensive type cricket to hang in there five days, cricket’s showpiece tournament comes down to a trans- Series one-day final match. McKechnie blocked the ball and threw his to get a draw if you were good enough, then we might sneak a Tasman tussle at the . bat away in disgust. His team had lost but the outcry was such that win that would take the team as far as we could.” Australia, playing in their seventh final, have all the crick- the defeat has resonated in all subsequent games between the two The New Zealand mindset changed under Howarth who took eting pedigree and their four previous titles make them by far nations, including tomorrow’s World Cup at the same venue. over in 1980. He proved an innovative and aggressive captain, at the most successful nation in World Cup history. “It was the making of ,” recalled captain Geoff his best in the sound and fury of a one-day match which reached a New Zealand have indisputably been the form team of the Howarth. “From that moment, interest in a game, and our team, mul- peak of popularity when players such as became folk tournament, their eight-match unbeaten romp to their first tiplied many times over. “You could not have brought the publicity heroes in a country where the All Blacks were kings. World Cup final including a victory over the Australians in cricket got from that game. We should be thankful for what the In an unforgettable assault on the Australian bowlers at the . Now, though, they have left New Zealand for the Australians did.” Howarth, who played domestic cricket in England Melbourne Cricket Ground, albeit in another lost cause, Cairns hit first time in the tournament to play their first one-dayer at the where underarm had been banned, raced on to the field in six sixes in 10 balls, including a one-handed shot off MCG in six years in front of a hostile crowd of up to 100,000. protest only to find there was no similar rule in . over backward square leg. In their last 12 one-dayers at the MCG going back five Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser called on Chappell to “It was a magical time,” Cairns said on the morning of New years, Australia have won all but two and they are unbeaten apologise while his New Zealand counterpart Robert Muldoon Zealand’s winning semi-final against South Africa at last at the ground in their last six encounters. quipped he thought it was appropriate the Australian team was Tuesday. “We would walk on to a plane and the whole plane Crucial to New Zealand’s chances of lifting a first World dressed in yellow. “It’s the most disgusting episode in the history of would be clapping us.” took New Zealand to the Cup is, perhaps, how their potent new ball attack of Trent cricket,” he added. Seasoned New Zealand cricket followers found a brink of a World Cup final in 1992 with his brilliant and a Boult and handle the change of conditions on certain irony in the uproar created in Australia. After an Australian stream of innovative tactics such as opening the bowling with off- the drop-in . team had humiliated New Zealand on a wet pitch in in spinner Dipak Patel and the batting with the big-hitting Mark Consensus has it they will get less of the swing they have 1946, Australia had simply ignored their trans-Tasman neighbours, Greatbatch. used to such devastating effect back home and will have to sending second string sides across but not the full national side until But neither he nor any other previous captain in six attempts adjust the length of their deliveries. 1974. New Zealand responded by beating Australia at had led a team to a final until Brendon McCullum, a man whose Australia expect that to play to their advantage the same in through centuries in both innings by . team Hadlee regards as the natural heirs to the 80s’ side. way New Zealand benefited in the one-wicket victory at Eden Four years later they defeated England for the first time at the “All these things are progressions,” he said. “It’s great for the Park-the only defeat for Michael Clarke’s side. in Wellington and the foundations of the great side of game, it’s what our game needs. We’re attacking and playing an “I think the fact that the conditions are different will cer- the 1980s, who won home and away series against both nations and attacking, bright and entertaining style of cricket that is good for tainly help us, and we’ve played a fair bit of cricket through- were undefeated in a series at home for the decade had been laid. television and the fans that come along.” — Reuters out the summer at the MCG as well,” Clarke said after the semi-final win at the on Thursday. “Conditions are a lot different to what New Zealand have been playing in in New Zealand. But in saying that, I think we’re going to have to play our best cricket, there’s no doubt about it.” Southee, though, thinks New Zealand’s bowlers have shown they can prosper even when they do not get much movement. “It hasn’t swung for us in every game but we’ve found ways to take wickets so I think that’s the beauty of our attack,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Friday. “I think we’ve got variety to it and if it does swing, obvi- ously we do become a bit more dangerous. But we have found ways to take wickets when it’s not swinging.” Australia have a potent bowling attack of their own in the rampant Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson, with the older Johnson looking close to his best with two key Indian wickets in the semi-final. It has largely been a World Cup more notable for batting, though, and both sides have quality all their way through their line-ups. The fearless aggression shown by New Zealand openers Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill has been a sight to behold for cricket lovers everywhere. And if there was any doubt about New Zealand’s ability to deal with pressure, they can point to two tight victories won with sixes-first against Australia and then in the semi-final against South Africa. For Australia, Steve Smith has been calmly racking up runs all season and in the likes of David Warner and Glenn Maxwell MELBOURNE: In this Feb. 2, 1981 file photo, Australian bowler (right) bowls underarm to New Zealand bats- they also have the power hitters to inflate a batting total in a man Brian McKechnie on the last ball of a one-day international from which New Zealand needed to hit six runs to force a tie at few short overs. — Reuters the Melbourne Cricket Ground. — AP Mature fans accept end of India’s World champion reign

MUMBAI: India’s notoriously volatile fans showed rare maturity in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while addressing reporters at the Sydney friend, who was present at the SCG. But it was soon over-ridden by accepting the end of their team’s reign as world champions after Cricket Ground after the 95-run loss. people, including former India captain Sourav Ganguly, slamming Thursday’s semi-final defeat against co-hosts Australia in Sydney. The “At the start of the tournament, a lot of people didn’t really think those taking digs at the duo and blaming them for the defeat. defending champions struggled during their build-up, losing a four- we’ll come so far.” “He tried” ran the main headline on the front page One national television channel flayed the team for their efforts in test series 2-0 against Australia and then failing to win a single match of the Indian Express newspaper with a picture of the Indian captain the semi-final but was criticised on social media for sensationalism. in the following tri-series, also involving England. walking back with his head bowed after being run out for 65. Fans were, however, in unison in agreeing that India’s juggernaut But expectations soared after they won all their six pool matches While security was beefed up at Dhoni’s residence in Ranchi, there screeched to a halt against a superior team in the form of Australia. and easily defeated Bangladesh in their quarter-final, taking all 70 was no incident of stone pelting like in 2007 when India bowed out of The Times of India mentioned “India meet their match” and that opposition wickets in the process. The Hindustan Times newspaper the tournament in the group stage after a humiliating loss to view was seconded by most columnists in various newspapers. summed up the mood of the nation with their front page headline Bangladesh. The disappointment, though, led to fans taking to social Former captain Rahul Dravid had no qualms in accepting that the which read “Heartbreak, but young team does India proud”. networking sites initially, venting their anger against star batsman best two teams have reached the final while Ganguly felt India were “Overall, quite happy with where we were,” said India captain Virat Kohli, who made one off 13 balls, and his Bollywood actress girl- “outplayed”.—Reuters