BARBADOS ON SAT 28TH April will witness, or at least hope to stage, such an encounter between 2 sides capable of dishing out a glorious plethora of quality cricket to satisfy the unsatisfied appetite of fans, most of whom have tried their best to partake in this long event minus the excitement and fervour that dissipated with the elimination of certain popular teams in the earlier stages of this sojourn. If the semi-finals were branded as befitting curtain raisers, let’s just hope that the final will be devoid of any further disappointment. NZ and SA failed abysmally to impress at the last 4 stage, when one would have hoped for any remnant reserves of energy, fortitude and hunger to manifest them. It wasn’t to be though, as the finalists stream rolled and almost annihilated the opposition. It wasn’t a pretty sight to witness two established sides disintegrate in dismal fashion at such a key stage.

 

 

The Aussies, reminiscent of a power house comprising bulky big hitters capable of peppering and clearing the advertising boards with relative ease, are equally gifted with a bunch of nimble, aggressive bowling exponents skilled at derailing the opposition’s progress with precise regularity. Just when the opposition has warmed to having a foot in the other half, the Aussies respond to deflate any false hopes. With the Aussies, half the battle is won before the game even starts. The rest of the battle is won by their constant “go-get-‘em” attitude that takes various forms during the course of the game. Some teams have plans and work around them. Australia works out plans as they go along. Such is their supreme confidence in their abilities that their performances fittingly complement their superior skills. They have a mental edge over teams and do not hesitate to put it to good effect.

 

The Sri Lankans, possessing a truly diverse bowling attack and an exciting bunch of exceptional fielders, will be hoping on a repeat semi-final performance when they collectively strung together to dent the opposition from all angles. A lot will also depend on the influential and very savvy Captain Jayawardene to marshal his troops to halt the Aussie juggernaut. Jayawardene’s handling of players and cricketing nous has been remarkable during this WC and to add weight to their chances, he would want to carry out in similar vein come the final.

 

 

Sri Lanka: A great deal would depend on the old war horse Jayasuriya to give them a blazing start and derail some of the Aussie plans. If he could hold one end up and score the way he is accustomed to, Sri Lanka would be in a much better frame of mind to challenge the Aussies and thwart another WC win. Regardless to say, Murali will be the key bowler for Sri Lanka and will rely on Jayawardene’s exceptional and smart handling of him in short spells, as it doesn’t allow the batsmen much time to get used to his extraordinary bowling. Whatever the outcome of the final, the Sri Lankans have done their country proud with their no balderdash cricket and laudable application. Any team worth its international status can recognise its strengths. Only the great teams can actually play to their strengths effectively. In this respect at least, the Sri Lankans could be tagged as great. Malinga, the slingshot bowler, renowned for his colourful hair as much for his strange action, will probably be SL’s trump card though there is a risk he could come a cropper given the Aussies’ penchant for lack of apprehension and supreme confidence within themselves.

 

 

Australia: Very few teams can boast of as many match-winners as Australia does in international cricket. They potentially have 11 match winners at any one time on the field and that is a scary proposition. Hayden, who has bulldozed his way to become the highest run-scorer so far, will cherish the big stage and would want to continue the run rampage. Clarke, dropped for 8 months not too long ago, has come back with a vengeance and is in the form of his life, which lends great solidity to the middle order. Mr. Cricket Hussey is yet to come into his groove and then there’s Captain prolific Ponting, who chooses the big occasions to showcase his batting brilliance. The bottom line is none of the Aussie batsmen play as individuals. The team’s cause is etched in their psyche and batsmen perform accordingly regardless of whether they are in the stuttering 10s or the nervous 90s.

 

 

Gilchrist, like his compatriot Sangakkara, has had an uneventful WC so far and would be desperate to make amends. The final of the WC might just be the impetus to spring these two dashing batsmen into some runs. So far, Australia has won all their matches with relative ease without much of a contribution from Gilchrist. Neither has Symonds had much of a stint in the middle to warrant a huge score from him.

 

 

What good is a final if it’s bereft of predictions! The final sure promises to be a great retirement farewell for a few players, not to forget that for some, this could be their very last WC performance. If one were to hazard a winner, it would have to be Australia for the manner in which they have disdainfully destroyed the opposition on plenty of occasions. They appear to have the mental edge going into the final. The Lankans, if they play as well as they did in the semis against NZ, will provide a very tough proposition and could potentially take the Aussies all the way. Let’s just hope that the final lives up to the expectations and will deliver an exhilarating match between the two most exciting teams in the world.