March 25, 2003	Tuesday	Muharram 21, 1424

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JOHANNESBURG, March 24: The 2003 World Cup feasted on drama.

It boasted world records, giant-killings, politics, match forfeits and even a drugs scandal. It showcased the best one-day side to ever play the game.

Only one thing was missing — exciting cricket.

No blame could be attached to Australia.

Without the sorcery of Shane Warne, the grit of Steve Waugh, without the world-class Jason Gillespie, they still put on a breathtaking show.

In Warne’s absence after failing a drugs test, the electric Brett Lee rapidly established himself as the biggest draw in the game.

When Australia were not playing, however, much of the cricket was as flat as some of South Africa’s tired pitches.

Former England captain Tony Greig got so irritated watching one pedestrian encounter that he exclaimed: “I have a message. Dig up your pitches.”

Things had begun so well under the Newlands lights on Feb 9.

Brian Lara, dropped first ball, made a century and West Indies, despite a Lance Klusener flurry, won by three runs in a dramatic encounter.

Days later, Australia demolished Pakistan by 82 runs in an enthralling re-run of the 1999 final, perennial under-achiever Andrew Symonds scoring a 125-ball 143. For a while, there were runs galore.

The pace, however, slowed. Twenty-five of the 40 first-phase matches included at least one of Canada, Namibia, Holland, Kenyan or Bangladesh, who ended the tournament having not won for 32 games spanning four years.

Zimbabwe, with Andy Flower and Henry Olonga launching an on-the-field protest against alleged human rights abuses in their country, were also in disarray.

Everyone likes a plucky underdog once in a while, but only if he bats like Canada’s John Davison, who scored a 67-ball hundred against West Indies, the fastest ever seen in a World Cup. Canada still lost by seven wickets.

Watching Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas take a hat trick with the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh, and Glenn McGrath take a World Cup record of seven for 15 against Namibia, was amusing but hardly instructive.

Then there were those match forfeits.

England refused to go to Zimbabwe and New Zealand declined to fly to Kenya, citing security worries.

Interminable meetings followed, between players, their national boards, the International Cricket Council, sponsors and lawyers. The long months ahead will be full of legal action.

Those forfeits did not just detract from the cricket.

They opened the way for Kenya and Zimbabwe to reach the Super Sixes. The tournament never recovered.

Their success meant no more Lara or Carl Hooper, Wasim Akram — who became the only man to take 500 one-day wickets during the Cup — or Shoaib Akhtar, no more Shaun Pollock or Michael Vaughan.

Hosts South Africa were knocked out along with 1975 and 1979 winners West Indies, 1992 winners Pakistan and three times finalists England.

None, in truth, were playing well but none was to get the chance to run into form.

For South Africa, the agony of failure was particularly acute as their fate was sealed in a rain-affected tie with Sri Lanka, the result an uncanny echo of their 1999 elimination in the semifinals after tying with Australia.

Suggestions that the team had misread their victory target on a Duckworth-Lewis scoring sheet made things even worse.

The Super Six proved less than enthralling.

Kenya’s genuine and historic achievement in reaching the semifinals was hailed by cricket chiefs as a vindication of globalisation.

Spectators, however, were increasingly turned off as the six-week, 14-team, 52-match tournament dragged on and on.

Kenya’s ageing team did magnificently and deserve further encouragement. But they were not magnificent to watch.

The Wanderers final was meant to rectify matters, with Lee pitted against the record-breaking Sachin Tendulkar.

India were being talked up furiously as worthy opponents for the reigning champions. “They thought they were in the same league as the Australians,” former India all rounder Robin Singh was to say later on South African television. “They got carried away with the hype.”

Instead, they were obliterated as Australia became the first side to win three World Cups, taking their winning one-day streak to 17 successive matches.

Skipper Ricky Ponting hit a majestic 140 not out and the game was as good as won. Tendulkar’s fifth-ball dismissal merely confirmed it.

India may well have been the second-best side at the World Cup, but they were not on the same planet as the Australians, who beat them twice during the Cup, by nine wickets and 125 runs.

One-day cricket thrives on close finishes. Those statistics suggest South Africa 2003 never really had a chance.—Reuters