THE Melbourne Cricket Ground is likely to be packed to near capacity of a hundred thousand for today’s World Cup final between the Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand. The 1992 attendance when Pakistan beat England was 87,182 which no doubt is going to be passed.

Which could be overwhelming for Brendon McCullum’s men who never have had the experience of a huge crowd watching them. The Australians, on the other hand, are no strangers to the venue considered to be the world’s biggest cricket arena.

Australia at international level is as old as the game itself. They played their first official Test in 1877 but the New Zealanders having gained their Test status in late 1920s played their first series against MCC (now England) in 1929-30 in three-day Test in New Zealand but their first Test against Australia was much later in 1945-46. The rivalry from then on has been intense at all levels.

Their encounter today will be no different with Australia tagged as the favourites because of playing at home and in familiar conditions with the majority in the crowd backing them.

Which reminds me of the 1992 final when the Australians having failed to make the final went all out in support of Pakistan instead of backing England, their traditional opponents.

The Australian support for Imran Khan’s men and and their celebrations after Pakistan’s memorable triumph remains unforgettable.

Unforgettable too was the cockiness of the Australian Cricket Board media relations officer who ten days before the 1992 World Cup started handed over a press release from ACB then to all media personnel, stating that journalists only from the final countries will be accommodated in the main MCG press box.

Perhaps he had taken it for granted that Australia and England, the arch-rivals, may make the final.

England did, but Australia failed.

An hour before the 1992 final started I arrived at the MCG to find that the press box was occupied by English and Australian media personnel and all the Pakistani journalists were made to sit outside in the overflow area. This no doubt infuriated me for the fact that the ACB itself had made it clear that the journalists of the finalist countries will occupy the main press box.

I then took on the media relations officer of the ACB, Ian McDonald, telling him that I immediately want the Pakistani press to be accommodated in the main press box or else I will sue the ACB for racial discrimination. Which got him then down to his senses as he relented.

Only last December I informed the ICC chief executive during a press briefing at their headquarters in Dubai about what happened in the press box before the 1992 final and he promised that no such incident is likely to happen now.

So far this has been another successful World Cup, too long but worth remembering for some nail-biting finishes, exciting batting, fielding and a kind of few sensational bowling spells like the one by Wahab Riaz which will remain etched in our minds for years to come.

The final itself may turn out to be a memorable experience no matter who wins.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2015

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