Australia showed just why they are world beaters by winning the ICC Champions Trophy for the second time in a row and add it to their trophy cabinet. With the ICC uncertain of continuing with the 50 overs a side format this could well be the last Champions Trophy. The Australians now will look to get better in the T20 format where they have surprisingly been lacklustre and clueless and so have gone out of two ICC world events in the league stage itself. That is the one trophy they would love to add to the other glittering ones they already have. This ICC Champions Trophy was followed with more than average interest to gauge the public’s response to this format after they had tasted the excitement of the T20 format. The crowds in South Africa and the sub-continent usually turn up only if their teams are winning and the moment they are knocked out then the public interest dwindles considerably. The semis and the finals did bring in crowds but not the full houses that are usually seen at these big events. The finals itself was without much to shout about as the Australians took their time to get to the meager total of New Zealand. Maybe it was because they lost two early wickets and they were thinking about how in the game against Pakistan they suddenly collapsed and scraped through off the last ball of the match and so did not want a repeat of that. The end justifies the means and the Australians wanted to win and that is fair enough though those who did take the trouble to get to the ground could well have been saying that they should have stayed at home. Clinical it was, but entertaining it certainly wasn't till the last few overs. The better way to ensure that good teams with spectator drawing power stay in contention would be to have the Champions Trophy played in a round robin format with two matches played a day. This way the major teams get to play more than three games and even if the odd loss and odd wash out is there they still have enough games to make a comeback and the crowds and TV companies would get their moneys worth.

In a shortened format the emerging teams can always spring a surprise and have one good day under the sun and then lose the momentum as they go further which does the tournament no good at all. The other way to ensure that major teams have a comeback chance is to have a ten-team format with two groups of five each. This way again all stakeholders will get their money’s worth.

Be that as it may, this event was dominated by the Australians as only they can. They were superb in all departments of the game and it speaks volumes of the commitment of their players that despite most of them being away from home since middle of May they were able to raise the standard of their game when it mattered most. The Indians on the other hand had a break for two months but looked listless and tired and went out of the tournament in the first round itself. Yes there were injuries to key players but somehow the pep that was seen in the last season, when they beat Australia in the Test series and then went to New Zealand and won there, was conspicuous by its absence. Hopefully when they are back in familiar environs they will ignite the spark again and give the followers lots to cheer about. In the meanwhile congrats to Australia for a standout performance once again.



PMG