3 similarities between Australia's win in the 2023 World Cup and 2003
Australia beat India by 70 runs in the 2023 World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. With the win, the Aussies lifted their sixth ODI World Cup trophy, having earlier registered triumphs in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2015.
In a clinical performance from start to end, Australia won the toss and bowled first in the final. Mitchell Starc (3/55), skipper Pat Cummins (2/34), and Josh Hazlewood (2/60) starred with the ball as the Aussies restricted a strong Indian batting line-up to 240. For India, KL Rahul top-scored with 66, but he took 107 balls for it, hitting only one four.
Australia lost David Warner (7), Mitchell Marsh (15), and Steve Smith (4) cheaply in the chase. However, Travis Head (137 off 120) launched a brilliant counter-attack while Marnus Labuschagne scored a resolute 58* off 110 to defy India. The duo added 192 for the fourth wicket to completely shut India out of the game.
In the wake of Australia’s triumph in the 2023 World Cup, we look at some similarities between their recent campaign and the one in 2003 in South Africa, where they had also beaten India in the summit clash.
#1 Impressive unbeaten streaks
While Australia lost their first two matches in the 2023 World Cup to India and South Africa, respectively, they were exceptional after that. They hit a nine-match unbeaten streak, which culminated in them winning the final. The Aussies began their winning run with a five-wicket triumph over Sri Lanka and won their next six league games to confirm their place in the top four.
In the semi-final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, they got the better of the Proteas by three wickets in a low-scoring thriller. Australia then beat the Men in Blue in the final to lift their sixth ODI World Cup crown.
Australia had hit a similar unbeaten streak in 2003 as well. In fact, while they lost a couple of matches in 2023, in the 2003 World Cup edition in South Africa, they were unbeaten right through the tournament.
They kicked off the World Cup with an 82-run hammering of Pakistan in Johannesburg and then defeated India by nine wickets. They sealed their place in the final with a 48-run win over Sri Lanka in the semi-final and then went on to thump India by 125 runs in the title clash.
#2 One big partnership crushed India’s hopes in the final
Both in 2023 and 2003, it was one big partnership that went a long way in denying the Men in Blue the ODI World Cup trophy. Australia posted 359/2 in their 50 overs, batting first in the 2003 final against India in Johannesburg.
After Adam Gilchrist (57 off 48) and Matthew Hayden (37 off 54) added 105 for the opening wicket, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn featured in a massive 234-run unbroken stand for the third wicket to more or less seal India’s fate in the 2003 World Cup final.
Ponting slammed 140* off 121 balls, striking four fours and eight sixes, while Martyn contributed 88* off 84, hitting seven fours and a six. Something similar transpired in the 2023 World Cup final.
This time Australia were batting second. India had a sniff while defending a total of 240, but the massive partnership between Head and Labuschagne killed any hopes India had of making a comeback in the game.
#3 Captains leading from the front in the summit clash
If Ponting led from the front for Australia in the 2003 final, it was Cummins who did the same in 2023. The latter did not have an exceptional World Cup campaign but lifted his game when it mattered the most, just like champion players do.
Cummins was at his absolute best in the 2023 World Cup final against India. First, he made the bold call to field first in the big game and then backed his decision of excellent figures of 2/34. Cummins got the big wickets of Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli, both of whom had been in amazing form with the willow heading into the final.
India could not recover from the twin blows delivered by Cummins and succumbed to another painful defeat in the summit clash of a World Cup.