ICC Champions Trophy 2000: coming of age

After the success of the first mini World Cup held at Dhaka in 1998, the International Cricket Council decreed that the tournament would be held every two years. The second edition was held in 2000 at Nairobi, keeping in mind the governing body’s focus on promoting the game in non-Test playing nations. It came at a time when the cricket world was beset with match-fixing allegations, resulting in life bans for quite a few well-known names. When the eleven participating teams reached Nairobi for the tourney, there were clear changes in most of the squads that had played in the previous competition. Defending champions South Africa were one of the sides to have made key personnel changes. India, too, had a new leader in opener Sourav Ganguly. New faces, new thinking processes and fresher strategies marked this year’s edition.

As there were eleven teams taking part, three were to miss out on a spot in the quarterfinals. Like the previous occasion, 6 teams indulged in a playoff stage, including minnows Kenya and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka caused the first major upset by eliminating previous finalists the West Indies in this stage. Former semifinalist India and the English also made it through after winning their respective matches, and thus the stage was set.

For the second consecutive time, India’s first game was against the mighty Australian side led by the charismatic Steve Waugh. Openers Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Sourav Ganguly set the ball rolling with a brilliant 66-run stand for the first wicket. Tendulkar, in particular, was severe on long-time foe Glenn McGrath, and his pull shot for six off the lanky Aussie seamer was easily judged to be the ‘Shot of the Tournament’. Though a mini-collapse occurred, the Indians recovered sufficiently to post 265/9, largely due to a splendid innings of 84 by 18-year old debutant Yuvraj Singh. Showing few nerves, the Punjab youngster was confidence personified as he set about dismantling the fearsome pace attack of the opposition. It was the first time India played a game with a lot of desperation and hunger, as was exemplified by their fielding. Another young debutant, the left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, also impressed in this game with his searing yorkers and fast pace. Australia eventually folded for 245 despite handy knocks from Ponting (46) and southpaw Michael Bevan (42), and a late charge from Brett Lee (31). And for the second time in a row, the Kangaroos were unable to lay their hands on another major title – they had won the 1999 Cricket World Cup earlier.

Pakistan’s prolific opener Saeed Anwar scored the first century of the tournament as his side chased down Sri Lanka’s meagre 194 without breaking a sweat. Young Imran Nazir also impressed one and all with his quick scoring and powerful hitting. For the Emerald Isle nation, captain Sanath Jayasuriya top-scored with an aggressive 39 while veteran Russel Arnold chipped in with a useful 38. Pakistan’s ‘Sultan of Swing’ Wasim Akram was simply unplayable in this game, as he and all-rounder Azhar Mahmood shared six wickets between them. In other fixtures, SA sent England crashing out of the tournament, courtesy a fine all-round performance from Jacques Kallis, while NZ once again defeated Zimbabwe in the first round itself.

Proceeding to the semifinal stage, the Pakistanis set a target of 253 for the Kiwis, riding on Anwar’s second hundred of the tournament, a blistering cameo of 48 by rookie all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and a measured knock of 34 from Wasim Akram. NZ left-arm seamer Shayne O’Connor did most of the damage, picking up 5/46 with his in-swingers. NZ were bolstered by a fine 135-run stand between Nathan Astle (49) and the in-form left-hander Roger Twose (87). The Kiwis stuttered a bit during the chase, but Craig McMillan and Scott Styris steered the side home with an over to spare. A memorable match, this one!

Perhaps the best game of all occurred in the form of the second semifinal between India and title holders SA. Skipper Sourav Ganguly ruled the roost in this one as he went on to score a magnificent 141. After his partner Sachin fell for 39, the left-hander found an able ally in vice-captain Rahul Dravid, with whom he added 145 for the second wicket. Yuvraj’s late cameo pushed India to a challenging 295 – they were only prevented from reaching 300 by a hostile final spell from speedster Allan Donald. In reply, the Proteas were rattled early with Zaheer Khan and Venkatesh Prasad doing the early damage. Jonty Rhodes and Mark Boucher added 56 for the fifth wicket before the former was dismissed by Yuvraj. Boucher’s 60 did not prove to be enough, and his side was knocked out.

Nairobi witnessed an exciting final as well. Batting first, India posted a competitive 264/6, courtesy Ganguly’s 117 and Tendulkar’s sublime 69. New Zealand were reeling at 132/5 when the two Christophers – Cairns and Harris – came together. The right-left pair of all-rounders combined for a match-winning 122-run partnership that left Indian supporters in tears. It was the first and only time that New Zealand had ever won an ICC event; they have struggled to reach a final ever since.

What this edition gave the cricketing world was a host of new faces – Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan, in particular, delivered stand-out performances for their side. Both players would go on to become vital cogs in the Indian wheel. After the entire match-fixing saga, it was heartening to see new leaders at the helm of most sides. Shaun Pollock, Sourav Ganguly, Sanath Jayasuriya and Moin Khan also went on to have sparkling careers as captains. However, though the tournament came of age this year, it wasn’t as popular in Kenya as it was in Bangladesh, as evidenced by poor turnouts. Running out of options, the ICC finally decided to stage the next tournament in the Indian sub-continent. For me, though, the 2000 edition was simply the best – excitement, action, grit and agony all rolled into one!