Sri Lanka vs West Indies: Quick Flicks of the day
A low scoring total and a big margin upset! How often does that happen in a World Cup final? A determined lot of West Indies overcame the Sri Lankan challenge to live up to their pre-tournament expectations, and won the Cup. It’s been a great tournament for the Carribbean side, and one can only sympathize with the Lankans, as this was their fourth straight final in a row in which they ended up as second best. Here are the most memorable moments from the game:
Gayle’s wicket: The whole of the Carribbean islands would’ve been in shock when the big man was dismissed early, trapped in front of the wicket by Ajantha Mendis. Sri Lankan fans probably began to plan their post-match celebrations.
Marlon Samuels: Marlon Samuels has has been outstanding in the last one year. His performances with the bat in the longest format of the game, when he returned from the IPL, were phenomenal. He carried that into this tournament and it showed in almost all of the innings. While every West Indian fan hoped to watch Gayle hammer the opposition bowling attack every time he came out, here was a man who covered when Gayle was outdone early. It was a test of nerves for the Windies after Gayle was dismissed early and the going was tough, but this man rose to the occasion on a wicket that was getting slower by the minute, and pulled his team out of a quandary. His knock of 78 helped WI put up 137 which in the end, was enough to defend.
Jayawardene’s howler: On a slow flat wicket like this, all Jayawardene had to do was stick around till WI ran out of patience. Sangakkara was dismissed only a couple of overs earlier and the team needed someone to just hang around and keep the run rate ticking. Yet Jayawardene, in the 13th over, decided to play an outrageous reverse pull to a delivery that was short. He ended up top-edging it to his counterpart Darren Sammy at point.
Two Run-outs: In a game like the World Cup final, one expects an experienced side to hold their nerve and play sensibly, especially against a side that is in a final for the first time in this format of the game. Despite Samuels’ rescue act, this game had Sri Lanka written all over it. It was really theirs to lose and they did and how! Just two deliveries after Jayawardene’s departure, Ajantha Mendis was also back in the pavillion, thanks to a second run attempt after playing the ball to long-on. Dwayne Bravo was the fielder at long-on who fumbled the ball, prompting the batsmen to go for the second, but his sharp throw left Mendis short of the crease and Sri Lanka at 61 for 5 from 12.3 overs. Some brilliant fielding skills from the wicket keeper Denesh Ramdin saw Perera perish just 4 balls later.
West Indian bowlers: The West Indian bowlers were as disciplined as one should be while defending a total as little as 138. Before the start of the innings, many would’ve expected Lanka to walk away with this trophy but it was truly an all-round performance by the Windies. All the bowlers chipped in with good performances and it showed, as they dismissed a strong Lankan side for just 101.
The Calypso Celebration: There’s no better sight than watching a bunch of West Indian cricketers dance away to glory, after a hard earned World Cup victory. The boys seemed like they could dance all night as the crowd cheered on. This is a memorable win for the Windies, one that could give a positive direction to their game in the longer formats. Darren Sammy spoke of the desire to be a force reckon in Tests and why not! With their determination, they are capable of ruffling a few feathers in any format of the game!