BENGALURU: A record 518 million Indian viewers watched the recently concluded men’s cricket World Cup matches on Walt Disney-owned television channels during the 48-day event, the entertainment firm said on Thursday.
Disney had bought digital and streaming rights to show the International Cricket Council’s tournaments in India from 2024 to 2027 by paying around $3 billion.
Its Hotstar streaming app set a concurrent viewership record of 59 million during the final match of the World Cup, the company said in a statement.
Record 1.25 million fans attended World Cup, says ICC
The numbers offer some relief for the Burbank-headquartered entertainment giant’s India unit, which is exploring options of finding a joint venture partner or selling its business.
It has offered free streaming of World Cup cricket on smartphones in India, part of a strategy to boost advertising revenue and offset the impact of a subscriber exodus.
BENGALURU: A record 1.25 million fans attended matches during the 13th edition of the World Cup, which concluded on Sunday with Australia beating hosts India for their sixth title, global body the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday.
A total of 1,250,307 fans watched the Oct. 5-Nov. 19 showpiece event from the stands, surpassing the previous mark of 1.016 million set at the 2015 edition in Australia and New Zealand.
While the early matches not involving runners-up India had plenty of empty seats in venues, overall spectator figures had already surpassed the one million mark with six games to go.
ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said the one-day international (ODI) tournament had been a “great success.”
ICC suspends Sri Lanka’s membership over government interference
“The staggering attendance demonstrates the enduring appeal of cricket and excitement the ODI format continues to offer,” Tetley said in a statement, adding that the tournament also broke multiple broadcast and digital viewership records.
“It has been an event that has not only entertained but also united cricket fans globally in a celebration of the sport.”
AHMEDABAD: India’s six-wicket loss to Australia in the final of the Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad Sunday left tens of thousands of fans heartbroken and in frantic search of a new plan for the night ahead.
Having braved the long, colourful and festive queues for hours early Sunday to get into the ground, many started leaving the stadium in droves by the 35th over of Australia’s chase as the result became obvious.
The grand 132,000-seat arena is the world’s biggest cricket ground and named after Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The home team, which entered the final unbeaten and favourites to win a third title, could only set a below-par 241 target for Australia to chase.
“I am returning to my home in Mumbai now,” said Jine Shah, 40, who left the stadium when Australia still needed 49 runs to win their sixth World Cup title.
“I’d have stayed here and in the city if we were winning, but what’s the reason now?” he asked.
‘Want to sleep now’
Rajiv Kumar, 25, who planned to “celebrate through the night after India’s expected win”, couldn’t pinpoint what went wrong with the team.
“They have been so good throughout this tournament, the best, and I don’t know what happened today,” he said.
“I just want to go back to my hotel to sleep and not think of this now if possible,” Kumar added.
While thousands of Indian fans left their seats, Roelof Hugo, 51, a South African cricket fan from Paarl, stuck around for the final formalities.
Before this game “I didn’t think that anyone could defeat India” on their current form, Hugo told AFP.
Hugo felt that Australia’s bowling and fielding made the difference in the all-important game.
World Cup thrills cannot erase future ODI concerns
“We stayed back for the final even after” South Africa’s elimination “because India reached the finals and we wanted to see them win over Australia today,” he added.
Jacob Diaz, 33, from Arizona in the United States, watched his first cricket game with his friend Parvathi Subramanian, 33, and described it as a “good introduction to the game”.
“We would have stuck around at the stadium if the result was not a foregone conclusion. I expected India to play much better,” said Subramanian.
‘A big loss’
Outside the stadium, on the packed arterial roads, the mood was sombre and a far cry from the loud and excited atmosphere before the start of the match.
Thousands of fans paid over the odds for travel, hotels and tickets because of high demand.
One of many young groups of friends discussed if they still wanted to explore the city’s famous food stalls or return to their hotels for a quiet night.
“This is a big loss after the way we played over the last few weeks,” Surinder Singh from Mumbai said.
India, with its booming economy and cricket-crazy fans, is the financial powerhouse of the game but they last won the World Cup back in 2011.
“I don’t know what to do now,” Rajinder Singh, who came from Delhi told AFP.
“It feels so sad and empty as the World Cup has come to an end and we didn’t win it.”
AHMEDABAD: A World Cup that started with questions over the future of 50-over one-day internationals ended with doubts still being expressed about their worth outside the context of a showpiece event.
Australia’s six-wicket win over India in front of a 92,000 crowd at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium may have been a disappointingly one-sided final for home and neutral fans.
But the memory of several more dramatic contests earlier in the tournament was still vivid, with Afghanistan overwhelming defending champions England by 69 runs and non-Test nation the Netherlands defeating eventual semi-finalists South Africa.
One of the plus points of an ODI is that it allows a team to stage the kind of epic comeback more often associated with a Test match, while still producing a result in a day.
And while the high velocity, smash-and-grab Twenty20 game may be increasingly important to the finances of players and national boards alike, as evidenced by the lucrative Indian Premier League, it rarely produces drama to compete with cricket’s longer formats.
Nowhere was this more evident at this World Cup than during Australia’s remarkable pool play victory over Afghanistan when, on the brink of defeat at 91-7 chasing 292, a staggering double century from Glenn Maxwell secured an extraordinary three-wicket win.
Pat Cummins, who kept Maxwell company during an unbroken stand of 202 in that memorable match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, admitted to mixed emotions after leading Australia to a record-extending sixth World Cup title.
“It’s hard to say. Maybe because we won, but I did fall in love with ODI again this World Cup,” said fast bowler Cummins, who took a superb 2-34 from his maximum 10 overs as Australia held India to a modest total of 240 all out.
Australia briefly wobbled at 47-3 in reply before Travis Head’s 137 and the opener’s partnership of 192 with Marnus Labuschagne (58 not out) took Cummins’s side to victory with seven overs to spare.
Six tops and flops at Cricket World Cup
“I think the scenario where every game really matters, it does make it a bit different to just a bilateral (ODI),” said Cummins after a win that ended a run of three straight World Cups titles for a host nation following 2011, 2015 and 2019 triumphs for India, Australia and England respectively.
This was Australia’s eighth appearance in a World Cup final, having been involved in the inaugural 1975 showpiece game, losing to the West Indies in a celebrated clash at Lord’s.
“The World Cup’s got such rich history, I’m sure it’s going to be around for a long time,” said the 30-year-old Cummins, with the next edition scheduled for 2027 in southern Africa.
“There’s so many wonderful games, so many wonderful stories within this last couple of months. So, I think there’s definitely a place (for it).”
But the issue of what happens to ODIs between World Cups remains to be discussed.
Prior to this edition, incoming MCC president Mark Nicholas called for all ODIs between World Cups to be scrapped.
“We believe strongly that ODIs should be World Cups only,” he told ESPNcricinfo.
“They’re not filling grounds in a lot of countries. And there is a power at the moment to T20 cricket that is almost supernatural.”
He added: “In a free market, the most money wins.”
But former Hampshire captain Nicholas was a television broadcaster at a World Cup where he commentated admiringly on both Afghanistan and the Netherlands.
And without bilateral ODIs between tournaments such as the World Cup and the Champions Trophy, to be next played in Pakistan in 2025, how will those teams maintain their standard or become even better at 50-over cricket?
AHMEDABAD: Australia beat India by six wickets to lift their sixth title in the Cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
AFP Sport takes a look at the tops and flops at the 13th edition of the tournament.
Tops
Afghanistan
– The Afghans enjoyed stellar performances starting with their stunning win over defending champions England.
In the first major upset of the tournament, Afghanistan posted 284 and then bowled out England for 215 with spin wizard Rashid Khan taking three wickets.
The performance was no flash in the pan as they kept up their giant-killing act and hammered neighbours Pakistan by eight wickets to trigger wild celebrations.
They finished with four victories including against Sri Lanka and the Netherlands, prompting coach Jonathan Trott to predict a “bright future” for the team.
Glenn Maxwell
– Maxwell smashed the tournament’s fastest century in 40 balls in a match-winning 106 against the Netherlands in New Delhi.
But Maxwell had only just got started as he then defied cramp and back spasms in a knock for the ages when he lifted Australia from 91-7 to victory with an unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in Mumbai.
Known as “The Big Show” for his swashbuckling batting, Maxwell destroyed the Afghan bowling attack with 21 fours and 10 sixes in his 128-ball blitz.
He was the dominant partner in a 202-run stand with skipper Pat Cummins, who called Maxwell’s knock a “freak show” and the “greatest ODI innings”.
Virat Kohli
– Virat Kohli lived up to his billing as one of the modern-day greats, recording a 50th ODI century to go past compatriot Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 tons.
He achieved the feat in India’s semi-final against New Zealand at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, the home ground of Tendulkar.
Kohli, 35, amassed 765 runs including three hundreds in 11 matches to end up as the leading batsman in the tournament.
Cricket World Cup: Ten highlights
Teammate and fast bowler Mohammed Shami also played his role in getting the team to the final. He sat out the first four games but made a huge impact on his return with 24 wickets including a 7-57 in the semi-final.
Flops
Pakistan
– Babar Azam’s team came in with huge expectations and started with two victories before their campaign hit a wall in the shadow of right security which director of cricket Mickey Arthur branded as “stifling”.
A loss to India and then Australia hit them hard, but it was their defeat to Afghanistan that hurt as pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi looked out of sorts with 58 runs from his 10 overs and one wicket.
They slipped to their fourth loss in a heartbreaking one-wicket defeat to South Africa, a defeat Azam believed dented their semi-final hopes.
Fakhar Zaman’s match-winning 126 not out against New Zealand was a rare highlight before the 1992 champions crashed out and Azam resigned as captain from all formats.
Buttler and England
– Jos Buttler came into the tournament as captain of one of the fancied teams out to defend their title but their campaign fizzled out early after just one win in the first seven matches.
Buttler failed to provide any inspiration as he flopped with the bat, managing just 138 runs from nine matches.
It was a rare failure for Buttler, who scored 269 in six matches when he led the team to their maiden T20 World Cup victory in 2021.
Spirit of cricket
– Sri Lanka batsman Angelo Mathews became the first batsman in 146 years of international cricket to be given “timed out” in an ill-tempered match against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan appealed after Mathews failed to take strike within the two-minute time limit when he came out to bat in New Delhi and was adjudged out.
Mathews branded Shakib “disgraceful” and the episode left the cricket world divided and the “spirit of cricket” debate reignited.
Ex-india batsman Gautam Gambhir called the act “absolutely pathetic”.
India coach Rahul Dravid said “we won’t do it” but “you can go and debate both the situations”.
AHMEDABAD: After 46 days and 48 matches, huge totals, shock wins, heartbreaking losses, records and controversies, the Cricket World Cup ended on Sunday.
AFP Sport looks at 10 highlights from the 2023 tournament:
South Africa, Markram in fast lane
The tournament was just two days old when South Africa’s Aiden Markram smashed the fastest World Cup century off 49 balls against Sri Lanka in New Delhi.
His team also entered the record books with the highest ever tournament total of 428 in a 102-run win.
Markram’s blitz bettered the 50 balls Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien needed to hit a hundred against England in Bengaluru in 2011.
However, Markram said he “wouldn’t be surprised” if his record was beaten by the end of the tournament. He was proved right by Glenn Maxwell just 18 days later.
Pakistan’s record chase
Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique made centuries as Pakistan chased down the highest target in World Cup history to beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in Hyderabad.
Rizwan overcame leg cramps to score 131 not out while Shafique hit 113 as Pakistan overhauled their 345-run target.
Cricket World Cup: Top 20 quotes
Sri Lanka’s imposing total of 344-9 was built around hundreds from Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Afghanistan, Netherlands make mark
Afghanistan pulled off one of the greatest World Cup shocks when they defeated defending champions England by 69 runs in New Delhi.
Chasing 285 to win, after opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz had hit a blistering 80, England were bowled out for 215 with spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan claiming three wickets each.
Eight days later in Chennai, Afghanistan chased down 283 to shock neighbours Pakistan with Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Gurbaz all scoring fifties.
In between, the Netherlands exploited South Africa’s dislike of chasing by stunning the Proteas by 38 runs in what Dutch media described as “the miracle of Dharamsala”.
Record-breaker Maxwell – part 1
Maxwell took Markram’s fastest World Cup century record by hitting a 40-ball hundred in Australia’s 309-run rout of the Netherlands at New Delhi.
Australia made 399-8 before the Dutch were dismissed for just 90 in 21 overs.
Maxwell’s ton was also the fourth fastest century in all ODIs.
Australia, New Zealand run festival
Australia edged out New Zealand by just five runs in the highest-scoring World Cup game in history in Dharamsala.
Australia scored 388 as Travis Head top-scored with 109 and fellow opener David Warner made 81.
New Zealand battled hard with Rachin Ravindra making 116.
With a total of 771 runs, it was the highest scoring game at a World Cup, beating the 754 scored in South Africa’s win against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.
India add to Sri Lanka woes
Mohammed Shami took five wickets as Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 55 as India secured a semi-final place with a colossal 302-run win in Mumbai.
Sri Lanka’s woeful innings featured five noughts, with both their openers falling for golden ducks as they flopped in pursuit of 358.
Timed-out controversy
Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews branded Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan as “disgraceful” after he became the first player in 146 years of international cricket to be given “timed out”.
Mathews was adjudged to be out after failing to take strike within the two-minute time limit when he came out to bat in New Delhi. Shakib refused to withdraw the appeal.
“I had to take a decision to make sure that my team wins,” he said.
Record-breaker Maxwell – part 2
Australia captain Pat Cummins described it as “the greatest one-day innings ever played” as Glenn Maxwell’s stunning 201 not out guided Australia into the semi-finals in a sensational three-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Mumbai.
At 91-7, chasing 292, Australia were staring at defeat before Maxwell’s 128-ball innings which featured 21 fours and 10 sixes as he became just the third batsman to score a World Cup double century.
He achieved the mark despite battling cramps and back spasms which meant he was reduced to hobbling pace while Afghanistan were left to rue Mujeeb Ur Rahman dropping a simple catch when Maxwell had made just 33.
King Kohli
Virat Kohli scored a record 50th one-day international hundred in the semi-final win against New Zealand in Mumbai, hailing the landmark as being “like a dream”.
Kohli, 35, reached his century – his third of the tournament – with a two off fast bowler Lockie Ferguson, having faced 106 balls, hitting eight fours and a six, to break the record of 49 ODI hundreds he had shared with Sachin Tendulkar.
He did so on his former India team-mate’s home ground, with Tendulkar among those applauding at the Wankhede Stadium as Kohli bowed towards his childhood hero and fellow 2011 World Cup-winner.
Head breaks billion hearts
Opening batsman Travis Head hit 137 and took a spectacular catch to dismiss Rohit Sharma to steer Australia to a six-wicket win over India in the final for a sixth World Cup title.
India were dismissed for 240 before Australia reached their target with seven overs to spare in front of over 90,000 fans in Ahmedabad.
“That’s huge, that’s the pinnacle in cricket, winning a World Cup, especially here in India, and these are the moments you remember for the rest of your life,” said skipper Pat Cummins.
SYDNEY: Adam Gilchrist led the plaudits on Monday as Australia celebrated “a miracle” in winning the World Cup for a sixth time to reign over one-day cricket once again.
Pat Cummins’ men stunned the nearly 100,000 crowd in Ahmedabad on Sunday for a six-wicket victory over previously unbeaten India, breaking home hearts.
Opener Travis Head played a starring role in the final with a sparkling 137 off 120 deliveries and he also took a stunning catch to cut short skipper Rohit Sharma’s innings just short of a half-century.
Head joined Ricky Ponting and Gilchrist as the third Australian to score a century in a men’s World Cup final.
“I don’t know what I can’t believe more,” Head told reporters in Ahmedabad.
“What happened with the hundred and winning a World Cup, or taking that catch.”
Former skipper Gilchrist said the victory was among the greatest ever by an Australian sports side.
“So proud of this Australian team and crew,” Gilchrist wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“To win another World Cup in the manner and circumstance they have is one of the finest victories in our sporting history I reckon.
“Time to celebrate,” added Gilchrist, who scored 149 not out in the 2007 World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in Barbados.
Australia have won the World Cup six times, more than any other team, adding the 2023 crown to triumphs in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
Their feat was all the more impressive this time because it came against an India team who had, until now, looked imperious and had a passionate home crowd roaring them on.
In Virat Kohli they also had the leading batsman in the tournament.
“Australia defeat India to silence 1.4 billion fans and steal another trophy,” wrote The Daily Telegraph.
‘Incredible upset’
Set a challenging 241 for victory, Australia slipped to 47-3 before Head smashed his second century of the competition to steer his team home with seven overs to spare.
Head breaks India hearts as Australia win sixth World Cup title
Under the captaincy of Cummins, Australia added the 50-over crown to the World Test Championship title they won last June after beating India in the final in London.
“Silence golden for Cummins’ men as they go from good to great,” The Sydney Morning Herald said in a headline, referring to how the boisterous Ahmedabad crowd was stunned, especially when Cummins bowled Kohli for 54.
The Herald Sun hailed the win as “a miracle”.
“With their incredible upset, Australia has now won a record six World Cup titles – and none has been greater than in the heat of Ahmedabad,” it said.
Cricket Australia’s chief executive Nick Hockley said the team deserved the title and it was “testament to the calibre of our players across all formats”.
“This is another wonderful achievement by Pat Cummins and his team who have performed brilliantly in testing conditions and against strong opposition throughout the tournament,” Hockley said in a statement.
“To beat the previously undefeated India before their passionate home fans is an achievement that sits comfortably alongside any of Australia’s five previous World Cup finals victories.”
AHMEDABAD: A pro-Palestinian protester in India broke through security cordons to invade the pitch at the Cricket World Cup final on Sunday, stopping play briefly while he hugged superstar batsman Virat Kohli.
Wearing a face mask in the colours of the Palestinian flag, and a T-shirt with the slogan “Stop Bombing Palestine”, the unnamed young protester ran onto the pitch in the 132,000-seat mega-stadium in India’s western city of Ahmedabad.
He was escorted off the pitch by security officers, and play swiftly resumed.
Unbeaten hosts India have won 10 games in a row at the tournament as they seek a third World Cup title and were facing Australia in the final.
Australia win toss, India bat first in mouth-watering World Cup final
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to attend the match along with Australian deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.
Israel has vowed to destroy the Palestinian Hamas in response to their October 7 attacks, which Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.
Tentative Gaza deal reached to free some hostages, pause fighting: report
The army’s relentless air and ground campaign has since killed 12,300 people, more than 5,000 of them children, according to the Hamas government.
India, which has a long-standing call for an independent Palestinian state, has condemned Hamas and airlifted aid to Egypt for Palestinian civilians from the besieged Gaza Strip.
AHMEDABAD: Opener Travis Head hit a sparkling 137 to power Australia to a record-extending sixth World Cup title with a convincing six-wicket win over India in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Chasing a tricky 241 for victory in the final, Australia slipped to 47-3 before the left-handed Head hit his second century of the tournament to steer the team home with seven overs to spare.
Head’s knock and his marathon stand of 192 with Marnus Labuschagne, unbeaten on 58, ended India’s dominant run of 10 unbeaten matches at the event.
Head fell after his 120-ball knock laced with 15 fours and four sixes before Glenn Maxwell hit the winning runs to trigger wild celebrations in the Aussie camp.
“Just thrilled to be a part of it,” man-of-the-match Head told Star Sports.
India eye fairytale finish in World Cup final against Australia
“It’s a lot better than seeing the World Cup on the couch at home (on his injury). I was a little bit nervous but Marnus played exceptionally well and soaked all the pressure.”
India’s chances of ending a global trophy drought since their 2013 Champions Trophy win went up in smoke once Head got going with Labuschagne.
Head’s century was the seventh in a World Cup final and third by an Australian after Ricky Ponting (140 not out v India in 2003) and Adam Gilchrist (149 v Sri Lanka in 2007).
The bowlers set up victory for an Australian side that bounced back after two losses to win nine in a row as Mitchell Starc (3-55) and Pat Cummins (2-34) helped bowl out India for 240.
India hit back when Mohammed Shami shared the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah and struck on his second delivery to get David Warner caught behind for seven.
But it was Bumrah’s double strike in quick succession that raised the roof as he had Mitchell Marsh caught behind for 15 and Steve Smith lbw for four.
Head stood firm with Labuschagne for company to thwart the Indian attack despite captain Rohit Sharma rotating his bowlers in a hunt for a breakthrough.
‘Unbelievable’ achievement
Head, who suffered a fractured hand in South Africa in September, was in danger of missing the World Cup but Australia kept him in the squad until he was fit to play.
He hit a match-winning century against New Zealand in the team’s sixth league game and after a few low scores hit an attacking 62 in his team’s nervy three-wicket semi-final win over South Africa in Kolkata.
He turned India’s nemesis a second time this year after his 163 proved decisive in Australia’s World Test Championship triumph at the Oval in June.
Head reached his 100 in 95 balls and raised his bat to an applauding Australian dressing room.
“What we’ve achieved today is unbelievable,” said Labuschagne.
“It’s the best achievement I’ve ever been part of. India have been the team of the tournament, but you know if you play your best cricket, you have a chance. Our bowlers were sensational and Travis put on one hell of a display.”
Warner said, “Our bowlers were fantastic, they set the tone from ball one. The fielding supported that.”
Australia elected to field first and the players backed up Cummins’ decision with disciplined bowling and impressive fielding.
Virat Kohli and KL Rahul hit 54 and 66 respectively after Rohit’s attacking 47 but the ball dominated the bat on a slow, dry pitch.
Head took a stunning catch while running back from cover point to cut short Rohit’s innings off spinner Maxwell.
Cummins bowled Kohli, who ended as the leading batsman in tournament with 765 runs, to silence the crowd of 92,453 fans, who like the home team in the middle had a forgettable day.
AHMEDABAD: India captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday praised senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami for a spectacular renaissance at the World Cup after being ignored for the first four matches.
The hosts take on Australia in the final in Ahmedabad on Sunday with Shami on top of the tournament bowling chart, taking 23 wickets in six matches.
The veteran Shami, 33, came into the side after an injury to all-rounder Hardik Pandya and soon made an impact with a five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Dharamsala.
There was no looking back for Shami, who remains India’s most experienced fast bowler in a pack which includes Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
Australia ‘ready for anything India throw at us’ in final
He hammered home his importance with a return of 7-57 in the semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.
“It was tough for him to not play the initial part of the World Cup, looking at him being one of the senior bowlers for us,” said Rohit.
“But he was there for the team. He was there to help Siraj, he was there to help Bumrah in whatever way he could. And that shows the quality of him, being the team man that he is.”
“The results are there for everyone to see how he has come back from that. That shows the kind of mental space that Shami had before the World Cup and now.”
Shami has claimed 194 wickets in 100 ODIs for India since his debut in 2013.
India have lived up to their billing of pre-tournament favourites with a clinical show in all departments of the game.
Virat Kohli leads the batting charge with 711 runs; Rohit is in fifth place with 550.
But it’s the bowlers who have come in for the captain’s lavish praise for keeping opposition teams in check in a high-scoring tournament where 300-plus totals have been racked up 25 times in 47 matches.
New Zealand are the only team to have scored more than 300 runs against India.
That came in the semi-final but the Black Caps still went down by 70 runs.
“The bowlers have done a great job for us in this tournament,” said Rohit.
“When we started off, we were chasing in the first four or five games and to restrict teams below 300 in Indian conditions was a great effort. It’s not been easy. But our seamers and the spinners did that perfectly.”
AHMEDABAD: Australia are adamant they will be “ready for anything” India throw at them in the Cricket World Cup final after controversy hit the tournament in a ‘pitch switch’ row.
India have been the form team of the World Cup, winning all 10 games on their way to Sunday’s showpiece match in Ahmedabad.
But there was controversy in the lead-up to their 70-run semi-final in over New Zealand in Mumbai after it emerged the game was being played on a Wankhede Stadium pitch already used twice before during the tournament rather than a freshly-prepared surface.
“No doubt playing on your own wicket in your own country has some advantages,” Australia captain Pat Cummins told a pre-match press conference on Saturday. “But we’ve played a lot of cricket over here.”
“We’ll be ready in terms of anything they’ll throw at us…we’ll make sure we have some plans.”
A used pitch had no major bearing on the Mumbai semi-final, with more than 700 runs scored in the game.
Cummins, asked if he had already seen the pitch for the final, replied: “Yeah, just had a look. It looked pretty firm…I think Pakistan played someone there.”
India and arch-rivals Pakistan clashed in Ahmedabad four weeks ago.
The hosts cruised to victory by seven wickets after winning the toss and dismissing their opponents for just 191.
Cummins banishes captaincy queries with World Cup heroics
Used pitches generally favour spinners, with slow bowling a key component of a five-man India attack where Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to bowl 20 of their 50 overs on Sunday.
Australia have already won the World Cup a record five times and 30-year-old fast bowler Cummins, a member of the victorious 2015 side, was excited by having the opportunity to emulate the likes of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting by leading the team to glory on Sunday.
“It would be huge,” he said. “We were all kids not too long ago, watching some of those great teams win the 1999, 2003, 2007 World Cups.”
He added: “To be captain would be an absolute privilege…it’d be awesome.
“It (the World Cup) has got the longest history of a world event where all the teams compete.
“You only get a shot at it every four years. So even if you have a long career, you might only play in two of these events. 2015 is still a career highlight for me, but I think tomorrow, if we win, might pip it.”
AHMEDABAD: Cricket World Cup factfile on India ahead of the final against Australia in Ahmedabad on Sunday:
World ranking
1
Path to the final
Group stage
Oct 08: bt Australia by 6 wickets at Chennai
Oct 11: bt Afghanistan by 8 wickets at New Delhi
Oct 14: bt Pakistan by 7 wickets at Ahmedabad
Oct 19: bt Bangladesh by 7 wickets at Pune
Oct 22: bt New Zealand by 4 wickets at Dharamsala
Oct 29: bt England by 100 runs at Lucknow
Nov 02: bt Sri Lanka by 302 runs at Mumbai
Nov 05: bt South Africa by 243 runs at Kolkata
Nov 12: bt Netherlands by 160 runs at Bengaluru
Semi-final
Nov 15: bt New Zealand by 70 runs at Mumbai
Squad
Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya (replaced by Prasidh Krishna in squad after injury), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wkt), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav
Leading run-scorer in squad
Virat Kohli: 13,794 runs; highest score 183; average 58.69; Hundreds 50, Fifties 71
Leading run-scorer at 2023 World Cup
Virat Kohli: 711 runs; highest score 117; average 101.57; Hundreds 3, Fifties 5
Leading wicket-taker in squad
Ravindra Jadeja: 220 wickets; best bowling 5-33; average 35.87
Leading wicket-taker at 2023 Corld Cup
Mohammad Shami: 23 wickets; best bowling 7-57; average 9.13
Previous World Cup appearances
1975: Group stage
1979: Group stage
1983: Champions
1987: Semi-finals
1991: Round-robin stage
1996: Semi-finals
1999: Super Six
2003: Runners-up
2007: Group stage
2011: Champions
2015: Semi-finals
2019: Semi-finals
AHMEDABAD: Cricket World Cup factfile on Australia ahead of the final against India in Ahmedabad on Sunday:
World ranking
2
Path to the final
Group stage
Oct 08: lost to India by 6 wickets at Chennai
Oct 12: lost to South Africa by 134 runs at Lucknow
Oct 16: bt Sri Lanka by 5 wickets at Lucknow
Oct 20: bt Pakistan by 62 runs at Bengaluru
Oct 25: bt Netherlands by 309 runs at New Delhi
Oct 28: bt New Zealand by 5 runs at Dharamsala
Nov 04: bt England by 33 runs at Ahmedabad
Nov 07: bt Afghanistan by 3 wickets at Mumbai
Nov 11: bt Bangladesh by 8 wickets at Pune
Semi-final
Nov 16: bt South Africa by 3 wickets at Kolkata
Squad
Pat Cummins (captain), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis (wkt), Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
Leading run-scorer in squad
David Warner: 6,925 runs; highest score 179; average 45.55; Hundreds 22; Fifties 33
Leading run-scorer at 2023 World Cup
David Warner: 528 runs; highest score 163; average 52.80; Hundreds 2; Fifties 2
Leading wicket-taker in squad
Mitchell Starc: 233 wickets; best bowling 6-28; average 23.02
Leading wicket-taker in squad
Adam Zampa: 22 wickets; best bowling 4-8; average 21.40
Previous World Cup appearances
1975: Runners-up
1979: Group stage
1983: Group stage
1987: Champions
1992: Round-robin stage
1996: Runners-up
1999: Champions
2003: Champions
2007: Champions
2011: Quarter-finals
2015: Champions
2019: Semi-finals
MELBOURNE: Pat Cummins may be undecided about his future as Australia’s one-day international captain after the World Cup but few of his compatriots will be urging him to stand down after his efforts in India.
Australia have had no shortage of contributors through the tournament, with Adam Zampa taking 22 wickets and David Warner scoring a pile of runs.
Cummins’s courage under fire and unlikely heroics with the bat, however, have been vital in his team’s revival following back-to-back defeats at the start of the campaign.
An unbeaten 14 against South Africa in Thursday’s semi-final saw Cummins walk off the ground with bat in hand and victory secured for the second time in the tournament.
In the first, he teamed up with Glenn Maxwell to save Australia against Afghanistan, hanging tough in an epic knock of 12 not out from 68 balls to allow his all-rounder team mate to thrash a double century for victory.
Australia has had its fair share of serious skippers, from “Captain Grumpy” Allan Border to the stone-faced Steve Waugh.
Cummins, by contrast, has kept the mood light in the dressing room and out at the crease, where the banter flows freely with batting partners no matter how high the stakes.
“I think it’s easier out there than sitting in the dugout,” Cummins said of batting in a tense finish. Having led Australia to their first World Test Championship triumph in June, Cummins could become the fourth Australian captain to secure the global 50-over title on Sunday, joining Border, Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Scepticism
For all Australia’s success in the test arena since Cummins replaced Tim Paine as skipper two years ago, his captaincy has not always been universally admired.
He has leant heavily on former captain Steve Smith and coach Andrew McDonald, while battling scepticism in Australia that a fast bowler can – or should – juggle leadership duties.
Australia’s failure to win the Ashes in England earlier this year after leading 2-0 saw him come in for stiff criticism from former players and pundits who nit-picked at tactical decisions.
India eye fairytale finish in World Cup final against Australia
Even his place in the World Cup squad was questioned given his relatively modest bowling figures in ODIs compared to fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Former captain Michael Clarke dropped a bombshell that Cummins was set to be dropped after the opening defeats to India and South Africa.
It proved a red herring. Cummins took two vital wickets in the next match against Sri Lanka, ran out another batsman with a sensational piece of fielding, and set Australia on its path to eight successive wins.
With Cummins in charge, victory over hosts India in Ahmedabad on Sunday would mark Australia as one of the great cross-format teams of the modern era.
“The team has done really well and if you win a World Cup that’s a real feather in your cap as a leader,” Steve Waugh told News Ltd media on Friday. “That’s a legacy you can leave. You can never have that taken away from you. “It’s a big moment for him and the team.”
NEW DELHI: Long-simmering rivalries on and off the pitch divided India and Pakistan once more at the World Cup, but a cricket show run by Pakistani greats of the game has won fans across the border.
The Pavilion, featuring cricketing heroes turned broadcasters including Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Moin Khan, has been a hit in India for what fans say is its unbiased and engaging commentary.
“They give cutting-edge, sharp analysis,” said Shubhanan Nair, a 32-year-old in India’s southern city of Bangalore, who said watching the programme online had become part of his “daily ritual”.
“They will talk about what went wrong with every team, including their own… they also appreciate whichever team did well.”
Cricket World Cup final: India v Australia head-to-head record
Neighbours India and Pakistan share deep cultural and linguistic links but their history has been mired in violence and bloodshed.
The two nuclear-armed nations have fought three wars since the subcontinent’s partition in 1947.
“If it’s black, we say black, and if it’s white, we say white,” presenter and Pakistan legend Wasim Akram told AFP.
“Speak your own mind but nothing personal, everything has to be professional and positive.”
India maintain perfect ODI World Cup record over Pakistan with massive win
Launched for the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, the show enjoyed viewing figures on all platforms of about 130 million – until the one-day World Cup opened last month in India.
Akram said numbers were now “almost double”.
“It’s just four to five of us talking, no science… it’s a lot of hard work,” he said.
“But sitting together, enjoying each other’s company, it’s a lot of fun – and I suppose that’s what people see.”
England send Pakistan crashing out of World Cup with thumping win
‘Love from India’
Akram said he was happy the show was reaching a wider audience and admitted its popularity across borders had surprised him.
“We have respect for each other, we crack jokes, we enjoy each other’s company… if our show is able to tell people that at the end of the day it’s only a game, that’s so nice.
“If you’re Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan – everybody is patriotic about their country,” he added.
“Let’s leave it at that and just talk about good in this day and age, to be nice to each other, respect each other.
“If our show is making that impact, then we’re over the moon.”
Hosts India, who will contest Sunday’s final against Australia, beat Pakistan in the only match they played against each other at this World Cup.
The clash took place in front of a partisan home crowd after Pakistani fans were unable to secure visas from Indian authorities.
Any meeting between the rivals has millions watching around the globe and is a bonanza for broadcasters and sponsors.
But Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup on Saturday, failing to reach the semi-finals with five defeats and four wins.
Cricket fans throng hospitals for overnight stay as Indo-Pak hysteria grips Ahmedabad
“At this World Cup, Pakistan will be remembered the most for The Pavilion on A Sports,” fan Abhishek Mukherjee wrote on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
On its YouTube channel, comments below the programme show how a sport can bring otherwise rivals together.
“Wish we had a show like this in India… love from India,” one said.
From Pakistan, another watcher reciprocated, wishing India good luck in the final.
“I really hope India wins this World Cup…love from Lahore,” wrote a user named izzkii.
AHMEDABAD: India v Australia ODI record ahead of the World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Match starts 0830GMT
Last 10 meetings:
27/11/2020: Sydney - Australia won by 66 runs
29/11/2020: Sydney - Australia won by 51 runs
02/12/2020: Canberra - India won by 13 runs
17/03/2023: Mumbai - India won by 5 wickets
19/03/2023: Visakhapatnam - Australia won by 10 wickets
22/03/2023: Kolkata - Australia won by 21 runs
22/09/2023: Mohali - India won by 5 wickets
24/09/2023: Indore - India won by 99 runs
27/09/2023: Rajkot - Australia won by 56 runs
08/10/2023: Chennai - India won by 6 wickets
Overall:
India: 57 wins
Australia: 83 wins
Tied: 0
No Result: 10
Australia head into their World Cup decider against India with all pieces in place following a devastating return to form of their vaunted pace attack in the South Africa semi-final.
Power play wickets had proved elusive for the five-times champions but the withering opening spells of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were decisive against the Proteas in the three-wicket win in Kolkata.
Along with captain Pat Cummins, the fire-and-ice duo of Starc and Hazlewood had previously been left in the shade by legspinner Adam Zampa and his 22 victims at the tournament.
On Thursday, however, the quicks grabbed eight of the 10 wickets between them for a handy confidence boost before the ultimate test against India’s peerless batting machine.
South Africa look forward to future success despite semi-final loss
“It’s probably not been the tournament I would have liked from the get-go,” Starc told reporters.
“But nice to step up in a big game.” Pace has never failed to be a factor in Australia’s white-ball triumphs and proved key when Aaron Finch’s squad won the nation’s maiden T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.
For all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, the glow in the Australian dressing room is akin to the squad’s ebullience during the UAE tournament where they peaked at the right time.
Australia’s quicks will again be looking to make early in-roads against the hosts, who racked up 397 for four in their semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.
New Zealand’s pacemen failed to deal with the heat brought by India captain Rohit Sharma and fellow opener Shubman Gill who paved the way for the Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer centuries.
“It’s huge, and the bigger the game the more important it becomes,” said Hazlewood of capturing early wickets.
“So we know the blueprint now if we’re bowling first, and hopefully go again on Sunday.” Ahmedabad’s pitch is likely to be a major talking point following the Mumbai semi-final where the hosts made a late change and served up a slow wicket.
Australia beat England in Ahmedabad on a pitch which Hazlewood described as good “without being an absolute flat track”.
He said he expected similar for the final but was confident Australia’s quicks would be able to deal with any conditions.
“We’ve been around the block a few times now, and we’ve seen that with India, apart from that one game against us, they’ve played three quicks for the majority as well and they’ve been outstanding,” he said.
“So we know it can be done, we’ve seen them do it and we’ve been here a lot of times now so we know how to bowl in these conditions.”
KOLKATA: South Africa may have suffered more Cricket World Cup semi-final heartache but coach Rob Walter believes they have laid a platform for the future with a core group of players after exceeding expectations at the most recent tournament in India.
Poor starts with the bat and ball cost the side in their tense three wicket defeat to old foes Australia on Thursday – the fifth time they have exited a World Cup in the semi-finals.
South Africa will co-host the next 50-over finals with Namibia and Zimbabwe in 2027 and Walter believes there is much room for optimism they can improve further having arrived in India under the radar and with little expectation of success.
“I’m excited,” he told reporters. “There’s huge scope for us to grow as a team and to play even better than we have. The majority of the people that are going to be on the journey (to the next World Cup) are still in the changing room.
“We’ve seen young guys at the end of the tournament with less than 15 games to their name stand up and really dominate in certain phases for the team. “Different people putting their hands up throughout the competition.” Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock announced he would retire from the 50-over format before the tournament started, while 2027 may be too far off for 34-year-old batters David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen, the core of the group should remain.
Head breaks South African hearts as Australia set up World Cup final with India
“We’ve seen guys play unbelievable cricket that probably surprised a lot of people in this (media) room and around the world. I think that is what fuels them to come back and be better,” Walter said.
Former South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn, who lost in the semi-finals in 2015, also believes there is cause for optimism.
“If you look at the stats overall, South Africa will walk away and say they ticked all the boxes they wanted to, but they just didn’t get over the line,” he told CricInfo.
“There will be some question-marks, but overall they were fantastic. I didn’t think they would make the semi-finals when (fast bowler) Anrich Nortje was injured.”
MUMBAI: Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami starred as India beat New Zealand to reach the World Cup final but Nasser Hussain believes captain Rohit Sharma has been their “real hero” of the tournament.
Unbeaten hosts India defeated New Zealand by 70 runs in Mumbai on Wednesday to make it 10 wins out of 10 this World Cup as they booked a place in Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
Kohli scored a record 50th one-day international hundred in an imposing total of 397-4 that also featured Shreyas Iyer’s rapid 105 off 70 balls before Mohammed Shami cleaned up with a stunning seven-wicket haul.
But it was 36-year opener Rohit, on his Wankhede Stadium home ground, who set the tone with a 29-ball 47 after winning the toss.
Kohli, Shami star as India beat New Zealand to reach World Cup final
Hussain said Rohit, appointed India’s white-ball captain in December 2021, deserved plenty of credit for India’s run to the final.
“The headlines will be about Kohli, about Shreyas, about Shami. But the genuine hero of this Indian side, the man who has changed the culture, is Rohit Sharma,” Hussain told Sky Sports.
The former England captain, himself born in Madras (now Chennai), added: “It’s one thing coming in the group stage, but can you do it again, can you play fearless cricket in a semi-final?
“Their skipper went out there and showed everyone, showed his dressing room that they’re going to carry on in exactly the same way.”
Kohli may be the tournament’s leading batsman with 711 runs, but Michael Atherton – another ex-England captain – said the manner in which Rohit, who has now scored 550 in this World Cup himself, batted on Wednesday was telling.
‘Sending a message’
“For a team who have occasionally blinked when the critical moment has arrived in recent ICC events, often tip-toeing through an innings, Rohit led brilliantly, as he has throughout a campaign where he has eschewed personal milestones and batted selflessly against the new ball,” Atherton wrote in The Times.
“It was not the number of runs that he scored, but the message he sent in getting India off to a flyer, making 47 in only 29 balls, that was vital. Don’t go into your shells, he was saying.”
Yet in a match where 724 runs in all were scored, despite concerns about a used pitch, it was paceman Shami who had the final say with an extraordinary return of 7-57 – the best by any bowler in a World Cup semi-final.
Shami was out of the India team for the first four matches of the tournament and might not have featured at all but for an injury to Hardik Pandya.
Yet heading into Thursday’s second semi-final between Australia and South Africa, he was the leading bowler at the World Cup with 23 wickets from six games at astonishingly low average of under 10 apiece.
England’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan, who faced Shami during his career, said: “The level of control he has shown throughout this tournament to move the ball off the seam and in the air has been great to admire.
“Seven for 57 in a one-day international is unheard of, particularly in a World Cup knock-out game where there is a huge amount of pressure on him…To have someone like that at your disposal for Rohit Sharma adds more value to the strength of India.”
KOLKATA: Travis Head starred with bat and ball as Australia set up a World Cup final clash with India after a tense three-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Thursday.
Chasing a tricky 213 for victory, Australia wobbled after Head hit 62 but Steve Smith (30) and Josh Inglis (28) helped the five-time champions reach their target with 16 balls to spare in the second semi-final in Kolkata.
"It's hard to unpack all of that. I didn't move for the past couple of hours. It was a tense finish and an amazing game," said Head.
New Zealand confident about future after semi-final exit
As Australia reached an eighth World Cup final, South Africa were left to rue a fifth semi-final loss despite David Miller's 101.
Australia slipped to 137-5 and then 193-7 before Mitchell Starc (16) and skipper Pat Cummins (14) kept their nerve to steer the team home.
Left-hand batsman and part-time off-spinner Head stood out after taking two wickets and then with his 48-ball innings laced with nine fours and two sixes.
Australia were in trouble when they were five down as spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi struck in quick succession to rattle the middle-order.
Maharaj bowled Head, who was dropped on 40 and 57, and Shamsi, a left-arm wrist spinner, trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw for 18 and bowled Glenn Maxwell for one in his next over.
Australia started the tournament with two losses but registered their eighth straight win.
"The way we started with the bat and ball was the turning point, we always had to play catch-up," said South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma.
"The conditions combined with the quality of the Australia attack. They were ruthless and exploited every bit of advantage, and really put us under pressure."
Starc led the bowling charge with figures of 3-34 and Cummins also picked three wickets to bowl out South Africa for 212 in 49.4 overs.
Left-arm quick Starc struck in the first over to send back Bavuma, who had said he was not "100% fit" at the toss, for a fourth-ball duck.
Josh Hazlewood claimed the wicket of in-form Quinton de Kock for three as Cummins took a stunning catch.
De Kock, who will quit one-day international after the World Cup, ended with 594 runs including four centuries to sit behind the tournament's leading batsman Virat Kohli (711).
The new-ball bowlers kept up the attack with the wickets of Aiden Markram (10) and Rassie van der Dussen (six) as South Africa slumped to 24-4 and were 44-4 when rain interrupted play.
Klaasen and Miller hit back after the 45-minute rain break as the two put on 95 runs but Head broke through to bowl Klaasen for 47.
Head trapped Marco Jansen lbw on the next delivery to be on a hat-trick, which was saved by Gerald Coetzee, who put on a 53-run partnership with Miller.
The left-handed Miller smashed eight fours and five sixes in his 116-ball knock.
The final is on Sunday at the world's biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.
