Posted by How can a mere 40 overs of cricket contain so many twists and turns?
The last three or four overs in particular were dramatic dynamite. Commentators would say ‘Pakistan are almost certain to win now,’ one ball, yet find themsleves saying it was ‘India’s game to lose,’ the next.
It was unreal. Pakistan would lose a wicket, look dead and buried and then suddenly clout a pair of sixes. India would watch the ball disappear into the stands a few times and then clean bowl someone.
Joginder Sharma was the poor bastard entrusted with the final over. He’s barely played an international match, so it was understandable when his first delivery was a monstrous wide. Nerves will decide it, we thought.
Misbah-ul-Haq appeared to be immune to the tension when he pounded a gargantuan straight-driven six, but in fact he was the one who succumbed to the magnitude of the occasion, attempting a fairly-ludicrous over-the-shoulder loft down to fine leg which was all the more painful considering there were still three further deliveries and that he appeared to have the ability to put the ball where he wanted (the stands) when playing straight.
We won’t repeat ourself for a third time, but what a brilliant tournament and what a brilliant final.
India v Pakistan, ICC Twenty20 World Cup final at Johannesburg
India 157-5 (Gautam Gambhir 75 off 54 balls, Rohit Sharma 30 off 16 balls, Umar Gul 3-28)
Pakistan 152 all out (Misbah-ul-Haq 43 off 38 balls, Imran Nazir 33 off 14 balls, Irfan Pathan 3-16, RP Singh 3-26)
I’ve absolutely loved this tournament. I love test cricket too but Twenty20 is for me an equal but whole different kind of love. I was at work today but skyplussed the final and am watching it right now. I like that they played the national anthems, although (probably only to my westernised ears) the Indian national anthem needs a chord at the end to resolve it back to the tonic.
I’ll always adore Test cricket, but I can’t wait until all 50 over cricket is replaced with 20/20.
Also, Kamrun Akhmal needs to learn the words to his national anthem.
There wasn’t much singing along to the national anthems, was there? Of the Indians I only really noticed RP Singh. I liked, though, that they teamed spectacled Sreesanth with a little spectacled child mascot. And I want to be the person that Dhoni gave his shirt to at the end.
They were giving the spectacled child a role model…
Didn’t my Dad once tell me that the Indian national anthem was written for the coronation of George V?
I love Tests. I love ODIs a bit less…and, previously, didn’t really love T20 at all. All biff-bang cricket, far too much in favour of the batsman and all that.
However, it’s been a superb two weeks of cricket, and I’ve been turned around — I now regard T20 as a “haven’t got long, have to get to work on time” quickie, as opposed to the “long evening in with candles and a decent bottle of plonk” that is Test cricket.
Wow. You really know how to indulge yourself when there’s a Test match on.
That’s what you meant, right?
You meant it literally, right?
Right?
20 20 is over. Now what will i watch when i can’t sleep at night.
Yup. Over five days, that’s an awful lot of candles.