Fitting end to the World Cup

Daily Result: £343.88

And when I say a fitting end to the World Cup it's not meant as a compliment. Sure, Australia won as befitted the best team in the world. But organisationally it was a shocking end to what has been a shocking world cup. Farcical doesn't even begin to sum up what should be the showpiece event in cricket.

I just don't know where to even start. The match finished in darkness. After Australia had already celebrated winning once. An understandable reaction when the official scorebaord was congratulating them. Though quite how the scoreboard managed to do display that but seemed incapable of showing what the correct revised Duckworth Lewis total for the Sri Lankan run chase was is beyond me. It was just embarrassing to watch. Especially when the ceremonial / presentation committee were ordered to stop setting up and leave the pitch in darkness because the match hadn't finished, the umpires had to ask Ponting for the match ball back, McGrath for a stump back and the groundsman had to relay the 30 yard white fielding disks he'd already collected. Showpiece event my arse.

It was the darkness that was the most ridiculous though. Here's the last ball commentary from TMS:

"I think he's bowled him. Oh no....... The bails are still there....... I think. Oh well, it's pitch dark all round anyway."

Other commentary gems from tv and radio included "I can't see the ball. A stumping I think. Oh dear. Oh dear. It's bizarre beyond words this", "We're playing out a farce here at the Kensington Oval", "It's quite a strain on the eyes this. Clarke I can just about see" and "Farce adding to farce".

Not exactly selling the game to a worldwide audience is it? And not surprisingly the ICC contingent at the awards ceremony were all roundly booed before boring everyone to death with long winded self congratulatory speeches about what a successful tournament everyone had just enjoyed. Just fecking get on with it, we can't fecking see you properly anyway is a fair reflection of crowd sentiment I think.

Back to the match anyway. Rain delayed and reduced to 38 overs we were still treated to an awesome batting display from Gilchrist who finally found his form. He smashed 149 from 129 balls and treated us to some breathtaking stroke play. Brilliant knock. No other way to describe it. And it rightly won him the man of the match award.

His innings helped the Aussies reach 281 from their 38 overs, a total Sri Lanka were never likely to chase, especially when it was clear the Aussie bowlers were finding more movement with the new ball. To be fair Sri Lanka did have a good crack at the total but ultimately at the cost of too many wickets which effectively made the required run rate impossible before it spiralled upwards.

McGrath managed to take another wicket and finished the tournament as top wicket taker with 26 - bagging the Player of the Tournament award in the process. He took a wicket with his last ball in test cricket and but couldn't quite manage the same feat in ODIs, having to settle for a run out off his penultimate ball. I might have cursed him more than a few times in the past but wish the old man well in his retirement. A class player.

Anyway, that's that. The World Cup is over. And not before time if the truth be told. I'll be taking another day or two away from trading but will do a summary of the tournament and my trading in it when I get a little more time.