MiD DAY gives you an A to Z summary of the Champions Trophy
MiD DAY gives you an Au00a0to Z summary ofu00a0the Champions Trophy
Australia
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It could well have been Anderson or Aamer. But more than the two impressive seamers, the tournament would be remembered for the kangaroos' emphatic title defence.
The lanky fast bowler had a forgettable outing in the same country two years ago when he was hit for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh in World T20. But 10 wickets in three matches this time is certainly no mean feat.
This, after a supreme Ashes showing, was enough to prove that Stuart has broadened his cricketing horizons.
Chokers
The C-word came to haunt hosts South Africa yet again. Before the start of the tournament, they were the most formidable unit on paper. Yet, they were the first from their group to bow out of contention.
Dossier
After India failed to make it to the last four, more than analysing their bowling failure, the fans were keen to know whether the players had enough of warm-up in bed ahead of their matches. A dossier leaked to the media ahead of their first encounter spoke of the importance of sex before a game.
England
They were considered as good, in fact as bad, as West Indies. But the Poms ended up surprising even themselves by stunning South Africa and Sri Lanka before going down to champions Australia in the semis.
Fair play
This is a rarity in today's world of cut-throat competition, but we witnessed plenty of it during the tournament.
First, England skipper Andrew Strauss recalled Angelo Mathews after the Sri Lankan was adjudged run out due to a collision with bowler Graham Onions. Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori recalled England mainstay Paul Collingwood when confusion prevailed over whether umpire Daryl Harper had called "over."
Guptill
When India toured New Zealand earlier this year, the right-hand batsman had shown promise. Martin Guptill indeed lived up to his promise, amassing 191 runs, including two fifties, to end as the highest run-getter for the Kiwis (191 runs)
Heartbreak
First, it was rain against Australia. And then while India were massacring a depleted West Indies, millions of fans had their eyes glued to the Pakistan-Australia match, hoping for a Pakistan victory. But the neighbouring country, faltered in the last over, thus ensuring India's early exit from the tournament.
Ian
More than his four wickets against Pakistan in the semi-final, Butler, the spirited Kiwi bowler was in the news for another reason. Thanks to a stomach bug, Butler lost a whopping eight kilos
Johnson
First he pulled Australia out of a hole with a blitzkrieg unbeaten 47-ball 73 against the West Indies. Then, Mitchell was adjudged Cricketer of the Year at the annual ICC Awards. It inspired him to enhance his bowling as he finished with an economy rate of 4.62.
Kemar Roach
Kemar who? Well, despite the presence of genuine fast bowlers like Brett Lee, Shane Bond, Dale Steyn. Mitchell Johnson and Lasith Malinga, this 21-year-old from the West Indies clocked the fastest delivery of the tournament (151.9kmp).
Lucky
Despite being jaded by injuries throughout the tournament, New Zealand earned a place in the semis. And to get over the semi-final syndrome in ICC tourneys, the Black Caps certainly needed a stroke of luck. They got one when Pakistan skipper Younis Khan dropped a dolly offered by Grant Elliott, who went on to see the Kiwis home.
M
The rise of Ajantha Mendis has surely created problems of plenty for Sri Lanka. So, when they had to accommodate an additional fast bowler against England on a pacy Wanderers track, they benched Muralitharan, preferring Mendis. But the outcome showed that the senior M is still irreplaceable.
New kids...
Tim Paine, Wayne Parnell, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Aamer all of them gave us a glimpse of their talent before entering the tournament. And a strong performance by each of these rookies was enough to prove that they can surely excel at the highest level.
Ouch
To add to India's woeful outing came the news of Sachin Tendulkar's collapse due to food poisoning ahead of India's last game against the West Indies. Tendulkar suffered cuts on his face and the story which was broken by MiD DAY was on every television channel.u00a0
Punter
Ricky yet again displayed that he rocks on the biggest stage. Though he got out cheaply in the final, the highest run-getter of the tournament (288) deserved the Player of the Tournament award.
Qualification
The race to the semi-finals lasted till the last game in both the groups, something that was missing in the last World Cup. While Australia defeated Pakistan off the last ball in a must-win game, New Zealand made short work of England in their last league tie to assure themselves of a spot in the semis.
Rain
The weather gods cut short the opening game and then washed out India's vital game against Australia, which gave MSD and Co an excuse for their early departure. Thankfully, though the clouds hovered around for a while, it didn't pour in both the semi-finals and the grand finale.
Spectators
This was one thing that was definitely missing from the tournament. Even for the all-important final, SuperSport Park saw more empty seats than ones that were occupied. That's not great advertisement for 50-50 cricket.
Tillakaratne
True, we didn't see many T Dilshan scoops as much as we wanted to but the Lankan opener's swashbuckling century against South Africa in the tournament opener definitely set the stage alight.u00a0
Upsets
Sri Lanka beating South Africa, England overcoming the Lankans and Proteas, New Zealand then thrashing England and surprising Pakistan in the semis. If one-day cricket survives the onslaught of T20 for a little longer, Champions Trophy 2009 would certainly walk away with the most credit.u00a0
Vettori
The inspirational Kiwi captain certainly believes in his team and extracts the best out of a bunch with limited ability. And when the team needed him most against Pakistan in the semis Vettori came up with an all-round performance. No wonder, with Vettori missing in the final, the Kiwis didn't look the same.
Watson
The burly all-rounder joined the elite group Mohinder Amarnath (1983 World Cup), Aravinda de Silva (1996 World Cup) and Irfan Pathan (2007 World Twenty20) to walk away with the Man of the Match award in semi-final and the final of a major ICC tourney. Both of Shane's centuries will surely be remembered for a long time to come.
X Factor
The Champions Trophy aimed to be fiercely competed among eight top teams in the world. And to be fair there was a great level of keen competition. However, Pakistan's loss to Australia came under the scanner not from the ICC sleuths but from cynics in their own country.
Yuvraj Singh
India's batting sensation seems allergic to Champions Trophy. After missing the last edition due to a knee injury, the southpaw was ruled out of this edition due to a finger injury. Had Yuvi been available, India may not have boarded a flight back home before the semi-finals. To say India were handicapped by the absence of Yuvraj, Sehwag and Zaheer Khan is an understatement.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
True, there were some upsets and exciting finishes. But some league matches were so boring that fans in the stands and those in front of the TV were put to sleep.
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