Ganguly to stick to winning combo
Ashish Magotra, Rediff.com, March 22, 2003 19:00 IST

India skipper Sourav Ganguly appeared confident of his side winning in the final of the 2003 World Cup against Australia on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, he said: "Rahul [Dravid] is fit, just has a sore thumb and will definitely play.

"It is a big achievement for a sporting nation to reach the final of the World Cup but at the end of the day it is important to be on the winning side."

He indicated he would go in with the same team which played in the semi-finals.[...]
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Tendulkar is Australia's only obstacle: Warne
March 22, 2003 11:53 IST

Leg spinner Shane Warne, who was the key to Australia's 1999 World Cup win, believes India's Sachin Tendulkar is the only man standing between Australia and victory in Sunday's final. [...]

"He is, and has been in my time, the best batsman in the world. He's savage on the quicks if they stray with their line and length and he can dominate and intimidate the spinners.

"That's why it has always been a challenge and a privilege to bowl to him."

Tendulkar has scored 669 runs at 66.90 in the World Cup in southern Africa, breaking the World Cup record he set in 1996.[

"Sometimes Plans A and B go out the window and you don't want to be relying on Plan C, which is that he gets bored hitting boundaries, runs himself out, or one of his team mates runs him out," Warne wrote.
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TEAMS: India / Australia .........(with photos)

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India players' pen sketches
March 22, 2003 19:50 IST

India's probable line-up for Sunday's World Cup final against Australia (in batting order):

VIRENDER SEHWAG: Tendulkar Mark II. Explosive right-hander who has wisely modelled himself on the best batsman in the world, so well that they are difficult to tell apart.
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Australia players' pen sketchesMarch 22, 2003 19:40 IST


Australia's probable line-up for Sunday's World Cup final against India (in batting order):

ADAM GILCHRIST: Wicketkeeper, vice-captain and destructive opening batsman with a marvellous eye. .
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The final record: A brief history of the seven World Cup finals:
REUTERS, March 22, 2003 19:32 IST

1975: West Indies v Australia, London:

Lord's in brilliant sunshine on the longest day of the summer provided the perfect backdrop for a match still considered the best one-day international ever staged.
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Result: West Indies 291 for eight, 60 overs (Clive Lloyd 102, Rohan Kanhai 55); Australia 274, 58.4 overs (Ian Chappell 62 not out). West Indies won by 17 runs.

1979: West Indies v England, London:

West Indies were at their peak with an all-conquering pace attack and Richards without peer as a destructive batsman.
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Result: West Indies 286-9, 60 overs (Viv Richards 138 not out, Collis King 86); England 194, 51 overs (Mike Brearley 64, Geoff Boycott 57, Joel Garner 5-38). West Indies won by 92 runs.

1983: India v West Indies, London:

Nobody gave India any chance against West Indies, still the best side in the world by some distance in both forms of cricket.
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Result: India 183, 54.4 overs (Krishna Srikkanth 38); West Indies 140, 52 overs. India won by 43 runs

1987: Australia v England, Calcutta:

Australia, anchored by the tough Tasmanian David Boon, compiled a respectable 253 for five with everybody contributing
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Result: Australia 253-5, 50 overs (David Boon 75); England 246 (Bill Athey 58). Australia won by seven runs.

1992: Pakistan v England, Melbourne

Imran Khan had come out of retirement for the final time to lead a team who were woefully under-performing. Urged by Imran to fight like "cornered tigers", Pakistan reached the final against a highly professional England outfit under Graham Gooch.
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Result: Pakistan 249-6, 50 overs (Imran Khan 72, Javed Miandad 58); England 227, 49.2 overs (Neil Fairbrother 62). Pakistan won by 22 runs.

1996: Sri Lanka v Australia, Lahore:

Sri Lanka had transformed the one-day game with their savage yet controlled hitting in the first 15 overs on slow sub-continent pitches before the fielding restrictions were lifted.
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Result: Australia 241-7, 50 overs (Mark Taylor 74); Sri Lanka 245-3, 46.2 overs (Aravinda de Silva 107 not out). Sri Lanka won by seven wickets.

1999: Australia v Pakistan, London

After the excitement of the semi-final tie between Steve Waugh's Australians and South Africa, the final proved monotonously one-sided.
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Result: Pakistan 132, 39 overs (Shane Warne 4-33); Australia 133-2, 20.1 overs (Adam Gilchrist 54). Australia won by eight wickets.

- posted by ARYABHATT @ 9:43 pm