The World Cup travelled to Africa
for the first time in 2003. This was without doubt the biggest and
best-organised tournament with fifty-two matches played in 15 grounds across
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Fourteen countries, the most ever assembled,
paraded their talent. Namibia made their maiden appearance, having finished
runners-up in the ICC Trophy for associate members. Canada staged a comeback
after 24 years, while ICC Trophy winners Holland reappeared after missing the
previous event. Never before had all six continents inhabited by man been
represented at the same World Cup.
Global Cricket Corporation bagged
the sponsorship rights for ICC tournaments, including the 2003 and 2007 World Cups,
for $550 million. LG Electronics and Pepsi reportedly committed $30 million
each to Global Cricket Corporation for the status of global partners for the
2003 and 2007 World Cups. The official sponsors of the 2003 World Cup were Hero
Honda and South African Airways. The official regional sponsors were
Hutchison/Orange, MTN, South African Breweries, Standard Bank and Vodafone,
while Toyota were the official suppliers.
In a tournament that sprung many
surprises, Australia remained unconquered, pulling off a string of eleven
victories. They rivalled the feat of the West Indies by lifting the Cup for the
second consecutive time and, in fact, surpassed Clive Lloyd’s mighty team,
claiming their third title overall. This was also Australia’s third successive
final, a clear indication that they were far ahead of other teams in
contemporary cricket.
The mascot was, appropriately,
Dazzler the zebra, signifying the integration of the blacks and whites. Dazzler
in various cricketing poses was one of the enduring images of this tournament.
The logo too comprised zebra stripes with a patch of yellow.
The prize money on offer this time
multiplied five-fold to $5 million. The champions took home a bonanza of $2
million. The runners-up received $800,000, and the losing semi-finalists
$400,000 each. At last, the players who make it all happen, got due reward for
their toil. A Golden Bat was instituted for the player-of-the-tournament. It
was won by a batsman ranked among the all-time greats, India’s Sachin Tendulkar,
and presented appropriately by the incomparable Sir Garfield Sobers.
If cricket made its peace with the
modern world in 1992, it merged completely with the ethos of the twenty-first
century in 2003. The opening ceremony, inspired by that of the Sydney Olympics
2000, reflected the transition that the game had made. It was a spectacular
display at Cape Town, the ethnic blending splendidly with the contemporary and
showcasing the African way of life. It was at once dazzling, vibrant and
colourful, and so infectious that the performers and the crowd rocked in
unison. It was not just about cricket, it was about life itself, about the joy
of living, about the thrill of making a collective surge towards prosperity.
Several million dollars were spent on it. About 5000 volunteers took part, many
from the under-privileged sections of society who were made to feel that they
too matter. An estimated 1.2 billion people saw it on television.
The tournament was brilliantly
organised. Careful thought was given to every aspect. Security fears were
allayed. The wickets were, for the most part, ideal for One-day cricket and
fair to both batsmen and bowlers. Special equipment was used to monitor the
amount of bounce. There was some lateral movement, but not too much. The best
batsmen got the opportunity to give full vent to their skills, and the best
bowlers just rewards for their toil. The numerous sterling performances were a
direct consequence of the quality of wickets and perhaps also an indication of
how rapidly the game has changed. This was reflected in the several rapid-fire
innings that were played, and the fact that pacemen seemed to be attacking
instead of being restrictive. There was serious introspection about playing
conditions. Night matches were held only at Cape Town and Durban. It was felt
that at that time of the year there would be too much dew at the other centres,
and that might unduly affect the result of matches. It is this attention to
detail that makes an event memorable. A feature of the tournament was that
officials kept away from the spotlight. They made a fleeting, dignified
appearance at the opening ceremony and then briefly at the end. The
man-of-the-match awards were presented by great cricketers from around the world and also top
African sportspersons, who were designated ambassadors of the tournament.
A special mention must be made of
Dr. Ali Bacher, executive director of the tournament. He took up the post two
years prior to the event and turned it into an unprecedented success. Captain
of the brilliant South African Test team of 1970 just before they were banished
from international cricket, Bacher kept the game alive in South Africa during
the years of exile by organising rebel tours from Australia, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka. When South Africa
were welcomed back to the fold in 1991, he guided the team close to the top as
executive head of the United Cricket Board of South Africa. The 2003 World Cup
is yet another feather in the cap of this outstanding administrator.
The total attendance was 626,845
people, which was 76 percent of the total capacity. The final at Johannesburg
broke the record for South African grounds with a crowd of 32,827.
Yet for several months leading up to
the tournament it was not cricket, but peripheral issues that made the
headlines. Even prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2002 there was wrangling
about the terms of contracts offered to players, particularly clauses relating
to ambush marketing. Indian players, in the main, objected as the terms
interfered with their personal endorsements. Matters reached a head as the
World Cup drew near, but ultimately an uneasy truce prevailed and the best
players participated. The sooner the ICC, various boards, players and sponsors
resolve this irksome problem the better it shall be for the game.
Politics was once again an unwelcome
intruder. For a long time and up to the last minute England threatened to
withdraw from their fixture in Zimbabwe due to the political situation there
and fears over security of their players. Ultimately they forfeited the match,
which contributed to their early exit from the tournament. New Zealand paid a
similar price at a later stage for withdrawing from their game in Kenya, also
due to security concerns.
Away from these aberrations, it was
One-day cricket of a very high order. For some reason, though, there were not
many close matches. Defending champions Australia were drawn in pool A along
with England, Holland, India, Namibia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Pool B comprised
Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West
Indies. Australia, India and Zimbabwe advanced to the super-six where they met
Sri Lanka, Kenya and New Zealand. This time one point was carried over by these
teams for their wins over each of the teams that did not advance to the
super-six, in addition to the four points earned for victories over sides that
made it beyond the first stage. It was a more equitable system compared to the
one in 1999, but still needed improvement to ensure that one upset did not
result in the better teams failing to advance to the semi-finals.
The Duckworth-Lewis method was again
the subject of much debate. This time hosts South Africa were at the centre of
it. As rain intervened they made a dash for what they thought was the winning
target against Sri Lanka. To their horror they found themselves a run short,
and the tie ensured that they were bundled out in the first stage itself. That
took some of the sheen off this splendid tournament. The ICC has to closely
re-examine the Duckworth-Lewis method. There is no doubt that a simpler formula
must be evolved, one that is easily understood and does not require constant
reference to charts. Cricket must be played with willow and leather, not log
tables.
The Kenyans were a revelation. They
shocked Sri Lanka on home turf by dint of some inspired performances and
marched into the super-six. A victory over Zimbabwe earned them a semi-final
spot against India. Their success was a shot-in-the-arm for cricket in Kenya
and wonderful for the game itself. It also resulted in their securing
sponsorship, which they had long sought in vain. Australia advanced
relentlessly and came up against Sri Lanka in the penultimate stage. The final
was between the two best teams in the event, but the Australians packed far too
many guns for India who had surpassed expectations after making a tentative
start in the tournament.
The final:
New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, 23
March 2003
Australia won by 125 runs
Australia: 359 for 2 wickets in 50 overs (Adam Gilchrist 57, Matthew Hayden
37, Ricky Ponting 140 not out, Damien Martyn 88 not out)
India:
234 all out in 39.2 overs (Virender Sehwag 82, Rahul Dravid 47, Glenn McGrath 3
for 52)
Man of
the Match: Ricky Ponting
Player of the Tournament: Sachin
Tendulkar
(Author
Indra Vikram Singh can be contacted on email singh_iv@hotmail.com).
The Big Book of World Cup Cricket 1975-2011
ISBN 978-81-901668-4-3
Distributed in India by Variety Book Depot,
Connaught Place, New Delhi, Phones + 91 11 23417175, 23412567
Available in leading bookshops, and online
on several websites.
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