Australia’s Dominating Victory Over West Indies In 2006 Champions Trophy Final
Australia clinched a resounding victory over West Indies in 2006 Champions Trophy Final at Brabourne Stadium, India.
When it mattered most, Australia’s superior experience and skill set showed through, and after an early thrashing, the bowlers displayed incredible resiliency. A significant prize was at stake.
With the use of Duckworth-Lewis technique, Australia 116 for 2 (Watson 57*, Martyn 47*) defeated the West Indies 138 (Gayle 37, Bracken 3-22) in 28.1 overs.
After the West Indies, who had begun the match like a train on fire, ran out of steam, Australia sauntering to their maiden Champions Trophy victory following a few early setbacks and a rain delay that lasted over two hours. Australia’s superior experience and skill set emerged in the last moments, with a significant trophy up for grabs. The bowlers shown unwavering determination despite a heavy early loss.
With a 47 from Damien Martyn, who has been having a tremendous campaign, and a crucial 57 from Shane Watson, Australia decisively ended their curse of never having advanced to the final. After 15 overs lost to rain, the golfers returned to the field at 9 p.m., with a Duckworth-Lewis par score of 115. Martyn and Watson took a cautious approach to the assignment, knowing they had another twenty-five overs to reach 71.
With the field stretched, the singles came easy, and as the West Indies’ hopes began to fade like the clouds overhead, Martyn feathered a delivery past midwicket with a touch of class from Corey Collymore. The fans responded with a strange silence when Jerome Taylor was brought back into the game, Martyn clipped an inaccurate delivery to fine leg, and Watson clipped one superbly through midwicket. The rest of the game was uneventful, as the last pockets of West Indian resistance were swept away and both batsmen found gaps at will.
After West Indies had gotten off to a thrilling start thanks to Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle, the bowlers, and Nathan Bracken in particular, had laid the groundwork for victory. Brett Lee went in with little to no rhythm as the stands began to fill up quickly, and Chanderpaul got the scoreboard going with a lead that at one point eluded Michael Clarke. Furthermore, there were no quick benefits from giving Bracken the new ball instead than Glenn McGrath, as Gayle casually smacked one beyond point.
In Lee’s next over, further punishment was in order. Chanderpaul expertly clipped one down to long-on, and then an awkward hoick soared over third man for six. The situation worsened further, as Chanderpaul’s outstanding on-drive in Lee’s third over set the stage for a lovely straight drive and a brilliant shot through the covers by Gayle. When Bracken finally scored, Chanderpaul made a mistake on a cut, and the West Indies were moving at a breakneck speed.
Lee was removed by then after hitting a massive 36 off of just three overs, but Australia was not expecting a slow start. With 14 coming from his second over, Gayle cheesed off McGrath for two massive sixes over midwicket and delivered an uncommon half-volley through the covers with precision.
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Once Bracken got his cutters going from the other end, the tide decisively turned. At one, Ramnaresh Sarwan played too soon, and Gayle’s exhilarating 37 minutes was cut short by an excellent delivery. Batting was suddenly no longer a piece of cake, and in the fourteenth over, a confident Ponting pulled back Lee. The match had completely changed by the time McGrath proved his superior big-game temperament by getting one to graze the outside edge of Brian Lara’s bat.
After bowling three maidens, McGrath had also claimed the wicket of Runako Morton by the time he was substituted. For a brief while, there was hope for a comeback from Marlon Samuels and Dwayne Bravo, but Watson’s arrival put an end to any grand escape plans. The innings was in complete chaos after Samuels clipped one gently to midwicket and Carlton Baugh slid across a few inches too much.
The remainder was cleaned up by Lee and Brad Hogg, who outwitted Bravo into not playing a shot, leaving Australia with the easy task of scoring 139. Lara decided to give Gayle the new ball while dinner was still cooking, an experiment that lasted just one over.
The prize arrived instantly when Ian Bradshaw replaced him. Adam Gilchrist stepped out and the stadium went wild. Then Taylor trapped Ponting on the walk as the crowd roared his name. The simple formality of a run chase become more complex all of a sudden.
Three exquisite strokes by Martyn, two square drives against Taylor and a cut over backward point after Collymore replaced Bradshaw, allayed fears. With a perfectly timed clip through midwicket off Taylor, Watson chipped in, quieting the crowd that was still pleading for the impossibly conceivable to happen.
Australia was then held back by dinner and the ensuing rain delay, but in the end, a team that personifies the famous Hemingway quote about grace under duress could not be stopped. Whatever you want to call them, they are unmatched players in the game.
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