Everyone loves conspiracy theories. And, it isn’t a new phenomenon either. Remember when a lot of people actually believed that Ponting used springs in his bat during the 2003 WC final. And 20 years later, we hear stuff like – “India getting suspicious balls.” The key talking point before any game is the nature of the pitch. “Never judge a pitch till both the teams have batted” has turned into “Let’s judge the pitch even before the coin is tossed up.” One thing’s for sure. It’s a black soil pitch and the same strip that was used for India vs Pakistan on October 14th, more than a month ago. Toss hasn’t been a crucial factor in this tournament as there’s not been any significant advantage of batting first or second. Having said that, teams generally like to post runs on the board in a final.
The Aussies have a sadistic habit of not just winning but converting finals into one-sided affairs. 1999 – skittled out Pakistan for 132 to chase it down with 179 balls to spare. 2003 – amassed a mammoth 359 vs India to win it by 125 runs. 2007 – a comfortable 53-run win over Sri Lanka in a rain-marred encounter. 2015 – bundled out New Zealand for 183 to hunt it down with 101 balls remaining. As many as seven Australians who were part of the triumphant 2015 set-up are here too. The core has remained the same for their major victories in the other formats as well – 2021 T20 World Cup and 2021–2023 World Test Championship. So, this bunch knows what it takes to win big matches. Captain Cummins wants to silence a 100,000+ crowd – “In sport there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that’s the aim for us.” Remember, earlier this year, when he and his team riled up the Lord’s crowd during the Ashes?
