A World Cup Final In The Dark
Inside the bizarre, moonlit finish to the 2007 Men's ODI World Cup final.
World Cup is a phenomenon that arrives every 4 years. For many cricketers, it is the numero uno in their cricketing journey. Fans wait with bated breath. The 2007 Men’s ODI World Cup is remembered for all the wrong reasons though. India and Pakistan’s early exit jolted the commercials of the tournament and Bob Woolmer’s sudden demise riddled it with controversies and conspiracies.
Even the final couldn’t salvage it’s lost reputation. Australia put 281 after being invited to bat by Mahela Jayawardene. Sri Lanka’s innings was reduced to 36 overs due to rain. After 33 overs, the match was stopped due to bad light and Sri Lanka were still 37 runs behind from the D/L target.
Since the minimum required 20 overs had been bowled, Australia started to celebrate. They thought they had won by employing the D/L method. But their happiness was short-lived. The match officials decided that since the match was stopped due to bad light and not rain, the remaining 3 overs will have to bowled the next day. Only after that the result could be declared.
Ricky Ponting later revealed that he told the umpires that he will not be able to field the team next day since they would be partying the whole night. But the umpires were adamant. In a comical turn off events, they were even seen shooing away people from the crowd, including the presenters and ground staff.
With Sri Lanka requiring 63 from 3 overs, Jayawardene and Ponting had a conversation and eventually decided that the batters will come out to bat and Australia will only bowl spinners.
The Kensington Oval didn’t have any floodlights. When Malinga and Vaas came out to bat, it was pitch dark with anything barely visible. Even the enhanced view on the broadcast camera showed dimmed visuals. The batters were struggling to see the ball. They added 9 runs to their total while losing a wicket. The spectators booed at the ridiculousness of the situation. Australia won by 53 runs and were eventually crowned the World Champions amidst the shining moonlight.
The officials later admitted to their erroneous judgement on that fateful day. The ICC however could not let it go. All the five match officials comprising of Rudi Koertzen, match referee Jeff Crowe, reserve umpire Billy Bowden and the on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Buckner were suspended from officiating in the T20 WC later that year.
Taking nothing from Australia, but the management and decision making in the final dampened the celebrations. The Presentation and the Closing Ceremony was a mere formality leaving the participants furious as they have been preparing for the big day with enthusiasm. The crowd left with a poor taste bringing close to a World Cup which became a lesson for the administrators and organizers.
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