World Cup 2000

So how do you describe it? Did Australia stumble at the final hurdle? Were the Kiwis lifted by the support of the highly vocal and partisan crowd? No, not really. It was simply that the gods of cricket decreed that today, New Zealand would triumph over Australia to take out their first ever World Cup final. It was a day of fluctuations – in the weather, in the fortunes of both sides, even in the power supply to the scoreboard – and in the end New Zealand had enough to sneak over the line for a four run victory. It was no compensation, but Australia took out all the other prizes on offer – Belinda Clark was Player of the Final for her so-near-but-yet-so-far innings of 91 under enormous pressure, and Lisa Keightley took out the Player of the Series trophy. Ironically, in the previous World Cup final, Kiwi Debbie Hockley, also on the losing side, was named Player of the Final, but today she ended what has been a marathon career of 22 years with the only goal she had left to achieve.

New Zealand captain Emily Drumm won the toss and chose to bat first, but the Kiwis were unable to last the full 50, being bowled out in the 49^th for a reasonable total of 184. After a 31 minute rain interruption – the only time lost to the weather since the first match of the tournament – Therese McGregor got the Australian campaign off to a flyer with her dismissals of Anna O’Leary and Drumm, before collecting a well-judged catch on the mid-wicket boundary to dismiss the dangerous Rebecca Rolls from the bowling of Charlie Mason. Avril Fahey claimed the prize scalp of Hockley for 24, and Zoe Goss, playing in her fourth World Cup, chimed in with the wicket of young all-rounder Haidee Tiffen, but it was the seasoned pair of Mason and Cathryn Fitzpatrick who cleaned up the Kiwi tail, with 3 wickets for 12 runs. Karen Rolton added the finishing touches with a direct hit which found Catherine Campbell short of her ground, and the Aussies faced the challenge of accumulating 185 to take home their fifth World title.

Under clearing skies, Belinda Clark and Lisa Keightley strode to the crease, but disaster struck in the first over with Keightley edging Katrina Keenan to wicketkeeper Rolls before she had scored. The Australian innings fell into further disarray when Karen Rolton – the tournament top run scorer – was fractionally short of her crease on a quick single, and was run out for 1. Australia was 2 for 2 in the 3^rd over, and the Kiwis were jubilant. Belinda Clark, cool, poised and in control, gradually took control with the solid support of Cherie Bambury, and the two took Australia to 85 before Bambury chipped a leading edge to Hockley from the bowling of Rachel Pullar. Zoe Goss provided Catherine Campbell with the opportunity to draw level with Charlie Mason as the world’s leading wicket-taker, as she was beaten by a sharply turning delivery, and the innings faltered even further when Olivia Magno was bowled by a beauty from Keenan. Therese McGregor played sensibly in support of Clark, who was steadily moving her side towards possible victory, and the two put on 35 valuable runs before Clark finally played the wrong line to a straight one from Clare Nicholson and was bowled behind her legs. Sensing that Clark’s was the critical wicket, the Kiwis piled on the pressure, but the Aussies refused to lie down and accept defeat. McGregor, Fitzpatrick, Mason and Fahey worked the ball for clever singles and the occasional boundary, but the Aussies fell foul of the third umpire for a couple of critical decisions. McGregor was run out by a second direct hit by Helen Watson, before Fitzpatrick was given out in what is possibly the first time that the third umpire has ever had to adjudicate in favour of a "bowled". After a seemingly interminable length of time and multiple angles, South African Brian Jerling ruled that Kathryn Ramel’s delivery did indeed brush Fitzpatrick’s stumps on its way through, and Australia lost its ninth wicket with 10 runs still needed. Still, they refused to give up, and Avril Fahey helped Mason add a further five runs, to bring up the final over with the game still well and truly in the balance. But it was not Australia’s day, and Mason managed only a faint edge from the first ball to send the 3000-strong Kiwi crowd and the New Zealand squad in paroxysms of delight.

In a further twist of irony, the first official duty of incoming International Women’s Cricket Council President Christine Brierley – a former Australian team manager – was to award the World Cup to Emily Drumm. The Australians, clearly devastated, now face four years before they can challenge for the right to be called world champions, in South Africa in March 2005, but this defeat will undoubtedly spur them on. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank everyone who has followed our campaign for their fantastic support, their emails, phone calls and faxes. Today was not our day, but we represented our country, and the green and gold, with pride. Australia should be proud of the way these fantastic athletes acquitted themselves both on and off the field, and we hope you will be able to celebrate the next time the Southern Stars take the field.

We have been receiving Julia Price (Australian WK) World Cup Diary and she is sending it regularly (as best she can...)...so bookmark this one and check it out each day.....

Recognition....For the first time the Australian team has a supplier of casual clothing for the World Cup tour. Sussan has come on board to ensure the Australian team looks as good off the field as they do on it. The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars would like to thank Sussan for their support of the World Cup.

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result
26 Nov 2000	v Otago Practice match	Carisbrook Park	Aust won by 256 runs
27 Nov 2000	v Otago XI Practice match	Carisbrook Park	Aust won by 10 runs
29 Nov 2000	v New Zealand	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	Aust won by 15 runs
1 Dec 2000	v Sri Lanka	Christchurch (Hagley Oval)	Aust won by 200 runs
3 Dec 2000	v Ireland	Christchurch (Hagley No. 2)	Aust won by 177 balls
6 Dec 2000	v India	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	Aust won by 51 runs
10 Dec 2000	v England	Lincoln (Lincoln Green)	Aust won by 54 runs
13 Dec 2000	v South Africa	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	Aust won by 150 balls
16 Dec 2000	v Netherlands	Lincoln (Lincoln Green)	Aust won by 156 balls
Semi Finals
18 Dec 2000	1st v 4th (Aus v South Africa)	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	Aust won by 112 balls
20 Dec 2000	2nd v 3rd (NZ v India)	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	NZ won
Finals
23 Dec 2000	Australia v NZ	Lincoln (BIL Oval)	NZ won by 4 runs