SYDNEY: Adam Gilchrist on Monday led the applause as Australia celebrated the “miracle” of winning the World Cup for the sixth time and dominating one-day cricket once again.
Pat Cummins’ men stunned a crowd of nearly 100,000 in Ahmedabad on Sunday, breaking the hosts’ hearts by claiming a six-wicket victory over previously unbeaten India.
Opener Travis Head starred in the final with a brilliant knock of 137 off 120 deliveries and also took a stunning catch to cut short skipper Rohit Sharma’s innings with a half-century.
Head joins Ricky Ponting and Gilchrist as the third Australian to score a century in a men’s World Cup final.
“I don’t know what I can’t believe anymore,” Head told reporters in Ahmedabad.
“What happened to win the World Cup with a hundred or manage to catch that one?”
Former captain Gilchrist said the victory was among the Australian sports team’s greatest ever.
“So proud of this Aussie team and their team,” Gilchrist wrote on his old Twitter account, X.
“I think winning another World Cup in their style and conditions is one of the greatest victories in our sporting history.
“It’s time to celebrate,” added Gilchrist, who scored 149 in the 2007 World Cup final victory over Sri Lanka in Barbados.
Australia have won the World Cup six times, more than any other team, adding the 2023 crown to victories in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.
Their success was even more impressive this time because they came against an Indian team that had so far looked authoritarian and had a passionate fan base enthusing them.
They also had the leading batsman of the tournament in Virat Kohli.
“Australia beat India to silence their 1.4 billion fans and steal another trophy,” wrote The Daily Telegraph.
‘Incredibly sad’
Having set a tough 241 for victory, Australia fell to 47-3 before Head hit his second century of the competition to guide his team home with seven overs to spare.
India’s hearts break as Australia wins sixth World Cup title
Under Cummins’ captaincy, Australia added the 50-over crown to the World Test Championship title they won last June after beating India in the final in London.
“Golden silence for Cummins’ men goes from good to great,” The Sydney Morning Herald said in a headline, citing how the raucous Ahmedabad crowd was stunned, especially when Cummins bowled Kohli for 54.
The Herald Sun described the win as a “miracle”.
“Through their incredible upset, Australia have won a record six World Cup titles, none as big as in the heat of Ahmedabad,” the statement said.
Nick Hockley, chief executive of Cricket Australia, said the team deserved the title and it was “a testament to the talent of our players across all formats”.
“This is another fantastic achievement by Pat Cummins and his team, who performed superbly in testing conditions and against strong opponents throughout the tournament,” Hockley said in a statement.
“Beating previously unbeaten India in front of their passionate fans is an achievement that easily ranks alongside Australia’s five previous World Cup final victories.”
news source (www.brecorder.com)
