The world champions are back home, weary from days of celebrations and travel that followed their triumphant campaign of nearly 8 weeks in the Caribbean.
SYDNEY: Four days after Australia’s World Cup hat-trick was sealed in the dark at Barbados, the team returned home to cheering and chants of thousands of fans on Thursday, weary from days of celebrations and travel that followed a campaign of almost eight weeks in the Caribbean.
After a formal breakfast with Prime Minister John Howard and a series of news conferences, the squad was taken to Martin Place in downtown Sydney to face the fans and raise the trophy one more time. The biggest cheers were reserved for veteran paceman Glenn McGrath and coach John Buchanan, who retired following Australia’s 53-run win over Sri Lanka on Saturday at the Kensington Oval.
And the first thing Ricky Ponting mentioned was the farcical finish of the final that robbed McGrath of one last tribute in a glowing international career. The Aussie skipper said he wanted McGrath to bowl the last over of the World Cup, but that was impossible when Sri Lanka agreed to bat out the last three overs in near darkness — but only against the slow bowlers — because of an official miscalculation.
The Australians started celebrating when Sri Lanka’s No 8 and No 9 batsmen went off for bad light with only three overs of their allotted, rain-reduced innings to play and without any real chance of winning. But the match officials, including on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Bucknor, ruled that if the remaining three overs were not bowled, the teams would have to return the following day — Sunday — to finish the match.
“We were running around like lunatics thinking we’d won, when Aleem Dar came over and told me... Well no, actually the game wasn’t over yet,” Ponting said. “To be honest, I really thought he was joking.”
The celebrations were put on hold for three overs with the spinners in action to ensure a legitimate result. “The disappointing thing for me is I’d actually taken McGrath off, he had one over to bowl, and I was hoping that would be the last over of the World Cup... and his career. So I guess we were denied that opportunity as well,” Ponting said.
Regardless, the 37-year-old McGrath received plenty of accolades. He was voted ‘Player of the World Cup’ and finished with a tournament record 26 wickets. McGrath told the crowd at Martin Place that he was proud of being part of the squad. “I’ve been very lucky to be involved in an era of Australian cricket that was so strong,” he said. “When you walk on the field and you look around at your teammates, every single one of those guys are big game players and it makes your job a lot easier out there.”
McGrath said he has not looked back since announcing his retirement, after Australia reclaimed the Ashes from England in the summer.
“Since making the decision I haven’t even given it a second thought,” he said. “I’ve been very lucky to have played as long as I have and enjoyed every minute of it, but it’s now time for me to move on, and let the young guys come through. I’ll be happy to watch from the sidelines.”
Coach John Buchanan joined in the orgy of self-congratulation, saying their opponents should realise that Australia’s success was not just down to natural talent. “I think it is always our job to be at the cutting edge and lead the way and make sure that other teams try to catch us,” he said. “Hopefully the world looks at what Australian cricket does and understands there are not only players but systems in place that have made this team what they are.”
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