Like Brazil in football, Aussies now have five Wcs in cricket but the similarity doesn't end there
No sooner than Steve Smith hit the winning boundary that the MCG metamorphosed into a party zone. Signalled by the explosion of fireworks, the blaring of the Men At Work number Livin' In A Land Down Under, Shane Warne's obsession with 'fluid' dynamics and Darren Lehmann's champagne bath, the Australian team soaked in the moment. Minutes later, suffused in the glare of the towering floodlights and a shower of golden glitter, Michael Clarke held the World Cup aloft. The cauldron was a sea of yellow and drowning in it was the only option.
By brushing aside their little brothers from across the Tasman Sea to render yet another World cup final one-sided, Australia drove home the point that they were the undisputed Big Daddies of cricket. What else do you call a nation that's won five of the 11 World Cups played till date? Four of those triumphs have come in the last five editions, with Team India being the streak-breakers. In all this time, England have yet to win a World Cup. So dominant have Australia been in the quadrennial event that their display evokes comparisons with another team from another sport.
In a chunk of land located on the other end of the Southern Hemisphere, the beautiful game rules. Known to exhibit the purest brand of football, lesser known as 'Joga Bonito', the Brazilians are widely considered to be the greatest entertainers in the sport. Somehow, they too have five World Cups to show. Somehow, they too wear yellow.
Australia and Brazil have ruled cricket and football, respectively. While the nature of their craft may be different, the result is the same: triumphant excellence.
Over the years, Australia have produced cricketers of such pedigree that beating them was next to impossible. After the West Indian team of the 1970s and 1980s, the world has yet to see a finer assembly of cricketers than the ones who call Australia home. Maybe that's why Indians treasure Eden 2001. Maybe that's why Tendulkar loved scoring off Warne. And maybe that's why Yuvraj wept after Ahmedabad 2011.
The Brazilians of yore were no different. From Pele to Garrincha, Zico to Socrates and Ronaldo to Kaka, the South American giants have produced a galaxy of stars. No other nation — not Germany, not Italy and certainly not Argentina — can match Brazil in terms of footballing greatness. The Brazilian teams of 1958, 1970 and 1982 (where they finished fifth) are often called the greatest of all time. Not to forget Romario's Class of 1994 and the Ronaldo-inspired champions of 2002.
Both sets of athletes have a habit of bringing their 'A' game to the final. Australia savaged Pakistan in 1999, India in 2003, Sri Lanka in 2007 and New Zealand on Sunday. Brazil thumped Sweden 5-2 in 1958, overcame Czechoslovakia 3-1 in 1962, hammered Italy 4-1 in 1970 and tames Germany 2-0 in 2002.
Both nations — vast and beautiful — owe their success to the multi-sport culture. It is their inherent love of sport that makes them naturally athletic, easy-go-lucky, cheerful and ever-welcoming. The average fan in either nation will do everything in his power to assume the role of the 12th man.
As Clarke took a final bow, he knew he had groomed the right man. A few years down the line, Smith will do the same. And the feel the same way. Australia are back on top of the cricketing world. Wake up, Neymar.
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