A THRILLING CLIMAX it was with West Indies snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. By VIJAY LOKAPALLY.
World cricket rejoiced at the West Indies over-coming England in near darkness at The Oval. It was a triumph that was welcomed by the cricket fraternity which needed a strong West Indies to match the rising power of India and SouthAfrica. The former champion of cricket was the least favoured to win the Champions Trophy but the team, led by the charismatic Brian Lara, surprised even its most faithful supporters with an epic show.
THE TOURNAMENT as a whole failed to appeal. Critics pointed out the poor timing, coming as it did during the football season. And, of course, inclement weather played its part too.
The inclusion of the United States of America and Kenya did not go down well with the spectators and came in for a lashing from some reputed players, especially Australian skipper Ricky Ponting. He was peeved at having to play USA. The issue of ambush marketing also discouraged the spectators since they could not use products which did not belong to the official sponsors.
It was symbolic of the quality of the tournament that it began with an over from Zimbabwe that included seven wides. But it all ended in frenzied celebrations as West Indies, chasing 218, stared at defeat at 147 for eight but recovered to stun England by two wickets. Wicket keeper-batsman Courtney Browne and left-arm seamer Ian Bradshaw scripted a sensational win for the West Indies by adding 71 runs and signing off an inspired campaign on a high.
This story is from the May 27, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
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This story is from the May 27, 2017 edition of Sportstar.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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