ICC Champions Trophy 2009: Revival of the 50 overs format

It was 2009 and after a poorly organised World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007 and the advent of T20 cricket, the 50 overs version of the game was facing the heat in the popularity stakes. The number of teams participating was trimmed, an innovative batting powerplay was introduced – ICC was doing everything it could to keep the format alive.

There were troubles from unforeseen quarters as well. Originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan in 2008, it had to be postponed after a terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore. After months of speculations, the tournament was shifted to South Africa and Johannesburg and Centurion were finalized as the two venues. The top eight ODI teams were divided into two groups with two teams from each group qualifying for the semis.

Group Stages

The tournament started with an upset as the host nation South Africa, staying true to their underachieving tag in ICC events, lost to Sri Lanka in a rain marred game at Centurion. Riding on opener Tillakaratne Dilshan’s swashbuckling ton, the Lankans posted a huge 319/8. In reply, the home side got off to a good start but were derailed by the mystery of Ajantha Mendis. When the game was stopped prematurely, South Africa were found 55 runs short of the Duckworth-Lewis target.

Sri Lanka, however, failed to build on the momentum and lost their next two matches against England and New Zealand to become the first team in the group to crash out of the tournament. The hosts came back into reckoning on the back of some excellent bowling by young pacer Wayne Parnell, who registered his first 5-wicket haul against the Kiwis, but in their third and final group stage encounter, the Proteas attack was flayed to all parts of the ground in Centurion as England cantered to 323/8.

Skipper Graeme Smith battled cramps and a stiff required rate to score a gallant 141 but with very little support from the other end, it was all in vain and his team finished 22 runs adrift of their target. Despite starting the event as one of the favourites, it ended up as yet another heartbreak for the South African fans as England and New Zealand made it to the semis.

Owing to contract issues, West Indies sent its second string team and from the beginning it was clear that Group A was a three way contest between Australia, India and Pakistan. Both Australia and Pakistan started their campaigns with comprehensive wins against the Windies, but it was the marquee encounter between arch rivals India and Pakistan at Centurion that made the headlines.

Batting first, Pakistan recovered from a sedate start to post a match-winning 302/9, thanks to a well compiled century from Shoaib Malik, his fourth against India, and a classy 87 from Mohammad Yusuf. With runs on the board, the men in green unleashed the 17- year-old talented left arm pacer Mohammad Amir who sent back the big fish, Sachin Tendulkar, early in the innings. Rahul Dravid, along with Suresh Raina, tried to resurrect the innings but the Pakistanis kept picking up wickets at regular intervals and eventually bowled India out for 248.

India and Australia shared a point each as their encounter was washed out and with only Pakistan through, there was everything to play for on the last day of the round robin stage. India did its part by posting a resounding 7-wicket win over West Indies but Australia narrowly scraped past Pakistan and registered a last ball two-wicket win to oust India from the event and make it to the semis as group toppers. Chasing 206, the Aussies got themselves into a hole before tailenders Brett Lee and Nathan Hauritz batted sensibly to snatch a heart stopping victory.

The Knockout stage

Australia, buoyed by thrilling win over Pakistan, came out all guns blazing in the first semi final and thumped England by 9 wickets to reach the final. Having bowled out their traditional rivals for a competitive 257, Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting made a mockery of the run chase. Both posted attractive hundreds during a record 252 runs association as Australia overhauled the target with more than 8 overs to spare. In the second semi final, the Kiwis continued to punch above their weight and pulled off a 5-wicket win over Pakistan at Johannesburg to setup a trans-Tasman final.

The Aussie bowlers continued their impressive show in the final and restricted New Zealand to 200/9. There was an initial stutter in the Australian reply but Watson, once again, showed his utility as an opener and brought up his second consecutive unbeaten hundred to help his side become the first team to successfully defend the title.

Notwithstanding the off field troubles which almost threatened to scrap the event, the sixth edition of the Champions Trophy was a resounding success. With matches taking place at the start of the season, there was plenty of help for the seamers and the whole tournament saw an even contest between bat and ball, and often it was the team playing better brand of cricket on the given day that came out on top. More importantly, life was breathed back into the 50 over version of the game, the bread and butter for ICC since the 1970s, which seemed to be on the verge of extinction.