The Australians did nothing wrong (2 June 1999)
Australia skipped into the second round of the World Cup on Sunday and they deserved a place in the Super Six
02-Jun-1999
2 June 1999
The Australians did nothing wrong
Tony Becca
Australia skipped into the second round of the World Cup on Sunday
and they deserved a place in the Super Six.
What Australia did not deserve was the castigation they received for
their go-slow play towards the end of the match.
Going into the match against the West Indies tied on two victories
each with New Zealand who still had lowly Scotland to play,
Australia, the second favourites who had lost to Pakistan and New
Zealand, were one victory behind the West Indies on three and with
New Zealand expected to defeat Scotland to make it three for them,
they (Australia) had to win the match to make it to the second round.
Victory, therefore, was Australia's first goal as that would leave
them on three victories with the West Indies but with a better net
run rate.
In a beautiful response to the challenge, Australia, probably lucky
to have won the toss in conditions favourable to bowlers, smashed the
West Indies for a mere 110, and despite a few hiccups, hopped to
victory, joined Pakistan in the next round and left the West Indies
and New Zealand to fight for the third spot from the group.
According to the rules of the tournament, however, if New Zealand
followed Australia into the second round, Australia would carry no
points with them - for the simple reason that they had lost to
Pakistan and New Zealand.
If, however, it were the West Indies who followed them, Australia
would then carry two points with them - for the simple reason that
they had defeated the West Indies.
With New Zealand expected to defeat Scotland to leave both teams on
three victories and two losses each, the fight between the West
Indies and New Zealand would then be down to net run rate and
Australia, deciding that it was in their best interest to keep the
West Indies run rate as high as possible, took their own sweet time
knocking off the runs after they had played themselves into a
position where they could afford to do as they pleased.
In the opinion of many, that was not cricket, the crowd booed and
jeered and others slammed the Australians for tarnishing the image of
the game.
The Australians, however, did nothing wrong. In fact, as New
Zealand's captain Stephen Fleming said afterwards, he would have done
exactly what Steve Waugh did - and it is a safe bet that so too would
any other captain in the circumstances.
What Waugh did was this: he simply looked at the rules, saw a
loop-hole, and used it in an effort to give Australia their best
chance to win the World Cup.
Should Waugh and the Australians be castigated? Not at all.
Although the rule was obviously put in place to ensure that the teams
play to win all their matches in the first round, it is flawed, and
the ones who conceived it and those who accepted it are the ones who
should be chastised.
Because of the rule, Zimbabwe, who finished with three victories and
two losses, have carried four points from Group A - four more than
India who finished second with the same record and a better run rate,
and two more than South Africa who finished on top with four
victories and one loss.
And because of the rule, New Zealand have carried two points from
Group B - two more than Australia who finished in second position
because of a better run rate; while South Africa carried only two
from Group A, and Pakistan, with the same record of four and one,
have carried four - the same number as Zimbabwe.
Apart from the possibility that because of the points carried over,
the rule could decide the teams moving into the semi-finals, it
apparently served no purpose.
Pakistan, after winning four matches and topping the group, lost to
lowly Bangladesh and because of the rule, they lost nothing - neither
were they booed or jeered, nor has there been anyone shouting, it is
not cricket.
Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)