Don’t forget. History is written by the victor.
When the story is told of Australia’s historic World Cup 2023 triumph, none of this whining will be remembered.
But, for now, at least there is a section of the cricket world trying to rob Pat Cummins’ team of the respect and glory it deserves following the upset victory over India in Monday morning’s final in Ahmedabad.
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The growing swell of cricket fans trying to denigrate the Aussie team centres around a claim the controversially doctored pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium decided the final.
As noted by Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting, the overt manipulation of the deck to favour India’s spin attack blew up in the host country’s face.
It is the deluded hook to which Australia’s detractors are clinging to after watching the Aussies cruise to victory with 42 balls remaining.
The worst part is that it is high profile figures pouring fuel on the fire.
The most staggering comment has come from former Indian Test batter Sanjay Manjrekar,
“The pitch was tacky, a bit rough on the top and likely to turn from ball one, so Australia wasn’t really taking a huge risk by going against the cliché of putting runs on the board in the big game,” he wrote for The Hindustan Times.
“They knew their pacers would get some lateral movement in the afternoon, plus the sandpaper like top meant that reverse swing could come into play with Mitchell Starc as one of the best exponents of it in the world in their side; also, the slower balls were going to be a great option to go to if nothing else worked.
“If dew comes in later, batting was bound to get easier, the ball wasn’t going to turn as much, plus the slower ball as a lifesaver for the seamer when nothing works was not going to be an option.
“It was actually a ‘win-win’ scenario for the team bowling first. After that it was all about execution.”
He went on to write: “To put it simply, the 10/10 India was beaten by the conditions first”.
His comments have been torched by plenty of cricket commentators.
Cricket writer Dave Tickner called Manjrekar out.
That wasn’t the end of it.
Ashish Magotra, Hindustan Times cricket editor, wrote: “No match, let alone a big final, should be decided on the spin of a coin.
“The luck factor exists in every sport but both teams usually play on an even field,” he wrote.
“Australia were the better team on the day, no doubt, but whoever was responsible (for the itch) loaded the dice and made it a lottery – one in which India could not get the right numbers.
“Trying to get a certain kind of pitch also conveys the fear of losing — not a message to send out before a big final.
“If India want to be the best in the world, the focus on the nature of pitch must stop. Trying to manipulate the conditions reveals a weakness, not a strength.
“On Sunday, at a crucial juncture, it played a part in stopping a team that had looked pretty much unstoppable through most of the tournament.”
Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif also made deluded comments when speaking after the game on Star Sports.
“Congratulations to Australia but I am not ready to accept that the best team won the World Cup,” Kaif said.
“This Indian team has been the best side. They are the best team on paper. They would win so many times playing against the same Australian team, even though they lost today. It was one of those bad day, this happens sometimes.”
Fortunately, history is written by the victors, and Australia will only have to hear about these deluded claims for a matter of days.
Australia will be celebrating the big win when the defeat finally sinks in for these cricket conspiracy theorists.
It’s just as head-spinning as England’s infamous “moral victory” claim when Australia retained the Ashes urn in the UK earlier this year. Like Kaif, English batsman Joe Root also believes his team was better on paper on Australia.
Fortunately, history is written by the victor — and when Australia’s detractors get together for their support meetings in future they’ll look at the scoreboards and see there was one team that stood head-and-shoulders-above them.
No pitch or Piers Morgan buffoonery can take that away.
